Dohatsuten Ramen & Tapas

Had the vegetable soy broth with vegetarian ramen, mushroom broth spicy clam and kimchi ramen, pumpkin croquettes and vegetarian fried rice. The mushroom broth with spicy clam and kimchi ramen and pumpkin croquettes both were good flavor. The remaining 2 items didn't enjoy. Tasted blah unfortunately. Service and atmosphere both were good and they were very polite and friendly. Not too crowded when I went last. Parking can get a bit tricky but there were few spots. Overall the experience was decent.

I tried the signature ramen and fried chicken. The broth and meat were tasty, but the noodles were just okay — a little too firm and didn’t really soak up the flavor. Also, the wait was pretty long, about 20 minutes.

This is the best Ramen in Palo Alto based on my taste Broth taste autentic Toppings are big portions Noodle to broth ratio is perfect Soft boiled egg is cooked to perfection Authentic ramen noodles The pork is really good soft and tender The bowl is big 👍👍

In the Bay Area, when you sell Japanese ramen and izakaya style tapas, you really can't go wrong... or at least that's what we thought. Dohatsuten pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable, especially when competition is abound and the high mark is set at places like Ramen Nagi. The menu looks straight forward. They have all the regular stuff. But now, let's talk about the ramen. First of all, EVERY single ramen offered comes with some weird spicy oil on top, whether it was due to spicy bamboo shoots or spicy chashu. That is the default. No Japanese ramen ever comes with spicy as the default. Not only were we caught off guard but also just how much chili oil was present. In addition, it didn't enhance the ramen at all. It just made it spicy. We have no idea what prompted this place to add chili oil by default to all their ramen - perhaps Chinese influence? Let's talk about the broth. I had the pork broth but it wasn't deep or meaningful. Perhaps slightly better than instant ramen soup. But what was more troubling was that you could choose whatever broth you wanted (shio, miso, etc.) and mix and match with whatever ramen you wanted. Nothing wrong with pick and choose your own journey. But no chef that cares about true perfection will let this be. There is a certain combination that works and you want to deliver that to the customer. Now the appetizers and the tapas weren't as bad and compared to the price, they give you a lot. Same goes for the mini donburis. But the issue here is perfect and high bar in the craft of the taste. Everything feels like it was made in a rush and a bit "off". Yes, the roots are Japanese but each had its own slight quirk. On the positive note, the croquettes were fried to perfection. Just that the innards weren't as tasty and you do not want to be serving this with the regular tonkatsu sauce but rather something with a bit more sweet tint. I am not convinced that Dohatsuten is authentic Japanese. They may have started that way, but absolutely they've drifted. I feel like there's a bit of Southern Chinese influence here and there. Perhaps the folks behind the kitchen are as such. Again, nothing wrong with diverse origins. Its just that I went to a Japanese ramen and tapas place, not some fusion restaurant. We won't be returning but hope they make others happier than us.

solid portion. good amount of meat, flavor is fine just middle on the line. fun curious george bookshelf to keep busy. annoying ish radio pop music

Servings are generous. Two servers for about 40 customers inside plus outside too. Had to flag down a server to take our order or to get anything we needed. We ordered tapas and Asahi's Chasu Ramen. Again, servings are generous, but the way the food is plated definitely lacks the Japanese artistic touch.

Love this place! As a vegetarian, highly recommend the iron yakimeshi. (I still need to try the ramen one day!) I’ve never been disappointed by any of their appetizers, and I’ve tried many over the years. (Few faves: croquettes, tofu salad, spicy cucumber, edamame, and fried tofu). One thing that I love about this place is their consistency. It doesn’t matter if I order in the restaurant, pickup, or delivery - it’s always the exact same size, portions, etc. It’s fresh, delicious, and reliable. Because of that, I’ll always return. (It’s also one of our go-to casual places for out-of-town guests)!