Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

Wow, what a hidden surprise. i have had a volcano kim-​chi and it was beyond amazing.

Couldn’t speak high enough of the experience I just had at Kizuki Ramen and Izakaya! The custom welcomes, the rich broth and the attentive service all make for an amazing dining experience. Eric, was an attentive member of the staff who greeted my kids and spoke with them making me, as a mom and auntie, feel very comfortable having my kids with me in a really high end feeling restaurant. He even went as far as to offer my son his own tea cup with ice in it and added sugar.
The mango mochi was delicious, «karagogi» was out of this world!!!
Will be a standard of mine and my family!

It’s no Momofuku, but hits the spot. The Karaage is great too.

The garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen and their chicken wings are very delicious.
But they served me an expired beverage!!! That’s unacceptable. I spend $ 145 and we’re happy till we found out the expiration date on the bottle. The manager apologized and gave us only $ 35 gift card… that’s very disappointed…
Even their food were amazing, I have to say that it was not a good experience especially we brought our guest from east coast and it was his first time trying the ramen restaurant.

We always come here for a hot delicious bowl of ramen. The broth is flavourful and has much substance, noodles and toppings are always fresh. The egg is awesome, I always add one to my ramen. You can also get low sodium broth too. This place never disappoints and we look forward to coming here to feast on the ramen.

Hands down three best ramen in the Seattle/​Bellevue/​206 area. The tonkotsu shoyu ramen is packed with smokey pork and garlic flavors. This place had the best ramen eggs where the yoke is runny and the whites are flavorful and firm.

First visit and so far positive experience. The place is modern stylish with clean crisp lines and lots of outside natural light during daytime.
Service was prompt and pleasant. Broth is rich and flavorful and ramen is comforting carb heaven.
Their marinated soft boiled egg is the bomb!
Only complaint so far it was fridgid cold, even when eating steaming hot soup and wearing a jacket I couldn’t stop shivering. Even though it’s June, when it’s 65° outside it may not be the best decision to turn the A/​C on. Other than that great experience!

Their ramen is DELICIOUS! A little salty if you don’t get the low-​sodium variety, but I still love this place. Their takoyaki is great too! I introduced my mom and brother to takoyaki here and they fell in love with it as well!
I usually get a variety of Tonkotsu ramen, or shoyu, or miso. Their rich broth? Omg, delish.
If you are introducing someone to ramen and don’t know where to go, THIS is the place.

Love Naruto love Ramen Love spicy food. This is a place to be.
Spicy Ramen and Geso Karage. You cant go wrong.

A 4-​star ramen joint in Bellevue! Really? Wow! I have tried many ramen places before so I gotta check this place out too during my trip to Seattle.
First off, my friends and I shared the agedashi tofu appetizer. It’s a classic and delicious tofu dish. Crispy outside and soft tofu texture inside. The sauce on the tofu was good too. I ordered the Tonkotsu ramen in low-​sodium. You could pick classic or low-​sodium broth. There was a slight difference and the classic was a richer broth. I still preferred the low-​sodium and the broth wasn’t super salty for me. So, the Tonkotsu ramen contains bean sprouts, scallions, 1 piece of pork, boiled egg, and bamboo shoots — this was very delicious bowl of ramen and I ate it all. NOM NOM!!!
Pretty decent ramen. I was very satisfied with my visit here.

Atmosphere is great and their ramen is delicious! We ordered chicken karage and kukai ramen. Sooo good! Broth is really thick with miso paste and you can also taste/​smell the pork fat that’s seeped into the broth mixture. It was too heavy for my personal liking but I can see how that’s appetizing to meat lovers. Their egg was soft boiled purrrrfectly! Yolk was runny when I squeezed it.
Will revisit when I am craving ramen again!

