Yoshoku, an awesome little Japanese ramen restaurant in old town Sonora

Located on S Washington St just north of W Stockton St

Chris and I love finding places like this. After an incredible trip to both Hong Kong and Japan last year we often find ourselves disappointed with Asian food in the States. That's not to say fresh, authentic Asian food can't be found, but often if it's good it's also very expensive. What we noticed about restaurants, especially in Japan, is they are both plentiful and quite small. Another commonality is these small neighborhood restaurants typically specialized in just one or two dishes or styles of cooking. It was easy enough to find exactly what you were looking for, you just needed to find the right restaurant. These places specialized in udon, or sushi, or steak, or ramen, or Indian curry, it didn't matter, but it was unlikely you were going to find sushi in the restaurant that served udon. One major advantage I found to these small restaurants is the food was very high quality with fresh ingredients often prepared right in front of you.

Much like the restaurants we visited in Japan, Yoshoku is very much the same. "Yoshoku" translated is a style of Japanese cooking in which a Western dish is modified with Japanese influence.

​Also much like the restaurants we visited in Japan, I have to give fair warning, this place is small! It appears to be a resurrected 50's soda fountain with a counter that may seat 7 or 8. Behind those seated at the counter are several booths, two of which will comfortably seat two, and two of which will seat 4. There is a single booth at the front window which could possibly seat 6 and it has been occupied each time we’ve been there. The restaurant is deservedly popular. Don't arrive with 7 or 8 friends expecting to be happy about your seating arrangements.

​Yoshoku's specialty, ramen

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What Yoshoku lacks in space, it makes up for in quality.  You essentially have two choices, ramen or a poke bowl.  The menu is laid out in such a way that you will select one or the other (there are several appetizers and specialty dishes also) and fill in a card you are provided when you are seated.  Once you select your ingredients, the server collects the cards and your food is prepared in the kitchen.  And you don't need to wait long; you'll have your bowl in front of you often within a few minutes.  The menu includes a wide variety of vegetarian options and a good selection of Japanese and domestic beverages including soft drinks, beer, tea and sake.  

A Yoshoku poke bowl​

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Yoshoku has well-earned 4.8+ star ratings on Yelp and Google.  They have a business website but even better is their Facebook page where you can read the comments and preview the menu.  It's a great place for lunch when visiting downtown Sonora.