Ramen Izakaya Ouan

I wasn’t blown away by Izakaya Ouan, but I am interested enough to go back. There menu has so many options that there is a lot that I would want to try.
I got the uni ramen, which was honestly just okay. It was decently sized for the price, but I expected a better flavor, especially as I’ve had some really good uni udon in the past. Perhaps it is my fault for getting a not-​very-​classic ramen. Next time, I’ll try the piggy. If the piggy isn’t good, then there is no hope.
I also got eel tempura, which was very tasty and had a good portion for the price.
The service was decent. A bit of a rush to order, and then a bit of a disappearing act come check time. We were the last ones in the restaurant, so perhaps they didn’t want a completely empty room.
All in all, Izakaya Ouan was just okay, but it has intrigued me.

I have to update my review. I didn’t listen to my friends when they told me to get the ramen and I had only tried the sushi and such. Silly me.
I’m so pleased with their ramen and tapas.
— Black ramen is absolutely delicious. I get extra pork chasu and an egg (which is cooked to perfection).
— Homemade Shumai are probably my favorite shumai of all time.
— Squid tentacles fried are better than grilled.
— wasabi octopus is an acquired taste but I’m into it
I love this place.

Saw this place when my boyfriend and I moved to the neighborhood while walking around. Came in on a Friday night while it was raining.
Pretty good amount of seating for such a small restaurant. They have the bar area and a row of tables that lines the walls, and that’s about it. For coming at such a prime time, we were seated in just a few minutes. I got the ramen and my boyfriend got the udon. They were both good, but didn’t exactly wow me. But out of all the ramen places in Hillcrest (except Tajima), I’d probably come back here for ramen
As we were looking around at everyone else eating, we noticed majority of the people getting the small tapas like plates that weren’t on the physical menu, they were written on the board as specials.
I’ll definitely come back to try all the snacks and drink specials. Looks like a good place to grab dinner and drinks with friends.
All in all — Decent price. Good friendly service. Nice ambiance. Good food and specials. Small parking lot shared with 4 other restaurants — but plenty of parking structures and street parking within a couple blocks

A little hidden, but definitely worth a try. After my friends brought me here a while back I’ve relied on this place for its good (not incredible) ramen, rolls, and snacks.
It’s a great place to bring a friend or two (not large parties) to have a drink and good food. The Piggy Ramen is definitely great and my personal favorite for snacks is the garlic edamame.
There was only one person taking orders for the entire restaurant so getting drinks and placing an order took a little while. The guy serving the food on the other hand was awesome and got us everything we needed once our first round came.
Call ahead and make a reservation if you can, considering there isn’t much seating available. Be prepared to park a block or so away as the parking lot for the building is tiny.
If you have a corporate passport card they give 20% off the bill too so that’s a plus.

As someone who’s tried most of the popular ramen places in SD and still ranks RakiRaki as #1; I have to say the Piggy Ramen is an extremely close second and very viable substitute. Only downfall is that it comes with only ONE piece of pork; otherwise, when gloomy days make Convoy seem too far away, this place will do.

We’ve discovered this hidden gem in Hillcrest – Izakaya Ouan! No long wait, delicious ramen, delightful sushi, great bar, and friendly service!
I’m a fan of Ouan green ramen (vegetarian): the noodles have good texture, the broth savory, the vegetables and mushroom pieces flavorful.
And also a fan of the rainbow roll – delightful!

The absolute best ramen ever!!! The black ramen is the bomb, my favorite and my husband’s is the Uni ramen delicious!
It’s small and legit, we feel like we are in actual Japan in an izakaya

I love their Spicy Sesame Ramen, especially with an extra ramen egg and extra veggies. It is my go-​to order. The brussel sprouts and gyoza are yummy options when extra hungry. :)
The biggest challenge can be getting in as a long waiting list forms at peak hours.