Food: Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen. Full bodied broth with a medium-​high garlic taste. I like garlic so I thought it was great. The portion was a bit smaller than other places that I’ve tried but I’m a fatty.
Service/​Experience: Greeted with a smile. Server built rapport and was kind. Good service.
Ambiance: Spacious for a Ramen joint. Controlled acoustic. I felt like it had an original ambiance.
Price: fair price for ramen but I felt like the portions were a bit smaller than what I was used to.
Please note that I’m not a chef nor am I a food expert. I’m just a guy that likes food and wants to keep track of what I consume. I do, however, have 10+ years experience in the hospitality industry but food and experience is subjective :)

I came here on a Sunday at 11:30 for lunch. The restaurant was already completely packed and a wait-​list had begun, which was surprising because it opened at 11 am. However, I took the wait as a good sign.
We were seated about 5 minutes after signing in and greeted by our friendly waiter. I thought that overall, the service was great… everyone was courteous and genuine. Even the manager was visible and visited guests.
**TIP: There are two options for the broth — regular and low sodium.
I ordered the Garlic Tonkatsu ramen… a garlicky broth with a slice of pork, bamboo shoots, beansprouts, whole egg (requested hard-​boiled) and seaweed. The ramen was fresh, and chewy. The pork could have used more seasoning, but was pretty tender (only one thin slice of pork was included, unfortunately). I ordered the low sodium broth, which I still thought was fairly salty… knowing this, I feel that the regular broth may be overwhelming. However it was extremely flavorful and a must if you love garlic!
**TIP: The garlic broth is noted on the menu as «limited», but according to our waiter, they are well-​prepared and cook the most of this broth to avoid running out in the first place. How considerate!
We also ordered Takoyaki (octopus dumplings), which tasted similar to a potato croquette but with a piece of octopus inside. They were crunchy on the outside with a creamy texture on the inside and pretty heavy for an appetizer.
Although I enjoyed the food, the price of my ramen at $ 12 was somewhat expensive. If you choose to add additional toppings, it costs $ 1.5 each which is pricey.

Mmm. That was a very satisfying meal. The karaage salad was excellent-​really recommend even though the sauce is really thick. The miso ramen was very very rich so it depends if you like that – I would probably go for something a bit lighter next time. The pork bun was also delicious and sweet/​savory. The small appetizer plates are one of the best parts of this place – don’t just come here for ramen! In general, nice environment and good service from waiters. This place has gotten a lot better since I first came here back when it was still called Kukai (added variety, better tasting broths, noodles, appetizers) and I will be back!

Probably one of the best ramen places in Bellevue! I’ve been here on multiple occasions, and the wait is typically around 10 – 20 minutes. They have excellent customer service and are always willing to answer questions about their dishes!
My go to dishes are always Tonkontsu Shoyu Ramen and their Chasu don (rich dishes). If you’re here you MUST try their Takoyaki! For the ramen soup base, you’re allowed to choose the level of sodium you’d like, but traditional is always the most flavorful.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ Recommend, and guarantee you will return.

AMAZING!
Had the garlic Tonkotsu shoyu Ramen with potstickers.
You ever eat so good you lick the bowl cause you just don’t care?
Get this bowl. The flavors, the egg, the pork… What more can I say?
Pure deliciousness in a bowl.

Came in 5 minutes before they opened and got seated right away. It got crowded 30 minutes later. Get the low salt option! Love the noodles, it’s thicker than other ramen place we’ve been too. Broth is good too! We ordered:
— garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen (so good!!)
— spicy ramen (good)
— tsukemen dipping noodle (this was my sister’s, I didn’t try it)
— takoyaki (skip it, not worth it)
— deep fried calamari (good)
Asked for mayo for the calamari and it’s an extra 50 cents.

