Ambiance is good. Expectations was high due to the ratings but was disappointed. The broth was thick but came out only warm. I had the mushroom ramen which was lacking some flavor/depth. It had one piece of pork, which was tasty. Wish it had 2 slices. There was no sort of vegetable beside some mushroom bits and half an egg. They have lots of sprouts... which I'm not a huge fan of. Noodles was aldente but nothing special. Tried my friends tonkatsu, which I felt was too salty. The citrus shio ramen had the best flavor. Portion size was a bit small... I had 3 friends who don't eat a lot that ate fries as appetizers at Koja Kitchen while waiting for a table. All 3 finished everything! Side note, if you ask for a side of chili paste/sambal it's $1. We asked for 4 since it was a tiny plastic container, not knowing they charged. Wish the waitress would have told us. Didn't know it was on the menu till after seeing the bill. Best believe we took that to go... Glad I tried it with friends to see the hype but won't be coming back any time soon.
Jonathan F.
Overall pretty solid but wouldn't wait the hour +. Went right during lunch so was open. Really friendly waiter. I'd skip on the karate next time but the pork in this tonkatsu was amazing! Handroll was also solid. I'd rate a 7/10 overall. Loved the entrance, design, and atmosphere which really felt like I was back in Japan!
Bryson G.
I came here off the recommendation from a waitress who lives in the area, and she was pretty spot on. Walking into the place it's a really cool vibe, you can tell they took their time with decorations and the ambiance of the store. I sat at the bar and the guy behind the counter helped me with what I ordered....i needed something hearty and filling so I could take an afternoon nap before work. The food only took a few minutes to come out and the presentation was great. I dove right in and pretty much demolished the bowl because I couldn't stop eating. The flavor was great, and I enjoyed every single drop. I only have 2 suggestions: the portion was slightly smaller than it should be for a ramen bowl and there should be Sriracha sauce (or something like that) around to spice it up if you wanted. Overall, great spot to come in and have some ramen. I would come back here for sure!
John Page
Really good food and attentive service. Way to loud in the restaurant to have a conversation without yelling at each other. Best Brussel sprouts I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Stephen Usher
I've been to this place three times now and sadly I don't think I'll be going back. I loved this place back in November of 2023, however the quality has severely dropped since. I asked our waitress if the kitchen staff had changed recently and she confirmed it had... and oh boy can you tell.The flavour is gone, everything was bland and salty, and the citrus shio was just overpoweringly sour. Also, what the heck is with the excessive use of Tajin in everything? The karaage just tasted of Tajin and sour lemons.Meal for two came to $70 and we didn't even finish our plates. Having lived in Japan for two years, I know good ramen and sadly this place no longer has it. I can't fault the service though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Jennifer M.
Very cool vibe and great entrance to the restaurant. Service was great and Ramen was very good!
Barrel MooMoo
Very overrated. There are so many better ramen places than this one. I ordered a tonkotsu ramen. Absolutely no flavor other than salty. I understand ramen tended to be salty but there is no pork fat flavor, no bone flavor, nothing. They added black garlic oil but it's. It even garlic-y either! The ramen came warm which is very disappointing. The noodle is so so, have had better. Portion is sooooooo small. $16+ for a small bowl + 1 piece of pork belly... 1 piece.... The pork belly does taste good..I wasn't hungry and even that, I wasn't full at all by the end of the meal, even with a beer.Service is great. The atmosphere is good. The food look amazing in pictures but so very overrated. Totally Not planning on coming back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Chris Laporta
Great food, location was super
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Amy H.
I can't even start to say enough good stuff about Kodaiko Ramen. The location is very cool - right across the street from DOCO so you could plan a few activities to park there. The entrance is on the street and when you enter the front doors it looks like an alley with all the signs and stuff hanging around. You walk down the stairs looking at all the artwork and enter in the bar area, there are bar seats and bench seats like a lounge as well. We've been here twice so far and have sat in both places - you have to go early and get the Godzilla drinks. All the drinks are just amazing! They have a magician on staff that plans the bar menu it seems because I don't know half the drink ingredients on the menu and the combinations sound weird, but TRUST the process - each drink is so awesome. Everyone is so nice and helpful with the drink and food menu. The setting is so fun with all the paintings and posters on the wall - I love the vibe! As for the food, I've gotten 2 ramen bowls both just amazing and I daydream about them, and we also tried a couple apps: the pickle plate (awesome - the kimchi is like wow) and the shiro maguro carpaccio (do yourself a favor, and just order 2 now). I've found my favorite ramen and need more excuses to go out now. I will definitely be a repeat customer!
Darci K.
