Hokkaido Ramen Santouka — Restaurant in Tysons

TLDR: We went during their soft opening. Only thing good about here is the food. Service and organization were non-existent. Two of our food items didn’t even come out in the hour we were there. If you want to try it out, order online - they seemed to prioritize those orders. —— We were initially seated pretty quickly considering that it was their soft opening. However that was the only thing that progressed quickly. We order two ramen, one side dish, and one ajitama (egg). Our two ramen came out maybe 30 mins after we ordered, which is fine. The shio ramen was very flavorful and good! Would definitely recommend the food here. Tastes very authentic!

After serving the ramen bowls, they said the side dish and egg would come out soon. However it never did and we even saw two orders behind us receive their eggs before us. We asked again but still never got the rest of our orders. By that time we had already finished our ramen bowls... so there was no reason for the egg and extra change. I suspect that their system isn’t set up yet so they have no way to tracking their orders.

Also, even though it was a soft opening, I believe they received online take out orders. I saw a lot of those go out while we were there. They seem to prioritize those orders... maybe because it’s more time sensitive. So maybe if you really want to try this place out, try ordering online and delivery.

Speaking of take out, they are really bad at crowd control. Thankfully everyone was wearing their masks in the building but people were just waiting in the middle of the restaurant. Come on, people! They were just standing in the middle and staring at the staff members. I wish the staff would’ve told people to wait outside for their orders.

On the topic of staff, one guy and the manager were super busy. They were going around taking orders and apologizing for the wait. However the two other staff members were either standing there or just walking around aimlessly. Maybe they were overwhelmed or confused. For example, the lady came up to the couple sitting next to us with two water cups in hand and asked if they had ordered. They said they had so she started to walk away with the water. The couple had to call her back and say that they would still like a cup of water.

All in all, probably won’t go back to dine in person any time soon. Maybe I’ll go back once they’ve figured out how to efficiently fulfill orders. With that said, again, the food was very good so I’ll probably order...

The last time I went to a Santouka was when Santouka opened in Harvard Square and sharing good memories with friends.

Being a rainy and cloudy day, I was craving ramen so J.J. and I decided to try the recently opened Santouka in Tysons Corner. When we pulled up, we got lucky and found street parking. When we entered, we were lucky to grab the last table. On the table, they handed us simple menus and told us to scan the QR code to view the detailed menu with pictures.

Their menu features ramens, maze-men, tsukemens, rice bowls, and appetizers. Their ramen comes in three sizes - small, regular, and large. If you are allergic to pork or can't eat pork for whatever reason, your ramen options are quiet limited to Shio Ramen and Vegetarian Ramen. You made add items such as Bara Toro Cha-Syu (a combination of pork cheeks and pork belly), 3 Yakumi (a combination of nori, bamboo shoots, and kikurage mushrooms), Aji-Tama (a marinated soft boiled egg), Sweet Corn & Butter, and more for an additional amount.

To warm up, we shared a pot of Roasted Green Tea (which resembled Hojicha) and two appetizers - Karaage and Takoyaki. The Karaage consisted of pieces of Japanese style deep fried, soy ginger marinated chicken. It was served with lemon and a dollop of Japanese mayo. I liked how the karaage was crispy, juicy, and quite flavorful with or without anything. The Takoyaki consisted of deep fried octopus balls drizzled with takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayo, topped with bonito flakes, and dusted with crushed nori. It was quiet tasty.

I ordered the Vegetarian Ramen with extra nori and narutomaki. The ramen consisted of thin egg noodles in a creamy soy based vegan broth with menma (bamboo shoots), kikurage mushrooms, sweet soy sauce marinated fu (wheat gluten), and umeboshi (pickled plum). I liked the combination of flavors and the latter two ingredients certainly made it a sweet and savory experience. J.J. enjoyed his bowl of Kara Miso Ramen, which a spicy miso ramen. Despite the noodles being thinner than expected, he felt that it was right...

My favorite ramen place. We’ve gone here a number of times and always walked away very satisfied. There are a few street parking spots nearby but it’s easier to use the parking lot about a block away; there’s plenty of spaces. Service is always great, with very friendly staff. You’re able to relax and enjoy your meal in a very comfortable environment. If the weather is nice, you can sit outside and enjoy your meal. This last time we tried a fried tofu dish with ginger paste, negi namban (“spicy” jalapeno ramen), and a hot pot. Delish.

Love this place. Not only is the food delicious, but there’s nearby street parking and a parking lot a block away, making it very convenient to go there. Service here is always great, with very friendly staff. And the setting is great for families and friends. It’s casual, relaxing, and enjoyable. Every dish we’ve had has been excellent, with perfect flavors. This last trip my son and I tried a limited menu by getting the cold citrus ramen. It was different, but absolutely delicious, while my wife had the Japanese chicken curry. Also delicious.

What’s not to love about this place. The food is delicious. The service is outstanding. And the atmosphere is great. There’s parking on the street and garages nearby so you definitely have to go. The food is amazing, with so much flavor. This last time I had the jalapeno tsukemen dipped ramen, and my wife had the Kara-age curry. Everything was so good.

Amazing food! To start off, there’s free and paid parking within reasonable distance so there shouldn’t be any real issues. We were quickly seated but I think because this place is relatively new. I suspect it will get very busy as time goes by and people hear about this place. The settings are very casual and comfortable, with great service. And the food. Everything was delicious. This place is a keeper for me. I had the tan tan men ramen, which had perfect flavors. My son had the Japanese curry with chicken cutlet. My wife had a mix of dishes in...