Ramen HALU Review, San Jose

Ramen HALU is a popular Japanese noodle house in a strip mall off 280 in San Jose.  There is wait here most times, but not as crazy as well known Santa Ramen in San Mateo.   The main draw is the tasty ramen noodles in four different styles but just one broth.  This is in contrast to Santa Ramen that has one type of noodle, and 3 types of broth.  There is a limited selection of salads and appetizers. If you are not into noodles, avoid this place.

Decor, Vibe - A slight step up from generic Japanese restaurant decor. 90% of the people in this restaurant are of Asian descent.

Menu Pictures

Website Menu

Picks:

Halu Ramen ($7.50) with Cha-shu Sliced Pork, green onions, bamboo shoots ($1), Seaweed ($1), and Kikurage (Ear Mushroom) ($1) . The noodles are soft and chewy, and hot out of the kitchen. The broth is heavy on the pork flavor side.

Lobster Ramen ($15) had lobster blended in the broth and some lobster meat on top. Also fried leek, shallot, Chun sa chan, and Ao Nori are also added. A top flight limited edition noodle dish.

OK:
NONE

Pans:

Cha-shu Sliced Pork ($6) - Cold and lots of fat on this meat. We liked Santa Ramen’s pork better.

It is more a matter of personal preference if you prefer this to Santa Ramen. Frankly geographic proximity would probably dictate which you went to. The draw is the ramen. The service is average.  It takes about 15 minutes to get your ramen, once you order. Ramen HALU is not a place where you linger. Most people are out in 30-45 minutes.

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1. Santa Ramen Restaurant Review, San Mateo
2. Ramen Club Restaurant Review, Burlingame
3. Tai Kee Won Ton Restaurant review, San Jose
4. Maru Ichi Restaurant Review, Mountain View
5. Noodle Theory Restaurant Review, San Francisco