Open List Home > San Francisco, CA > 94122 > Restaurants & Food > Restaurants > Hotei Restaurant
Free Freight on orders over $250. Huge selection, great pricing.
For one star Japanese, try Hotei in San Francisco. Reviewers didn't rate this place very highly. Check out this affordable place in the Inner Sunset area. When you step inside the restaurant, you'll notice a family atmosphere. This place features delivery and valet parking. This place is good for groups. Diners liked the udon.
Known for its amazing soups and sushi, Hotei has been a growing restaurant force in San Francisco's Sunset district. Steve Fujii and his family have been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years. Hotei and its sister restaurant, Ebisu, have been rated among the top Bay area Japanese restaurants consistently in publications such as San Francisco Chronicle, SF Weekly, Bay Guardian and Citysearch.com. Hotei offers a wide array of noodle selections including somen, udon, ramen and soba. As of 2002, Hotei added Ebisu sushi to its line-up of great tasting menu items.
It's clear that Hotei is run by an experienced restaurateur. The Asian waitstaff is deferential and friendly, the simple Japanese-flavored decor is appropriately understated and the authentic food is priced to...
citysearch.com - expert review - 12/11/2006
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Yeah.. i give this place a 3 star. The ramen was good. It was not soggy, not even till the end. Thats important. The soup wasnt too salty and it came with three pieces of pork & half an egg. I…
yelp.com - user review - 07/04/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
It's been a while since I ate here but I do remember liking it. So much that I would go back.
yelp.com - user review - 07/02/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
at 9pm on a friday night, there was still a wait, but the hot soba was worth it. i haven't had soba since my visit to japan last year so this was definitely a treat. i do agree with cathy k., and wish…
yelp.com - user review - 06/29/2008
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1.0 of 5 stars.
So...my friend and I ordered a late lunch/early dinner here yesterday. The service was terrible, even though it was pretty much empty, and they were talking trash...about the customers, within EARSHOT!…
yelp.com - user review - 06/24/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Best ramen I've had, no question. Way better than Katana-ya. The size of the bowl of ramen that you get is huge! I think my bowl could have easily fed two people, maybe more. The service was really…
yelp.com - user review - 06/23/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I don't know why I like this place so much. There is nothing that makes it much different than any other sushi place. Maybe I like knowing what I will get. You get a MUG of bottomless hot tea,…
yelp.com - user review - 06/23/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Eric, the son of owner Steve Fujii has recently taken over after graduating from Cordon Bleu and a stint at Nobu's in Las Vegas. The ramen continues to be excellent, and a great deal.
yelp.com - user review - 06/18/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I don't know if it was just because I was tired and cold from an afternoon of tearing around Golden Gate Park on a gloomy afternoon, but the kitsune udon here rivaled any other I've had, and earns…
yelp.com - user review - 06/16/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I played tourist today in SF and walked down 9th Ave from Golden Gate Park to eat lunch. Came across this place because I'd seen it many times before and never bothered to go in. But this day was…
yelp.com - user review - 06/15/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Owned by Ebisu, which is across the street. My mom and I were in the mood for a hearty meal. I opted for the ramen and my mom decided to go with a combination meal and together, we shared a sushi…
yelp.com - user review - 06/12/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Best damned bowl of ramen I've slurped in a long time. The mnu looks daunting until you realize the last 4 pages are just drool-inducing photos of the sushi rolls listed on previous pages. We were…
yelp.com - user review - 06/10/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
On cold brisky days, I often can't think of anything better than a big bowl of salty hot ramen. Darting in to escape Inner Sunset wind, I can always feel my shoulders loosen once I enter Hotei's warm,…
yelp.com - user review - 06/07/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I don't understand how this place gets 4.5 stars. I must have ordered the wrong thing that night. My friend ordered the curry-again curry is something new to me regarding Japanese food and I had the…
yelp.com - user review - 05/29/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
Tried going to Ebisu tonight but since it was closed, we walked across the street to Hotei. Apparently they have the same owners and also share the fish(?) Um, do not order sushi from there. period.…
yelp.com - user review - 05/12/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Came here since Ebisu was closed. Selected the combo... tempura was a bit "doughy" it's not the panko style tempura. The pork cutlet was OK. The miso soup & wakame salad were the star of the meal.
