KINTON RAMEN 3

So… I heard good things from locals about this place. I travel all over the continent for work and have tasted some near authentic ramen in some unlikely places, but this was just okay.
I mean the thick noodles were not even cooked all the way. The broth needed more seasoning, my coworkers and I asked for more Kim chi and toppings. However, I will say the apps were delicious. The gyoza and octopus fritter type meatballs were piping hot and fresh!
Service was decent! The waitress was confused when we asked for more toppings but I mean I had to! Definitely wasn’t flavorful or spicy when I ordered it that way.
The disappointing broth and ramen quality just did me in… So average. So a 2.5 is what I have to give.

My 2^nd time here, the food is great I will keep coming back. I like how the staff shout out greetings and goodbyes when people come in or leave.

I could eat here once a week, easy.
I always get the original broth, extra pork (shoulder, belly mix), thick noodles. I always love it.
It’s not the only Ramen game in town, maybe not even my favorite, but multiple locations mean that I go here more than the others, and I always enjoy it.

This overall Unilocal rating is total BS. I come to Kinton quite regularly with plenty of friends and we generally have a 4.5 star experience. The ramen is great, is served quickly, and they have impressive drink specials ($ 9.99 pitchers of Sapporo). The gyozas are very tasty so you should always order those.
Spicy garlic pork with shoulder. Just order that and you’ll be fine.

Ordered a spicy garlic pork ramen with thin noodles and an egg and a pint of Sapporo and my friend Lilliane ordered the spicy chicken jalapeño ramen with bean sprouts and a sake mojito.
Both soups were absolutely fantastic… nice spicy broth… warm for the tummy, the handmade noodles were delicious and maybe a little too many noodles in the bowl but very very very good.
Will certainly return to be able to try a couple of the other Ramen dishes

This place used to be really good until 2 months ago, everything goes down hill.
I am a regular customer due to the location close to my office. I experience the change of the food quality.
They used to have option between pork shoulder and pork belly on their menu, but they recently take that option away.
Their pork is now very salty and super thin cut. Less noodle per serving and soup base isn’t the same.
I missed the old days when they were good, but from now on I will limit my visits.

Looking at all the 4-​star reviews here you would think Kinton is still preparing good authentic ramen, but whether a question of natural aging, big business owner getting lazy or franchising diluting their attention the broth at Kinton is now diluted, thin, tasteless and, dare I say it, blasé.
A good ramen has good noodles, but also the broth has to have depth. By the way, depth does not mean oil. Depth means richness from hours of crafting a deep taste based on the flavour of the soup be it miso or shio or whatever. Kinton is now serving watery oil broth.
Guys, I know you don’t actually hire ramen chefs, but at least train your cooks a little.
The other thing that Kinton used to do well was the atmosphere and greetings and that has been watered down too. They still welcome you apparently, but on a select basis. We were not welcomed in the old fashion, but another person who entered after us was. Even that welcome was half as exciting as before.
Kinton is still better than the oddly disappointing and fake Touhenboku, but Santouka, Sansotei, Raijin and Ryus are better.
Kinton is not my favourite. Their broth is bland and has no depth.

This is the first ramen place I tried in Toronto. The broth is not as salty as some other ramen places I have tried. The pork belly was thin and tasty. It looks like pre-​made and chef use torch to do the final touch up before serving. I think there are too much bean sprouts in the soup. The egg is just good but not the greatest.
I went into the restaurant around 5 pm to 5:30 pm. There were only few customers in the restaurant. I waited about 15 minutes before server took my order.

There is a time and place for Kinton Ramen… and it is RIGHT NOW. In your belly.
I had the pork shoulder, thick noodle, spicy garlic broth ramen that was recommended by most Unilocalers (LOL when in doubt, read other Unilocal reviews) and it was as divine as everyone else had claimed it was.
I think the hallmark of Kinton’s success is in the option to customize your whole ramen bowl — the broth, noodles, and type of meat (even between pork shoulder and other parts of the pig that are escaping my memory). The only thing that keeps me from giving Kinton all 5 stars is that I think the standard ramen lacks vegetables — it’s $ 3.50 to add «seasoned vegetables». If they added slightly more to the standard and raised prices, I think that would be a happy medium (I need my ramen packed with veggies to justify the fact that I’m eating ramen… which is considered fast food in Korean culture).
In terms of the service, atmosphere, serving tools… it’s all very nicely done. Waiters are friendly, there’s enough seating (it’s a very casual atmosphere as you would expect at a ramen shop), and there’s even a traditional Japanese-​style wooden ladle+holder that substitutes the standard spoon (check my pic).
They have 5 different locations in Toronto, so definitely stop by your nearest one to check it out for yourself!

