Presentation on Map Reviews Nearby

Chonmage Japanese Restaurant in San Rafael

4.6 (80) 1020 Court St, San Rafael, CA 94901, United States

Categories

Japanese restaurant
Ramen restaurant

Location on the map

San Rafael, Marin County, California, US

Phone: +1 415-419-5919
Site: https://chonmagejapanese.com/

Opening hours

Monday:11:30 AM–8 PM
Tuesday:11:30 AM–8 PM
Wednesday:11:30 AM–8 PM
Thursday:11:30 AM–8 PM
Friday:11:30 AM–8 PM
Saturday:11:30 AM–8 PM
Sunday:11:30 AM–8 PM

Edit info

Total reviews rating 4.6

80 Reviews for Chonmage Japanese Restaurant 2024:

Review №1

2022-09-16 01:37:25

The food and service was fantastic. A little annoying everything is done through apps these days instead of a human… but no choice in the matter. The waiter who did serve us food and bring us drinks was ultra polished and beyond helpful with my 3 kids terrorizing the restaurant. Menu had a ton of different ramen options and specials. 11/10 would come back again. Ty for having us and cheers 🤙

Review №2

2023-05-27 02:02:41

Great live music. Service non existent, you order through an app which makes the entire experience seem un-worthy of a restaurant. Then you are serverd Happy Hour items in paper plates which is a huge red flag. Honestly had my reservations and now regretting the choice. One of the ramen 🍜 was not to my enjoyment, but the pork rib was very good. With ramen individually costing >$18, the one expectation is set to that standard.

Review №3

2018-05-19 22:26:08

Went for lunch. The owner is extremely nice. Noodle soup is very rich in flavor, authentic Asian style, tastes very good. I would give a 5 star ranking, but its a little pricey and the waitress is cold. The lunch cost $20.

Review №4

2023-09-03 22:35:48

Great veggie ramen. Staff is friendly and quick service.

Review №5

2023-12-01 01:45:37

I thought it was nice that they have small plates of ramen. Sometimes you dont want a full bowl.

Review №6

2022-12-21 15:47:22

Excellent ramen! 😋They have been consistently excellent and similar to those in Japan.

Review №7

2022-11-20 02:43:16

Amazing ramen, love the atmosphere of the place. so peaceful and pretty. quick and kind service.

Review №8

2022-07-31 19:46:27

Was good a year ago, owner or chef must have changed.Ramen was cold and salty. Leafy greens in ramen were yellow, not green. Horrible.

Review №9

2023-10-27 22:05:58

Good ramen over all good spot my kiddo loved it give them try and enjoy its a nice spot and the people are nice .

Review №10

2022-11-29 00:53:07

I was on my way to get Mediterranean food and saw a sign of a new place. The atmosphere was very inviting so I decided to try it. The service was great, a great selection of soups. Having been to Japan many times, I felt like there were authentic options. Hot sake and beer are available. I would love to see this place filled with people. I ordered a special, the pork rib Ramen. The flavor was great, lots of substance, I will definitely be back.

Review №11

2023-07-02 00:53:35

Food was good but not great. The chashu wasnt tasty but the sliced beef ramen was pretty good! I also enjoyed the seaweed salad.

Review №12

2021-07-31 05:49:11

Great flavor and portion size for the price! 10/10 would eat here again!

Review №13

2023-02-06 01:54:29

I ordered the samurai ramen and my friend ordered the veggie. The samurai was traditional and the ingredients blended perfectly. The veggie was phenomenal! Oh also the noodles never lost their consistency, even when reheated the next day

Review №14

2020-08-07 01:26:48

Best ramen place in San Rafael! I wish they didnt use plastic bowls but maybe thats a temporary measure during covid.

Review №15

2023-01-03 03:11:16

Best Ramen in town. If you’re into Japanese food especially on a cold rainy night. This is the best place to be. We ordered Chonmage Ramen soup(Miso), Karage Curry and Su Ramen (Soy). Staff is courteous and friendly too. Great service! Thank you.

