Sobo Ramen

Best Tonkotsu I’ve ever had! The Spicy Black Tonkotsu broth is full of flavor and is probably the darkest broth I’ve seen. Quail egg is always cooked the perfection, never overcooked and oozing with flavor. #fuego #crackin

Sobo is a good, solid ramen place for when you are just craving a big, warm bowl of noodles. I’ve tried several of their ramens, and have never been disappointed. Flavorful, cloudy broth, and fresh, chewy noodles.
Don’t forget to order some yogurt soju as well! The peach is delicious and comes with some jellies at the bottom. I’m sure I will continue coming here for a long time!

g o a t:
Pretty average ramen. I got the Spicy black tonkatsu ramen which was one of the premium ones and was surprised to see that it was a bit small compared to other ramen shops and didn’t have any seaweed for over $ 10. Frankly, the whole thing felt lacking. I will say, it easily had far and beyond the best medium boiled egg I’ve ever tasted. It might be from the ramen broth but it tasted uniquely like its own thing. On the down side, they only gave you half the egg. Honestly, the whole thing could have gotten an extra star if it didn’t feel like they were trying to cut costs on ingredients. I just expected more parity between the various ramens especially if I’m paying for a premium ramen that costs $ 11.50. Crab gyoza wasn’t special either. Hardly tasted any crab and was also on the smaller side.

There really aren’t too many great ramen choices in the East Bay without venturing your way down to San Mateo or San Jose area. I remember when this place first opened, it was a 1 — 2 stars review restaurant on Unilocal.Since then, the owner has taken people’s suggestions and improved a lot (based on the pics!). I was craving ramen on a cold day so I decided to finally give this place a try!
I got their Spicy Black Tonkotsu ($ 11.95) and it comes with chashu and half an egg. I always believed a good bowl of ramen is consisted of most importantly the noodles and the broth, other toppings come second. The broth of the Spicy Black was hot and spicy (!), but it doesn’t taste like pork bones that have been boiled for hours. Their ramen noodle however was also not that great. I was hoping for a more substantial chewy ramen noodle like the kind they have at Ramen Dojo, but their noodle here is more like egg noodle, springy but not chewy. Almost like those frozen egg noodles that you buy from a supermarket. I do really like their chashu though, really flavorful and melt in your mouth goodness. It was probably one of the only highlights in my bowl of ramen.
I probably won’t be back again since the ramen quality was a big let down, but I am glad I finally gave this place a try after waiting almost 3 years. I definitely give this place props for the amount of suggestions/​recommendations that they have taken into considerations. If I would make a suggestion to the owner (s), I would suggest them to use higher quality ramen since a bowl of ramen is nothing without good quality noodles.

Great customer service, loved the «unnamed» lychee cocktail. My friends were very excited about the pork bone broth, i had miso, everyone left happy.

I feel like this place definitely improved since the very first time I had it back in late 2014. They finally have seating at the bar! I didn’t think the ramen noodles here were anything special (just like any other ramen place) however, the egg is delicious and soft-​boiled (how it should be) and the soup is very savory.
I ordered the Special Feature Ramen — Tonkotsu Ramen with Mayu. It’s a little on the pricier side, almost $ 12 before you add any toppings, definitely not a cheap ramen. But it’s quite delicious. It comes drizzled with black garlic oil which adds a ton of flavor to the already flavorful soup. Along with this comes chashu, egg, bean sprouts and green onions. Corn would be a great addition to this! Another great addition is to add pork cutlet on the side. It comes nice and breaded with a side of sauce at around $ 2 more, if you’re looking to splurge a bit.
The staff here are very friendly and the service was great! I don’t recommend coming here between 12−1pm on a weekday, just because everyone in the area seems to know about this place and the wait can be anywhere between 20 – 30 minutes. Not good if you were aiming for a quick bite for lunch.
Definitely would come here again, but not as often as I would like just because it costs $ 14~ for your meal.

My husband and I went here for dinner on a Friday night. We tried the crab gyoza for an appetizer. I wasn’t too impressed by it. Couldn’t even really tasted the crab meat.
I had the Spicy Miso Ramen. I felt like the broth wasn’t as flavorful as I would like it to be. For the toppings, I added the bamboo shoots, pickled ginger, and pork meat. I felt like they didn’t give me enough meat, nor did they give me enough bamboo shoots. However, they did give me plenty of pickled ginger on a separate plate.
The service was average. They gave us a good amount of time to see what we would like. We didn’t have to wait long for the food to come out.
One thing to complain about is the pork belly. By the time I already ordered, I realized that they stated on the wall that the pork belly was an off menu item. I would have loved to try it. I wouldn’t even have seen it, because I was faced the other way, but my husband saw the sign after we’ve already ordered.
Overall, the food and service was decent, but it’s not a place that I’m excited to go back to.

