Rakiraki Ramen & Tsukemen

Me and my buddy finishes walking Mir Mar lake and stopped by for a quick bite. I chose Rakiraki over Nishiki since it wasn't a chain and the atmosphere looked promising. I got a vegetarian ramen with extra noodles, I tried to confirm that the ramen was vegan. And the server said it wasn't. I asked for clarification about what wasn't vegan and he didn't know. I asked if it was the broth or noodles and he said he can asked the kitchen, but then said they probably "can't guarantee it's vegan due to cross contamination." I proceeded with the order anyways. I asked for a spice ball and asked the waiter how spicy it was. I explained I liked things really spicy and asked on a scale of 1-10 how spicy it was. He wasn't sure but insisted I could get an extra ball for free so I agreed. The food came out quickly and looked promising. I had a can of green tea and was ready. My friend prayed over the food when I realized I didn't get my spice ball. The waiter then provided two for me. Landed both and we ate. Despite the extra noodles I was not full, and the spice balls were kind of a joke, I didn't even break a sweat which was disappointing. My friend likes his ramen and said it was good but complained about his side of meat saying there was too much fat in it (he did have a huge chunk of fat on top of all the extra fat in the cuts). Overall the food was fine, not filling but not bad. But ultimately forgettable in all honesty. I will not likely be returning as it wasn't worth the $65 for two mediocre meals. Sorry! 😬

I love coming here and have been coming on Mondays. The servers are awesome no matter what. However, my complaint regards the kitchen staff. On Mondays it's usually not busy but the food takes FOREVER to come out!!!! Today it was the ramen. Appetizer came out quick! Most Mondays both take forever. I noticed that everytime the server takes an order he has to physically go get the chefs from wherever they are. And the kitchen is pretty visible, they are ALWAYS on their phones talking or doing everything but making the food. It's ridiculous and I can see why it takes so long, THEY ARE ALWAYS ON THEIR PHONES!! Ty had to apologize multiple times about the wait time for food and I get that it's not his fault but this is ridiculous. On top of that, last week, I decided to come in on a weekday morning and ordered my usual appetizer with a ramen. This time, the appetizer took forever but the ramen came out instantly. What's the deal with this?? 30 minutes for garlic edamame is just completely insane. Again, no complaints about the service but the wait time for the food is way too long.

Came in at 6pm on a Sunday. Got the happy hour hot sake for $3.95, the black edition ramen for $20(worth it!), tempura Kabocha roll to go. Start to finish, great service. The guys were so attentive, kind and genuine. Much appreciated! I lived in L.A. for several years and have had some amazing ramen. This might be the best. Super fresh! Especially the pork. Love the presentation for the Ramen too. Chill R&B vibes and nice decor. 10/10! Keep it up. I live in north county, but I’ll be back. 😀

Rakiraki has to be one of the top 3 Ramen spots in San Diego! But this location is my absolute favorite. They do everything right and maintain consistency every single time! It was a Friday night around 5 and it was a little busy but thankfully there was a table open. It was right in front of the AC unit so it made us really cold! We asked to move and there were no more tables open so we moved to the bar. They took our order promptly and the food came out around 10 minutes after placing our order. I usually get the Shabu Shabu ramen but this day I got the Original Hakata Tonkatsu Ramen with chashu pork.. big mistake.. :/ the pork wasn’t not chashu at all. It was tough and not the right cut to be called chashu. Really ruined the meal for me and I wish I would have stuck to the shabu shabu. Honestly if it was chashu then they game me the crumbs of it cuz they advertise the ramen with a SLICE of chashu pork in the photo.. and if that is the case I didn’t appreciate it.. My cousin ordered the Akasaka K-Town Kimchee Ramen. It was a little spicy but had great flavor. She enjoyed it very much. We also ordered the jump fried gyoza which is pretty bland inside and lacks flavor but I don’t come here for those.. and the chicken karaage which isn’t really Karaage cuz it isn’t fried in the traditional way, it’s really just fried chicken thighs not cut properly so when you bit into it, it tears awkwardly .. but I don’t come here for that either.. just the ramen. Anyways I love coming here for the ramen but I guess I shouldn’t change it up and also this last visit I was pretty let down honestly..

Definitely liked the ramen here. 😋 the brother was packed with flavor. We had Gyoza pork and had it pan fried, they were huge and filling! 5 big fatties, the picture just didn't give the size justice. I highly recommend them. The layout is nice, it's open, and looks to accommodate big parties. We sat on the bar which had a very large flat screen for the sports, and even gives you a little peak into the kitchen. We went on a Sunday lunch and it was very crowded, but we sat instantly because we were only a couple. And for high volume I gotta point out the bathroom was very clean. I think the sushi rolls were not too unique, like the caterpillar doesn't have eel, pretty much they are all California rolls with cream cheese, and maybe with a twist like making it crunchy. It would have been nice to enjoy some good rolls with this awesome ramen. Hence the 4 stars.

The karaage had too much breading and the chicken got dry. Vegetarian dumpling was okay, wasn't sticking well, they falling apart soon as you pick then up. We tried the shabu shabu ramen and yakiniku short rib tonkatsu. Both of us preferred ramen topped with chashu. Broth on both ramen tasted the same. No had to issues with that.

What we ordered: • ikageso karaage (fried squid) • takoyaki • all star ramen • ox tail tsukemen • milk tea • strawberry ramune We normally get the chicken karaage but this time went with the squid and it was sooo good and fried perfectly! Dipping noodles are always a fun, and I don’t know of many places that have tsukemen so we always have to get it here. They have a braised oxtail version that was very flavorful with the tender oxtail falling off the bone! The All-Star Ramen was definitely my favorite. This Ramen has fire-flamed underbelly and comes with kurobuta spare ribs and jumbo crispy gyoza. The tonkatsu broth was amazing and enhanced with black garlic and red chili oil 🤤 it was a big portion and I definitely had leftovers for the next day!