Review №16

2022-07-10 04:37:19

7/9/22: OWNERSHIP CHANGE! STAY AWAY!We have been coming here for years since they opened. The original owners were a nice, friendly Japanese couple. Food was authentic and delicious. Service was excellent and you always left with a smile.Then I dunno if they left or not because I would never see them when we stopped by. So this may have changed hands a while back too but the food however was continuously good each and every time.We wanted to come here a month or two back. I would call the restaurant and never got a live person. Thinking they had gone out of business, I called the bakery next door and they said they were remodeling and reopening soon.So, fast forward a few weeks to today. I called them and miraculously someone answered and said they were open. We were stoked and excited at getting a good bowl of their ramen.When we got there, there was no big remodel or anything. There was an addition of some bridge display up by the cash register. It was very tacky and took up a lot of room. Certainly did not make it more inviting at all. Menu changed with some new items. Also never seen the 3 employees before. The new owners are Thai btw. How do I know? My wife can speak it.I decided to try a new item -- Spicy Wagyu Beef Ramen. It was priced a bit high at $18.95 but hey we havent been here in a while so I decided to splurge.Let me tell you the food does not taste like it once did. It is serviceable but not good or great. This was beyond disappointing. The Spicy Wagyu Beef Ramen was very mediocre and underwhelming.The staple Spicy Miso Ramen we would get all the time did not taste like it once did. Very bland.The Takoyaki came next and I noticed there were only 5 pieces not the 6 pieces which is stated on the wall or on the menus. The owner came over and she blamed it on inflation costs, etc. I can understand that but youve got to change the menus otherwise you are going to disappoint customers. Anyways, she kept going over and over on inflation not hearing what we were saying. Such bad service.The Takoyaki came and it sucked... the inside was not cooked long enough so it was a bit doughy and raw. Maybe it was better we only got 5 pieces instead of 6?They had also forgotten our two cups of Thai Iced Tea Boba. I had to get out of my seat at about the midway point of our meal to inquire. You can tell where this is going. While the Thai Iced Tea was serviceable... (how can you mess that up anyways since they are Thai), the pearls had no chew at all. The pearls in the Costco instant boba packs tasted 20x better.We are not coming back. One of the most disappointing meals we have had in a long time. With tips it came to over $70. I also ponder if it is really Waygu beef I was getting. Looking at the bad service and meal we just had I really cant say if it was or not. Hindsight is 20/20.Do yourself a favor and pick a different restaurant. Finding a good ramen shop has become even tougher now in Marin. The old Chonmage was great not this new one. I guess I will have to trek to SF or farther north to for Raku Ramen.Bottom line: This aint the old Chonmage where the food and service were excellent. Food and service takes a big hit and nosedive here with the new owners. If Management doesnt take care of these issues, it will not stay around very long.

Review №17

2022-07-17 00:48:23

1sr time here. Id say it was good. Ive never found a place that matche flavor of ramen shops of Hokkaido. Ive heard it has changed there too. Pleasant staff, flavorful base, and noodle texture was pleasing.

Review №18

2019-09-01 15:16:13

Tried the Curry Ramen - looked better than it tasted unfortunately. Friendly staff.

Review №19

2022-12-28 23:56:11

Very good ramen, best I can find north of SF. Also simple with no waiter to tip and well priced with frequent special ramens . Highly recommend

Review №20

2023-03-23 21:37:41

The man behind the counter is so sweet and lovely! And the ramen is delicious too. Super chill, nothing fancy about it.

Review №21

2023-11-12 21:24:41

Tonkotsu ramen is a great value!

Review №22

2022-05-13 00:42:02

Fantastic rich flavor in all the dishes. I have been coming here a fair amount since I have discovered it and I have always found the ramen to be excellent, and the meat perfectly cooked. They also have a lot of nice places to enjoy the food.The first time I went it took a while for me to get my food, but I have realized that this was simply because they had only just opened the restaurant when I went and were still working out the initial kinks of working a restaurant. They have since revised the ordering process and I have had no issues since.I am addicted to the Onigiri, it is amazing.Definitely try this place out if you like ramen.Update: 2022. Sadly the Onigiri recipe has changed and they are no longer as flavorful and salty. Also smaller. Still great soup and ambience though, so I stand by the 5 stars

Review №23

2022-03-31 02:10:08

I had the Tonkontsu ramen it was cold and really didn’t have much flavor. Also the customer service was like nothing to rave about either. I’d say overall there’s way better ramen places on 4th street. Absolutely not worth the price $15. I couldn’t had better ramen at home lol

Review №24

2017-07-12 02:06:52

Great tasting Samurai ramen! Loved it. Service good, casual/fast environment.

