Beef Ramen (Ushi Taro Ramen)

There’s nothing like order a bowl of ramen on a cold day. I remember fondly of eating at local ramen shops with my family. The broth would also look gold and rich. The aroma of fresh meats would fill my nose as I bit down on a load of soft but firm egg noodles . As delicious as ramen can be, it does get tiring having the same old pork, soy, or veggie based broth…Once in a while, I would hope to find something that offers a more unique take that I don’t usually find.

That is where Ushi Taro ramen comes in.

My mom previously visited San Francisco not long before my current trip here. During her stay, my aunt would mention showing her a ramen spot in the area that utilized a beef base for its ramen as opposed to the typical choice of pork. Unfortunately, the restaurant was always crowded due to its small size, so my mother was not able to give this spot a try. Upon my trip here, I was able to visit the establishment with my aunt. I was definitely excited to see what Ushi Taro had to offer. Their website mentioned wanting to “bring something different to the ramen scene in Bay Area,” and honestly, I really respect that.

So as for the ramen itself…it unfortunately was not quite as unique of an experience as I was hoping. While I appreciate the inclusion of rare beef in the dish, the rest of the bowl felt more or less like the typical thing you would find in a restaurant quality bowl of ramen. The egg noodles were great as was the broth, but neither stuck out to me as anything different. I was most excited to taste the beef based broth, but it mostly felt similar to a typical tonkotsu broth with only a slight kick of beef flavoring to it. That’s not to say this was a bad experience, just underwhelming. I will say, it seems one of their signature dishes involves bone marrow but unfortunately they did not have that dish available on their menu due to a change in supplier.

In short, Ushi Taro ramen is a worthwhile spot if you are in the mood for ramen, but don’t expect anything earth shattering that will change the way you look at ramen. Despite all I’ve said, I am still curious to try their bone marrow ramen once it is on the menu again.