Friend staff, and good for drinks. However, the food we had was salty and quite bad.
Look for atmosphere I and drinks I do like it. We also only had appetisers. From my experience thought, how a restaurant does one thing, it does everything to the same general standard.
Edamame. salty. Some were hot and the ones toward the middle and bottom of the bowl were cold. Possibly microwaved. I like good quality salt sprinkled on edamame (some call it kosher salt or sea salt etc) but this was not that.
Shu mei (not sure on spelling) was quite horrible. And I have had this item all over the world. Here is was like the frozen ones from a trader joes that had also been microwaved.
Hate to bash businesses, but the food was bad. Just plain bad.

My first time trying Ramen and I am glad I picked this place. I ordered the Red Ramen. The broth was amazing, just the right amount of spice and the flavor was perfect. The pork melted in your mouth and the different textures added to the dish.
My friend tried the Strawberry nigori, which tasted like a yummy alcoholic light milkshake. Was a little bummed that I couldn’t sample the Japanese craft beers since they were not on tap and only in bottles (and I wasn’t feeling particularly experimental that day)
The shop itself was tiny and a little difficult for the GPS to find. It is in the same complex as Project Pie and Subway. (you can thank me later!)
Another place I will definitely revisit to try the other menu items.

I love this place. My bestie and I discovered it accidentally and we are sure glad that we did. The atmosphere is great, the service is amazing and the food is soooooo delicious.
Everyone is so nice and helpful. They have a great happy hour that goes till 7:07, what a great time to end a happy hour.
We have tried a lot of appetizers, the poke bowl and a couple different Ramen’s and we have loved it all. I can’t wait to go back and try more yummy food.

Good, late night place for small plates, beers and of course, sake. It’s perfect for ordering 3 – 4 ‘tizers and large bottled beers to share, and socializing with your friends. I like that I can order food and drink late, and its not loud or clubby so we can talk.
Parking in the neighborhood is an adventure, but they do have a small parking lot, and I found a spot after waiting a few minutes.

Location:
It is in the same parking lot as project pie
Décor:
It is very small with a decent bar size seating and about 6 tables. This place gets full and the wait is long.
Food & Drinks:
We ordered the flight of sake, fried tofu, vegetarian ramen, chicken hot udon, vegetable croquettes, and a spanish mackerel. I had to say the food was great and the price is what you expect from these type of places. The big hits for me was the flight of sake and the vegetable croquettes. The parings for the sake were really good and very refreshing. The croquettes were fried perfectly being nice and crisp on the outside while moist on the inside.
The only reason I wouldn’t give this place 5 stars is that the service is really slow and the food also comes out slow. It would be great if they could improve those
Happy Ramen eating my friends!

I understand that restaurants can get busy, especially on a holiday when few places are open. What I can’t understand is why they would refuse service. I had to call them ten times to get someone on the phone, and I was then told that I could not place an order for take out. When I mentioned to them that they list takeout as an option on their website and on their Unilocal page, they said they could, but it would be about an hour. I would have been happy to wait the hour if that option was presented first, instead I will give my business to a restaurant that wants to ACTUALLY provide customer service.
Unfortunately I can’t review the food or ambience or anything like that. Stick with your other options for ramen moving forward.

Small, cramped restaurant with no free parking. It’s $ 5 to park in the same Plaza they’re in. I swear these parking lot owners are just making $$$$$.
My hubby and I got a seat at the bar. We got our menus at 7:04pm. We didn’t order till about five minutes later then we played the waiting game till 7:48pm – seriously. I understood that they were busy and all but GD! I was getting so irritated.
When we finally got our Ramen and I tried my husbands piggy Ramen which was delicious. My uni ramen was just okay. I wish I had what he had or at least tried their black ramen. Since my husband ate probably their best ramen, he has a much better opinion on this place. Me, on the other hand, not so much.
Would I come back willingly? Nah. I actually liked Tajima better.