Review №25

2021-08-02 19:49:18

Best Bento Boxes this side of Golden Gate Bridge! Try the squid!

Review №26

2019-12-21 03:56:42

Very good ramen! Service was quick and friendly. It makes me happy to think that I dont have to trek to San Francisco to get a good bowl of ramen.When they brought my bowl to our table it had the the beautiful aroma of ginger and pork. This is a wonderful greeting especially on a cold evening in San Rafael.Definitely worth a visit for great broth and friendly atmosphere.Update 12/2019: Ok, if you still have not visited Chonmage then you are seriously missing out on one of the best ramen places in the Bay area. I just had the Sasuke ramen and it tastes even better now after they had trained in Japan to further develop their flavors. The soup was creamy and the pork was tender and mouth watering. Oishii! Subarashii!

Review №27

2019-04-27 16:53:47

Awesome choices of ramen, donboris, appetizers, and etc. Prices too were very reasonable. There are regular and small sizes (

Review №28

2017-12-03 05:59:19

The place has a wonderful atmosphere and the food here is the closest to what I remember from Tokyo that I have found in the Bay area. Good for both kids and adults, lunch or dinner, my daughters and I love coming here. Tsukasa San and his wife are super friendly and welcoming, and the Ramen is absolutely delicious. Hands down the best noodle house in Marin and surrounding areas.

Review №29

2017-11-19 01:45:26

Nice environment and fast service. I wish the amount of noodles can be a bit more for the regular bowl size. Also, it would be nice to have Japanese style bowls rather than plain white bowls.

Review №30

2019-04-30 03:02:20

We had a lovely experience at Chonmage! My dad and I had just come back from Japan and I’ve been reluctant to try ramen places because it is hard to find non-Americanized ramen, even in SF. However, we were both pleasantly surprised with Chonmage! My dad had the Tonkotsu ramen and I had the Samurai (shoyu) ramen. The broths were absolutely perfect and the ramen consistency was nice and chewy. We had nice chats with the owner and his wife and he told us they moved to Marin from Japan 3 years ago. They are extremely kind and told us they used to run a ramen restaurant in Tokyo. We can’t wait to return, and we are so pleased to have found an authentic ramen restaurant in San Rafael of all places!

Review №31

2022-09-22 20:27:08

Ordered kitsune udon. It was not bad! Prices are pretty good for the area, and the guy at the front was very nice.

Review №32

2019-02-15 22:12:09

Delicious ramen, they have combo options that allow you to taste their main dishes too. I had the samurai ramen and the curry pork and it was perfect! Very helpful and nice staff. I highly recommend it!

Review №33

2021-05-16 03:30:52

The ramen dishes were vey good. Order at counter and take a seat, food was delivered very quickly. Limited drinks choice, that you pick out of a fridge.

Review №34

2022-04-02 22:42:22

The best ramen in the downtown

Review №35

2023-07-27 19:46:44

Hahaha... Surprise.

Review №36

2019-09-05 21:58:46

Delicious!! We had the Tonkatsu and the broth was deep and incredibly flavorful. A true sign of legit ramen. Absolutely will go back!

Review №37

2022-01-17 00:38:07

My boyfriend and I adore this place! Whenever we come home from college we come here! Lovely people! Amazing food! Couldn’t of asked for a better place

Review №38

2023-06-18 21:18:21

Nice people, good food, great place!

Review №39

2023-03-19 16:58:39

Clean and fresh food - perfect ramen and friendly staff ...