yelp.com - user review - 05/11/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Ok Ok Ok . . . I need to be honest . . .I walked into Hotei because the Ebisu line across the street was super long (on a Friday night). I was craving Japanese food so my friends and I decided to go…
yelp.com - user review - 05/05/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
okay, i know hotei and ebisu are owned by the same family but this place was not good. :( i guess it was my fault for ordering sushi at a place more known for its noodles, but since ebisu has…
yelp.com - user review - 05/04/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I really love this place! The soba and tempura was fantastic. And the sushi was fresh and tasty. Service can be a bit slow when the place is really hopping. I love that you can order online for…
yelp.com - user review - 05/03/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Both the shoyu and miso ramen here aren't bad. Not too crazy about the sushi... it was my understanding that Hotei is owned by the same folks who own Ebisu across the street, which makes the mediocre…
yelp.com - user review - 05/01/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Maybe it's because I have never ordered a noodle dish, which is kind of what Hotei is, but I have never been really impressed by the food. The sushi rolls don't taste as good as other places I go,…
yelp.com - user review - 04/30/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
Hmmm. The seating is comfortable, and the interior is cheap but it has elements of wabi sabi quietude. The udon was like the frozen udon that you can buy in some supermarket. It is not made freshly,…
yelp.com - user review - 04/29/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Hotei was usually my weekend treat for myself back when I was a poor student living in the Inner Sunset area. I have fond memories of their ramen! But since I moved, haven't been back for almost 3…
yelp.com - user review - 04/27/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
We tried Hotei for dinner on Friday night and thought it was so-so. I had the Ramen and my husband had the Udon and we felt that is was very bland. The best part of the dinner was the 49er Roll and…
yelp.com - user review - 04/27/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
News Flash: Date Place!!! This is top 5 nice decorum in a Japanese place I've ever been to. Wood lines the wall. Cute date place.
yelp.com - user review - 04/26/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
This is not a sushi place if that is what you're looking for. Only basic rolls are on the menu. The specialties are noodles - soba, ramen, udon and rice bowls - donburi, curry over rice. Located on…
yelp.com - user review - 04/24/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Based on the number of reviews, I think I am #209, perhaps #210 by the time I finish typing. Since having moved to the Inner Sunset in 2002 after 14 years of living in the Inner Richmond, I got…
yelp.com - user review - 04/21/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Awesome ramen. I did not find my ramen (I can't remember the name of it, but it was a miso-type broth) overly salty but well balanced and the noodles were just right. Other than that, I'd say it was…
yelp.com - user review - 04/12/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Pretty good ramen, pretty good udon. Not the best I've ever had, but definitely worth tasting. This is our go-to place when we can't think of where to eat. It's also super cheap, and the people are…
yelp.com - user review - 04/11/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
it's really a hit or miss. 2.5 stars. chicken curry katsu= hit, but gets you in a food coma.
yelp.com - user review - 04/08/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
Three stars for an attempt at ramen. The noodles are quite good. The pork is not-so-good....no fat, just sliced and tossed in cold. Okay, forget the three stars...this a TWO STAR kinda place--for now.…
yelp.com - user review - 04/06/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Nice place for some hot soup noodles. Pleasant atmosphere with decent service. Not a big fan of their sushi.
yelp.com - user review - 04/05/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Pork Katsu Curry all the way. Their noodles are good but I rarely get back. I might venture into ordering noodles, but I always crave their curry. I'm so hungry thinking of it now.
