Located between Fed Ex and Yogurtland in the UCI Center, Yushoken Izakaya & Ramen has recently opened and is already very popular. The new ramen shop often has a twenty to thirty minute wait around dinner time, but the variety and great taste of the food is worth the wait.
While I would venture to say Yushoken’s Tonkatsu Ramen is the best dish on the menu, Yushoken features a diverse menu including various meat bowls, sushi, appetizers and desserts. Jasmine Deng, a part time worker at Yushoken, said, “My favorite item on the menu would be the Tokyo Shoyu Ramen for its multitude of ingredients including seaweed, pork and bamboo.”
Yushoken also has a small appetizer and dessert menu. Popular appetizers include Takoyaki and Yushoken Fries while their dessert menu only features one item, Almond Tofu, which tastes like jelly and is a light dessert.
Yushoken is relatively inexpensive for a Japanese restaurant; a lunch there would be about 10 or 11 dollars (assuming you order a drink and a bowl of ramen), and for dinner, it would be around 12 to13 dollars.
Yushoken is starting out with a basic menu, but will eventually add more items. Their menu will expand on their selections of ramen, meat bowls and sushi rolls.
In comparison to Gen, another sushi and ramen joint in the UCI Center, Yushoken is a more dine-in experience. Their food is higher quality, so they take a bit longer to prepare the food. With amazing food and a unique atmosphere, Yushoken offers a wonderful alternative for Japanese cuisine.
 
4255 Campus Dr.
(949) 396-6647
Hours: Monday – Sunday 11:30 AM – 9:30 PM
 
By RYAN CORNELLIER
Staff Writer