Review №40

2019-11-18 06:56:27

My kids and I went to Chonmage for dinner. All three of us liked what we had. We ego back to try other things. The service is good, also

Review №41

2023-09-07 19:44:07

Great Benti box lunch!

Review №42

2018-01-13 03:19:31

Extremely good ramen. Authentic home style TRADITIONAL ramen. Not the crazy American styled ramen. Owner is extremely polite and nice. My new go to spot hands down.

Review №43

2017-12-03 04:15:10

The food is absolutely traditional Japanese. Service is fantastic and environment is pleasing. By far the best bowl of noodles in Marin.

Review №44

2019-08-27 21:22:37

Best miso ramen I’ve had in the US. Also tasty salmon onigilly. I would skip the tempura. Make sure to order extra chashu

Review №45

2021-10-22 03:13:59

Tasted great but the egg yolks were cold and forgot part of our order. Still, I would eat here again.

Review №46

2021-12-31 01:59:19

Got the Katsu curry and it was very solid. It was a little bit confusing to figure out how to order but it worked out eventually.

Review №47

2021-08-25 01:51:29

Great food and it’s just as good old owner.Their store is open 11:30-9:00 tuesdays

Review №48

2020-09-08 04:49:49

Tempura udon was really delicious. Service was very good. Hope to go back soon.

Review №49

2023-01-02 21:11:01

Classic udon and ramen bowls. Good stuff.

Review №50

2023-01-02 03:01:13

The Chicken Karaage and Chonmage Miso was on point! Yummers!!

Review №51

2023-04-09 02:19:34

Great specials and the nicest people running it.

Review №52

2022-06-12 18:45:50

Third time trying to come here everytime I drive here its closed so not sure it says in front open daily 11:30am

Review №53

2023-01-16 07:04:00

A nice little Japanese restaurant for a nice bowl of ramen!

Review №54

2023-05-18 00:20:10

So good

Review №55

2021-06-14 21:26:10

Best real Japanese restaurant in the area!!!!We love the Ramen!!!!

Review №56

2019-07-31 16:07:06

Very authentic ramen shop! The tonkotsu ramen broth is spot on!

Review №57

2022-11-10 03:45:26

Ramen special spicy good.

Review №58

2018-05-08 16:32:24

Authentic and tasty, but portions are small for the money.

Review №59

2022-02-07 23:17:55

Great Original food. 😍😍I love it.

Review №60

2019-05-31 03:01:41

Amazing ramen. Great veggie choices!

Review №61

2019-06-28 14:58:45

Occasionally the service is rude, but the ramen is good

Review №62

2021-07-31 23:31:23

Great, clean place with authentic food and ambiance

Review №63

2018-04-08 01:33:44

Great food and service. Different, clean and quiet.

Review №64

2020-01-14 21:55:29

Food is quite good. Big menu.

Review №65

2019-03-26 22:55:33

Delicious veggie/vegan ramen. Nuff said.

Review №66

2023-04-19 04:35:06

Absolutely 💯 delicious 😋 😍

Review №67

2017-09-30 02:10:50

Love it! Tempura is so delicious everything is delicious !

Review №68

2021-11-16 23:09:38

Great taste, great price, great service, great variety.

Review №69

2019-01-28 22:39:47

Authentic & high quality japanese street food

Review №70

2019-06-08 18:33:38

Good, tasty food for a good price!

Review №71

2020-07-19 02:54:57

Meh.... very little meat for the given price.

Review №72

2022-02-21 00:09:48

Friendly, nice portions.

Review №73

2022-02-12 01:17:59

🔥

Review №74

2019-04-14 20:55:25

Delicious food and good staff

Review №75

2019-09-01 02:19:16

Best Ramen in Marin

Review №76

2021-12-28 21:06:05

Everything was Luke warm.

Review №77

2018-02-17 21:17:25

Very authentic Japanese food

Review №78

2020-07-20 04:08:53

It was good

Review №79

2022-06-23 00:13:09

Its closed

Review №80

2018-11-29 03:03:11

I tried the vegetarian ramen, and it was surprisingly refreshing and delicious. Lets go again!