Menya Sandaime
This Japanese ramen shop offered five broths, but closed inside H Mart's H Market Eatery in Irvine within a year
In theory, Menya Sandaime should have been a smash hit at the H Market Eatery inside Irvine Westpark’s H Mart: How hard could it be to sell authentic Japanese ramen in a food hall with eight other restaurants? Apparently, local standards for ramen are high enough that doing an OK job wasn’t enough to keep this place afloat.
Opened in 2022, Menya Sandaime’s focus was on five types types of ramen: classic Tonkotsu pork, Shoyu soy, and Miso broths plus a spicy Karakuchi and a Black ramen with bonito (fish flake) seasoning. The menu also included shrimp tempura – both as a ramen ingredient and in rice bowls – as well as rice bowls with grilled pork belly and chicken teriyaki. Combo meals added fried chicken karaage and a choice of drinks for an $8 upcharge.
On our single visit, we tried the tonkotsu pork ramen, which benefitted from high quality pork slices and pleasant, freshly made noodles, but was limited by a somewhat modest portion size and forgettable broth. Though we’d normally get a second or third type of soup to experiment with other flavors, the first one left us flat, so we didn’t go further. Menya Sandaime closed in 2023, and was replaced by Omori Katsu & Ramen in 2024.
Stats
Price: $-$$
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2022
Closed: 2023
Addresses
3825 Alton Pkwy.
Irvine, CA 92606
Instagram: @menyasandaime