ONDO - Korean Tofu & Pot Rice — Restaurant in Santa Ana

Ramenos?! Vamonos!!

$5 ramen Grand Opening Special

Formerly a Chipotle, Ramenos is the latest ramen shop to open up behind the Orange Curtain in the OC. While scouring the interwebs for the latest deal/freebie, my eyes struck gold when they found Ramenos would be having a $5 ramen Grand Opening special July 20-21. Arriving right before opening, I immediately sat myself by the tree centerpiece located in the middle of the restaurant Now, the dilemma - spicy miso or tonkotsu black ramen? Decisions, decisions. I chose tonkotsu black ramen.

Soy sauce base w/ pork broth, chashu, egg, kikurage, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, green onions & sesame seeds. Of course, I can't forget to mention the black garlic oil which is the star of the show. This bowl of wonderfulness was legit! I like how Ramenos includes an egg, which many ramen shops do not, for it makes it complete. The broth was oily, but in a good way, especially when a liberal dousing of chili oil was applied. Hey, I like it hot! The black garlic oil permeated each heaping spoonful. I would've preferred curly ramen noodles over the straight ones given, and a tad more al dente. Otherwise, my bowl of black tonkotsu ramen was delicious and I left begging for more. I was contemplating seeing if I could order another $5 bowl, this time the spicy miso, but my tummy was satisfied & I didn't want to be publicly shamed for abusing the offer ;p

Service was friendly & hospitable. A good amount of seating, Ramenos is not for large groups. I say mozy on over to the tree like I did. Parking is via a shared private lot. Ramenos is located next to Class 302 & Shabu Shabu Bar in the Hobby Lobby shopping center

A piping hot bowl of ramen always makes me happy! And, Ramenos, thankfully, came through in that department. They served a respectable black tonkotsu ramen, which even a huge garlic lover, like myself, would find satisfying. I'm eager to have their spicy miso ramen and I'm looking forward to visiting again soon.

Highly...

First time here with my parents.

Came in around 6-7pm open theme, alot of room tables were clean.

For the area the ramen is good i got the premium black ramen, which is a tonkatsu broth, chili, 2-3 pieces chashu, half an egg, bean sprout, corn, seaweed, green onion, sesame seed, black garlic oil

then my parents got the regular tonkatsu which has tonkotsu broth, 2-3 pieces of chashu, egg, bean sprout, wood ear mushroom, bamboo shoot, green onion, sesame seed.

Overall experience with the Ramen is good, flavorful broth, chashu was tender but some people may have a personal preference for something alittle more firm, although good, it did tend to fall apart like a brisket when mixing or picking up with chopsticks.

The pieces of chashu were a good size. The ramen noodles are simple ramen noodles, good for what it was.

The appetizers we tried were the pan fried gyozas and the shrimp tempura. Pan fried gyozas were mostly veggie with some protein and simple frozen and fried/steamed gyozas. the shrimp tempura was alittle salty, the breading is alittle different from the breading we are used to. The size of the shrimp and amount were alittle sub par for the price.

Parents also order the Chefs special Santa ana Roll. I personally cant eat sushi but my parents seemed to enjoy it and they approved haha so its a plus.

Overall experience 1st time here not bad for the area, if youre craving and in the Santa Ana area and you dont want to drive out too far give it a try. Im sure my experience could be different from yours so dont take it too much as a judgement of the place. Ive just traveled and been to other places in and out of California so just giving the best review i can.

Staff was nice and...

Been seeing this spot all over my feed and their beautiful interior definitely caught my eye. They definitely caught me by surprise because their ramen was on point. It's packed with so much flavor! Our server was super attentive and provided recommendations when we were indecisive on what to order. Pro tip is to check their instagram for specials to get more bang for your buck!

|| L O C A T I O N / P A R K I N G || -Cross Streets are 17th St. and Sherry Ln. -Located in the same plaza as Krak Boba and Mlem Mlem Crab -Plenty of parking in the plaza, hassle free

|| F O O D || Premium Black Ramen - I absolutely devoured this up! I'm usually a tonkotsu girl but when there's garlic and spice involved, you know I'm going to choose that bowl of flavor. Warning it is a bit spicy so if you cannot handle the spice level, let them know you want it mild. Chashu was amazing, two thick slabs of pork, what more could you ask for!

Tonkotsu Ramen - My family had this bowl of ramen and they liked how creamy and rich the broth was.

Fried Baby Octopus - an unique seafood appetizer that I don't normally see in restaurants. I was initially afraid this was going to be overfried and tough to chew, but to my surprise, it was perfectly chewy and the batter was so light and crispy.

Karaage - Definitely can't order ramen without some classic karaage. This was fresh out of the fryer because that chicken was steaming hot!!

Cajun Salmon - If you love seared sushi, you HAVE to get this. I'm a salmon girl, so it obvious that I was going to order (2) orders of the cajun salmon. It was perfectly seared and is a real treat to go along with your ramen

Unagi Roll - Gotta order this if you love your unagi...