Classic story of craving ramen: it was a cold and rainy day and I was wanting something warm and nourishing to fill my belly. I usually venture out to Ramen Isshin but I was with a few friends and we were in the Queen West area and thought we’d give Kinton a go.
We were lucky enough to get there before the lunch rush so we were able to take our time with the menu. I opted for the vegetarian ramen. Although hearty in size, the ramen broth itself was underwhelming and quite tasteless. I had to ask for the spicy seasoning to give it any type of taste. I added on the egg which was delicious and of course a side of corn because corn in ramen is a match made in heaven. One thing that Kinton does well and that I would recommend to anyone vegetarian or not is ordering the tofu nuggets. They gave the appearance of McDonalds chicken nugguts and gave a wonderful texture to a simple dish. The vegetarian ramen came with 2 nuggets but next time (if i go) I would ask for more.
The décor itself is nice, clean and quite authentic. A communal table sits in front of a large window with additional seating in front of the open kitchen and in the back. Overall it sits about 25 people or so. Lack of vegetarian options, price and taste wont have my going back anytime soon but it was a cool place to try but I’d rather take the time and go to Isshin.

Yummy, just not enough Umami
I had the Original ramen and the broth was missing the warm loving feeling I expect from a bowl of beautiful steaming noodles. My friends ordered the Shoyu and Spicy Garlic, because they too felt the Original was lacking.
I will return and try another flavour, because the restaurant is really unique with their long community sharing tables, the beautiful and very friendly servers, and the appetizers we had were quite good, Age Gyoza, Takoyaki (deep fried octopus balls), and the Hot Karaage (spicy fried chicken). The Karate was excellent and I would have tucked int a whole plate if it was on the menu.
I will also return based on my feeling towards a wonderful evening I sent at their sister restaurant in Montréal, KINKA IZAKAYA. There are a few locations in Toronto, which I need to try.
Like any respectable Ramen place they love their pigs and KINTO RAMEN pay homage to the tasty beast by posting industrial images around the restaurant. There’s a big lit pig out front, one in the hall way to the toilets and one on the mirrors in the toilet. They don’t let you forget who you really need to thank for the tasty morsels.

When it’s cold outside, ramen is the perfect meal to warm you up. My friend and I stopped in for a quick lunch and to get out of the cold. Service was pretty quick. Their menu is straight forward — pork or chicken broth, chose from 4 different flavours, thin or thick noodles, cut of meat, and any additional toppings you might want. Last time I went I tried the the spicy garlic pork belly ramen. It was very spicy and the minced garlic actually come on top so you can choose to mix it all in or just a bit. Glad they do that then people can decide how much garlic is good for them. They also have hot and cold tapas items for sharing, and Sapporo on tap and bottles of Asahi.

I have become a complete and utter Kinton Ramen addict.
I had been following Kinton Ramen on Instagram way before ever having visited one of their noodle shops and every photo convinced me I needed this in my life.
When my fiancé and I finally were able to make a trip down to one of the noodle shops, it was a glorious experience. We arrived early as I had heard of long wait times to get in and we were sat immediately. The location was cozy and the menu made ordering incredibly easy for a first timer.
I ordered the miso ramen with pork belly. No extra additions. I wanted my first time to be simple and to really taste the flavours before adding too much on top.
When the bowls came out, I couldn’t believe how big they were for the price. Is it even possible to finish one of these?! But after taking my first bite, it was impossible to put the spoon down. The broth is rich and every bite brings more complex flavours. The only thing slowing me down was my inability to pick up noodles with chopsticks!
Since my first visit, I have been completely hooked. I have ordered ramen through Über Eats, which delivers from a different Kinton location, however each time the quality bar is incredibly high.
… Oh man… Now I’m craving ramen again…
Might have to make another quick stop in!
–Ashley Marie