On my friend’s last night in San Diego, she wanted to get her fill of delicious ramen. She did some research on Unilocal and asked if we could hit up Izakaya Ouan for dinner.
As it turned out, I had passed by this restaurant many times before in Hillcrest, but never really paid it much attention. Since we went for a later dinner, it was pleasantly uncrowded. There’s a small parking lot (limited stalls), but we were fortunate enough to score a parking. I hate scrounging for street parking, so I was relieved that we found one in the lot, even though we had to pay.
There was no wait for dinner around 8 p.m., and though the menu is limited, everything sounds delicious. My friend is particular about her ramen noodles – she goes based on thickness and consistency – but she was really pleased with the offerings at Izakaya, telling me that if she lived in San Diego, she would probably be here every week.
Even though this eatery wasn’t particularly crowded, service lacked a little. The girl who helped us was nice, but she didn’t seem to be really informed about the eatery’s menu and could barely answer some of our questions. However, my friend and I were both pleased with our ramen so we were able to overlook the service aspect.
Unfortunately, this was the only chance that I had to try this eatery before I moved from SD, but I’m glad that I went! Here’s what we got:
«O.G. Ramen»: Since this is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, I decided to give it a try. Normally, I go for ramen that has miso broth or tonkatsu, but I was feeling like something lighter and the girl behind the counter assured me that this broth was really unique to the izakaya. This ramen featured a soy and fish base soup with pork chasu, green onions, naruto, menma and onsen tamago. It sounded like an award-​winning combo, but I got my ramen sans the green onions. I indeed liked the lighter broth and didn’t feel really heavy after my meal, even though I ate all of my noodles. The employee said this lighter fish based-​broth can’t be found at any old ramen place and is popular if you don’t want a super oily dish. I liked the softness and thickness of the noodles, and though we were eating ramen in the heat of July, I still really enjoyed my dish and wouldn’t hesitate to order it again.
«Piggy Ramen»: My friend got this dish and was pleased with her choice. It featured a tonkatsu chicken base soup, pork chasu, green onions, naruto, red ginger and onsen tamago. My friend loved the savoriness of the tonkatsu chicken base. But, the highlight of her dish had to be the noodles. She said the consistency was on point and the noodles were delicious – just soft enough without being mushy – and she enjoyed all the toppings that came with this entrée. She said she would definitely order it again. I had a taste of my friend’s ramen and it was indeed delicious! I would probably order this for myself if I ever visit this izakaya again.
«Ouan Black Ramen»: If I’m looking for something extra savory, this would be my ramen of choice. It includes a tonkatsu chicken base soup with homemade black oil, cabbage, bean sprouts and pork chasu. I would probably order my ramen sans the bean sprouts, but I’m curious to see what their broth tastes like with the homemade black oil. I can easily get salted out when it comes to ramen, but I’m not one to turn down a signature, savory option.
«Stewed Beef Tendons»: We ordered this as an appetizer and I must say, I never tried beef tendons before this meal. The tapas-​style dish was just the right size for two of us to share, and the beef was really tender and flavorful. My friend decided on this dish and I’m glad I got to try it. If it were up to me, I probably would have ordered the takoyaki, but it was a good decision to take a break from all the fried food we had been eating and opt for this instead. I recommend getting this appetizer if you like beef!
«Ouan Dynamite»: The only thing that prevented me from ordering this roll was the cost … and the fact that I knew I was hungry and a roll wouldn’t suffice. But, I would want to try this roll one day. It includes crab, avocado, a special dynamite sauce and shrimp on top. I’m a huge fan of shrimp and crab (even imitation crab) so the roll already sounds delicious to me. But, I really look forward to trying that homemade dynamite sauce, which is sure to add a welcomed kick to my meal!