I tried tsukemen for the first time ever at Kizuki and it was fantastic. The noodles had the perfect bite and the broth was packed full of flavor (I picked the tonkotsu broth). It was not sweet or too salty like my original review stated. The pork slices could’ve been better. They were not fatty and melt-​in-​your-​mouth like Santouka’s.
We also ordered takoyaki and geso karaage. The takoyaki was the best I had ever had. Crispy on the outside and there were some crispy/​crunchy bits on the inside that I had never before experienced in takoyaki but it was delicious. Geso karaage was good too — lightly battered and very crispy.
I think tsukemen at Kizuki will be my go-​to every time I’m craving ramen. It was just that good.
What I didn’t like was the service at the end. It felt like they were rushing us out since they handed us the check when I was still finishing my food. They were holding the check as they asked «is there anything else or are you guys ready for the check?» Well, maybe you shouldn’t ask that with the check in your hand. And no, not all the tables were filled.

Best ramen restuarant I’ve been to so far! Wish the portions were a big bigger though because I love noodles! Gets pack around lunch time and they won’t seat you until your entire party is there. Will definitely go back there.

Had the spicy ramen and the garlic ramen tonight and they were absolutely delicious. Takoyaki was also very good. Service was very fast and friendly. Will be coming back again soon!

Delicious! Had the low sodium yuzu ramen, loved it! Also ordered the garlic tonkatsu low sodium, also great but definitely richer in flavor. I liked the «clean» refreshing flavor of the yuzu one the karaage was great! My fave-​just that they have low sodium versions!!!

Third ramen restaurant I’ve had the pleasure to visit in my last few years and absolutely will be coming back to this one! Walked in with my party and was immediately greeted by the manager (Gem) speaking some cool Japanese phrase at us.
1) Service was timely! My party and I were seated quickly even through the mass amount of people waiting. Their manager and team’s ability to move the queue of people to tables swiftly is definitely a positive reflection of how on top they are especially for such a busy location.
2) Food was delicious! Gem took our order and we are glad he did after suggesting excellent options after all had been devoured and eaten. :) I ordered the garlic tonkatsu ramen with low sodium broth (so good and a nice option being that I am a health nut), pork chatsu, wings, with my other friends ordering the shoyu/​spicy/​and miso ramen. Finished off with almond pudding which was light and a perfect final touch after our main courses!
3) Ambiance and restaurant was modern, chic, and clean!
All in all, we will be coming back and I will definitely be having more dinner outings here not only for the food but primarily because of how well we were taken care of by the manager and his team. If you want great customer service, you will get great customer service with Gem there. Thanks for making our ramen experience one of the greatest :)

Had a little bit of mix up where our table was given away becuase it can get really loud and we did not hear our name called or the hostess didn’t walk around the wait area. Our party had a kid, so there wasn’t too many parties with a toddler. Atlease once we got our table, they were quick to make sure our food came and were regularily checked up on throughout the meal.
Ohhh soo yummy! I had a shio chicken rich ramen and felt like slurping up the entire soup too. If there was anything I could change, was hoping the soup to be slightly hotter.

Came in over the weekend a little after they opened. WOW full house! Luckily, we came right before the rush and was seated within 15 minutes.
Started off with the chicken karaage which was alright. We shared the spicy miso ramen and spicy ramen (3 stars– it’s not that spicy if you’re a spice lover!) My boyfriend and I both liked the broth for the spicy ramen more since it was a tad more rich.
One thing I really like about Kizuki is that they offer the option for low-​sodium broth for us semi-​health conscious freaks (obviously not THAT health conscious if I’m eating ramen right? lol). I’m actually skeptical sometimes and wonder if the low-​sodium option is ACTUALLY low-​sodium and not just the regular broth. But if I leave without wanting to drink like 5 gallons of water, I think that’s low-​sodium enough for me!
When we were leaving, there were families on families outside just chillin waiting for a table. I suggest:
1. Come early
2. Avoid weekends
3. Don’t come already hangry :)

Came here with the bf when checking out our new area since we recently moved here. I ordered the traditional ramen. I really liked it! We came close to closing but everyone was still extremely nice! I just wish they put in more green onions! I especially liked the strong broth base and flavor! We were seated near the door so we saw a couple of people who got turned down since they were about to close! Glad we came in before that and got to experience their ramen!

