Hokkaido Ramen Santouka — Restaurant in Honolulu

My on-going quest to try different ramen joints continues.

The company is based in Japan and has branched out to numerous spots in California, a few in the Midwest and east coast, and one here in Hawaii.

Apparently they took over the former Ezogiku Ramen spot outside of Don Quiote, but I don't remember them being in that area and didn't recognize the layout. I think they did a heavy renovation because Ezogiku wasn't the prettiest of places. Cool lighting fixtures hang down, with decorative ramen bowls climbing up the walls. Seating is for about 25 people through a mix of counter seating, a few regular tables, and a long communal bench with single seats & tables. Not good for large groups. The counter seating's backsplash could use a deep cleaning.

MENU: One type of salad, salmon bowl, number ramen styles, gyoza, and combos.

FOOD: Gyoza I always have to try the gyozas to compare and find the best. The 5 pieces were on the smallish side and not pan fried well enough, so the delicious crunch wasn't present. Overall flavor was good, but pass.

Toroniku Shoyu Ramen The menu states you can have the toppings on the side or put in, but we weren't offered a choice so they came on a side plate. The broth.. OMG! It's good!!!! The best way to describe the flavor is its a rich, slightly oily mixture of shoyu, and tan tan, with sesame seeds floating on the top. The pork cheeks were super tender and mildly flavored, with a thin trimming of fat that was easy to consume or discard. The bamboo shoots were okay because they had a slightly odd chemical taste. The medium egg was just a bit overdone and had no flavor though the outside was stained from some kind of marinade. The noodles... I'm on the fence about them. They're thin, chewy, and had a flavor of its own, which tasted like they were stir fried in oil first in a well-seasoned pan. I have a good appetite but couldn't finish all of the noodles. I was really full due to the richness.

SERVICE: It felt pushy but in a nice way. Kinda churn and burn, hurry up and buy.

OVERALL: Pricey, excellent broth, mediocre noodles,...

The ramen is as others suggest, delicious. The service was unprofessional. Sunday night, 7pm, not terribly busy and a 6 min wait for 2 spots at the counter. 3 wait staff behaved as if we weren't there. Issue 1, they take our order after another couple that sat after us. Not a big deal, but they get their food first and the limited supply ramen I ordered suddenly went out of stock. Issue 2, we get our 2 simple miso ramen 10 min after the couple next to us, chalk it up to luck. Also noticed that tables that come in after us get water glasses right away, we got ours with our food. Issue 3, we're served and they walk away; we have no spoons. I had to ask for them, no apology from staff, just a sense of burden. Issue 4, nearly done with our bowls when we're asked to move away from the counter to a table. They need the counter space for a large group. If they looked at our bowls they could have surmised that we'd be done soon, we ate and finished in 10 min! I've not had such a poor and clueless wait staff experience in a long time. Only reason in writing is to vent and in the hopes (doubtful) that management reads this and uses it in a positive manner. TLDR: great ramen, clueless staff ruined...

I've passed this place for years on my way to Donki but finally stopped in today right as they opened. The seating area is nice, cozy, and clean - and the two ladies that helped us were really friendly.

This is the first time I've had Santouka "style" ramen and - although a tonkotsu broth - it didn't taste as heavy. It's also nice because they have three sizes available with the menu price reflecting the medium size. If you order a small, it's $1 less than the listed menu price; order a large, add $1.

I ordered the tantan-men and although the soup presents in a bright red color because of the chili oil - it's not spicy but really flavorful. The noodles had a great consistency/perfect chewiness so tasty broth + great noodles = great experience.

I had a late breakfast (about 9) and walked in here at 11 but was able to easily polish off a medium (all the noodles and broth). If you're a decent eater, I'd definitely recommend the large, especially if you're not ordering any sides.

Overall, it was a great experience! You'd also think it would be more pricey because it's located in a busy shopping center but everything...