🍜 Ramen run

All-vegan sushi bar and izakaya turning vegetables into convincing nigiri and rolls.

Lighter dashi-based broth; clam ramen and vegan options stand out.

Hidden hinoki-counter omakase down an interior mall hallway

Intimate spot known for inventive twists like squid-ink spring rolls with pepper jack.

Bib Gourmand izakaya with binchotan yakitori and handmade udon.

Some of the city's most impressive tsukemen with housemade noodles and a dashi finishing pour.

Japanese-Thai noodle house; spicy miso and tonkotsu with blistered-skin pork belly.

Japanese AYCE yakiniku with tabletop grills and a wide range of marinated meats.

Sliding-scale omakase ($119-$219) with truffle sesame noodles and A5 wagyu with foie gras.

Ten seats and a reservation list that took a critic two years to crack

A Tokyo ramen phenom's first US outpost. Tonkotsu so rich it's almost dessert, and a wait you'll grumble about then forget mid-bowl.

Burmese garlic noodles and tea-leaf salad around $8 a plate at a tiny counter.

BBQ pork wonton noodle soup with shrimp-and-pork wontons

Solo diners get ushered straight to the long sushi counter.

Hidden back patio with tabletop grills; order pork belly, bulgogi and kalbi by the pound plus ginger sesame soy wings.

Neighborhood izakaya known for ramen and skewers.

Japanese-style shabu shabu, a top pick for the genre in SF

Hakata-style tonkotsu with noodles thin as thread. Put your name down, wander Japan Center, come back to a creamy bowl.