Underbelly in downtown San Diego's Little Italy is a women-owned ramen-ya at the corner of Kettner Boulevard and Fir Street, paying homage to the tonkotsu ramen houses of Tokyo through a counter-service format with an industrial-chic interior and cyberpunk neon lighting. The signature Underbelly Ramen layers char-siu belly, applewood bacon, and kurobuta sausage into a tonkotsu base, while the Belly of the Beast builds on hoisin-glazed short rib and oxtail dumplings — a pork-heavy noodle program that sits next door to the Italian pasta production at Bencotto on the same Fir Street block. Steamed bao buns filled with pork belly or fried chicken round out the small-plates menu alongside bacon-wrapped mushrooms and duck-fat fries. A second location in North Park extends the brand, but the Little Italy flagship retains its original open-window bar seating and walk-up energy. The craft beer program rotates San Diego and West Coast IPAs across a full bar that also pours sake and Japanese whisky, a draft-forward Japanese pairing format that complements the morning espresso program at Influx Cafe Little Italy around the corner. Late-night service extends the ramen and bao menu past typical dinner hours for the post-concert and late-shift dining crowd on Kettner Boulevard.