Sachio’s Ramen Shop

There is no Ramen here. Not satisfactory other foods.

I thought it was pretty interesting when I heard that Sachio’s Ramen Shop was opening at the Exploratorium. It’s a great location for them since there really aren’t too many food options that’s within short walking distance, aside from Seaglass Restaurant inside the Exploratorium. And there isn’t another Ramen joint for many yards with Kirimachi as the closest.
I stopped by for a quick lunch before going inside the Exploratorium and ordered the Sea Salt Ramen w/​Chashu —
This ramen didn’t really do it for me. The broth was really watered down even after I added the spicy powder and seasoning sauce at the chefs discretion. And I thought the addition of green beans and tomatoes was a different, but didn’t really mesh well with the soup.
I feel bad because the chefs that work here are really nice folks, but unfortunately the Sea Salt Ramen fell a little flat for me. I do give them kudos for being a decent food option around the Exploratorium. Maybe I’ll try a different broth next time if I’m craving ramen around the area.

This would be a 4 or 5 star review and I will change the rating if they change this. First, the ramen is delicious. But when I eat ramen. i like to experience it all — the ingredients AND broth together –in one bite. But here, all they give you is the tiniest cheap plastic spoon, so you can’t do this. Not even a cheap plastic soup spoon! The spoons are so small that you barely get a thimble-​ful of broth with each bite. It’s almost like, once they get your $, they coukd care less if you enjoy it. It amazes me that a place that serves primarily, soup, cant even provide a freaking soup spoon. Lesser ramen shops at least provide the plastic ramen/​phở ladel spoons. This place cant even provide a regular soup sppon. Lazy, lame and disappointing.

This place is blink and you’ll miss it. Or get turned around by a hoard of school children and forget where you’re going. Either way, the ramen is legit. My friend said their veg ramen tastes more like traditional pork ramen. I can’t vouch for that but it was still good.
I give the ramen and the service 4 stars. The price ($ 4 for a drink?) and the kid filled crowds drop it down to 3 stars.

I’m a bit torn between giving this place 2 or 3 stars.
I came here twice. My first time around, I had the shoyu ramen. It was excellent. Broth was delicious, noodles were perfectly done, very enjoyable. I didn’t really fancy the toppings they put on it, like the cherry tomatoes and other veggies. The bread was strangely satisfying. The egg was fantastic however and probably the highlight of the meal. I just wish that I could be served in a proper bowl instead of a paper cup. Also, they really should switch to some higher quality wooden chopsticks. The ones they have were terrible! Based on this first experience, I would give this place 3.5, maybe 4, stars.
Then I came back a second time, later in the same day, and tried the miso ramen. It was totally blah. Broth was not nearly as good, devoid of any flavour except for a bit of saltiness. I did not enjoy it at all. Noodles were clumped together and consequently not always cooked through properly. The toppings, although being the same as my first experience, were worsened because of the poor broth. I couldn’t finish this bowl because it was so bad, and ended up throwing out almost half of it. It’s unfortunate that they can be so inconsistent.

I went there with a friend because we had two little kids that were extra hungry coming out of the Exploratorium and we were too.
I wasn’t expecting much at all. Really. I was very pleasantly surprised. We both had the miso base with veggies and really enjoyed it. The broth was well seasoned, the noodles the right taste and consistency. I had an Americano as well and it a good cup. It was drinkable and I enjoyed it. The service was fast and friendly. I’ll definitely this remember it’s there.

Ate here as part of our trip to the Exploratorium on Pier 15. The ramen is tasty and the bowls are huge. Plenty of options for the ramen base. We liked the curry base best. Miso and Shoyo weren’t as flavorful, but that’s to be expected. Prices are good, and it’s a quick meal, which gets you back to exploring the Exploratorium again. Two people can easily share one bowl, so the price is great.

