Japanese · Ramen
A perpetually packed Kearny Mesa ramen shop Roger recommends for its rich tonkotsu broth (ask for noodles slightly undercooked for texture), chicken karaage and deep-fried tempura ice cream.
Start with tonkotsu ramen (noodles a little undercooked) or chicken karaage or tempura ice cream, and check the restaurant’s current menu before you go.
Source-backed notes
Checked in 8 times on Yelp and Swarm, most recently Jul 9, 2026. See the check-in log
“There is a reason why this place is always PACKED!”
Roger said there's a reason this spot is always packed: a rich, on-point tonkotsu broth, best ordered with noodles slightly undercooked for extra texture. He also praised the chicken karaage and called the deep-fried tempura ice cream 'dank.'
Stay in the neighborhood
A Convoy District spot Roger rated among the better local options for xiao long bao and pan-fried sheng jian bao, with better-than-typical service to match.
A Kearny Mesa Vietnamese spot Roger praised for freshly made, generous portions — nothing mass-ordered frozen — plus made-to-order coffee and wings he ranks among the only two worth ordering at an Asian restaurant in town.
A low-key Convoy-area grocery Roger called a one-stop shop for a Chinese household: herbal remedies, dried seafood, nostalgic HK/China/Taiwan sodas and whole-leaf teas, tucked in a warehouse half a block west of Convoy.
Keep exploring
Browse the Japanese page, or continue to another place with a matching cuisine.
One of the two omakase counters Roger named when asked where to take a visiting friend for sushi in 2022.
Roger's University Heights omakase recommendation from 2022, paired with Tadokoro as his two go-to sushi counters.