Ramen Mik — Restaurant in San Marcos

Food: Ramen Mik recently opened March 2022 and has garnered a spot for ramen in the North county San Diego area. The menu is simple yet delicious. There are four or five choices for ramen which keeps it nice and simple. The traditional appetizers such as edamame, gyoza and a non-traditional item that we tried which were the garlic fries with aioli. The fries were delicious and crispy.

We tried the traditional ramen and the spicy ramen which were very nice and steaming. The egg was left in a brine that was delicious!. Honestly, it was a very pleasant surprise.

Ambiance: The ambiance was slightly lacking. The furniture is Spartan yet simple. I am curious to know if this is a conscious choice for a zen-like feeling. That being said, it was clean and comfortable with simple tables, e.g.4 tops and 2 tops. If I were to make a recommendation it would be to put some art up in the traditional Japanese fashion. Additionally, the noise was a bit loud and tinny due to the lack of acoustic panels in the ceiling which made the music nearly shrill. The temperature of the restaurant was very nice and cool, perfect for partaking in a steaming bowl of ramen.

Service: Our server was an amazing person named Erica. She was very attentive and always was smiling. She greeted us with two glasses in a bottle of chilled water which was a nice touch. Every few minutes she would check on us to make sure our food was to our satisfaction.

Type: of customers: This restaurant is strategically open near the Cal State San Marcos University, smart move... Additionally, this is for the locals who are interested in some Japanese ramen in the Hokkaido style.

Take away: This is a delicious alternative to standard faire. The music is a little bit loud and tinny, but that may be just my preference. The energy in the restaurant is nice and busy and cozy.

Give it a shot I'm pretty sure...

I had been waiting to go to this ramen shop since its opening. (A rainy day offered the perfect excuse.) The shop itself is very humble, and the plating even more so, but the food is delicious! Our meal began with chicken karrage and edamame. The crust had a perfect consistency and the chicken was moist. The edamame needed a bit more salt, but was otherwise good as well. The menu doesn't say that there is alcohol, but they do offer sake. (I would imagine Sapporo is available too.) My family and I each got a different bowl of ramen and were thrilled to find each bowl offered a different, delicious experience. My mother had the "show you" ramen with a spicy bomb side (it packs a punch!), my father had the "me so hot", and I had the "me so delight" ramen. I highly recommend my mother's bowl (show you) to those who are new to ramen or want something simple. If you are a foodie, or bit more adventerous, I would go with the bowl I had (me so delight). (My mother enjoyed her bowl, but even she agreed she would get my bowl next time.) If you want a bit of spice, my dad's bowl would be the way to go. If you want it hotter, add a spicy bomb! When it comes to dessert, have their housemade matcha pudding! (If you like matcha. If you don't like matcha, have the mochi.) The earthiness of the matcha was perfectly balanced in the pudding and will definitely be something I may come for alone. (I forgot to take a picture of it, but you can look at my...

I've been spoiled by L.A where you get truly authentic cuisine, at the very least flavorful, and thus my expectations for ramen might be a bit snooty, but my friend who isn't too familiar also called this place "okay". And it was just that. It wasn't spectacular, but neither was it in any way terrible, just not noteworthy.

The service was fine, the cashier was sweet, but the food came out in 5 minutes, which was startling to me. They also put bell pepper in their vegetarian ramen, which is... peculiar... and yet do not use heartier veggies as you would expect i.e mushrooms (none!), corn, bok choy, peas, broccoli, bamboo, bean sprouts, cabbage, spinach... Also, when I ordered a non-vegetarian broth with no meat and inquired about what veggies to put in, she did not say I could just put the vegetarian bowl's contents into it, only garlic and more onion, thus what I got was essentially noodles, onion, and egg.

All of their appetizers are also fried foods. The "atmosphere" is just a small space to eat with contemporary metallic seating that you find in any strip mall. It seems more of a takeout place considering the swiftness of the meal being ready, which is fine if that is what you're seeking and have limited time to spare. Either way, if you're looking for a bowl of broth, noodles, and meat choice then this is for you, but you can certainly find...