Nice little ramen spot whether you’re goin to the Exploratorium or not. Cool menu, fast service

Yay Ramen! Who else is happy we have a new option for lunch?! *Raises hand*
Before I walked into the Café I almost slipped cause the ground was wet. Ahh no beuno. The lady at the counter ignored me and didn’t say hi. but it’s all good :-D some people don’t like to use their words, I understand.
Upon ordering, per everyone elses review– there is a large gigantic chalkboard wall with the menu. Choose your soup and whether or not you want meat. I got the Miso Ramen with Chashu and veggies.
When my order was complete, I was handed a disposable bowl full of hot hot soup and in efforts to not burn myself, I asked for a lid. No lid! Yay! I got a sheet of foil instead to cover my full, hot hot soup. (P.S this could have been avoided if Miss Lady used her words and asked if I wanted it to-​go.) Thank you Mr. Sir.
Got my foil. Was handed over a paper plate to place my bowl on top. Walked back to the Plaza and before I could even take two steps out of the café I almost slipped again. Good thing I know how to «catch» myself.
Ok. Whatever. Excuse me clumsy self. by the time i got back to the office i had ¹⁄₃ of soup left in my bowl :(
Soup was bland anyway so i didn’t care much for it. Noodles we perfectly cooked. Everything else was MEH.
Probably will only be back to take my co worker here when she is back from Maternity as she is my «Ramen partner» and may or may not like this spot as much as I did.
The End.

Sushi chef Sachio Kojima has opened up this hidden ramen spot in the Exploratorium café. There’s usually a chalkboard sign outside hinting at ramen inside, but there’s very little indication otherwise.
Refer to the chalkboard wall on the right when you walk in for how to order ramen. There are four different broths (Curry, Salt, Soy Sauce, and Miso), and you can choose between vegetable-​only and vegetable+pork toppings. You can also get ramen-​only with no toppings.
I opted for the Miso with vegetables and pork ($ 10.50), which came with ½ soft boiled egg, chashu, cherry tomatoes, bamboo, marinated mushrooms, seaweed, and some leafy kind of vegetable. I applaud the simplicity of this spot, but the ramen is nothing special. The broth is flat, the noodles are clumped together, and the toppings are haphazard. I do think the soft-​boiled egg is pretty good and fresh here.
There are only 3 – 4 outdoor tables and a few indoor bar seats around the corner. Nothing to make a trek out for, but an interesting concept nonetheless.

Sachio-​san, you are at the Exploratorium now? I wasn’t aware that master sushi chef Sachio Kojima even had a corner of the Seaglass cafeteria inside probably because my first dining experience there was rather dismal. It’s been a while since his peak halycon days at Kabuto, and he resurfaced when Hecho came and went at the Galleria, a sushi-​meets-​tequila concept that didn’t play out well in the FiDi. But now he has this unexpected lunchtime ramen pop-​up in the Seismic Joint lunch counter in front of the Exploratorium, and sure enough, it works for the most part (photo:
). Ever since Michael Mina opened up the disappointing Ramen Bar with another sushi master Ken Tominaga, I have to admit I’ve been wary of ramen places away from my homies.
However, the chalkboard menu is small enough to manage in their compact kitchen space where a frenzied staff assembles the bowls (photo:
). Speaking of which, I wish they did serve the ramen in actual ceramic bowls rather than the cardboard cups they use. It made the venture feel as temporary as it probably is. There are six variations to choose from — Shoyu, Miso, Sea Salt, Chilled, Curry and Plain (photo:
). OK, where’s the Tonkotsu? That’s what bummed me out about Mina’s place. My favorite kind with the richest broth seems to be falling out of favor. Regardless, I went with the $ 10.50 Miso Ramen upon the promise of «a little thicker» broth made of fermented bean paste. with chashu please (photo:
). Veg-​heads can pay a dollar less and get tomato chunks instead of the pork.
Because of the casual set-​up, it was a bit of a challenge finding a place to slurp it down. I was able to find an outside table much to the chagrin of a quartet of foul-​mouthed seniors who wished to resuscitate the concept of POW camps. Sachio-​san didn’t let me down. It was quite good with the miso providing body to the broth and the noodles just the right al dente. As always, I wish there was more chashu, but the soft-​boiled egg and shiitake mushrooms helped. The one odd ingredient in his creation was the addition of green beans which lent interesting snap but didn’t really enhance the ramen that much. I washed it down with a Maine Root Spicy Ginger Brew (photo:
) which I have to recommend as a nice accompaniment on a brisk afternoon when the bay breezes start to kick in. If you time your F-​lines well, your FiDi office mates will think you just went to Lee’s for a bite.
FOOD — 4 stars… quite a good serving of miso ramen will make your office blues go away
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… well, it is a pop-​up so recognize that a rarefied dining experience is not in the cards
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… fairly reasonable turnaround considering all the ingredients and staff involved. it’s only open until 3PM during the week, 4PM on weekends
TOTAL — 4 stars… hoping Sachio-​san makes this venture more permanent… ah, maybe he could take over Ramen Bar… hmmm

How is it possible nobody knows about this awesome ramen shop at the exploratorium? I got the curry ramen which near perfect on this rainy day.

