Ramen Shop in Bernal Heights: Nute's Tonkotsu and Khao Soi

Search ramen shop near me from the top of Bernal Hill and one of the first names to come up is Nute's, at 903 Cortland Avenue. It is a small noodle house run by Chef Nute Chulasuwan, who cooks Japanese ramen and Thai noodle soups side by side. That pairing is rare in San Francisco, and it means one table can split a smoky tonkotsu and a coconut curry khao soi. The Infatuation calls it a cozy Japanese and Thai noodle house, which is accurate.

What makes Nute's different is that the Thai half of the menu is as serious as the ramen. Chulasuwan built the shop out of years of pop-ups, and Bernalwood reported in 2016 that her menu already paired Japanese-inspired ramen with Thai noodle dishes, including a Northern Thai coconut curry soup called khao soi. That combination has stuck. Most ramen shops treat Thai food as a side; here it is half of the reason people walk up the hill.

The Tonkotsu Ramen costs $18.50 on the shop's online ordering menu. It comes with a pork bone broth and your choice of pork belly, plus a marinated egg, kikurage mushroom, roasted black garlic oil, green onion, bamboo shoots, roasted sesame seeds, pickled ginger and roasted nori. The Infatuation singles out the smoky note from the black garlic oil and recommends adding the pork belly with blistered skin, which gives a crackly contrast against the silky soup.

For something hotter, the Spicy Miso Ramen is $18.00 and arrives with spicy ground pork in a miso broth; The Infatuation describes it as a fiery affair, so order it when you want real heat. The Shoyu Ramen, at $17.50, is the clearer, soy-seasoned bowl with chashu pork, a good choice for anyone who finds tonkotsu too heavy. Vegetarians can order the Vegetarian Ramen for $16.50, built on a kombu dashi and shiitake broth that tastes deep without any meat.

Then there is the khao soi. Khao Soi Gai costs $18.50, the same price as the tonkotsu, and it is the dish that defines the Thai side of the menu. It is a Northern Thai noodle soup in a coconut curry broth, served with chicken. The Infatuation praised it as perfectly balanced. Ordering one khao soi and one tonkotsu for two people shows both halves of the kitchen in one sitting, and the two broths could hardly be more different.

Families have a reason to come too. The menu lists a Kids Ramen at $9.00, a smaller bowl priced for children rather than a full adult portion. When Bernalwood first wrote about the permanent restaurant in 2016, one neighbor commented that the pop-up was a great place for an early dinner with kids, and that reputation fits Cortland Avenue, where strollers and dogs fill the sidewalks on weekend evenings.

The appetizers are worth ordering in a group. Hanetsuki Gyoza, listed as Gyoza with Wing, costs $11.00; the dumplings are pan-fried together so a thin, crisp lattice of batter joins them into one golden sheet. Karaage, Japanese fried chicken, is also $11.00, and The Infatuation calls it juicy. The same review mentions corn tempura and pork-stuffed gyoza as good ways to complete a casual night, so a table of four can easily build a shared spread before the bowls arrive.

Timing is the main challenge. The shop's online ordering runs from 5 pm to 8:25 pm, which reflects its dinner-only rhythm, and The Infatuation notes that Nute's is busy at all times. Arriving right at 5 pm is the best way to sit down without a long wait. Friday and Saturday evenings are the hardest nights to get in, so weekday dinner is the easier bet for a first visit.

Reservations are not part of the system, so the waitlist is how dinner works. The Infatuation puts it plainly: there are only a handful of tables inside, so prepare to wait. Put your name down and walk the block while you wait; Cortland has wine bars and a bookshop to fill the time. Pairs get seated fastest, since small tables turn over quickly. For larger groups, ordering takeout and eating up on Bernal Hill is a popular alternative.

Inside, the room is small and homey. Before Nute's, 903 Cortland housed Sandbox Bakery, run by Mutsumi Takehara, and Chulasuwan ran her noodle pop-ups in the bakery space four nights a week before buying it to make the restaurant permanent. The neighborhood feel has stayed. A commenter on Bernalwood in 2016 praised the homey atmosphere of those pop-ups, and that warmth is still what people describe when they talk about eating here.

The story is one of steady growth. According to Bernalwood, citing the San Francisco Chronicle's Inside Scoop, Chulasuwan confirmed in 2016 that she was buying the space from Takehara and planned to turn the pop-ups into a full restaurant, with partners Makiko Nakagawara and Supreeya Pongkasem also listed on the liquor license. The restaurant still carries her first name, and the menu still follows the Thai-and-Japanese idea she started with.

After dinner, Bernal Heights offers one of the best short walks in the city. Head uphill to Bernal Heights Park, where the summit gives a sweeping view of downtown, the Bay Bridge and Sutro Tower. If you would rather stay flat, stroll Cortland Avenue to the Bernal Heights Branch Library at 500 Cortland, a 1940 Art Deco building with a mural wrapping its walls. Holly Park, a round hilltop park, is another quiet option a few blocks south.

Some practical points. Online ordering runs through the shop's order.online page from 5 pm to 8:25 pm, and the same page lists the full menu with prices. Because the dining room is small, takeout is a realistic plan on busy nights. Bernal's hills are steep, so if you drive, curb your wheels when parking on a slope, as San Francisco law requires, and allow extra time to find a space on the residential blocks.

Nute's suits neighbors, families and anyone willing to cross town for a bowl with real personality. It is right for diners who want ramen and Thai noodles at the same table, for parents who appreciate a kids' bowl, and for vegetarians who want a broth built with care. It is less suited to large groups in a hurry. For a first visit, arrive at 5 pm, share a Tonkotsu Ramen with pork belly and a Khao Soi Gai, add winged gyoza, then walk up Bernal Hill at sunset.