Popular Hinodeya Ramen Opens Downtown Location for More Dashi

A new location of Tokyo-based Ramen company Hinodeya, known locally for its full-service outpost in Japantown and to-go operation in SoMa, has opened in the Financial District. The new Hinodeya is at 668 Clay Street, where it’s been in the works since at least February. It’s now open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner, serving bowls of dashi-based ramen, and more items in a menu that’s similar to the full-service Japantown location.

Hinodeya, which translates to sunrise house, traces its history to an original location in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture, where it opened in 1885. The first US location, in the SF pedestrian plaza on Buchannan, opened in 2016. As opposed to thicker, pork-based tonkotsu broths, Hinodeya’s specialty is lighter dashi broth, made from dried fish and seaweed, and served with locally made whole grain noodles.

Hinodeya’s house ramen offering ($14) features those noodles in a dashi of bonito, scallops and kombu, with chashu, menma, soft-cooked egg, seaweed, green onion, mizuna, sesame seeds, and red pepper on top. Some chicken, pork, and a vegan ramen option are offered, too. To drink, there’s a selection of sake, including locally-made Sequoia Sake and hard-to-find imports like Shinkame. The current menu is below, and more, location-specific items could be on the way, according to a representative for the restaurant.

• Japanese Ramen House Bringing More Noodles to FiDi
• Hinodeya Ramen Sneakily Opens Second Location in SoMa [ESF]