I’ve been to the location in Capitol Hill and Bellevue. I think it’s an overall decent ramen place. Have had the spicy ramen and garlic tonkatsu ramen. Definitely not a big fan of the spicy ramen because there wasn’t any heat not much flavor in it. I do like the garlic tonkatsu broth, though. It made my mouth stank after but it was worth it. I’ve also tried their pork belly bun, takoyaki, and pork belly with rice. All the appetizers I’ve had so far are decent.
Their pork belly (char siu) is not my fave though. I prefer the thick cut that melts in your mouth, but they have the thin cut one that requires chewing.
I’ll come back again :)

Kukai/​Kizuki is really hard for me to rate. They do so many things so well but they fail on a very important aspect for me: they use egg noodles. But their broth is good (Garlic Tonkotsu) and the way the cut their green onion is nice and their flavored egg is consistent their chashu is kinda meh but the pork belly is pretty nice. One thing I really like about Kukai/​Kizuki is that their appetizers are on point. On the same level if not slightly better than Santouka. All that being said, it’s a nice dining experience.

Living in Redmond and attending Bellevue College, I stop by Kizuki (formerly Kukai) Ramen at least 3 times a week. This Ramen house really amazing. Simple and delicious ramens. My favorite being the Tonkatsu shio extra rich pork ramen with extra fatty chashu and a pork bun on the side.
The staff is amazing and they recognize me every time I come in. They greet me and I have even made a few friends here. Always polite and fast service. I cannot recommend Kizuki enough. If you are in the area they are worth the stop. I am going to go there now actually… I made myself hungry.

Everything was amazing today. Karaage chicken is the best in town! The coating is light, crunchy, and just the right thickness (not too heavy), and fried to dark golden brown perfection.
Spicy tonkotsu didn’t taste like low-​sodium but it was delicious. Not too spicy. Added an extra egg, best call ever. Perfectly soft-​boiled goodness. Noodles were springy, not overcooked. The slice of pork was not great, as the meat was slightly tough.
I’d been here about 5 times over the last year or so… but it’s never been this good! Will be back for that karaage soon!

Not my favorite ramen house but decent. I wouldn’t wait forever and ever during peak hours. Went around noon for lunch the other day and there was surprisingly no wait. Sadly there was no fresh greens or vegetables that day because the shipment was not to standard. That’s a great reason not to serve it. For once I’m not being sarcastic.
My only hiccup was they did not have any soft boiled eggs though it’s on the menu. I was offered hard boiled.
Plenty of parking as it is located in a strip mall next to Walmart and LA Fitness.

Try the octopus appetizers. Yummy!

I ordered the octopus takoyaki and the chicken rich ramen. The takoyaki was really mushy, not sure what the filling was but the texture wasnt necessarily something I prefer. The ramen wasnt bad. I’m not sure whether they make the broth or its something thats already pre-​made but I there was a really strong chicken smell. I understand this is a chicken dish, but the smell was kinda like when you don’t season the meat right, you can smell the meat type of smell — in which I dont really know how to explain.
I came here couple years ago when it first opened but i wasnt really impressed so I never came back, but i recently had a really good experience with the Northgate location so I decided to give it another try, but I decided that the bellevue location still isn’t my type of a restaurant.

I went here once when they first opened several years ago. I thought the soup was a bit too salty. Kind of pricey too.

I think that this is one of the best ramen bars in the Bellevue area. Their ramen comes in decent proportions, one bowl should definitely be enough for one person. I really like how they have an option of low sodium broth. The broths taste amazing and your food always comes out nice and hot.
I’m only leaving 4 stars and not 5 just because sometimes it takes them a while to seat people even when there are seats open.
But aside from that, it’s a great ramen place!

Went for lunch this afternoon and the food was fantastic! My wife and I love ramen and we were very impressed. I got the traditional spicy ramen. The soft-​boiled egg was on-​point and pork was very flavorful. Not too spicy. you can choose from 3 different spice levels though.
We will be going back for lunch soon.

