Toraji Ramen

Had Hakata ramen. Broth was rich but not too thick. Not too salty. Just right for me. Noodles cooked just right. Portion was perfect for me as I don’t eat much however I was very hungry at 3pm. I can see it might not satisfy a big guy.

This establishment is inside Tokyo Central. It possesses bar seating, although one can take one’s food over to the general Tokyo Central seating if one has a bigger party. According to the signs they put up in the food court, they have been losing a lot of bowls and spoons and one should leave them on the table after one is finished.
The amount of time it took to get through the line was average, with the cashier stuck between doing both duties of taking orders and placing the finished orders on the trays and calling out numbers. After ordering, though, it took about 10+ minutes to get the food. I could have gotten my Tokyo Central shopping done in that amount of time. They have a loudspeaker so one can wait elsewhere in the food court.
As for the quality of the food itself, it tasted fine, although the meat that came with it was cold, so I’m not sure if that meant it was cooked separately or not. My friend seemed to like it so I’ll just leave it at 4, since I seemed to have come during a rush hour.

I had the tonkatsu shoyu ramen and it was amazing!!!
The pork melts in your mouth and has a wonderful flavor. It’s super insanely tender and yummy.
The ramen noodles are cooked perfectly with a little bit of chewiness that fits just right.
I’m so happy I tried this place. Even though I don’t live that close it won’t stop me from coming back often.

Got the Hakata ramen.
Tastes like every other tonkotsu ramen there is… broth is very typical, noodles are the thin/​firm kind, charsiu wasn’t all that special as well… It wasn’t bad per se; rather just another ramen place I would not go out of my way for. I actually feel this way about 90% of the ramen joints I visit except one which I will not disclose because it’s already packed as is unfortunately.

Ramen places in Japanese market food courts can be hit or miss. Toraji Ramen is definitely a hit! I ordered the Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen with a side of gyoza and was pleasantly surprised.
Their boast and tag line is «Our authentic Hakata-​style ramen is slow cooked for 14 hours each day.» This is something that I actually tasted in the soup. It was not as salty as I had expected and had a sort of milky /​creamy quality to it that is unique and delicious.
The noodles were fresh and not overcooked and the chashu pork was savory and tender as it should be. It comes with other standard toppings such as green onions, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts.
The gyoza was a bit charred for my taste, but still good.
Is it better than Shin Sen Gumi? Hard to say. I would say that both are good in their own way and it would depend if I wanted to eat in a more traditional restaurant setting and possibly wait for up to a couple hours to eat or if I was fine eating in a market.
Food: 4
Service: 5
Ambiance: 3

If this were a final exam i would give Toraji Ramen a C. Definitely not a grade you really want to get. but not terrible either. I love Tokyo central and was super excited to see that there a ramen place coming inside of it. but when i finally tried it i would say… «EH» pass on the ramen and rather opt for one of their prepackaged sushi rolls, poke salads, or hot foods section. If you’re really craving some ramen drive over to the the Mitsuwa and have Hokkiaido Ramen Santouka instead.

Tornado Ramen is located in Tokyo Central. A Japanese specialty super market in Costa Mesa. Amongst the several food choices including fresh sushi was this place. Hot soup just sounded good to me. Especially on a cold day.
Ok, one might think that a ramen place located within a super market couldn’t possibly produce a high quality dish. My friends, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. At first taste, the broth was almost overwhelming. It’s really rich and full of flavor, but the moment you have that second taste, your taste buds switch from the everyday mundane into overdrive. You’re totally hooked! The pork itself was melt in your mouth tender. Oh so good.
Give it a try! You won’t be disappointed.

The tonkatsu ramen here is delicious. Came for lunch and it was busy but no wait at all. I got the cheapest ramen but I felt I got more for my money. There’s an ample amount of chewy thin noodles that balanced out with the creamy broth with scallions and the pork cut was both thick and lean, there were a couple slices and the other had amazing fatty flavor. It was a big serving and it was tasty to the very last drop, it came so fast upon ordering and I was too excited I had my camera ready but didn’t realize no photo until the end. This is a fairly new hidden ramen gem. Their ramen is Hakata style and I can see from eating at the counter the large pots of simmering broth. Great place for lunch when the weather cools and there’s a slight breeze from the Santa Ana’s. Will for sure return!

I’ve been here a few times before reviewing. The first time I came here, I had the Tonkatsu Ramen and really enjoyed it. Then, I read the negative reviews and held on posting. Was it because I had not been a regular at ramen places and lost my taste? Was it a fluke?
The second time I went, I had the Shuyo ramen and I also enjoyed. No fluke and it just goes to show that you have to give second chaces.
The third time I went, I had the Tonkatsu Shoyu Ramen. Very nice flavor and the best of the pork based.
Today, i got the Tori Shio Chi-​yu ramen (chicken) It was a new flavor, and was light and packed with goodness.
Recommended. It is a food court atmosphere, similar to Santouka, but not as crazy and slightly less expensive. Curly noodles, not straight like Shin Sen Gumi, but still a good choice.

