Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – Best Ramen in Seattle

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Recommended by:  Nobody. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka was the winner of our Battle of Seattle Ramen post.

Description on the Hokkaido Ramen Santouka website: We would like you to try our ramen and enjoy its delicious flavor to the last drop. This is the wish of the founder, part of every small bowl of ramen.

Neighborhood/Type:  University Village

Address: 2626 NE Village Ln, Seattle, WA 98105

Music playing: None

What we ate/drank: TONKOTSU MISO RAMEN-Robust miso paste and silky broth, with a hint of bonito dashi creates the gentle balance flavor. TORONIKU GOMA MISO RAMEN-Combination of savory flavors of sesame and miso in creamy tonkotsu broth.Topped with menma, kikurage mushrooms, toroniku slices and baby arugula leaves.  TSUKEMEN-Thickened soy flavored tonkotsu soup has enriched flavor and umami. SHIYAKE IKURA GOHAN-Rice bowl topped with grilled salmon & salmon roe.  Gyoza.

Comments: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka was the winner of our Battle of Seattle Ramen post. The post also provides a good primer with my own view on Seattle ramen history and how it’s evolved so quickly in the last few years. This location has only been open for a year and located in University Village.  Their only other US locations are in Bellevue and two more in Boston. So why do we believe that Santouka is the best ramen in Seattle.  Well, we go pretty often and have tried the Shio, Shoyu, Miso and Goma Miso Ramens. We’ve had the Tsukemen, gyoza, takoyaki, karaage and all are top rate.  They also have “combos” where you can mix and match ramen dishes with their side dishes. And while many ramen places allow you to order larger portions by paying extra, Santouka is the only place I know of in Seattle that gives you the option to order a smaller portion for a lower price.  The capper for us is that they have free ramen for kids all day, every day.

The service is quick and regardless how busy it is, we’ve never had to wait long for a seat. And it’s not a big place to begin with.  I’m the type of person who likes certain foods at a certain tempature.  I only like hot coffee even if it’s a 100 degrees.  I like my water ice cold.  There are other foods that I can eat hot or cold like pizza and fried chicken. When it comes to ramen, I always like it hot regardless if the weather is super hot.  I’m not a huge fan of cold soba or somen.  Taking all this into consideration, the Tsukemen at Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has won my taste buds over and is my favorite and I’d say it’s one of my top 10 dishes in Seattle. For those unfamiliar with Tsukemen, it’s noodles that you dip out a soup and then eat. The soup has a very flavorful dense taste, so there’s an art to eating Tsukemen. It takes restraint to only dip 3 or 4 noodles at a time. If you try to stuff a bunch of noodles in the soup, the flavor will be too overpowering. Having the Tsukemen with the Aji-Tama(half cooked egg) takes it to another level.  It’s a good dish to have in the summer for me. It’s not piping hot, but it’s not cold.  The noodles are at room tempature and the dipping soup is hot. My daughter loves the shio ramen and my wife switches around every visit, but seems to like the Goma Miso Ramen with a gyoza side.

The place is not that big. There are booths on the left side that can fit 4. On the left side long bench against the wall with individual tables. In the middle are tables for two and in the middle towards the back is a large community table for singles.

If you are interested, here’s the grid from our Battle of Seattle Ramen post.  I think Arashi Ramen, Ramen Danbo and Kizuki Ramen are just a notch below Santouka, but not by much.

For now, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is our favorite ramen place. It’s efficient, clean and modern, lots of parking in University Village, free kids meal and above all great tasting ramen.

Ratings:

Atmosphere: 4.75

Service: 5

Food/Drinks: 5

Bang for the Buck: 4.5

Overall:  4.85

Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.

• • Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
  • Most locals know about it
  • Locals “in the know” know about it
  • Only those who live close by know about it.
  • You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!

Eavesdropping Convos: None

Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Amy or Emmy, our server suggested Junkichi Robata Izakaya in Capitol Hill

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