Easy to find, good location, excellent customer service (personable, professional, and friendly!)
I ordered the garlic ramen. It was pretty delicious. I’ll definitely go here again :)

Hate it literally tastes like lughi in your mouth, if your desperate to eat bad food, eat here

Tried their Yuzu-​shio broth recently, sooooo good. Out of all the ramen places, I think I like this place the most. The broth and noodles are just right for me every time. Their pork buns are to die for too! Unfortunately, I had a bad experience with the front desk this last time, but I would still come back from the food alone *Read the tip*.

It is definitely not like Ippudo (the noodle and the broth major difference); however, I give them 4 stars for the taste as well as good service. We had the cold tofu as an appetizer. The sauce was alright, bit spicy mixed with sesame oil. The main dish I had was, The Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen! I added kikurage & pork belly charshu. The disappointment was the pork belly chashu for I thought it was going to be a thick cut. I even had to ask the waiter if the extra charshu was in there. The egg was perfectly cooked as I would cook my egg for 8 minutes. They do not give much toppings like menma as I wished they would.
At the beginning, the service was slow meaning no one came to take our orders for a while. It was no acceptable for the fact there were at least five waiters on the floor and two chatting. Then, after a while, when I stared at the manager, he came to take the order. He was prompt, precise and on top of it. Then it happened…
So, the electricity went out. Thank goodness our orders were in. We got our food nice and warm. They were very professional about it and came around sincerely apologizing to each one of us. One of the waiters even sat by us and talked to us how the electricity around the block never has gone out before. If the restaurant by itself had the lights out, they would simply reset the generator and it takes few minutes for lights to come back up. Anyhow, so when I asked about myself not having the cash and having to pay with the card, the waiter wanted to take my full information down on the paper. I told him I did not feel comfortable with them taking down my information on the piece of paper including my name, and phone number.
I was happy with the food, but my friend questioned about if they should have offered us some sort of comp for the inconvenience that was caused due to the light outage such as the restaurant became cold. But I felt that since the food was delicious & the service was good, it was not necessary for them to comp anything. The only service the restaurant offered was for us to leave our phone numbers, so they can call us and apologize again. I believe that once apology has been made, it should be forgotten since it was not at restaurant’s fault. So, we did not leave our phone numbers.
Anyhow, overall, I give 3.5÷4 star.

Mouth watering & delicious pretty much sums up this place.
The broth is distinctively flavorful and noticeably different in complexity compared to other ramen shops nearby.
I seriously love how the fatty pork appears to have been marinated and melts in your mouth with every bite.
Keep in mind this place gets busy so plan ahead!

This review is solely for one of my take-​out experience.
I went in at 9:15 pm (restaurant closes at 9:30…). So, obviously, I wouldn’t have time to eat there, but I was craving for ramen! What do I do… Yes, I decided to get a To-​go Ramen… The idea of it doesn’t make it sound good… Because when you get togo Phở, they put everything in a bunch of containers so you can mix them up at home. However, none of your bowl is big enough to fit medium size phở… (Well, at least I don’t have any. what a failed Asian right?).
Anyway, I was craving for the Ramen really bad. I decided to get it here, and it was worth it. They packed everything very well, and on top of that, they provide you to-​go bowl so you can just pour the soup in at home! It was so easy to eat and it was as delicious! (less hot, but you can heat it up). All utensils and napkins were also provided. Love it. Thank you :) The only thing I hate about this place is $ 12 for a freaking ramen, but whatever, good quality.