I adore Kodaiko! It's nothing like you'd expect, and yet it's just what you'd expect. Located on the K street mall in downtown, where the food is good, and the parking isn't. Diner's Tip: make reservations! They aren't always needed, but this is a smaller sized restaurant, and if there are more than two people dining at any given time, and even then, reservations, absolutely help. The restaurant gives off New York vibes, which is kind of cool. When you enter the restaurant you immediately walk downstairs to the restaurant. The current seating hostess isn't always the friendliest, so just ignore her and get to the good stuff. Once seated, I've consistently found the service to be pretty decent. Menus, water, etc. are usually immediately brought to the table. As for the menu... I love almost everything that they have, and it definitely is worth going back to try the menu items. You must order the karaage! It is so damn good! It's everything you want fried chicken to taste like, and then, some. I have ordered this as a shareable for the table, and I've also ordered it as just my meal. Perfectly seasoned pieces of chicken that will leave you wanting more. The chicken is well, seasoned, moist and tender. I love that it makes really good leftovers as well. The dipping sauce that is served with the chicken is citrusy, fresh, and the perfect accompaniment for the chicken. The fries are a must also. Nori fries are a bite of heaven. Lightly crispy and super tasty. The ramen ... just yum! I've tried several of their different Ramen, bowls, and each time they've been outstanding. The broth has a wonderful flavor, and makes me feel amazing every time I have it. My only gripe about the Ramen is that there are several different charges, and some of them I understand, and some of them hit me on the ridiculous side. For example, I don't think there should be an up charge for adding garlic or extra vegetables. But that's just me. I would highly recommend getting the onsen egg. I love a really good yoky egg. The Ramen bowls are generally a pretty good serving, and I rarely am able to get through a quarter of my Ramen. For me, it doesn't make the best leftovers, unless it's eaten within a short time afterwards. It's always a great meal, great experience, and it's a fun place to go for date night, with friends or family, and if you're not feeling the vibes with any of your peeps, they do have a bar area that tons of people enjoy sitting at, ordering a drink, or just ordering food and sitting there and enjoying it. This is definitely a must try restaurant!
For the price of the ramen, it's not worth it. I spend 17.50 in L.A or Elk Grove or another Ramen spot in downtown and got more Ramen, Vegetables, and broth. The broth was okay, noodles were good, 1 piece of pork (usually places give you 2), and green onions. That was it and they didn't even give us a lot of food. Overpriced in my opinion.
Jordan Su
So I ordered take out and for the price the packaging looked like it would reflect the taste but let me tell you. This ramen looked delicious but had absolutely no flavor. Pork was pretty flavorful and their egg was as well but the soup base was a light mushroom flavor with zero seasoning or salt. I was hoping it would be good but was let down. Hopefully it was an off day for them but I believe it’s over hyped.
Kayla Block
Super LOUD, but wow. Best ramen I've ever had. 2nd best kimchi (grandma had to win #1). Delicious brussels. Sambol is better than mine. Chili oil was great too.This is one of the best meals I've had in a long time.
Updating now that we tried Japanese milk bread shrimp toast, ? yummm! ***** Delicious mushroom ramen, pickled veg and house made kimchi. Hamachi was fresh and raw wasabe was an unexpected treat. We are looking forward to coming back on Saturday with N&D ?
Much more than ramen. Ate here twice, one in the evening and the next day for lunch. Had a few things off the menu. Godzilla cocktail was really good, but Godzilla vs Mothra was THE BOMB! Karaage is awesome. Brussel sprouts out of this world. Great vibe. Fantastic staff.
Ambiance is good. Expectations was high due to the ratings but was disappointed. The broth was thick but came out only warm. I had the mushroom ramen which was lacking some flavor/depth. It had one piece of pork, which was tasty. Wish it had 2 slices. There was no sort of vegetable beside some mushroom bits and half an egg. They have lots of sprouts... which I'm not a huge fan of. Noodles was aldente but nothing special. Tried my friends tonkatsu, which I felt was too salty. The citrus shio ramen had the best flavor. Portion size was a bit small... I had 3 friends who don't eat a lot that ate fries as appetizers at Koja Kitchen while waiting for a table. All 3 finished everything! Side note, if you ask for a side of chili paste/sambal it's $1. We asked for 4 since it was a tiny plastic container, not knowing they charged. Wish the waitress would have told us. Didn't know it was on the menu till after seeing the bill. Best believe we took that to go... Glad I tried it with friends to see the hype but won't be coming back any time soon.
Overall pretty solid but wouldn't wait the hour +. Went right during lunch so was open. Really friendly waiter. I'd skip on the karate next time but the pork in this tonkatsu was amazing! Handroll was also solid. I'd rate a 7/10 overall. Loved the entrance, design, and atmosphere which really felt like I was back in Japan!
