Raki Raki Ramen in San Diego: Birthplace of the Ramen Burger Disappoints with Burger but Redeems itself with Tonkotsu Ramen -- With Fried Garlic Chips!

It's official. The ramen burger craze was 110% hype. I can't believe people actually stood in line for hours for this. I finally sampled the OG ramen burger at Raki Raki Ramen in San Diego and boy, was it bad. First of all, the patty was anemic and well done (they always cook it this way, I was told by our server). The ramen noodles bun didn't add anything to the burger. In fact, it got flimsy and could barely hold up the contents of the burger. The ramen, on the other hand, was solid.

Even though it prides itself on its tsukemen, I was never a fan of tsukemen in general. I got the spicy tonkotsu and the broth had a depth in flavor, the chashu tender and dotted with the usual works like seaweed, scallions and pickled ginger. Just like at my recent New York ramen extravaganza at Totto, the fried garlic chips here were wonderful. The poached egg was a tad overcooked but still flavorful from its five spice soy sauce pickled goodness. I would definitely return for this and to try other ramen.

The gyoza were good both inside (filling) and out (crispy skin). 

The chicken karage wasn't too attractive to look at but upon biting into it, it was crispy. I would have liked the pieces to be in smaller chunks and while not the best I've had, they were definitely serviceable.