Not bad and really convenient. Should be a 3.5, but meh.
Pros: The noodles themselves are really good. I got the Shoyu with extra noodles. Price is decent for the amount that you get. It’s in Tokyo Central which is the perfect little meal after shopping. The food came out quick and no tipping needed. Broth for the Shoyu was pretty good, but the broth for the other one was alright.
Cons: Not enough other goodies that you’re supposed to get. more meat please… only got three thin strips of pork and there wasn’t much else besides a nice half egg in the bowl.
Bottom line: I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here to eat, but I really like the supermarket and the Bookoff that’s next door. If it wasn’t for convenience. then I’d rate it just three 3 stars. You won’t dislike it, but you won’t love it. Just wish they gave more besides just the noodles. Always get the extra noodles for $ 1.50. You get a good chunk more.

Located inside Tokyo Central, this little Ramen shop compliments Japanese grocery runs perfectly. That’s what I did, stocking up on Matcha-​infused snacks and having Ramen beforehand.
They have a couple seatings at the counter next to the entrance. It can get a little chilly in Winter as customers frequently walk into the store and open the door. There are also additional tables at the windows which seem to be less drafty.
I’ve ordered Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen: It came with 3 little meager slices of Chashu. Boo! The soft-​boiled egg was one of the better ones, runny and not too custard like. The noodles were firm and a little chewy for my taste. The broth looked great, creamy white, maybe a sign of hour long simmering of collagen into gelatin? The flavor was good to start with, thick and rich. However, my tongue got numb when I finished my bowl. I was super thirsty the rest of the day. Not sure if MSG was used or they salted too much.
All in all it’s alright for a Ramen food court or when the little hunger strikes during grocery runs.

Hmmmmmm not bad, but not great. The Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen was pretty creamy, but not heavy/​hearty like the soup at Santouka since that has much more depth in comparison. The noodles could be cooked just a tad bit longer and tasted a little stiff. Chashu wasn’t bad but it could have been more flavorful and tender, in my opinion. I added the side order of egg, because what is ramen without the half cooked egg? However, even the egg couldn’t really redeem what the bowl of ramen could have been.
I also tried the gyoza, which actually tasted better than the ramen itself I’d say. The outer skin was really thin, yet it held together all the flavors and juices inside quite nicely.
There’s better ramen places less than 10 minutes away — so definitely skip here and try somewhere else!

For everyone saying that the tonkotsu ramen is bland, they should try the shoyu tonkotsu instead. I also got the tonkotsu ramen and while I didn’t think it was bland per se, I did think the flavor was on the lighter side. My mom got the shoyu tonkotsu and it was much more flavorful. My dad had the shoyu ramen and it was just okay for me, but I don’t particularly like shoyu ramen.
The thing I found interesting was that all three soups had different types of noodles in it. The tonkotsu had the thinnest noodles, followed by the shoyu tonkotsu and the thickest, yellow noodles were in the shoyu. The chasiu was alright, very tender, but not the best I’ve ever had.
Overall, I think the ramen was pretty good. I would definitely give them another shot. The only other annoying thing is that the seating area was FREEZING. I wasn’t wearing socks and my feet/​ankles were like icicles lol.

On a Mission to find great Ramen and Toraji has let me down.
This Restaurant is located inside Toyko Central. They only have 3 types of Ramen. Tonkotsu, Tonkotsu Shoyou & Shoyou. I ordred the Tonkotsu Shoyou and the flavor was good but they went heavy on the salt. It so salty it was hard to enjoy. They are a bit overpriced compared to other Ramen shops.
Overall it was worth a try but i don’t think ill be coming back again.

I was concerned when I walked in, as I was the only customer there ordering food at 7:30p tonight. Often good ramen place has a long wait. Maybe it is because it’s inside Tokyo central? I had my doubt, but went ahead and ordered the tonkotsu ramen.
The broth was flavorful and not so thick that you would feel like having a heart attack afterwards. The texture of the thin noodle is perfect. However, with kitakata, yamadaya and santouka are all within a mile radius, I will not go back for ramen unless I am shopping in Tokyo central and hungry.
I do appreciate they have a food court with microwave, disposable utensils and hot/​cold water dispenser. Funny how they have posters around the area asking people to leave the noodle bowl after eating. Guess people were sneaking out empty ramen bowls.