FYI: This place is formally called KUKAI RAMEN! They changed their name not too long ago.
I’ve come here so many times. hard to keep track but every time is the same. Wait 30 minutes or so, another 15 minutes for food to come out, eat in 10 minutes, and leave with full belly.
Despite the long wait (I just come here an hour before I know I’ll be hungry), I really love the food. The miso ramen is my favorite. It might be too salty for some, but you can ask for low sodium. It doesn’t take away from the flavor at all. My boyfriend loves the karaage. We usually order it when we’re too hungry. haha
Staff is always friendly. Will always be coming back! :)

Uhhhh this place was okay. I came because my friends told me it was pretty good, but I have probably been ruined by my all-​time favorite ramen place (Ramen Gaijin, you are my true love). The portion was sufficient, so I guess a price of $ 12.50 is alriiiight, but it didn’t meet my expectations, especially when we waited for like 40 minutes…
I got the low-​sodium, Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen with the UPGRADEDDDDD pork belly. I’m a pork belly fan, so I would definitely recommend the upgrade, and because I think I might have accidentally received both the regular and upgraded kinds in my bowl of ramen (lol), here are the deets on both:
The original pork that comes with the ramen is kinda dry, and not how I expect pork belly to be… cut thin, a little dry, and a little hard to chew… The upgraded DOES have the fat that’s associated with bellayyy but it’s also cut thin for some reason, and sits on top of your ramen like a confused lillypad. I think it’s also been boiled rather than braised (wha!!! Whyyyy) but still way better than the typical pork.
I didn’t finish my noodles, which is unusual for me. If it’s mind-​blowing, I will still usually stuff as much food in my stomach as I can. The broth was okay, I think, and the main selling point of this place for me is that they offer low-​sodium options.

Came here because we loved the Seattle location on Pine Street, so much. But this definitely lacked the same style and comfort. We came on a Saturday afternoon, and while there was a family ahead of us, they were seated within 5 minutes, and shortly thereafter we were too, as well as the pair after us. As usual, there is the request to eat with other people (strangers), or wait for a table on your own.
My husband got the garlic tonkatsu again, this time the low sodium version. He didn’t like it as much because the broth wasn’t as rich. I got the chicken ramen, low sodium version. Not as good as the garlic one I had tried the night before. Lacked a lot less flavor and savory elements, but I could definitely taste the chicken in the broth. The chicken was a combo of white/​dark meat, and had a lot of fat. I couldn’t even eat it. Just really unappealing. I got extra bean sprouts, some corn (which added a nice hint of sweetness), and an extra egg (boy do I love those eggs). They were cooked perfectly, very gooey center. Each extra cost $ 1.50.
Open kitchen, and all the seating were tables (two or four seats), and no booths. Also, it lacked any kind of privacy in between the tables, and you were actually sitting quite close to the other people. Felt a bit weird. The servers were younger than the other spot, like college/​high school aged, but very friendly and pleasant.
Bathrooms were separated for men and women, one person at a time. It was fairly clean, bright lighting, trendy sink bowl, and actually had warm water! I felt like every place I went to in Seattle didn’t have hot water so washing my hands felt like torture! So this was a much appreciated plus.
Service was quick, and turnover of diners was equally quick. Usually when you’re mid-​way through eating or close to done, they come by with the bill. Yet you don’t feel rushed to leave either. It doesn’t really lend itself to lingering because you’re on top of other guests more or less, without any kind of divider, so it’s not offensive for them to gently encourage you to go. I wanted to leave after eating too!
Parking is easy — not sure why people are complaining about it. There are a few spots up in front of the restaurant, but it’s located in a shopping center, where the whole thing is essentially stores and parking spaces! Just pick one and walk your ass a few feet.

This is one of my favorite places to get ramen! I got the garlic tonkotsu shoyu, which is one of the most popular ramens here. I couldn’t decide whether to get low sodium or not, so the waiter said I could just get normal and then he could give me broth later if I thought it was too salty. I was very happy since I was able to taste the original broth and then eat the rest of the ramen with less sodium. They have very great service here!
There is a wait here even during evenings on the weekdays. People are going in and out quickly so I didn’t have to wait too long! I waited about 10 minutes for a seat for two people. There’s plenty of places to park in the parking lot.
I will definitely try the other ramens here in the future!

