
2068 University Ave. (between Shattuck and Milvia), Berkeley
Downtown
PH: 510.883.0667
Lunch and dinner daily
I will drive great distances (when I have access to a car) for a good bowl of ramen. But after my last adventure, I thought I should maybe check out if there’s any good ramen closer to home.
So I visited Ramen House Ryowa in Berkeley on a Saturday for lunch. I’d seen this spot before but never thought about it until my friend Denise mentioned their butter corn ramen. (Note: I didn’t order this ramen because of the slab of butter dropped into the broth, but anywhere that serves corn is fine by me.)
When I entered Ramen House Ryowa, it looked like it had just opened because it was nearly empty except for one other table and because the family behind the counter seemed to be busy prepping ingredients. (Ryowa has another location in Mountain View, so I don’t think the Berkeley location is family-owned and may actually be part of a chain.)
The menu offers a nice lunch special that includes ramen and gyoza, but that’s only served during the weekdays. So I settled instead for just a bowl of Ryowa Ramen ($7.95), which I assume is the house specialty using a sesame broth that I’d never had before.


The chashu was just OK, it was no way near the amazing toriniku at Santouka Ramen in San Jose. The broth, which reminded me of the full body of miso, was enjoyable with lots of flavor although it didn’t have a super sesame taste. The egg was a little too hard-boiled for me.

Side note: The service, while friendly, is a bit neglectful. You might ask for things and if they get busy they’ll forget. Like how I asked for the check and they never came back and I saw them busy cutting more vegetables so I had to get up to pay, which is not a good feeling to leave with.

Other ramen reviews:
Santouka Ramen
Santa Ramen
Katana-ya
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