A bowl of creamy, slow-simmered tonkotsu ramen has a new home on the Peninsula. Marufuku Ramen’s Burlingame location serves Hakata-style ramen built around a rich pork-bone broth and thin, al dente noodles, bringing the chain’s signature style to another corner of the Bay Area.
According to Scot Scoop News, the Burlingame restaurant opened on Oct. 11. That account differs from an earlier report from whatnow.com, which described Marufuku as still preparing to open its Burlingame location at 225 Lorton Ave. Whatnow.com also notes that Marufuku specializes in Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen made with pork broth simmered for an extended period to develop its rich, creamy texture, and that the chain operates multiple locations across California as well as restaurants in Texas.
How the Broth Comes Together
Marufuku makes its signature tonkotsu broth by cooking pork bones for hours, then refrigerates the cooked soup to help stabilize its flavors, according to the Scot Scoop report. Yuki Sakakibara, manager of Marufuku Ramen’s Burlingame location, said the broth requires careful time and temperature control to become creamy. Sakakibara said customers understand that each element of a bowl is made with passion and care.
The East Bay Express reports that Marufuku chefs boil pork bones for more than 20 hours to produce the tonkotsu broth, and that the chain’s menu lists tonkotsu and chicken paitan as its two broth options, along with a vegan ramen not listed on the menu. The same outlet notes that Marufuku’s Oakland restaurant was the chain’s second branch, following its original location in San Francisco’s Japantown.
A Dish Rooted in Postwar Japan
Ramen has four main types — shio, shoyu, miso and tonkotsu — according to Yoshimi Kojiri, who grew up in Japan and considers ramen one of her comfort foods. Shio ramen is chicken-based and commonly flavored with salt, butter and sweet corn, while shoyu ramen is soy sauce-flavored and miso ramen is made using fermented soybean paste. Tonkotsu ramen, the style Marufuku built its name on, is characterized by its pork-bone broth. Per Britannica, rice shortages after World War II and inexpensive U.S. wheat flour contributed to ramen becoming an affordable staple for workers and students in Japan.
Bay Area Diners Weigh In
Chris Snellings has visited Marufuku Ramen locations in San Francisco and San Jose and said the food was consistent across the chain’s three restaurants. He said the tonkotsu ramen deluxe reminded him of his trip to Japan, and that the noodles, texture and broth felt authentic, like those he had overseas. Snellings said he values food quality as much as portion size.
Not every diner can dig into a rich tonkotsu bowl without a second thought. Leaigh Lai, lead echo technician at Kaiser Permanente in San Leandro, said consuming too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure and that high sodium intake can make the heart work harder to process and dilute it. Lai suggested diluting the soup or choosing a vegetable-broth ramen instead of a pork-bone one, and advised eating everything in moderation.
Part of a Bigger Bay Area Push
Marufuku’s Burlingame debut fits into a broader expansion that has carried the chain well beyond its Japantown roots. The San Francisco-founded chain began in Japantown in 2017, according to The Mercury News, which also reported that Marufuku scheduled a grand opening for its downtown Palo Alto location at 374 University Ave. on July 25, 2026. That outlet notes some of the chain’s locations also serve yakitori and a full bar menu with Japanese-inspired cocktails.
The chain opened a Dublin location at 4288 Dublin Blvd., Suite 101, according to Pleasanton Weekly, which reported the restaurant opened to the public on March 11 offering dine-in and takeout service. The outlet described the expansion as bringing the chain’s signature rich broths and artisanal noodles to the Tri-Valley.
