Search for the Best Ramen Spot in Southern California – Restaurant Review #1 (Huntington Ramen)

Huntington Ramen
1325 E Chapman Ave
Fullerton, CA 92831

Welcome to my segment of Restaurant Reviews where I go searching for the best foods in Southern California and give you an in depth look into the foods I’ve recently tried.
I will give an individual review of each of the menu items I try in each restaurant and provide an Overall Rating at the end of each post with the following 3 criteria:

1. Food Quality and Taste
2. Service
3. Value (Price to Food Quality Ratio)

In our search for the best ramen in Socal, today, we’re looking at a ramen spot in Fullerton called Huntington Ramen that actually just opened their second location not too long ago.

ABOUT THE RESTAURANT

Huntington Ramen is a small restaurant located in a small strip mall in the city of Fullerton.
The inside is on the smaller side and can seat approximately 30-40 guests.
The restaurant doesn’t seem to get overly busy all the time, but you can expect a 10-30 minute wait depending on the day and time you go.

THE FOOD

Getting right into it, here are the menu items we’ve tried at the restaurant

1. H.B. Tonkatsu Ramen

Description:

This was their standard Tonkatsu Ramen which had thin ramen noodles, cha shu pork, bean sprouts, Wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions, and a seasoned egg.

Review:

Starting with their broth, the soup was rich and creamy with a distinct kick of garlic from the black garlic oil. The pork bone flavor had a nice savoury but not too salty taste which was great with the al dente thin ramen noodles. The egg was seasoned nicely with a mild soy sauce and was perfectly soft boiled with a gooey yolk.

Result:

Definitely recommend – Rating 9/10.

2. Real Tan Tan Ramen

Description:

Sesame flavored Pork Broth with Thick Ramen Noodles, Seasoned Ground Pork, Bok Choy, and Red Pepper Chili Oil

Review:

More so than the tonkatsu ramen, this broth was extremely rich in flavor which was enhanced by the ground pork and spicy chili oil. The chili oil gave the soup a pleasant subtle kick and the flavor of the soup kind of reminded me of a spicy miso broth but with a more sesame taste to it. The ramen noodles were again perfectly al dente and had a bit more bite to it than the thin noodles (though both were excellent).

Result:

Although the flavor of the broth was great, the extreme richness of it did make the ramen a bit ‘heavy’ the more and more I ate. Nonetheless, still a great ramen – Definitely Recommend – Rating 8.5/10

3. Melting Shrimp Ramen

Description:

Miso Shrimp Flavored Pork Broth with Thick Noodles, Cha Shu Pork, Bean Sprouts, Green Onion, Boiled Shrimp, Dried Shrimp, and Seasoned Egg

Review:

The broth of this ramen was very flavorful and tasted kind of like a hybrid between the tonkatsu ramen and the tan tan ramen. The soup still retained the creamy pork broth flavor but had a subtle seafood taste from the miso shrimp. I believe some chili oil was also added to the broth which was also a welcome addition. Ramen Noodles still perfect, seasoned egg still excellent.

Result:

Surprisingly good as I’ve never had seafood in ramen before; Definitely Recommend – Rating 9/10

4. Mentai Mayo Takoyaki

Description:

Fried Octopus Pancake Bites with Mentai (Pollack Roe) Mayo and Seaweed

Review:

Starting with the texture, the takoyaki was unfortunately a bit more on the soggy side instead of the desired - crispy on the outside, soft in the inside – sort of texture I was looking for. However, the mentai mayo was a very nice surprise as the mentai flavor in the mayo was very distinct without being too fishy or salty from the fish roe.

Result:

Texture wasn’t the best but was saved by the flavor of the mentai mayo. The mayo can get a little heavy towards the end of your meal though; Recommend – 8/10

5. Teri Tama Takoyaki

Description:

Fried Octopus Pancake Bites with Egg Salad, Teriyaki Sauce, and Seaweed.

Review:

The texture of the batter on this one was perfect with the crispy exterior and the fluffy interior. The egg salad on top had a VERY subtle flavor and the teriyaki sauce wasn’t actually too different from the traditional eel sauce used on takoyakis. There wasn’t anything too special about this takoyaki, but was still pretty solid

Result:

Recommend – 7/10

BONUS: Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

Review:

This was actually graciously given to us as complimentary appetizers from the sushi chef which was a very kind gesture. What was even better was that this dish was excellent. There was a hefty amount of spicy tuna on top of the golden brown crispy rice and the texture and flavor of the whole dish was great. The spicy tuna tasted very fresh and the jalapeno along with, what I believe was eel sauce, gave the dish a nice textural and sweet and spicy balance. Definitely Recommend – Rating 9/10

BONUS 2: Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I just wanted to add that they give you ice cream for dessert at the end of the meal.
I had to put this here because I love ice cream!

OVERALL RATING

Overall, the ramen here is pretty solid and is definitely up there in the ramens I’ve tried in Socal so far.
Each ramen is about $10 and the takoyakis will run you about $8.
This restaurant also serves sushi, but because of the mixed reviews on the price to quality ratio, I decided to pass on the sushi. I highly recommend checking this place out if you’re in the area and craving some ramen.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Value: 8/10

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