Not a bad option if you’re stranded in downtown Oakland and got hit by ramen cravings. It’s pretty pricey and not as flavorful as other ramens in the bay. My group of 5 ended up throwing down AT LEAST $ 15 a person. My coworkers opted for additonal toppings, hence a higher price tag. In addition, I cannot believe they charged me for spice! It came out in a dinky side bowl that I had to pour onto my ramen. Such strange wizardry. Now, I would not mind that if I was eating some legit ramen, but this place is mediocre at best.
I had the sobo special ramen if I remember correctly; I believe it’s essentially tonkotsu broth. It was incredibly salty and it had this weird affect on all of us, we were very tired and thirsty afterwards. Anyways, the ramen snobs thought it was just okay and probably would not go back there ever again given the plethora of options in south east bay and in San Mateo. But the average Joe’s thought it was good.
If only they were able to make their ramen spicy, I may have enjoyed it better. I don’t get why they would charge extra and bring out a side bowl of chili oil /​sauce.

Sobo Ramen serves a mean bowl of ramen that is better than your average. Placed in the heart of Oakland Chinatown, it’s nice how this soup shop is near lots of other POIs for some peking duck or some pearl drinks.
I went with this:
Sobo Special Ramen ($ 11.95) — A sweet and flavorful Tonkotsu broth, enhanced with organic garlic and a hint of seafood. Topped with chashu, soft boiled egg, kale, bean sprout, green onion, and sesame seeds.
I added a quail egg and honestly it didn’t really need it since it already came with a delicious soft boiled egg. I do recommend this menu item.
I would definitely check out Sobo again – not my favorite bowl of ramen ever, but sure hits the spot! I would even venture to say that this is my favorite ramen spot in the east bay area since I can only think of yummy spots in San Francisco and San Jose.

Came for lunch on my own. It was raining so I was worried I wouldn’t get a seat right away, but they weren’t too busy. This was around 12:30 on a Tuesday. I got a seat at the bar and ordered a hot tea, which came with a full cup and a little pot with extra tea. The tea was nice but could have been hotter.
I decided to go with the Spicy Black Tonkotsu ramen. I noticed the menu seems to be set up to have you order extras with your ramen and I found out why when I got my bowl. They go pretty slim on the toppings. Mine came with half a soft boiled egg, one slice of chashu pork, and some sprouts.
I would have liked to see more toppings. Usually you get some sea weed and bamboo shoots, but I’m guessing they keep those as extras to try and keep the cost down.
The broth was pretty flavorful and had a nice level of spice. I’ve had better broth, but this one was definitely not bad.
The portion size was decent. Not too big, but not too small.
The noodles were actually quite good. Just the right texture.
The service was fine, nothing special. They forgot to bring me a spoon, so I had to flag someone down and ask for one. No one checked in during the meal, but I wasn’t there for all that long anyway.
Overall, I’d come back and try a couple more types of their ramen. It was nice to get seated right away during lunch and it is close to work.

I came here around noon with my cousin, and the place was packed. Luckily, we only had to wait a few mins to be seated. We came here specifically for their gluten free ramen noodles but unfortunately, they ran out! :(I ordered the spicy black tonkotsu ramen with corn while my cousin got the spicy miso ramen. We both agreed that our ramen wasn’t even spicy. I was disappointed with the spiciness but at least the broth was yummy and flavorful. Overall, not quite 4 stars. I do however like that you can make your own ramen!

3.5 stars — I really like ramen and have been around to a couple of ramen places here and there in the Bay Area. While Sobo was a good ramen place, I feel like I’ve seen better.
We came in around 6pm on a Saturday night and by then most of the seats were full so we were seated at the bar seats. The interior is really nice and welcoming, with seats that accommodate groups as well as single visitors. All 3 of us ended up ordering the Tonkotsu Ramen with Mayu.
To be quite honest, I still struggle with how I felt about the ramen. The noodles were chewy and good, the pork and egg was great, but the soup… I just don’t know. Tonkotsu is one of my favorite broth flavors and it just felt a little bland (?) to me, just like what others have been reviewing on Unilocal.I spent most of the time just sipping the broth over and over, trying to figure out whether I liked it or not. The Mayu (black garlic oil) added a hint of smokiness but I didn’t feel the garlic as strongly as I had expected.
Regardless, it was good solid ramen. I just couldn’t like it enough to give it more stars or crave it and want to come back for it over and over. The thing that sets this place apart from others though, is that it offers vegetarian, gluten-​free and vegan options. That’s something not common for ramen places and allows those of various diets to enjoy their food.

I haven’t found very many ramen places in Oakland and I don’t really think I need to keep looking because this place just does it for me.
I ordered the Spicy Black Tonkotsu ramen (obviously without bean sprouts and obviously with corn, mushrooms and garlic). It was so great. The spice was just enough to pack a punch but not so spicy that I it caused me to miss out on the flavor. I kind of wish they’d cooked the soft boiled egg a little less. I also realized that they give you basic items in the ramen but it’s best when you add a couple of your favorite things (their way of easing the price) but still worth it.
I sat at the bar since I took the place on solo. The waiters were really attentive and kept my water full and knew exactly when I wanted the check. And no they weren’t rushing me. They also asked all of my questions, which is a plus since I’m really picky.
There are a lot of beer options. I almost caved but decided against it. But nice to know you an throw one back if you’re in the mood.

