Rakiraki Ramen & Tsukemen — Restaurant in San Diego

I've been to this location of Rakiraki twice, and both times I've just been a bit disappointed. The location in Convoy is farther away from where I live, but it is absolutely worth the drive, because I've been incredibly underwhelmed by the food at the Mira Mesa location.

I ordered the black edition ramen with chashu both times I went, and both times I was unsure of whether I even received the right bowl, because not only did the broth not have the black appearance I've come to expect from regularly ordering black edition ramen at multiple different ramen shops (including Rakiraki), but it didn't even look dark at all (it was more of a weird speckled orange-brown). And don't even get me started on the chashu: the "chashu" was essentially just thick chunks (yes, chunks) of pork that were chewy (literally the polar opposite of how chashu is supposed to be prepared) and unflavorful, which is an absolute crime because I LOVE well prepared chashu. It might be hard to see in the picture just how thick some of the pieces of chashu were, but I would honestly compare it more to the experience of eating a piece of well done steak. I thought it may have just been a fluke the first time I ordered it here, but after the second time being the exact same experience, I've determined that it's just the way it's prepared here.

Also, my girlfriend and I have noted both times that we've gone that the decor just feels really...lazy. It's basically just plain concrete walls, flooring, and some tables and chairs. I can appreciate and enjoy a minimal aesthetic, but it just feels like they ran out of budget for construction and threw some furniture in there before calling it a day.

Don't get me wrong, I will say that, for the most part, everything was ok, but I don't think I'll probably ever be coming back here if I want ramen, and certainly not if I want ramen...

Rakiraki has to be one of the top 3 Ramen spots in San Diego! But this location is my absolute favorite. They do everything right and maintain consistency every single time!

It was a Friday night around 5 and it was a little busy but thankfully there was a table open. It was right in front of the AC unit so it made us really cold! We asked to move and there were no more tables open so we moved to the bar. They took our order promptly and the food came out around 10 minutes after placing our order.

I usually get the Shabu Shabu ramen but this day I got the Original Hakata Tonkatsu Ramen with chashu pork.. big mistake.. :/ the pork wasn’t not chashu at all. It was tough and not the right cut to be called chashu. Really ruined the meal for me and I wish I would have stuck to the shabu shabu. Honestly if it was chashu then they game me the crumbs of it cuz they advertise the ramen with a SLICE of chashu pork in the photo.. and if that is the case I didn’t appreciate it..

My cousin ordered the Akasaka K-Town Kimchee Ramen. It was a little spicy but had great flavor. She enjoyed it very much. We also ordered the jump fried gyoza which is pretty bland inside and lacks flavor but I don’t come here for those.. and the chicken karaage which isn’t really Karaage cuz it isn’t fried in the traditional way, it’s really just fried chicken thighs not cut properly so when you bit into it, it tears awkwardly .. but I don’t come here for that either.. just the ramen.

Anyways I love coming here for the ramen but I guess I shouldn’t change it up and also this last visit I was pretty let...

This location needs to get it's act together. For the third time in a row when ordering take out they have left something out of my order. The first time it was the sauce that the takoyaki is supposed to come with. The second time I ordered the pork underbelly with my black edition ramen, and they left it out (you pay extra for that). This time, I ordered the same thing. They added the underbelly, but it was not scorched like it normally is, in fact it looked entirely different. They left out my extra egg (you also pay extra for that). But the worst part is that they left out the container with the black garlic oil which is what actually makes the dish. And to make all of this even worse, I waited unnecessary long for my order. When I arrived and gave them my name, they said I needed to wait another 5-10 minutes for it to be done. That didn't bother me. What bothered me was that after 20 minutes and asking them about it again. They finally realized my order was the one sitting behind them the entire time I was there. I can't tell you how annoying all of this is when you live too far away to return it for a refund or correction. I recommend you avoid this location. I used to rave about Rakiraki to all of my friends. Maybe this is why I've never heard them speak of their experiences here? Perhaps their main location on Convoy Street can win me over again. Should I decide to return. This review is an update from my original a few months ago. I am downgrading it from 4...