Great places to noodle on in the Bay Area

Although January, we've had unseasonably sunny - but chilly - weather in the Bay Area.  The weather prompted me to pack up my camera and head to San Francisco for a day of outdoor shots and of course, food.  Although not planned our lunch and dinner places were somewhat similar in nature (Asian) and both meals involved noodles.  Lots of them. 

Luckily, I was in the mood for spicy, brothy and warm which both served up in spades.  The first, PPQ, is a great place to grab a quick and reasonably priced lunch.  The second, Ramen Parlor, is part of a small but growing empire of ramen houses located in San Mateo CA. 

All three have ramen in common (!!) but each has a distinct ambiance and will probably appeal to different diner's tastes.   Ramen Dojo has a darker interior and serves that amazing truffle scented version I love so much.  Santa Ramen serves good tasty ramen in a loud and busy atmosphere.  Oh, and you can always stop at Joanne Fabrics on the way out (it's in a small strip mall!)

Fried eggplant at Ramen Parlor

Although I loved the ramen at Ramen Parlor, the small bites are a must.  Make sure you try the beef skewers and the fried eggplant.  Skip the crab fried dumplings as the whole plate is a bit of a mess.  Any of the ramen bowls are a winner but beware:  the portions are fairly substantial so don't add the "extra noodles" unless you REALLY think you need them!  We didn't add them and were fine.

PPQ Beef Noodle House
1816 Irving St.
San Francisco, CA 94122

My standard fave:  the pork vermicelli salad with spring rolls.  The best of all worlds:  BBQ'ed pork, crispy spring rolls and flavorful vermicelli.  YUM.

Ramen Parlor
901 South B Street San Mateo, CA 94401-4207
(650) 344-9728

I ordered the ramen with the miso broth although I really wanted the pork flavor.  Because I had the pork vermicelli for lunch I thought it might be overkill until the dish arrived with big pieces of fatty pork on top!

As mentioned above, Santa Ramen and Ramen Dojo are in the same family as Ramen Parlor.  All have long lines so be patient because this won't be a quick hit for lunch unless you get very lucky.
 
Santa Ramen
1944 South El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403
 
Ramen Dojo
805 South B Street
San Mateo, CA 94401

The Golden Gate Bridge:  always breath-taking!