The ramen here was pretty tasty and really filling. I ordered the tonkotsu ramen, which comes with vegetables (bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, green onion), cha siu, a boiled egg, and corn ($ 1.50) extra.
I found the add ons to be kind of pricy, given that some of them were small things like bean sprouts. Maybe they should consider having separate prices for the adds on based on whether theyre premium or not…
Anyways, i also ordered it with less sodium and with a side order of karaage (pieces of fried chicken). The ramen came out at a decent time, but i felt like it couldve been quicker. The seating is fairly close to one another, which is kind of annoying since you can hear what other people are talking about. but thats expected when it comes to these small places.
Overall, id give this place a 4 stars — taking 1 away for the overcharge on certain additional toppings.

I LOVE KUKAI!
I’ve been to this locations a few times now and I want to keep coming back!
I always get the miso ramen and somehow I am always amazing. The broth and corn is so delicious and the noodles are made just right. They also serve free green tea with your meal, which is a great bonus. Everyone is so nice and always make sure you are satisfied.
Whenever you come in or leave, all of the employees say something in Japanese?(correct me if Im wrong), and I like that!
KUKAI FOR LIFE! :)

I love Kukai. The ramen is delicious, service is great, and the menu is diverse. I normally get the spicy pork ramen with the tonkatsu (rich) broth. This time I tried a lighter (shio) broth with chicken. It was super yummy and less filling. Definitely add the preserved egg as an option!
Their chicken karage appetizer is also excellent and I would love to try some of the other dishes including the wings which I hear are great.
I’ve been to the other local ramen places on the Eastside (Santouka and Jinya), but I think Kukai is my favorite.

Let me tell you… You won’t regret for coming here to have ramen or other dishes. The broth was very tasty though it might be salty for people, who are used to eat bland food. You have the option to add meat and/​or vegetable.
The fried rice with pork was just to die for. It was so tasty that my fiancé and I had to fight for it. I know I am very terrible at reviewing Japanese restaurants because I can’t even remember what most of the foods are called, but I can assure you that the food taste will be good. Like I mentioned before, you may feel like your stomach would be upset if you’re not used to strong flavored foods.

Late lunch on a Sunday. Woo-​hoo! No wait and off to a good start.
Spicy ramen: rich pork broth flavored with homemade blend of chillies, garlic and spices. Ordered low sodium plus an egg.
When ordering the egg, you can specify hard boiled or soft. If you like soft boiled, this is great to break open into the broth. Incidentally the eggs are precooked at another location and peeled when you order them.
Found the broth a little salty in spite of low sodium. I asked for hot water and I found out I could order clear broth instead. Nice! However after adding that, it was no longer spicy. Luckily there is spicy pepper available on the table to bring it back up to my spicy level.
Service great and it’s the perfect no wait time to go!

Ramen has become my new favorite meal and this is a far cry from my Top Ramen at home. My goal is to try each of the different options and I’m making good progress towards that goal.
My «go-​to» dish is the dipping noodles, but the miso ramen is a close second for me.
I still like the Capitol Hill location better for flavor, but this is almost as good and not nearly as far to drive.

Wow!!! Where do i begin… I was searching for good ramen over in DC but to no avail. We arrived at 11:55 and waited for 30 mins. The wait was so worth it! This ramen is one of the best ramen I’ve had since ippudo in new york. I ordered the tonkatsu shio extra rich soup base. It tasted heavenly! You could really taste the pork bones infused in the soup. The chasiu served with it tasted like home (taiwan’s braised pork), the noodles were cooked to perfection. The egg yolk oozed out ever so slowly when i bit into it. Ill be back for another bowl before i head back to DC! Thank you for that delicious ramen meal!
For appetizers we got a takoyaki and chicken karage, they were both really delicious.
Plenty of parking.