What a great place for ramen!
PARKING: They do have a lot with about 15 parking spaces and normally you have to pay. However, if you do find a spot in the lot you can get it validated, just go inside and tell them and they’ll give you this little ticket to put on your dashboard. Otherwise, I found a great parking space near the Scripps hospital on 4^th avenue right after Washington near the Shell gas station. It’s about a 3 – 4 minute walk.
WAIT: Came on a Sunday right when it opened at 5pm and there was no wait. Keep in mind it was about 90 degrees outside. By the time we left at 6, there was only 1 – 2 other tables there.
ATMOSPHERE: Small, they have bar seating and then a few tables. Kind of close together, minimal if no A/​C so don’t come on a super hot day like we did.
FOOD: Got the piggy ramen.
Noodles — reminded me of orenchi’s noodles. Thick, curly and perfectly al dente/​chewy. They weren’t as thick as Tsujita or halu but definitely up there. Probably some of the better noodles I’ve had in a while.
Soup — tonkotsu base, creamy and tasty. Not the best I’ve ever had but definitely tasty.
Egg — onsen, meaning it’s lightly poached not soft boiled like the eggs I like. Onsen is always a little TOO runny/​raw for me.
Pork — fatty, only one piece though.
Overall, yeah you’re gonna pay about $ 10 for the bowl of ramen and it’s not a huge bowl but you’ll leave satisfied. If you like curly, thick, al dente/​chewy noodles come here!

A little hole in the wall ramen spot in Hillcrest that does not have much appeal on the outside… and the same can be said for the inside. I am a fan of the dishware they use as it is the same exact set I have bought fron Daiso off Clairmont Mesa Blvd off the 163. Food wise it was pretty standard, service was standard. Nothing really stuck out for me.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
THERE ARE NO RESTROOMS HERE. If you or a member of your party has to go… go somewhere else.
there are a few tables enough to seat possibly 20 people. If you are coming here with a large party… hope that the place is not busy.
PARKING: The parking lot adjacent to this resturant will fit about 15 cars (maybe less). May end up having to find nearby street parking on a busy night. If you do find a spot, you don’t have to pay.
FOOD: all the plates I have tried here are the usual. No flavor flare or anything.

A small homey restaurant with plentiful of items to choose from their menu. I came here for dinner last night with a party of four close friends around 7pm and we were the only customers. However, 30 min later the restaurant had each seat filled so i was excited that this place might be good. Yet, by the end of the night the food was sufficient for the ramen craving but really nothing that was amazing.
For food i got the $ 25 deal that includes an alcoholic beverage, 3 small appetizers and a main meal. I got the shumai, gyoza, and vegetable croquet. For main meal i got the piggy ramen and for drink their house sochu. The shumai and gyoza was a standard appetizer which had nothing that really separated them from other appetizer that i find in other ramen place. Their vegetable croquet i do like very much. It had a good crunch and the right amount of seasoning in the potato. Their ramen was a bit of a let down as it was too salty. The more i ate the harder to drink the soup so i ate mostly the noodles which was cooked perfectly and the pork. Their house sochu too was a let down and it was too watered down.
Service here was excellent. They got to me when i needed them and made sure we were good.
Because this is located in Hillcrest parking can be very difficult so add 15 min to find parking.
Just a note –this restaurant is small meaning they dont have to have a bathroom.
For now I will probably be checking out other ramen spots as i was not too impressed.

My friend took me here one night for the first time because she said she liked the ramen here.
First of all, it’s a really small cozy restaurant with maybe 8 seats at the sushi bar and 4 small tables. There was only one person at the bar taking orders for everyone.
My friend got the Black Ramen, we shared garlic edamame and I felt a little adventurous so I decided to go with the small Uni Ramen. Tastewise… everything here was really SALTY!
Garlic Edamame: standard bowl of edamame loaded with crunchy sliced stir fried garlic pieces. I liked that the garlic edamame wasn’t soggy like most place, however, it definitely had the saltiness from the soy sauce marinade.
Uni Ramen: comes with minimal broth, green onion, ikura (salmon roe), fried uni on a bed of noodles. It was definitely an interesting taste because of the uni and I love uni. I liked the touch of ikura. However, this ramen dish took a quick turn. The noodles were a little too firm and the broth tasted soo salty! Almost as if they just let it boil until all the water evaporated. It had so much potential, but I felt the flavor was overpowered by seasoning.
I tried my friend’s ramen and it was also salty but not as bad. So maybe I should’ve just stuck with their regular ramen selection…
Service was pretty good considering there was only one person on the floor.
Prepare to drink a gallon of water to flush out your system if you come here!