Susukino is a Japanese ramen restaurant located on G street in Arcata. The relatively new restaurant, opening last summer, offers an alternative to our beloved Japhy’s which closed down shortly before Susukino opened its doors.
The inside of the restaurant offers a relaxed ambiance with strictly black walls and consists of two main sections one side with a set of tables and a bar on the other.
We opted to sit at the bar, where we were greeted with menus, glasses, and a tall bottle of water for refills.
The meal we ordered consisted of two appetizers and two half bowls of ramen. The first appetizer, 5 pork gyoza for 12 dollars, was extremely crispy and fresh, but frankly lacking in flavor overall. The gyoza was accompanied by a delicious dipping sauce that redeemed the slightly bland filling. Next, the cha han fried rice, which came pretty standard, included rice, vegetables, chashu pork, scrambled egg, and a sprinkle of spice and green onions. Priced at 7 dollars, its flavor was much better compared to the gyoza.
Lastly, the two ramen bowls we selected were the spicy level 2 miso bowl, and the spicy level 2 tan tan bowl. These two bowls were the highlight of the meal, far surpassing the two appetizers. Both were excellent, with rich flavorful broths that were topped off with pork, an egg, bamboo shoots, and green onions. The miso bowl comes with chashu pork (pork belly) while the tan tan comes with ground pork. The spice level 2 was ideal for a moderate spice tolerance, as it enhances the flavor of the broth to give a beautiful kick at the end of the bowl. Susukino offers ½ bowls for $12-$13 and full bowls for $18-$19, after ordering appetizers the half bowl was plenty large to leave with a full stomach.
Overall the restaurant was nice, with great ambiance, wonderful service, and good-tasting food to go along with it. The appetizers were somewhat lackluster in comparison to the ramen and were frankly not worth the price. The ramen however was excellent and makes this establishment well worth trying. The food was somewhat pricey, totaling just about 50 dollars for both half bowls and appetizers. Susukino is a solid addition to the Arcata restaurant selection and adds a unique dining experience to the area.
