H Street
Get directions | 1234 H St NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
Hours | Sunday Closed, Monday 11:30am-10pm, Tuesday 11:30am-10pm, Wednesday 11:30am-10pm, Thursday 11:30am-10pm, Friday 11:30am-10pm, Saturday 11:30am-10pm
D.C. has a pretty good thing going on these days when it comes to ramen. So we’re going to need someone with a more nuanced understanding of supply and demand to explain to us why the lines at Toki Underground don’t ever seem to get any shorter, even as more ramen places open up. You know people are picking up what you’re putting down when there’s 80-plus degree heat outside, you’re serving up steaming hot bowls of ramen, and you still have an hour wait on a weeknight.
Assuming you will have to wait, we want to make sure you’re prepared, and we want to be certain you don’t make some of the same mistakes we made on our initial trip here. Mistakes like:
1) Believing that the restaurant is below ground. This H Street spot is ‘underground’ in the sense that it’s tiny like your first English basement apartment, but it’s actually up a set of stairs from a divey-looking bar called The Pug, which is where you’ll wait for a table. Once upstairs, you’ll find a bar covered in comics and street art all over the walls. Think of it as a 16-year-old’s dream bedroom.
2) Thinking that ramen is the only thing the menu has to offer. The noodle dishes and dumplings at this H Street spot are arguably as good as their ramen, so don’t write off a meal here just because you don’t want a huge bowl of soup. Bring your appetite and let that guide your order.
The bottom line is: Toki serves some of the best dumplings and ramen in the city, in a fun environment. And expect to wait, even when it seems way too hot out to be eating ramen.
(202) 388-3086
info@tokiunderground.com
https://www.instagram.com/tokiunderground/
STARTERS
Loaded Pork Rinds – 10
Crispy House made pork rinds. okonomi sauce, kewpie mayo bonito, nori
Pickles Plate – 4.5 (GF)
selection of three pickles from No.1 Sons
Kimchi (contains fish sauce) – 4.5
Miso-Garlic butter Corn – 5 (GF)
Togarashi, scallions
Dumplings – 7
pork or vegan. pan fried, deep fried or steamed.
Fried Chicken Steamed Buns – order for two/four:9/15
Japanese mayo, sweet chili sauce, seasonal pickles, cilantro, thai basil
Pork Cheek/Belly Steam Buns – 10
pressure cooked pork cheek, kimchi, scallions, grain mustard-mayo
Sake-battered Cauliflower Steam Buns – 9
Japanese mayo, sweet chili sauce, seasonal pickles, cilantro, thai basil
Fried Chicken Roulade with Eel Sauce – 9
3 pieces of rolled and steamed chicken thigh which is then deep fried. Served with Japanese slaw and eel sauce
Sansho Dry Rub Ribs – 9
3 per order
Charred brussel sprouts w tangy miso – 7
RAMEN (ALL BROTHS ARE PORK BASED, EXCEPT THE VEGAN.)
All soups topped with scallions, beni shoga, sesame seeds and nori. Items are not spicy unless otherwise stated.
Toki Classic – 15
braised pork, greens, soft egg, pickled ginger
Taipei Curry Chicken – 16
curry infusion, fried chicken, greens, soft egg, pickled ginger
Red Miso – 15
red miso infusion, braised pork, greens, soft egg, pickled ginger
Kimchi (spicy) – 16
kimchi infusion, braised pork, greens, soft egg, pickled ginger
Vegan (spicy) – 15
miso chili crisp tofu, turmeric daikon, seasonal pickles, Beech Mushroom, greens, marinated kombu
Gluten Free Classic – 15
Tonkotsu broth, chashu pork, greens, soft poached egg, pickled ginger, scallions, with yam noodles
NOODLES
Mazeman – 15
broth-less noodle tossed in sweet soy sauce, soy egg, fried shallots, scallions and choice of mushroom or deboned crispy chicken thigh. (Mushroom mazeman is vegan without the egg.)
Tonkotsu Tsukemen – 15
pork belly, scallions, fried shallots, capers, tonkotsu dipping broth and soy egg
Shiitake Dan Dan Mazemen- 14.5 (vegan)
Broth-less noodle, pan fired shiitakes, miso -chilli paste, sesame, roasted cashews, cilantro, beni shoga, scallions
ADD-ONS
Karaage Fried Chicken – 5
Berkshire Pork Belly – 6
Pressure Cooked Pork Cheek – 5
Roasted Pulled Pork – 3
Deboned Crispy chicken thigh – 6
Kaedama (extra noodles) – 2
“more noodles, please!”
Nitamago (extra egg) – 2
Shiitake Mushrooms – 3
Toki Endorphine Sauce (spice bomb) – 1.5
Miso-chilli – 1.5
Extra Nori – 1.5
Garlic Confit – 1.5
Beech Mushrooms – 1.5
GF Yam Noodles – 1
DESSERTS
Chocolate Chip Cookies – 7
miso butter & cream
BRUNCH SPECIALS
Breakfast Tonkotsu – 18
Classic Tonkotsu broth, smoked pork belly, charred tomato, shiitakes, kale, soft egg, scallions
Smoked Belly & Tamago Bao – 11
house smoked brisket, okonomi mayo, sweet sesame steamed egg, scallions
Shiitake & Tamago Bao – 10
pan fried shiitakes, sweet sesame steamed egg, mayo, scallions
Cocchi & Sake Mimosa – 12
Bean There, Done That – 13
Mezcal, Espresso, house tonic syrup, lemon oil
Please note: a 20% service charge is included in the bill. This goes entirely to our staff.