2.5 miss the old kabuto. tried the chashu shio with yuzu. mostly heavy on the citrus from the zest but otherwise atypical with the tomatoes, string beans and one note broth in a wax paper cup which affects the ramen experience. chashu was solid, noodles ok.

FWIW it’s SACHIO’S, not Sanchio’s, and the creator is no other than Sachio Kojima, formerly chef/​owner of Kabuto and a near-​legendary sushi master. He currently mans the sashimi bar at Seaglass at the other end of The Pier 15 Exploratorium building.
I had the miso ramen with chashu and concur with the 4 star rating. The impediment to 5 stars is primarily the fact that it’s served in a disposable cup, and the general futility of noodle soups as takeaway (they just don’t travel well), though if you’re lucky, as I was, you can score one of the three tables just outside the front door.

Time: 12:07pm/66°F partly sunny
Purpose: Came by to put this place on the map while there had a quick brief talk with proprietor. Can’t disclose any vital info just yet. However it’s safe to say this won’t be their only location.
Ambiance: Located inside the already in business Seismic Joint Café. Space is share together morning the café uses kitchen area lunch time it belongs to Sanchio’s. There’s really not much to say just a separate business to the end of counter. All you’ll see there is counter with metal containers stack with egg noodles, circular wire basket, rolling cart with 12 ingredient buckets, printer for incoming orders, partition glass, stove with four large pots each with 6 baskets, sink. Like I said before everything is share so is the condiments section. As far as seating there’s none inside but outside about 4 – 5 tables. There is a rest/​lounge area you can sit and eat, no table just benches.
Staff: Older guy with hairnet and glasses was the one doing the cooking wasn’t Sanchio but a worker. Quiet just working the stove and nothing else. The lady about early 50’s was friendly and nice making sure you have everything before leaving. She also does the final touches before giving you your ramen. Watching her work was such joy each container yields the same amount. She must be a pro at it turning around and talking still knows which container she needs. Very efficient!
Cleanliness: Grade A, clean immaculate. Up to code and standards posted health department paperworks.
Eats/​Drinks: Miso ramen w/​charshu added $ 9.50. Comes in a 48oz wax like paper cup handed to you without a lid. You get our own lid at condiment/​utensil section. Everything from bamboo shoots to charsui was delicious. Charshu had some fat on it but didn’t bother me as long as I know what’s in it. The egg noodle was a hit as in just perfect al dente Japanese style. The broth didn’t look appealing but after a few slurps you’ll be saying «hey» not bad! I like it a lot however, I find it odd that half grape tomato and sheet seaweed to top for garnishment.
Products/​Services: Ramen and ramen only. 5 kinds-​miso, sea salt, chilled, plain and curry. Vegetarian and charshu options. Lowest price $ 8/​highest $ 10.50. Tues-​Fri 11am-​3pm/​Sat-​Sun 11am-​4pm. To order first you choose your broth soup then choose vegetarian or charshu, price difference is $ 1. Both options comes with soft boiled egg, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, green beans and nori. Plain comes with noodles and your choice of broth.
Punch Lines: Located inside the Exploratorium, no inside eating, share space, friendly, family environment, same size for all 5, wait time 3 – 4 minutes max, takes CC’s, not average ingredients, quality and portion size is good, too hot to hold bowl, bowl handed over with no lids (becareful), 5 types to choose from, broth a tad salty, no substitutions.
Tradeoffs: Most authentic ramen this close to the waters off embarcadero water front area. Even the shops inside ferry building can’t come as close as Sanchio’s, if they did ingredients wise suffers, price a bit higher too.
Final Thoughts: I really didn’t have high hopes when I came here. When I saw the size of the noodles all clump together looks so small. I took a chance and was delighted to see strands and strands of noodles starts showing up. In my mind, I’m thinking all I’m be getting is like grocery noodles with msg/​spices packets. I can’t be assuming as I did in the past. To my surprise it’s Japanese staff with knowledge of ramen making. I mean at $ 10.50 a bowl it’s worth it because you’ll full afterwards. Totally caught me by surprise here!