Tojo Restaurant — Restaurant in Ho-Ho-Kus

Just came back from this small gem up in Ho-Ho-Kus!

I came just a little after 12, no lunch crowd was present yet, so I was immediately seated and the service was fantastic.

For my meal, I ordered the Black Garlic Karaage ($9) as appetizer. It took a few minutes, but good things come to those who wait. It was crispy, with a nice salty/sweet sauce, and topped with fried garlic. I need to ask them where exactly is the black garlic...maybe next time.

For the main course, I got myself the Shoyu Whiskey Ramen ($18). I got this over the other option, the Shio Truffle Ramen ($18), because truffle tends to be a bit overpowering for this palette. This dish, too, was absolutely amazing. The flavor was complex and had deep umami undertones.

Only comment? The broth was not steaming hot! It's fall, we're in soup season...I want to burn my lips, and feel that broth hit my soul. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't lukewarm or anything, but it could have been a few degrees hotter.

For drink, I got myself a DELICIOUS BLACK SESAME MILK TEA. First time ever venturing out of "Brown Sugars and Ube", and I was not disappointed! For take-out, I got myself two dishes: for an app, I got the Japanese Buta Sausage ($8), and a Chicken Omurice ($18), I can't comment on them because that's for dinner.... but by the pictures, they look delicious!

I 100% recommend this place for any Japanese Food/Ramen lovers! You will NOT be...

11/15/23

I LOVE Ramen!!!

When we got to the restaurant, I noticed the area looked familiar. Then when we went inside it hit me, there was another Ramen restaurant called Takaichi Ramen in the same spot. We were there before the pandemic, so sad they didn't make it. But I'm happy to try a different take on Ramen

Red Shiso Juice - oh, this was so good. I ordered another to take home. It's refreshing and not overly sweet. 👍👍

Black Garlic Karaage - so good, crispy outside tender inside. Only criticism, we didn't smell or taste the black garlic.👍

Shuyo Whiskey Ramen - OK, I have a new favorite! This was creamy and an explosion of flavor. This had garlic! Pork chashu was soft.👍👍

Hubby got: Buta Sausage - the skin had a bite, it's just a spicy sausage, nothing special...

Shio Truffle Ramen - this was a little plain... Although we can smell the Truffle, it didn't stand out and didn't really enhance the flavor... kind of sad about that. Hubby did like the beef, which is different from pork all the time

Small space with a few tables. Service was good. The 2 young ladies were helpful...

Posting this August 2025 — After being impacted by a neighbor’s fire for ten long months, I’m so glad this place is coming BACK! Love how they remodeled the interior with copper accents, and added a counter for single seating. BYOB. We had a party of 8 which fit just right by the window. Ordered one of almost every appetizer and each one was excellent, especially the agedashi tofu, bao buns, and karaage chicken. I’d recommend the black garlic ramen, or the chicken ramen if you’d like a lighter broth. The noodles were just the right consistency and even the egg was cooked right (i prefer mine soft-boiled like they do in tokyo 🤤). Our server was friendly and the owners are nice. Parking is usually not a problem, and there’s plenty of street parking if the lot is full. I wouldn’t recommend it for large groups 9+ though unless you’d like to takeover multiple tables; it’s more of a cozy atmosphere, kinda like a hidden gem in a small town. I liked it so much, i made this little video to capture our experience, enjoy! ps. search for the “Asian Food Lovers Bergen County” group for...