HiroNori | Craft Ramen — Restaurant in Santa Clara

I am honestly surprised I have never written a review about HiroNori (according to Yelp), despite coming to the Santa Clara and Cupertino locations extensively for years. Now is about a good of a time as any. Looking at the menu via QR code, you can find that HiroNori is rather simple: three main ramen choices (Tonkotsu, Shoyu, and Vegan) with extras to add and a bigger Appetizer list. There are a few beverages to choose from but no alcohol to imbibe. I think that is ok, in fact, great, because a smaller, tighter menu can lead to consistency on what they serve, higher quality of what they do serve, and better manages eaters' expectations when served. You cannot go wrong with any of the three ramen offerings they have here, nor should you skimp out on their appetizers.

Let's start off with everyone's favorite: tonkotsu. You will get that rich, creamy, savory broth all have come to love that nearly every ramen establishments have come to offer, with a nice choice of thick or thin noodles, spinach, bell-sprouts, perfectly cooked egg with that runny yolk in the middle, and two slices of pleasantly seared chasiu. One of my favorite things to do is add their signature chili paste in there for that extra kick. IMO HiroNori is one of the better tonkotsu places you can find in the South Bay, only being second to Ramen Nagi. Let's be clear though: although I would say l prefer Ramen Nagi's tonkotsu, 1 would not mind eating HiroNori's! HiroNori has their own distinct taste that is unique, and it never disappoints. Overall, I think this is a great bowl. Pictured below is a nice showing of that tonkotsu noodles and that perfect egg!

But if Nagi has the better tonkotsu, why do I still come here? Because I come here for their Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen. Probably so far the best shoyu ramen I have ever had here in the South Bay, and no other places matches thus far. Shoyu ramen is a salty yet sweet blend of soy sauce soup based that comes with thick/thin noodles, watercress garnish, two slices of chasiu and sweetened bamboo shoots. Since I have not found a suitable replacement for this amazing shoyu bowl yet, I am a repeat customer and a huge fan. I am also a fan of their appetizers, namely the fried chicken and the spicy tuna crispy rice. You cannot go wrong with those. Also do note that there is already a service charge on the bill, so unless you really like their service, tipping is not necessary.

If I had to choose which locations, honestly, I found both to be very consistent so either place works. Most notably for me, Cupertino for some reason has fewer wait lines...

TLDR: HiroNori is good, and might be the best in SJ. Better than Ramen Nagi in most aspect. Priced well, lower than other ramen places, quality is good, and items came out fast. Also had some extra sauces on the sides. MUST TRY Karaage at HiroNori.

Went to Ramen Nagi earlier this week to compare to HiroNori as I've heard both are one of the best in SJ. Just realized that i forgot to take pictures and do a review for Ramen Nagi as I'm writing this, so i'll do some comparison aswell.

Noodles: I tried the thin noodles at Nagi, and thick, only had thick that day. I did not like the thin noodles at Nagi, and the thick at HiroNori were good.

Broth: I tried tonkotsu at both location, (red king at Nagi). I prefer it at Nagi, as they have a heavier broth. HiroNori's tonkotsu is a bit light, and a bit creamy, as you can tell from the picture. If you like it lighter, you may prefer HiroNori. Nagi's Tonkotsu had some red/orange paste on top with mixed meat in it, which i think also made the broth even heavier than normal. Also realized this at the end of review, but I had red king at Nagi, so i'll go back once again and try their normal tonkotsu for a better comparrison.

Chasu: Nagi's chasu is sliced a bit thin, but you get 2 slices, kinda wide, and seasoned well. HiroNori's seasoned a bit lower than Nagi's, but they are thicker, and charred amazingly. I liked HiroNori's a bit more since it was charred and thicker cut.

Toppings: HiroNori had green onion, spinach, seaweed, bean sprouts and half a soft boiled egg. Nagi had minced pork, green onions, garlic chili oil, earwood mushroom. Nagi gave you more toppings, but both have roughly the same options for toppings. Nagi does not come included with the onsen egg, but Nagi's onsen egg was more seasoned then HirNori's.

HiroNori had fried garlic oil as an extra seasoning which makes the broth a bit heavier and richer. They also have this amazing red paste you can add to the broth to to make it a little spicier.

Ramen and side dishes came out in like 5-8 minutes after we order, also did not have to wait long unlike Nagi.

Must try Chicken Karaage at HiroNori. It's really juicy, crispy, and the yuzu sauce is really great. The Karaage at Nagi was bigger, but kinda dry and...

After a visit to the AMC Mercado 20 in Santa Clara we were in the mood for some ramen and HiroNori was the closest recommendation by Google maps. Judging by the fact that it had only two reviews (on Google maps) we were not expecting much. Fortunately, we were proven dead wrong. The paucity of reviews was explained by the fact that this restaurant had just opened its doors on Sunday…and is a branch of a very popular and well-reviewed restaurant by the same name in Irvine, CA.

Anyway, we ordered the ‘Tonkotsu Ramen’ along with ‘Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna’ and ‘Crispy Chicken’ as sides. The spicy tuna side (2 pieces) was just the perfect bite filled with all manner of contrasting and complementing flavors and textures, all in perfect harmony. I also really liked the crispy chicken side. It was by far the best fried chicken I have had in years. The flavor of garlic has just the right intensity so that it came through without overpowering other subtle flavors in the dish. It not often that a chicken dish wows…but this one did.

The star of the night though was the Tonkotsu ramen. I consider myself a bit of a ramen fanatic, to the extent of having done a ‘ramen tour’ of Japan. And I am routinely disappointed by the plethora of ramen restaurants in the Bay Area. However, the Tonkotsu ramen at HiroNori really hit all the right notes for me. The broth had just the right body and the flavor profile was complex. The umami flavor was intense, without the broth being overly salty. The black garlic oil, served on the side, upped the ante and the chashu was cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The guys in the kitchen clearly know what they are doing…and the restaurant is a good 30% cheaper than Ippudo! Lastly, the service was characteristically Japanese (read fantastic), especially given that we reached right around closing time and stayed well after. All in all, HiroNori definitely merits 5 stars…and we’ll...