This place seems to be popular for their tonkatsu broth so I was taken aback that they didn’t have any today especially when so much of their menu is tonkatsu. I was excited to try it too.
Anyways I guess I got adventurous and ordered the vegan soy coconut ramen. No. Just NO. It did not taste right and had way too much lemon.
Also got the shoyu ramen. It gradually got salty but definitely better than what I ordered.
What I like about this place is that the broths weren’t heavy on oil. But there’s not much content in the bowls. Not much noodles or condiments but pricey for that small bowl. Although my review isnt great, I would say this place is worth trying. I think my particular bowl of ramen just killed it for me. That broth flavor was just a terrible experience. This review might have gone down differently with the tonkatsu broth or anything else really…

I was hesitant to come here, because the last time I had ramen, I was out to dinner with a girl who (didn’t tell me before obviously) was letting a silicon mask dry on her face for a performance art photo series and it ruined my appetite and thus my taste for ramen.
This place is actually wonderful and if you disliked ramen before, it will help you fall back in love again. There are a few vegetarian options and one vegan option, which I wisely avoided, and the beer is averagely priced! Overall, the ramen was pretty spicy, well flavored, and super filling. We were lucky to snag a table by the window but this place was pretty packed on a Wednesday night so it’s safe to say its a wise dinner choice.

I’ve actually been here several times now, mostly for convenience since it is so close to one of my clients. I’ve stopped in for lunch, dinner, and also done take-​out. The place is on the smaller side, so during the lunch or dinner rush there will generally be a wait, so in those situations I’ve normally done take-​out.
The service is very hit or miss. Sometimes I get an attentive waiter or waitress, but other times it takes too long to get water refills or way too long to get the check. Not every time, but sometimes I have noticed it, which can be frustrating.
They have a very large assortment of ramen options, and I usually alternate between the soho special (chashu, kale, sprouts, egg) or the black tonkotsu (black garlic oil, chashu, egg, sprouts) and both are generally pretty tasty and satisfy my ramen cravings.
While there isn’t anything inherently wrong with the food, there are better options in SF, though probably the best one in Oakland.

Solid ramen joint in Chinatown. While it might not serve the best ramen ever — slightly bland and unspicy, in fact — it’s perfectly adequate in every way. I’ve stuck to the tonkotsu ramen with tonkatsu each time I’ve been here and found it a solid, safe choice. The bowl of ramen was sized just right, and the tonkatsu (pork cutlet) that came with it was perfectly deep-​fried.
Given the quality and portions, it’s a good bet, and quite filling. It’s a good place to take friends too, and they were all satisfied with their dishes. Service is also solid and fast.
A good place to go in Chinatown especially if all the other places you want to go to have long lines.

I went to sobo ramen for my birthday because I always crave ramen. I have really high expectations of ramen and this place didn’t meet them at all. I went on a Thursday night and there was no wait.
I got a small Sapporro beer. I wanted a large but the waitress said there were no more or that she thought so. Then I ordered Chicken Karaage and asked the waitress if they had Japanese mayo to go with it and she said «I think so». It came out and it was a super tiny plate with no Japanese mayo. They gave me a lemon sauce which wasn’t that bad. But it’s not what I had asked for. Maybe it was my waitress’ first day? She was very unsure about things.
After I got the tonkatsu ramen with tonkatsu. It was actually a big order. It wasn’t baaaad. It was just super salty. I couldn’t finish it all. It didn’t meet my expectations just made me thirsty. I probably won’t be coming back.

Update 8÷1÷2015 All good things come to an end. First the good news: 1. the ramen is porky, garlicky goodness! 2 there is a pork belly special on right now. That kills. The skin is so soft & velvety. You must add it. Trust me. 3. The remodeling transforms the space by adding a bar & 20 seats. Gives its an entirely new feel, less like a lunch spot, more like a destination. Yippee
Now, the bad news. The service sucks. I could overlook the sometimes slow or disorganized service when it was a small struggling shop. Not so much now
There are problems. The servers are so sweet yet not well trained. No checking back or water refills. Theres no hostess so servers have to do both. That resulted in a collision today when a server gave away a table outside his section without checking. I’d been waiting and some ahole walked right over and sat down-​forget the list. After a small fuss I was seated. Long wait to order And to rub salt in the wound, my server took the interlopers order first! Clearly she was flustered; ziti me to invest in staff.
The food still rocks. That perfectly fried soft shell crab with the citrus vinaigrette might get me to come back or my next ramen craving. Just saying a little of the magic is gone.

Tonkotsu black garlic ramen is delicious! Love the fact that we can add on a bunch of other ingredients like quail eggs, bamboo shoots, etc. Good size portion with a good price. The belly bacon/​or cha shu was really good. Super tender and delicious, you forgot that its fat you’re eating.
The customer service needs major improving. The man that sat at the table across from me had no shame in expressing his strong dissatisfaction for the lack of service. The servicers all seems to be really young, shy and quite. They didnt introduce themselves, they didnt check on any of their guests, when you needed something you had to ask for service. They just seem like inexperienced servers who can use some coaching and courage.