Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai - San Diego

In 2018 I was fortunate enough to travel to Japan, and fortunate to have eaten at a Kitakata location in Tokyo! Despite having been a few years since, I do believe the ramen tastes identical. The anniversary special with dumplings and pork slices was great in their traditional savory pork broth brought me straight back to Japan. On my 2nd visit I got the Tonkatsu broth and just stock with pork and ramen...so good! The extra richness and density intensified the broth to perfection. Note that there are a lot of noodles in these bowls, so you can probably skip the $4 extra noodles, or just order them later if you're still hungry. The hot crunchy fried chicken is tasty too, and with a good portion!

Service is efficient, prompt and friendly once you get seated. Ambience has enough Japanese vibes to make you feel like you're in Japan.

My family and I love Kitakata!! I have gotten takeout a couple of times and have been in store once.

The broth and handmade noodles are unbeatable. I love this broth because its light but still very flavorful. The chicken karaage and chashu bowl are also probably some of the best I've had. My family and I need to know what is in the karaage sauce because its soo good.

The store isn't super busy and the service is quick. They have a decent amount of seats compared to another location I've been to. Definitely one of my favorites!

First time here and food was stellar!
Had the spicy miso and the Tan tan ramen.
Tan tan had somewhat of a tonkatsu creaminess to it and bit of a nutty flavor with spice. The spicy ramen is spicy. Noodles are fat, chewy, and doesn't make you feel heavy but is filling. Love the portions.

If you don't like it to be really salty, you can ask to lighten the salt.

A few years ago I had the chance to try Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai when I was in Japan with Chun P. We both enjoyed the experience and were excited that they opened a location not far from our house. The restaurant was busy on a weeknight, but we were seated in about 15 minutes. The restaurant is reminiscent of it's roots as a family-style, cozy restaurant. We were greeted warmly by Tony, and found the whole team had great hustle and worked well together to ensure diners had a good experience. The vegan ramen with miso broth was flavorful and filling. Personally, I'm flexitarian, and look forward to trying other delicious items on the menu!

To summarize, I didn't really like the ramen but everything else was good :(

I've worked in ramen shops before so i'd like to think that I have decent taste in ramen and this one missed the mark for me. I feel like it lacked flavor.


in terms of service, the servers were attentive and friendly. The ambience was nice and very on brand.

There are many places around here that serve Hakata ramen with the rich and creamy tonkatsu broth, but you don't see too many that offer the Kitakata style. If you haven't had Kitakata ramen before, expect more of a lighter broth with softer, bouncy noodles.

The chashu ramen is essentially the same as the Kitakata but with more meat. Since the broth is clear, it doesn't give you that heavy feeling after eating. With the green chili shio one, the peppery notes and pile of fresh green onions on top covers the pork bone taste but adds more layers of flavor. It really depends on what you're going for, but I recommend just trying out the classic broth the first time.

We got seated pretty quickly for both times of being here. The staff are usually nice and are open to answer questions on the menu. The ambiance is a standard ramen shop. There are tables of fours mostly or chairs at the ramen bar facing the open kitchen.

I've seen a lot of people getting to-go, but I feel like the portions are significantly smaller. I was kind of surprised how little broth/noodles there were when we got home after ordering the Chashu ramen. If you want to try this place, just eat in.

Ramen
Japanese food
Soups
Vegan option
One restroom inside
Indoor seating
Air conditioning
Friendly and fast service
Clear broths
Many variations
Ramen specials off menu
Lot of parking
Between Target and Costco
Open for lunch
Bar area to watch them prepare
Amex accepted

It's just alright. Noodles felt like they were over cooked and the soup was slightly too salty for me. The pieces of meat felt like a lot more like fat than meat. Definitely better places to get ramen in San Diego.

Came here after waiting in line for bopomofo's open house for an hour and 15 minutes!! I've seen this spot for quite some time now and finally got to try it out

I want to note that the ramen noodles here are different from your typical ramen. They're tsukemen ramen style, so they're a lil flatter, wider, & chewier. The soup was so light but flavorful at the same time. The toro chashu was AMAZING. The fatty part made the chashu melt in your mouth

Interior was so cute and looked like a ramen shop you'd see in Japan!

Would 100% come again!!

Was super impressed by the ramen here. I got the umatara tan tan ramen and I highly recommend this one! All the flavors come together super well, it's not too spicy, and the broth is amazing. I also really like the texture of the noodles here. They cut up pork Chasiu pieces into the ramen and even though I got the regular bowl, it was very filling.

I got an egg added to it, which I don't think is necessary for an extra $1.60.

My boyfriend got the chasu ramen and said he didn't recommend that one because it's not very flavorful.

Service overall is also pretty quick! Ambiance inside reminds me of Menya Ultra.