yelp.com - user review - 04/02/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I have been wanting to eat here since I knew about it many years ago.....but in a city with this many dining options, somehow we never got to this place until recently. For me though, the fact that…
yelp.com - user review - 04/01/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I've only had their agadeshi tofu and their curry and I've got to say I love both. This is actually my favorite place in the city for some good japanese curry rice. The portion is really good as well.…
yelp.com - user review - 03/30/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
This place is ok. The sushi was good, but its far from exceptional. The place is very small and the decor is somewhat janky. i went on a Sunday night, and it was a little busy, but the service was…
yelp.com - user review - 03/30/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I'm pretty much reviewing the zarusoba here. I've always wanted to try some. So anyways it's a cold dish, and im not too big on cold food if it ain't sweet. The taste was ok, i'm not saying it's not…
yelp.com - user review - 03/27/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
This restaurant is owned by the same person as Ebisu. For some reason, Ebisu is considered "better" than Hotei, even though I personally think the sushi is kind of the same. With that said, Hotei's…
yelp.com - user review - 03/27/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
meh. not that impressed. i really wanted to like hotei, because i really wanted to live down the street from a yummy noodle shop. but i was not that impressed. the broth in the nabeyaki udon was sooo…
yelp.com - user review - 03/19/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
This is a great place for noodles. Nabeyaki is always good. The broth is piping hot and savory. Great on a cold day or practically everday in the sunset (fog) district. The decor of the place is…
yelp.com - user review - 03/18/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Ramen is excellent! Broth is very tasty and not too salty like other places. The fish was fresh and the rolls were very good. Small place good service. Would recommend going there for ramen.…
yelp.com - user review - 03/17/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
I really don't understand why I've gone twice. Maybe I got it confused with another restaurant I liked. It's pretty good, the ambience is nice, the staff is extremely nice, and their side salad is…
yelp.com - user review - 03/15/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
This is definitly a place for all around japanese. They don't hold back here. Rolls, sushi, ramen, and everything else is done just right. But if you want to be blown, order noodle. You must order…
yelp.com - user review - 03/13/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
We came here a few times now and each time we were pleased with our dishes. We always order some type of noodle dish. Cool thing is, you can choose the type of noodles you want in your dish.
yelp.com - user review - 03/09/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
1) small restaurant 2) friendly staff
yelp.com - user review - 03/08/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
This is where I come to get my Japanese noodle love. Kitsune Soba (they obligingly sub soba for udon) in a big, brothy bowl: perfect for what ails ya. Not the place to try curries or rice dishes…
yelp.com - user review - 03/03/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Curry rice, nabe udon, agedashi tofu. Mmm. A much better experience than its overrated-sushi sister-restaurant-across-the-street joint Ebisu.
yelp.com - user review - 02/29/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Curry udon here was fantastic!!! I'm from the South Bay and while there are dozens of ramen houses, there are very few places that make curry udon or curry ramen... the only place I can think of is…
yelp.com - user review - 02/27/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I am almost afraid to rate this place too highly because I don't want it to get any more popular than it already is. Selfish, huh? Anyway, I totally love this place. Totally. When friends come into…
yelp.com - user review - 02/25/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
I ordered the teriyaki chicken donburi and it was plain, hardly any flavors. I had to add things to it so I can actually eat it. My friend had a ramen dish and he said it was blah. The eel roll was…
yelp.com - user review - 02/25/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I've ordered food from here twice now, both times to go, and I am so far very pleased. The first time I ordered the zaru soba, which is cold soba noodles garnished with finely shredded nori and green…
yelp.com - user review - 02/13/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Decent ramen. Considering this place is considered the "little sister" of Ebisu, I had high expectations coming in here.
yelp.com - user review - 02/11/2008
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I came here because of the good reviews also. The price is good for what I pay for. However, seems like the waitress are pretty not that nice... to their own people. They serve the White folks really well......
