Award-Winning Tokyo Ramen Arrives in North County

Acclaimed chef Ryuichiro Shinagawa of Tokyo’s Basso Drillman has opened Ramen Menma Basso Drillman in downtown Oceanside, becoming the latest Japanese ramen expert to choose San Diego as the launching point for U.S. expansion. Winner of the Michelin Bib Gourmand award for four consecutive years, Shinagawa also runs a ramen shop in his home town of Akita, Japan, which is also home base for Takashi Endo, the chef behind Kearny Mesa’s runaway hit, Menya Ultra Ramen.

Basso Drillman’s signature ramen is a soup-less style called aburasso, based on well-seasoned, chewy noodles topped with slow-cooked chashu pork, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and green onions. The shop also offers shoyu ramen made with a simmered soup of chicken, pork, and seafood and a red hot miso ramen that adds miso and mild cheese to spicy broth. A special deluxe bowl option features two extra pieces each of pork and bamboo and a seasoned soft boiled egg.

The chef makes his own noodles in Japan, and may add a noodle-making area to the Oceanside branch or a future location. Beer, wine, and sake will be added later, as well as other appetizers and side dishes. Ramen Menma Basso Drillman is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.