Genki Ramen

Had a delicious ramen and grill dinner. Glad we found this place. Will definitely go back. Nice staff, cute atmosphere, tasty 👍

A hole-in-the-wall with ambience and moody lighting, serving tasty food behind a medieval-looking door.

This restaurant always looked closed, but I finally decided to open the door today to order the Chashu Braised Pork Belly, the first item on the menu posted on the window, to go. Inside were beautiful hanging lights and an assortment of plants that gave the place a cozy atmosphere. There was only one other customer who was about to leave at the time I entered.

After ordering and paying over $8 ($7 +taxes), I asked the cashier if it was always that empty and she said no. Apparently, there used to be lots of customers before the pandemic, but since it was a barbeque place, they needed special tables. It's a small restaurant with a small storefront, and next to a parking lot, so there isn't really room to build a parklet or put tables outside.

I got my food about nine minutes after ordering, in a medium-sized paper bag, which felt a little light. When I got home, I excitedly opened the bag to see what was inside. It was three pieces of pork belly (which, by the way, is one of the cheaper cuts of pork) inside a tiny aluminum container, with a piece of arugula on top. I was a bit underwhelmed. Each piece was about the size of two Chapstick containers side-by-side. The pork belly was very tender and basically melted in my mouth. It was some great pork belly, and because it was protein and fat, it was filling. Still, I expected more.

This is a nice hole-in-the-wall that most people walk past without thinking. The service was excellent and the food was delicious, but I expected more than three pieces of pork for the price. However, based on other reviews, the ramen is probably fantastic. I really want to give five stars, but my experience was worth four stars.

Really good veggie ramen with tofu & super cheap drinks! Looks quiet, almost closed, but definitely worth going in

Feeling pretty lucky to stumble across this place today - it's my new favorite ramen spot in SF! Enjoy.

Really good ramen! The bbq pork is super tender and delicious. Egg was cooked perfectly.