Juban Ramen & Tapas

Juban is a cozy shop run by Koreans, but by decor and taste, it's authentic by Japanese standards. I ordered the TanTan Men for $13.03 after tax. It was a miserably rainy and windy day, and I was the first customer in for dinner. I lived in Tokyo for five years and was/am quite a ramen fanatic - I like all types, when they fit the archetype for that specific ramen. But I do have a soft spot for TanTan men. Strangely enough, I have yet to find a native Japanese-run shop in the Bay Area with a good TanTan. When done right, the soup should be thick. Juban's was medium thick, flavorful, and spicy enough with roasted red peppers to drive me to sweat profusely - 6/5 - what can I say? Koreans know how to spice it up! The noodles are 4/5 (I like slightly thicker, chewier noodles for TanTan). The toppings are also 5/5 - in place of traditional ground pork, I was served two slices of chashu, which turned out ok, considering how well they were cooked. The half hanjuku tamago had the perfect consistency. Service was prompt and friendly. I'll be back with the intention of trying other items on the menu, but may end up ordering the TanTan again...

1/23/19 Update: with only a dollar difference between the Tantanmen and the miso ramen, I had to have the TanTan again. I asked for harder noodles this time. I also paid more attention to the ingredients and noticed tochi 豆豉 which is common in Chinese dishes, but I've never seen it in Tantanmen before! It actually adds some depth with umami and the texture is a nice contrast - definitely a positive addition. Don't miss it as it's mostly at the bottom of the soup.

Pretty good ramen in south bay. This is pretty good soup base and nicely cut meat. The place is not easy to find surrounded by high rise condo.

The few times I go there, it feels cozy, local, and warm. It definitely is a small hole in the wall with the service being focused on the customer. Importantly, the food is great and filling. One of the few places to find Takoyaki as well.

This is a small, local Japanese ramen place that styles and makes you feel like you are dining in Japan without being in Japan. We like the food and friendly service here; just non pretentious and down to earth. We’ll probably come back again.

Deducted 1 star for a couple of times we tried to order something from the menu; but was told that they were not available. The menu selection was not large to begin with; but it’s essentially even smaller than it looks.

Very nice ambience. I had the illegal passport Cocktail which was very good. Then I tried the Brussels sprout fried, the fish tacos, the octopus and the special for the day which was slow braised pork and potatoes in this amazing Mayan sauce. Both were very good.