소노야, Sonoya (Ramen)

Sonoya is a cheap, quick eat Japanese chain restaurant.

The branch we went to was inside Gangnam station. Sonoya can also be found inside Sinsa station, Jonggak station, Sinnonhyeon station and Noryangjin station (to name a few). Can you spot the trend? The fact that you’re eating inside the tube station adds to the “quick bite to eat vibe”.

The menu isn’t huge, which I like. We both opted for ramen. We got Miso ramen (미소라멘) and Tonkotsu ramen (돈코츠 라멘).  Phill got an extra side of Inari (유부초밥). 

The service was quick and simple, so we got our food amazingly quickly and intensely hot. 

The tonkotsu was pretty tastey, however, it was A LOT thinner than most tonkotsu I’ve eaten before. The meat was awesome. Which makes it even more sucky that you only get one piece. The miso ramen was good. The inari didn’t seem too fresh but they were OK too.

All in all, this place was good, but not amazing. The price is low and the portions are redunk, so there is a pretty good sense of value. Also, the fact that it’s in a lot of subway stations means that it’s a good option if you’re in a rush and just need to eat somewhere quick, but still want something fresh and hot. However, if you have a right hankering for authentic Japanese ramen, this is not the best place.