Ippudo SF: FiDi, San Francisco, CA, USA
I came here with my officemate after we had a small unofficial happy hour next door. Needless to say, after some small plates, we were still hungry and bounced out of our gala in search of food. We were super thankful to have Ippudo right next door? Having recently moved from NYC last fall, I was excited to try it here in SF. We shared the pork-belly buns and each got our own ramen:
Pork Belly Buns:
PROS:
– shareable if its between two people, definitely would need multiple orders for a larger party.
– pork belly was not dried, moist and tender – falls apart in the mouth
CONS:
– definitely a smaller cut of meat compared to the ones in NYC. It wasn’t something that stood out unfortunately.
Shiromaru Classic Ramen:
PROS:
– came out hot as most Ippudo ramen does
– not ridiculously salty
– nice even broth, not as thick as other places who have established their name through the creamiest broth known to man. It definitely makes for a less heavier meal but still filling.
CONS:
– somewhat smaller portion. Had I not gotten the appetizer, I probably would have been okay, but not comfortably full.
– adequate toppings: this isn’t so much a con in and of itself, but it’s hard to say that it’s a pro since I’ve had more toppings at other ramen joints. To me, that’s a bit more appealing.
I’ve definitely eaten at both the NYC and SF locations but so far NYC, USA wise, is the place to beat regarding this chain. I can’t say that I wouldn’t eat here, but I can’t say that this would be first on my list to take my friends to if they were visiting SF. I definitely don’t think it’s worth a 30-40min wait, especially in SF when it can get super cold and windy. Would I come here again? Probably, just depends on the situation! All in all here is a quick summary in star form:
- pork belly buns: ***.25 (3.25 stars)
- Shiromaru Classic ramen: ***.5 (3.5 stars)
You can find them in Fidi near down town San Francisco. It’s a bit hard to find them as they are located off Market street but in a small square, not so much a side street. There are better places in my opinion, but if you are craving Japanese, this isn’t a bad alternative, especially for down town!
18 Yerba Buena LnSan Francisco, CA 94103
Union Square, SoMa, Financial District
R/g
Rammiegirl 2.0 