Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Fast casual Japanese eatery specializing in ramen and small rice bowls. Go-to place for the family to pick up takeout or eat in the common food court area within the Mitsuwa grocery store. A family favorite is the char siu rice bowl (side dish #45). It is simple comfort food with warm and plump short grain rice, topped with tender pork and freshly sliced green onions. The shichimi (seven flavor chili powder) offered at the counter is a nice complement. The Hiyashi ramen is a cold noodle summer special. Two slices of tender pork, green onions, red pickled ginger, thinly sliced cucumber, and other goodies. Santouka offers three types of sauce - tried the spicey sauce, but felt the mala overpowered the dish a bit. Would recommend the shoyu or sesame sauces and then adding shichimi for more heat.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – Hearty Hokkaido Ramen Inside Mitsuwa Located inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a popular ramen stop, especially during weekend peak hours, drawing in a steady flow of customers. Despite the crowds, seating is usually available on weekdays, and the system is efficient and self-service—order at the counter, grab a number, and wait for it to be called. The cleaning staff works quickly, resetting tables almost immediately after customers leave. While the menu may seem extensive, it’s essentially a combination of different ramen broths (salt, soy sauce, miso, spicy miso) and topping sets—Regular (2 slices of cha-siu), Cha-siu (extra pork), or Toroniku (pork cheek). Bowl sizes include small, medium, and large, and there are side dishes like rice bowls and extra soft-boiled eggs. Rice bowl toppings range from plain, natto, negi, sake & ikura, mentaiko to char-siu. I ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen (medium) with a natto rice bowl combo (#106). The broth was rich, hearty, and flavorful, with tender noodles, black fungus, and bamboo shoots. The cha-siu portions felt a bit small compared to the generous amount of noodles. The natto rice was flavorful, though the natto seemed slightly over-frozen and icy at first. However, pairing the rice with leftover ramen broth worked surprisingly well. This is a carb-heavy meal, especially if you go for both ramen and a rice bowl, so a small-sized ramen might be a more balanced choice. One limitation is the lack of appetizers like karaage or gyoza, likely due to the shared food court kitchen. Overall, it’s a solid spot for rich, comforting ramen with efficient service and reasonable combo pricing. Ideal for a quick, filling meal while exploring Mitsuwa.

I ordered my combo meals to go. There's a little sign that says +. 50 for to-go orders. Okay, no problem. I pay for my order and look down at the receipt and I see there's a 50 cent charge four times. I go to the cashier and ask why I was charged four times for a to go order, and he said it's per item (I ordered 2 combo meals). I then said I only ordered two combo meals, and he says yes but it's per item and each meal comes with multiple items. I then point to the sign that says . 50 per order and emphasize the "per order." He pulls a $1 bill out of the register and hands it to me (so I'm still down $1). Then my buzzer rings and I go to pick up my order. It feels very light so I open the bag and look and it's just the sides of rice. I inform them that I'm missing the rest of the meal and they say oh yes of course we're getting it ready (why did you activate my buzzer and hand me my food if it wasn't fully ready? If I hadn't checked I would have walked out of there without the majority of my order). They finally hand me the rest about 5 minutes later. Everything is packaged tightly (this is important in a second). I take my order and drive and bring it to my destination. As I assemble my food I realize they forgot the eggs, which I paid extra for as part of the combo meal. I definitely would NOT eat here again, this has to be some of the most predatory business practice I've seen in quite some time.