Santa Ramen – New Location

I first ate at Santa Ramen exactly 1 year ago at their original location. I had heard about Santa from many Peninsula folks, boasting that this was the best ramen. Last year, I met someone that was up for the Ramen Pepsi Challenge and I took him on: Santa vs Sapporo-Ya. So I thought it’d be most appropriate to make another visit and give everyone an update on Santa – a bowl of ramen that changed my life (in more ways than one).

The new location is just down the street on El Camino and is located in this little shopping center. I’ve heard that Jo-Ann Fabrics has been complaining about the extra congestion. Oh puh-lease! They should be so lucky that I even stopped by while my friend waited in line. And for those of you trying to kill two (Japanese) birds with one stone, there’s a Nijiya market in the center. The 99cent ramen you’ll get there is not nearly as good as what you wait 30 minutes in line for but it’s a good chance to pick up some Asian goodies. So the place is definitely bigger than the last and a bit more renovated. It doesn’t have that authentic Japanese ramen house feel but I think most patrons care that they can fit 60+ people now. They open at 11:30am for lunch and 5:30pm for dinner. Be prepared to get there 20-30 minutes before opening if you want to have any sort of chance at the 1st seating. And if you’re lucky enough to sneak in for the last table, you’ll still have to wait about 30 minutes for food.

There are so many good things to say about Santa and so many bad things to say… I have to admit that they’ve really improved on a lot of their downfalls.  They try to get a head start by taking orders for the people standing in line. That way when you sit down, you’ll probably get your food pretty quick which helps the tables turning. They’ve also recently changed up the menu so you can pick your broth and additions vs. the preselected combinations they had before. You can add their famous stewed pork for an extra $4 to any bowl. I joke because now how they have the menu set up, you can easily walk away paying for a $20 bowl of ramen!  My favorite is the pork broth with stewed pork, bamboo shoots, and cabbage.

So you’re probably wondering who won the Ramen Challenge. It wasn’t Santa or Sappora-Ya. A new joint has made its way into the runnin!  But seriously, if you were discouraged by the notorious line out the door at the old Santa, at least make a trip to the new location. The ramen is still really good and for dinner, definitely get the agedashi tofu and chicken karaage.

(650) 344-5918
Hours:

Mon, Wed-Sun 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Mon, Wed-Sat 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Sun 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.