Toki Underground — Restaurant in Washington

I've had Toki Underground bookmarked for years now and finally got to try them as we were in the city again.

ATMOSPHERE: Like numerous others have stated, there is no sign outside of the building. Look for The Pug Bar which is on the ground level, and Toki Underground is right above it. Steep stairs lead up to the tiny ramen shop. Only high-top counter seating is available for about 25 patrons, so be prepared to wait as no reservations are taken, I believe. It was miserably hot inside as the a/c's couldn't keep up with heat from the outside, humans and kitchen. A central table acted as the takeout prep counter, taking away at least six precious seats. I applaud the sanitation practice as tables were sprayed clean, not just wiped with a dirty rag. No bar was available.

MENU: Beer, wine, mixed drinks, sake, whisky. Japanese apps, ramen, tsukemen, noodles, cookie for dessert.

BEVERAGE: Cavalchina Bordalino Chiaretto Rose - $9.00 To be honest, I went for the cheapest-priced wine that was actually very smooth with subtle fruity notes.

FOOD: Dumplings - $7.00, 4 pcs. Pricey for just four pieces, but the gyoza were of good size and stuffed with a delicious pork filling with a nice sear to the bottoms. Kim chee and vegan fillers were also available.

Fried Chicken Steamed Buns - $9.00 or $15.00 Two price points were listed, unknown why, but we got charged the higher price. Friends ordered this as I do not like filling up on apps especially those with buns. But of course I had to try them! I axed the buns and mayo-based cream sauce and just ate the crispy chicken which had a sweet/salty/spicy flavor that was similar to karaage chicken.

Sake-Battered Cauliflower Steamed Buns - $9.00 Like the fried chicken plate, I threw the buns away! No fillers for me! The veggies were coated in a light savory batter and came with the same creamy mayo spread as the chicken buns which complimented the cauliflower nicely.

Toki Classic - $14.00 Even though I'm not a huge tonkotsu broth fan, I was ecstatic to try this as the pics looked good. The noodles were on the thinner side and springy, topped with tender and savory pork, a poached egg, scallions and nori square. The creamy broth tasted a bit like a Thai tom yum soup with delectable savory notes and a kiss of sweetness. Definitely rich but not overly heavy. Add another spot taken in my top ten favorite bowls of ramen.

SERVICE: We had a 35-minute wait on a Wednesday night at around 6:30pm. I was immediately greeted by the hostess with my cell number taken for a text when our table was ready. We headed downstairs to The Pug (reviewed separately) for some drinks.

We got seated at the front of the restaurant which looked out onto the street. Our server was friendly and professional and we were checked on throughout our meal. Food delivery time was average, though it's never an issue for me as I love to drink and eat slowly.

TIPS: Unfinished drinks at The Pug bar below are okay to bring up to Toki.

If you're doing takeout for ramen, they transfer an actual bowl made for in-house eating straight to takeout containers, so portion sizes and flavors should be consistent, FYI. I'd never do takeout for ramen, but if you're desperate you gotta do what you gotta do!

OVEALL: A definite return in a couple of years. The interior is too cramped and hot....

I had the Demon Riff to start for a drink. A really interesting drink that has the bright citrus notes with the heat of sechzuan and that trademark numbing effect of the lips and pallet. Bright and spicy. I would recommend drinking without a straw for the best effect from the foam. For starters we ordered the karage and the okonomiyaki sprouts. Unfortunately we were given the sprouts and an order of wakame. We let the server know there must have been a mix up and they were nice enough to comp the wakame and get us the karage asap. The okonomiyaki brussel sprouts were really good. They captured the essence of the Japanese dish while offering a bit more veggies. All the hallmarks of the dish are there, the mayo, the sauce, the bonito and shredded nori. With the flavor of a seared brussel sprout, almost meaty in flavor and it is complimented by the toppings for sure. The karage was the star of the starters. Fantastic seasoning on the breading and fried to a golden crispy brown. Not the juciest I've ever had but definitely ranks high in flavor. The wakame acted like a nice pallet cleanser between bites of savory karage and the sprouts. Bright sourness of pickled cucumber combined with the brine of seaweed. I just wish there was more sesame seed topping on it. I had the Garlic Mala Tonkatsu and have no regrets! The broth was flavorful, rich and savory with a solid garlic flavor throughout. I thought the kale was such an odd choice for ramen, but after a while of eating such a savory dish the leaves held up so well and were a good crisp break from the rest of the dish. I really enjoyed the onsen egg which breaks up slightly and adds to the flavor of the broth. I was really surprised that the charsiu pork was just pulled pork. The flavor of the pork was great, and held up against the richness of the broth by being ultra savory with the right amount of saltiness. So good that I couldn't wait to have another bite as I ate the dish. But, for me, the most striking part of the dish was the ramen noodles themselves. They were cooked perfectly and had the ideal springy chew that ramen should have. Easily the most authentic part of the dish. Toki Underground is doing ramen...

"Snug" means sardine can. My suggestion: Order take out and eat on the sidewalk. Food 4 stars, atmosphere 1. And yes, the exceptionally uncomfortable atmosphere makes the good food taste worse. When you look at pictures of people's food in other reviews look behind the dish at the wall, it's right there in front of your nose less than a foot away.

Good ramen. Not the best I've ever had like many reviews said but, pretty good. The eggs are not ramen eggs, just eggs poached extra soft and pretty darn disappointing. I love marinated ramen ajitama eggs and they REALLY didn't have those. The classic ramen was very good. The chicken curry ramen was so so. The crispy fried chicken in the ramen turned into a mushy chicken pretty fast and the mouth feel got to a point where you had to work through it. The hot sauce isn't very hot. They do have gluten free ramen which my wife would be excited about but, she would run screaming when she saw the space inside. The steamed buns came out looking like the chef was just being lazy and wanted you to do all the work (which is difficult with no elbow room).

WARNING If you have claustrophobia or social anxiety in small crowded places, if you get heart palpitations from facing the wall like and not having the ability to see anyone around you DO NOT go here!! I left with an anxiety attack I was attempting to suppress and am still experiencing. Sooooooooo incredibly uncomfortable. They are easily putting in double the amount of people they should into that tiny place and the solution to maximize occupancy and profits was to make everyone face the wall like we're kindergarteners being punished?!?!? AND, they also put twice the stools that should be in there. We are 3 guys over 6 ft tall with wide shoulders and it was elbows in ribs the entire time. Don't do it. It's not worth it.

Pro-tip: if you do go make a reservation! The narrow staircase/ waiting room is the worst. I hit my shoulder pretty hard when I got to the top against a railing trying to squeeze by other people. NEVER AGAIN. One more thing, underground means...