Ramen Nagi

Came on a rainy Saturday at 5 pm, took us less than 10 minutes to be seated. Wonderful typical Japanese ramen restaurant vibe with the speedy order before you get seated to your table. Squid ink soup is the most popular and a must try. Eggs are optional add on for about $2 which made it seem a bit on the pricey side. But hey, what’s a Japanese ramen with a half boiled marinade egg? This is the rare ramen restaurant in the Bay Area that gives you the option to choose soft or firm noodle and you also get to choose the amount of garlic added to your ramen. I always prefer everything to be regular. The help yourself free black pepper pickled bean sprouts was a highlight, my husband finished half of jar of it. For those who had squid ink pasta before, you knew it will always make your lips and teeth look black afterwards. However, we didn’t have this problem with the squid ink soup. It was an overall unique flavor and we would definitely come back next time.

We came at 6:30 pm for dinner and waited 45 minutes to be seated, which was expected. We ordered black, green, regular, and vegetable kings. They were all very tasty. The thick noodles had more texture than the thin ones. The added egg was great but we were not sure if it worth almost $3 extra. One of the options in the menu was adding oil, I asked them what kind of oil, and got the reply of "100% pure pork fat oil," which could add to the flavor profile. The staff were very attentive, checking on us occasionally. I took 1 star 🌟 off because I had a horrible upset stomach 30 minutes after eating the noodles 🙃 my other 4 friends were just fine. I also had a more sensitive stomach than regular people, sometimes high gluten or garlic triggered my stomach a bit 😅 I was perfectly okay with other Ramen places in South Bay. My friends were really excited to come back again. I may just eat adamame next time I come here.

I can confidently say this is my current favorite ramen spot in the Bay Area! Shoutout to our host David for being super accommodating, patient, and sharing with us the history of Ramen Nagi. There is decent seating, but when I went there was a line before opening and a bigger line at rush hour lunch. I recommend either going early or going off-hours so you don't have to wait too long! The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, the food is amazing, and the atmosphere of the restaurant feels like you're at a ramen shop and it's super clean. What I really like about this place is that you can custom your ramen, from thin or thick noodles to broth thickness, salt and garlic strength and more. You can also do add-ons as well. One thing I want to add is they definitely don't skimp out on the meat, which a lot of shops do. 1. Original King - Tonkotsu: Super flavorful, perfect thickness, and you can tell it's been cooked for a long time. The thick noodles goes so perfectly with it, and I love how the meat is super fatty. 2. Red King - Spicy: My boyfriend got this and he really enjoyed it! It was spicy and had good flavor. 3. Pan-fried Gyoza: this is a MUST! Apparently it's extremely popular and highly recommended (which I can see why). It's super crispy and the ponzu sauce they made is unique, but works so well with the gyoza. 4. Karaage Chicken: the pieces are definitely bigger than usual and it has a good crunch to it! Definitely not dry and very juicy. Overall, this place is dope and I would recommend giving this place a shot!

Chefs choice ramen and fried chicken. This is a treat myself and remember what Japan food tastes like. It brings me memories of joy and warmth of my Japan trip. Thank you. I hope others find the same feelings that I did when dining here.

Saturday night ramen craving = Ramen Nagi. I was fully prepared for a monster wait, but the line actually moved pretty quickly—maybe 20–30 minutes. Not bad at all, and honestly… totally worth it. 🍜🙌 I went classic with the Original Tonkotsu and added extra firm noodles. Soo good. Rich, creamy broth + perfectly chewy noodles = one of the best bowls of ramen I’ve had in the Bay. Funny enough, I’ve tried Nagi once before at Valley Fair mall, but this location hit way harder. Flavor was next level.

Visited Ramen Nagi and ordered the vegetarian recommended option. While the ramen itself was good, there were very few choices for vegetarians, and customization options were quite limited. It’s a decent experience, but I wish there were more vegetarian-friendly varieties and flexibility.

Plan to wait to get in. It's very popular. My son went on a Saturday night and waited 90 minutes to get in. We went on a Monday night and waited 40 minutes. The Ramen is delicious. The dumplings and the edamame are great. I especially enjoyed the sauce for the crispy dumplings. The original broth is very good, lots of flavor. My son got the black ink broth and his GF got the spicy red broth. They said both were very good. My husband got the green broth. It's a basil broth and I was afraid it would taste like pesto, but it doesn't! It's very mild and has a fresh herbaceous flavor. Service was okay. They forgot one of our appetizers and the edamame. We had to chase those down. Otherwise, solid bowl of Ramen and fun night out!