citysearch.com - user review - 02/10/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
So this place was Zagat rated. Alright... it must be good. As soon as I got there, I couldn't help but wonder why their internal decor was so nice. haha. OKay. I enjoyed Hotei restaurant (for the most…
yelp.com - user review - 01/27/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Hotei is a Japanese restaurant in the inner Sunset. I found out about it because it was listed as one of the top ten places for soup in the best of san francisco city search. Therefore, when we got…
yelp.com - user review - 01/26/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
4 stars for very large portions and excellent pricing. The food was decent and certainly not a disappointment. Hotei is an ordinary Japanese noodle house, though certainly not extraordinary. The…
yelp.com - user review - 01/24/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I came here mostly to try the ramen, but I think I ended up liking the sushi much more. I ordered the cha-shu pork miso ramen. The noodles were springy, which is a good thing, though the soup was on…
yelp.com - user review - 01/23/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
i liked their vast selection on the menu - you can get everything from noodles to entrees to sushi here. their noodles were ginormous, their noodles cooked nicely, but their soup was a bit lacking in…
yelp.com - user review - 01/23/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
I haven't been to Ebisu in years, so I decide to take my parents and girlfriend there for lunch. I look them up on the net and they were closed that day. I never knew that Hotei was their sister…
yelp.com - user review - 01/22/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Hotei is owned by the same people who own ebisu across the street. You'll find the same selection of rolls as across the street, and the same generous pieces of fresh fish as across the street. They…
yelp.com - user review - 01/17/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
I've eaten here twice, and both times my noodles were too greasy and too salty. Service was a bit slow, and the food's a bit overpriced.
yelp.com - user review - 01/14/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Ummm...I can get Ebisu sushi AND noodles AND all that other great stuff without the wait and for cheaper too? Why have I spent so many nights wait-listing it across the street? Oh, yeah: that's where…
yelp.com - user review - 01/12/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
every time i've been there for sunday night dinner its usually pretty crowded and i usually come w/ a group of 8 people or so, and we have to wait 15 mins to be seated. service seemed kinda slow to me…
yelp.com - user review - 01/04/2008
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It's the best in the City!
urbanspoon.com - user review - 01/03/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I love the sushi. The green tea is also amazing. leave some space for the green tea Ice cream. I love it! I am not sure if it's the sushi or the ice cream that draws me here.
yelp.com - user review - 01/02/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
a lot of everything japanese...ramen, soba, udon, donburi, rice noodle, combination, curry rice, fried rice, rolls, sushi, etc.....under $ten big meal dining.....safe bet choice for the undecided…
yelp.com - user review - 01/02/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
everything about our meal was perfect. the servers greeted us with a smile and brought us hot tea immediately when she saw us sniffling. i chose the chicken udon noodles and my SO chose a egg and fish…
yelp.com - user review - 12/29/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
The noodles were WAY too greasy and the meat tasted weird. Best thing about Hotei is that they have much of the same menu from Ebisu, so you can order some uber-deeeeelish rolls. The service was…
yelp.com - user review - 12/28/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Perfect for what it is: an alternative to Ebisu. No waiting next to never. No swanky dressy requirement for my "Keens and jeans" coutured self. Service has been homey in my experiences. You can…
yelp.com - user review - 12/27/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I am nuts about this place. It has the best Japanese soups this side of the world. It was about 7:00pm Saturday night and we were seated as soon as we walked in, which was great. We were served hot…
yelp.com - user review - 12/25/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
good japanese comfort food. a steaming bowl of noodle soup warms my heart especially on those cold san francisco summers. i recommend either tempura or ankake ramen soup.
yelp.com - user review - 12/07/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
I feel like crap, as if a train has run over my body. My boss 86'd me today cuz apparently I looked green today. I feel purple. Or, should I say rotten eggplant? A cold has taken hold of me. It's a…
yelp.com - user review - 12/05/2007
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1.0 of 5 stars.