Have been to Kinton Ramen (3 in particular) several times, and is one of my regular haunts when I get ramen cravings (which happens a lot more often than I care to admit).
When it comes to ramen, Kinton is definitely one of the best in terms of flavours, value /​bang for your buck, and consistency. Not to mention that Kinton has one of the most diverse menus of all of the ramen joints in Toronto. (Abu-​ramen, anyone?)
The food at Kinton Ramen 3 is solid. For under $ 15, you can get a really hearty bowl of ramen with big and thick pieces of pork, a seasoned marinated egg, WITH some additional toppings to make one really tasty bowl. My favourite is the shoyu pork ramen (rich broth, of course!) with thick noodles, pork belly, and adding the sweet corn and seasoned marinated egg. It does not get better than that.
If you get the chance, please do try the abu-​ramen at 3 (or maze ramen if you go to 5!) as it’s a totally different experience and taste compared to regular bowls of ramen that are commonly found in Toronto.
The service is usually prompt and friendly, though they do get a bit flustered when the dinner rush is at full tilt, but they are usually attentive and quick to act if you flag them down and ask for something.
I’m a big fan of Kinton in Toronto, because I feel like they make the most consistent and delicious ramen in the city. You’d be hard pressed to find such large portions for the same price, let alone the flavours present in all of the different broths and bowls they put together.

Do I really need to write about this?
I think that just saying the two words, «Kinton Ramen», doesn’t need more to be added.
I don’t care what Toronto life or any other magazine say about Kinton that is #3 on the table of best ramen in town, to me, Kinton is #1.
And I tried the others (especially those rated #1 and 2 on the table); Me and those very few Japanese friends I have who were born and raised in Japan, still thinking Kinton is the best.
That’s all.

Nice service.
I tried original chicken ramen with pork shoulder as the server recommend, and it was great than I thought.
But it’s better to avoid busy time.

Seating is always a challenge at ramen places, especially in a group of 4. The vegetarian ramen was surprisingly good! The Tofu nuggets looked like chicken nuggets and really really yummy. I’ve been here before and ordered the Spicy Garlic Ramen, Rich Broth, Thick Noodles with Pork Shoulder and it’s always divine. I can’t bring myself to drink the broth and be a «kinton bowler» and have my ugly face plastered across the internet «huurrrr durrrr look at me, I finished errrrthing».

3.5 stars
Everything but the broth in my shoyu pork shoulder ramen was good. The broth was just way too salty for my liking. The takoyaki balls, however, were surprisingly really good. I’ve tried takoyaki balls at the at other locations and they were either too small or had too much batter and not enough meat. The takoyaki at the Queen location had a good balance of meat and batter and were decently-​sized.
On another note — this is the first time I’ve seen a bathroom so well equipped! There were extra accommodations in the women’s bathroom (they had pads and Q-​tips!)
Compared to the Baldwin location, I would say that Baldwin is just better in terms of their broth (and therefore, better quality ramen in general — broth is what makes the ramen). The Queen location is just okay — bonus points for nice bathrooms!

Love ramen, I’ve tried a couple of places now and I think overall Kinton is my favourite so far. I really like how the noodles are made here. I’ve tried the Miso, Original, and Shoyu all with extra pork, rich broth and THICK noodles. Of the three I’ve tried Shoyu is still my favourite. Like the pig that I am I order two bowls of ramen each time, ready for that Kinton Ramen Challenge when it happens again.
The staff here are super friendly and in typical Japanese fashion they greet everyone who comes in with a roaring welcome. Dining is in close quarters with two giant communal tables, the bar table, and a couple of smaller tables for two. I’m personally not a fan of sitting on the wooden block chairs but that’s a personal preference.
Décor, well it is a ramen shop so don’t expect 5-​star interior design look and feel, but the place is well kept and clean.
Whenever I crave ramen I definitely come here. I would recommended for anyone who likes ramen to come and try Kinton out, it may become your favourite ramen spot.

Okay. I ordered the lunch special with the octopus balls and the shoyu ramen with pork belly. Also had a beer mojito. The octopus balls came quickly and were good. But after this I had to wait 15 minutes for my ramen, which seems excessive as ramen is usually delivered to the table within minutes of ordering. Also, whenever I have ordered ramen before it comes with an egg. There was the option to order an egg in my ramen for an extra charge, but I didn’t want 2 eggs. There was also an option for green onion at an extra charge, but green onion was in my ramen. The presentation of the pork belly in a long strip on top is impressive, but the meat was dry (odd for a fatty strip of pork), and hard to chew in one long strip.
Overall, service was only ok. I waited for a long time. The ramen was tasty, but I was super hungry, so anything would have hit the spot. I came back here because of something my boyfriend said «I really wanted to like that place because they had that AWESOME PIG out front.» Said pig truly is awesome, but after a second visit, this place had left me a little cold.