Ramen Station — Restaurant in Oakland

I've wanted to come in ever since seeing the original "JR Rail" sign years ago on the freeway! We finally had the chance on the way to grocery shopping. I wasn't disappointed!

The owners do a good job of making this a unique experience. The shop is clean and streamlined, as you can expect from one themed on Japanese transportation! They play sounds of the JR Rail stop announcements overhead, and also steam NHK TV (a Japanese cultural channel) in the back. As others have also mentioned, there are also a few vending machines throughout the store which offer Japanese snacks and drinks (but are quite pricey at like $5 per ramune bottle). Orders come out of the wall with your receipt number displayed above the counter and loudly announced on the intercom. It's a fully contactless experience! (Btw, the code for the restroom is on your receipt!)

There are only a handful of seats throughout the store, but they're single stalls à la Ichiran (IYKYK!). There's also a few standing spots open in the back (high table only). Other communal seating can be found outside, with a view of the moored ships in the estuary.

We got the deluxe tonkatsu ramen with all the pre-recommended standard components. I found the ramen itself simple and not too heavy nor salty. The flavor wasn't anything to write home about, but the textures of everything were all on point. The noodles had the perfect chew, and the chashu and egg were perfect. Additionally, the portion size of the meat and noodles was quite sizeable and there was no way I could've finished off all my broth at the end without exploding. For $15, this wasn't a bad value. I also like that they include a wet wipe so you can have clean hands before/after your meal.

Unfortunately, the iPad on the left (one of only 2) for taking orders was malfunctioning at this time, but you wouldn't know it until you got to the checkout screen and was ready to pay. There isn't any sign or anything, so either they don't know it's broken or it only broke recently. Hopefully this review compels...

Wow the decor and theme is neat,modeled from bits of the japanese rail stations. When your order is ready,there's a loudspeaker that announces your order number to tell you it's ready,it kind of surprised us with the volume and how they did it lol just like at the train station when they have announcements. There's no workers that you could see in there on the floor,it's just you ordering your meal and waiting for your item to come in one of the windows. There's 2 vending machines full of japanese drinks,one in the front and the other is near the back. The back of the store has seating on the outside to enjoy the basin view. There's really no foot traffic around here unless you count joggers and people who like to walk the bay trails. The area is filled with rows and rows of hotels near the waters so it's a very quiet and peaceful place. There's good amount of parking around and even if you can't find out in front,you can quickly park your car near one of the adjacent hotel area parking.

We ordered the deluxe tonkotsu ramen and it was flavorful and delicious. All the ingredients tasted great but i think the highlight was the broth. I drank every bit of the rich tasting broth. You can customize your order with the on-screen ordering. You can choose your thickness of your noodles,extra salt, spice level to name a few things. I can't wait to come back to try the other...

Pretty good ramen. I like my noodles a touch firmer. Pretty good pork and seasoned egg. Interesting experience. Everything is contactless and without human interaction. Fun Japanese subway theme. Your ramen comes out of a hole in the wall. There's only one kiosk right now, so you have to wait for others to figure out thier orders. Looks like they might have more kiosks in the future. The door says cashless, but the vending machines only take cash (some only exact change?).

I'd be nice to a the dine in option with nicer dishes instead of a plastic bowl, but I can see something like that walking away without actual attendants.

The experience being so close to a fast food experience, it'd be nice if the was a little less expensive, quality is akin to a sit down restaurant and I couldn't figure out how to tip if I wanted to, so I'll give it that.

Pretty fun if just for the novel experience.

Nice view...