This place BLOWS. ****** WARNING ******
yelp.com - user review - 11/28/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Hotei is pritty pritty good. Sure I think about how it pales by comparison with Chica's udon. The broth is very one dimensional, soy-sauce-y. The wakame isn't as smooth or tasty. But it's good…
yelp.com - user review - 11/27/2007
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1.0 of 5 stars.
AWFUL!!! if there was a rating lower than one star i would have definitely given that. Before visiting this place I have never left a restaurant after only barely touching my food. Yes, it was that…
yelp.com - user review - 11/25/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
One piece of advice about this place: If you're looking for sushi, just go across the street to Ebisu - brave the line....and if you can't stand the line, well hell, there are at least six other sushi…
yelp.com - user review - 11/25/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
It can get crowded sometimes, Because it's awesome here. I've had ramen once in Japan and I come here everytime I want that warm rich Miso-y broth with good veggies. It really does warm you up on…
yelp.com - user review - 11/25/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
I absolutely love this place. I know it's a noodle house, but I only get the katsu curry rice. It's portions are large. The curry is good. The pork is moist. I prefer the pork over chicken. I think…
yelp.com - user review - 11/18/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
We love Hotei. We love the weird lady that moves my date's plate back the way it was set on the table, after he rotates it 90 degrees for easier access to his miso salad. And we love that you can go…
yelp.com - user review - 11/18/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I ate here many times. The miso soup ramen is my favorite but I had it today and it's kinda too salty though.
yelp.com - user review - 11/14/2007
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1.0 of 5 stars.
I've been back twice, and didn't like the place either time. All of the food was luke warm and plain. The service was slow. I'd read good things about this place, but I'll never go back.
yelp.com - user review - 11/12/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Oh Hotei. Why can you not use your powers of deduction and keep the all veggie items in a separate take out container from the items covered in fish babies and crabby legs? Why do you give me shrimpy…
yelp.com - user review - 11/12/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Up until I came here, my idea of Japanese food was sushi or sushi, but this place rocked my socks with my first experience. I had the Katsu Curry w/ rice and it was awesome. The sushi there was good…
yelp.com - user review - 10/29/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I agree with those who felt rushed, but you are allowed to ignore that, and the 20 or so people in the doorway waiting for a table were giving us far more of the stink eye than the staff. I thought…
yelp.com - user review - 10/29/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Hotei is comfort food at its best - there is nothing like slurping down a piping hot bowl of toothsome udon when the Sunset fog rolls in. The noodles themselves are great but sometimes the broth…
yelp.com - user review - 10/28/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I've always been curious about this place, so we finally had the chance and had cold noodles since it was a hot day yesterday. There were only 8 patrons when we walked in at 1pm on a Monday, but…
yelp.com - user review - 10/23/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I'm proud of myself for reviewing a place that isn't mostly a sushi place... on the other hand, I did end up ordering a few sushi rolls and sharing with a friend. But at least I did TRY some of my…
yelp.com - user review - 10/22/2007
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2.0 of 5 stars.
"So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth." -- Rev., 3:16 No, I'm not much of a Bible guy, and this isn't a sermon. Somehow the udon at Hotei…
yelp.com - user review - 10/18/2007
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1.0 of 5 stars.
Nightmare
yelp.com - user review - 10/16/2007
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2.0 of 5 stars.
Bland. Relatively inexpensive. The gyoza was good. The agedashitofu (I think I spelled it correctly) was mediocre. The ramen (andake for me) was pretty thin. I was hoping for a big delicious bowl…
yelp.com - user review - 10/15/2007
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2.0 of 5 stars.
Miso hungry, they so fishy. Don't get the SUSHI ! As sushi veterans my friend and I are the experts. Listen here- have you ever spit your hamachi out into a napkin? That's what I am sayin!! We ordered…
yelp.com - user review - 10/09/2007
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2.0 of 5 stars.
I have been going to Hotei for 8 years. I usually always recommend it to people. Last time I went with a group of 4. Every single one of us was unhappy with our food. Items ranged from mediocre to…
yelp.com - user review - 10/08/2007