So glad I came here! I really enjoyed the shoyu ramen. The shoyu had a perfect blend of flavors and was very rich. The ramen noodles were really good as well. They weren’t too soft or too hard, just al dente.
My Bf got the Tonkutso and it was good too, however, I think the pork bone broth was too strong. The after taste of the pork bone isn’t good.
If it’s your first time, get the shoyu!

Rating 3.5
Found this place when i went inside the Tokyo Central Market and decided to try it out. They have 3 flavors and cost around $ 8 for each one. I ordered the Tonkatsu Shoyu ramen and made it a large for an additional $ 1.75 more, which was enough noodles to get me full. They also have the option to get a refill on noodles for $ 1.50 which is another nice option.
The ramen broth was really heavy, but it had a really nice savory taste to it which i liked. The noodles here are a lot thicker than the traditional ramen noodles i am used to. I personally wasn’t too fond of them, but my girlfriend really liked them. They are really thick and have a nice bite/​texture to them. The pork that was included in the ramen was average, i’ve had better pork at ramen shops, and they also added wayyyyyy to many bean sprouts to my ramen bowl.
All in all, I found the ramen here to be very rich in flavor, but the broth was too heavy for my liking. The ramen selection here is very limited with 3 flavors to choose from, and the noodles are a lot thicker than normal ramen noodles that i’ve eaten. Wouldn’t recommend this place, found it to be average.

Noooo! I’m so sad to give this place a bad review because I’ve been so excited to try it! Unfortunately it was a huge letdown…
Hakata tonkotsu ramen: comes with 2 pieces of chatsu, some bamboo, and green onions. Eggs are an add-​on (which by the way, is cooked to perfection!!!) The broth was so damn bland — I don’t know if it’s because we came early and the pot was still too new or what… but I’m not about to come back here and give this place another chance. Blah. NO FLAVOR WHATSOEVER!
Gyoza: good! How can you go wrong with this simple appetizer though?!

I hate to leave such a low rating for one of my favorite foods but I just feel this isn’t up to par .
Trying to satiate my hunger and relieve myself from sadness, I decided to eat one of my favorite foods: ramen. Normally, I like thick soups with a punch of flavor, with strips of tender pork connected together by a length of fat. Since it was 3pm, the option of available ramen restaurants were slim. I saw this place as a «hot and new» restaurant pop up, so I decided to make the drive.
Toraji is located inside Tokyo Central, just one of the few restaurants in the newish super market. There are a couple seats attached to the restaurant itself, and two workers working, the cook and the cashier. I decided on the hakata tonkotsu one, which indicated a thicker pork bone soup, and had asked for the noodles to be hard.
When the dish came out, it looked very unassuming. The broth was almost white, it didn’t smell as powerful as other soups, and there was minimal shine from the pork fat. There were a few pieces of bamboo, one largish piece of pork, and some green onion. I decided to not heighten my cholesterol by not getting an egg.
When I mixed everything together, along with some sesame seeds and the not spicy red chili powder, the ramen looked more alive. Did it taste amazing? Unfortunately no. I was quite disappointed as I feel the broth tastes pretty bland. It had the slightly thick element to it, but in terms of flavor, the pork was not very prominent. I felt like I was wasting calories and paid $ 9 for a bowl of NOODLES with no broth.
I don’t think I will return again: l I got ramen because it was cold outside but this did not feed my need. The saving grace was that the noodles were al dente.
They’re still in soft opening mode, though. Maybe they’re getting the kinks out.

Cold weather = yummy, ramen time!!! After venturing around Tokyo Central Market, Mom was craving ramen and we came across the soft opening of Toraji Ramen.
Mom got the Shoyu Ramen $ 7.95 and I got the Tonkatsu Shoyu Ramen $ 8.50. Total was $ 17.77. You order at the counter and then the cashier (nice lady, who took our order) will page you over the speaker to get your ramen. You can either sit at their bar or bring it over to the main tables in the center of the market. Water is self served from Toraji Ramen’s cooler or the ones from the main area coolers.
Mom and I agreed that the Ramen broths were both way too salty and the noodles were a lil too Al dente. Mom didn’t like hers as much — she felt kind of nauseous afterwards because hers was so salty. Mine was a creamy broth, and I was fine. However, we both liked that the meats were tender and juicy. Just wished it had a lil more meats to it. The veggies that came with the ramen dishes were nicely cooked. Overall, we both still like Ajisen Ramen better.
After you finish your meal, they have staffers who cleanup the tables, and the lady there took our bowls away. I like that portion since Tokyo Central takes pride in keeping a clean market for patrons to eat and shop. Napkins and utensils are also self served and plentiful, nice!
Overall, nice place to try, just need to lay off the saltiness and add more meats to the ramen.