I’ve eaten here several times when it first open several years ago. I was craving it the other day since I haven’t eaten there in forever.
I was able to grab a seat at the bar right away when I walked in. The waiter was nice and asked if it was my first time there and if I had any questions. I haven’t been there in the longest time. Decided to get the Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen. This is offered in limited quantities everyday. When the waiter brought the ramen, he asked if I wanted any extra hot water to add to the broth to make it less salty. Even though it was a bit rich and salty, I just kept it the way it was. The noodles were good and I liked the bamboo. The pork was a bit dry, but still edible. Can’t believe it’s been years since I’ve eaten here. Will definitely come back soon to eat here again.

Slowly but surely, I’m expanding my ramen quest beyond Chicago. With my newly formed obsession with ramen, that’s now the first thing I search for when I’m doing recon with the local food scene while on vacation. I flew out for my friend’s wedding in Bellevue just for the weekend, so I only had one shot to check out a ramen joint. Decisions, decisions. When I came across the reviews for Kukai and saw the words «garlic» and «tonkotsu» in the same sentence, my decision was practically made for me. I couldn’t pass that up.
Atmosphere: There were two locations, so I just went to the Bellevue one since it was closer to my hotel. The area was very suburban, so there was a huge parking lot and I had no problem finding a spot right in front. A lot of the ramen places around Chicago seem to go for the minimalist, divey type feel. But the inside of Kukai was very clean and new and gave off that chain restaurant type vibe. Since I rolled up by myself, I breezed right on through and was immediately seated at the counter. For the first time I didn’t have to sit on some uncomfortable wooden stool or hard chair. Even the seats along the counter were cushioned and very comfortable.
Food: I already knew what I wanted without even looking at the menu. I definitely had to go with garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen. A lot of the reviews complained that the broth is too salty. I could definitely see how that could be a turn off for some people, but luckily for me that is EXACTLY what I was hoping for. The broth was super salty, and packed one of the strongest garlic punches I’ve had in a bowl of ramen. I’m a garlic fiend and Kukai earned a rare approval from me for proper garlic flavor intensity. The broth also had the slightest kick of spice to it that really made for a winning flavor combination.
The noodles were a lot thicker than most I’ve seen in ramen, but not quite the thickness of an udon noodle. It wasn’t very al dente and was more on the softer side. The slice of pork in the bowl looked great, but honestly was pretty plain tasting. I wish there was more of a char or stronger seasoning or something that wasn’t just plain pork. On the plus side, they left the soft boil egg whole and still acheived an almost perfectly runny yolk.
My one criticism would probably be the portion size. Usually I eat the noodles first then savor the rest of the broth in the bowl, but by the time I finished off the noodles here, there was barely any broth left to slurp up. With such a salty and flavorful broth, I was definitely left wanting more. Overall, Kukai offered up a solid bowl of ramen that lured me in with my weakness for all things garlic and salt. I’d for sure come back the next time I’m in Seattle.

This place is soooo awesome! I am really just starting to get into ramen and I have been to a few places, but Kukai is hands down the best!
I get their chicken shoyu ramen and it has some of the best flavor I’ve had. I add seaweed and an egg (sometimes I debate getting TWO eggs, but I end up so full at the end that I’m glad I don’t). The egg makes the flavor so rich and delicious and the seaweed is a nice bonus. The egg is probably my favorite part, but the bamboo shoots really make this ramen for me. They are perfect.
This place is usually packed, but we’ve gotten seated within 5 minutes each time we’ve been here. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful and the food comes out quickly.
I dream of this place at least once a week — I wish it wasn’t quite so far from my house. But it’s certainly worth the trip and I know I will be back lots more!

I’ve tried the Takoyaki, 可樂餅, deep fried chicken, and the garlic tonkotsu Raman with traditional flavor. They are all good!
I specially like the traditional flavor ramen, stronger and rich taste which is my favorite, because I tried the traditional ramen in Japan, it’s truly rich, strong, and salty, but here compared to the ones in Japan, it’s not as strong, but it’s about the right balance for me. Kukai has another option for you, if you don’t like too rich or strong flavor, you can choose light sodium/​salty :)