Map of San Mateo

San Mateo and surrounding area, locate the restaurant called Ramen Dojo

Busy office types find plenty of time to catch up on the morning paper while in line for lunch at Ramen Dojo, the popular San Mateo Japanese noodle house that often comes with a half hour wait. Add your name to the clipboard at the door and ponder your soup of choice. The dining room isn't much to look at, and service is quick and minimal, but everyone is here for the hearty, steaming bowls of ramen. Soups are available with three base options (soy sauce, garlic-pork, and soy bean) and three degrees of heat (mild, regular, and extra spicy). All orders come heaped with roasted pork, fried garlic, kikurage mushrooms, scallions, and hard-boiled quail egg, but a list of extra toppings also includes Napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and Kurobuta pork.