I came here off the recommendation from a waitress who lives in the area, and she was pretty spot on. Walking into the place it's a really cool vibe, you can tell they took their time with decorations and the ambiance of the store. I sat at the bar and the guy behind the counter helped me with what I ordered....i needed something hearty and filling so I could take an afternoon nap before work. The food only took a few minutes to come out and the presentation was great. I dove right in and pretty much demolished the bowl because I couldn't stop eating. The flavor was great, and I enjoyed every single drop. I only have 2 suggestions: the portion was slightly smaller than it should be for a ramen bowl and there should be Sriracha sauce (or something like that) around to spice it up if you wanted. Overall, great spot to come in and have some ramen. I would come back here for sure!
Really good food and attentive service. Way to loud in the restaurant to have a conversation without yelling at each other. Best Brussel sprouts I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts
I've been to this place three times now and sadly I don't think I'll be going back. I loved this place back in November of 2023, however the quality has severely dropped since. I asked our waitress if the kitchen staff had changed recently and she confirmed it had... and oh boy can you tell.The flavour is gone, everything was bland and salty, and the citrus shio was just overpoweringly sour. Also, what the heck is with the excessive use of Tajin in everything? The karaage just tasted of Tajin and sour lemons.Meal for two came to $70 and we didn't even finish our plates. Having lived in Japan for two years, I know good ramen and sadly this place no longer has it. I can't fault the service though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Very cool vibe and great entrance to the restaurant. Service was great and Ramen was very good!
Very overrated. There are so many better ramen places than this one. I ordered a tonkotsu ramen. Absolutely no flavor other than salty. I understand ramen tended to be salty but there is no pork fat flavor, no bone flavor, nothing. They added black garlic oil but it's. It even garlic-y either! The ramen came warm which is very disappointing. The noodle is so so, have had better. Portion is sooooooo small. $16+ for a small bowl + 1 piece of pork belly... 1 piece.... The pork belly does taste good..I wasn't hungry and even that, I wasn't full at all by the end of the meal, even with a beer.Service is great. The atmosphere is good. The food look amazing in pictures but so very overrated. Totally Not planning on coming back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Great food, location was super
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
I can't even start to say enough good stuff about Kodaiko Ramen. The location is very cool - right across the street from DOCO so you could plan a few activities to park there. The entrance is on the street and when you enter the front doors it looks like an alley with all the signs and stuff hanging around. You walk down the stairs looking at all the artwork and enter in the bar area, there are bar seats and bench seats like a lounge as well. We've been here twice so far and have sat in both places - you have to go early and get the Godzilla drinks. All the drinks are just amazing! They have a magician on staff that plans the bar menu it seems because I don't know half the drink ingredients on the menu and the combinations sound weird, but TRUST the process - each drink is so awesome. Everyone is so nice and helpful with the drink and food menu. The setting is so fun with all the paintings and posters on the wall - I love the vibe! As for the food, I've gotten 2 ramen bowls both just amazing and I daydream about them, and we also tried a couple apps: the pickle plate (awesome - the kimchi is like wow) and the shiro maguro carpaccio (do yourself a favor, and just order 2 now). I've found my favorite ramen and need more excuses to go out now. I will definitely be a repeat customer!
I adore Kodaiko! It's nothing like you'd expect, and yet it's just what you'd expect. Located on the K street mall in downtown, where the food is good, and the parking isn't. Diner's Tip: make reservations! They aren't always needed, but this is a smaller sized restaurant, and if there are more than two people dining at any given time, and even then, reservations, absolutely help. The restaurant gives off New York vibes, which is kind of cool. When you enter the restaurant you immediately walk downstairs to the restaurant. The current seating hostess isn't always the friendliest, so just ignore her and get to the good stuff. Once seated, I've consistently found the service to be pretty decent. Menus, water, etc. are usually immediately brought to the table. As for the menu... I love almost everything that they have, and it definitely is worth going back to try the menu items. You must order the karaage! It is so damn good! It's everything you want fried chicken to taste like, and then, some. I have ordered this as a shareable for the table, and I've also ordered it as just my meal. Perfectly seasoned pieces of chicken that will leave you wanting more. The chicken is well, seasoned, moist and tender. I love that it makes really good leftovers as well. The dipping sauce that is served with the chicken is citrusy, fresh, and the perfect accompaniment for the chicken. The fries are a must also. Nori fries are a bite of heaven. Lightly crispy and super tasty. The ramen ... just yum! I've tried several of their different Ramen, bowls, and each time they've been outstanding. The broth has a wonderful flavor, and makes me feel amazing every time I have it. My only gripe about the Ramen is that there are several different charges, and some of them I understand, and some of them hit me on the ridiculous side. For example, I don't think there should be an up charge for adding garlic or extra vegetables. But that's just me. I would highly recommend getting the onsen egg. I love a really good yoky egg. The Ramen bowls are generally a pretty good serving, and I rarely am able to get through a quarter of my Ramen. For me, it doesn't make the best leftovers, unless it's eaten within a short time afterwards. It's always a great meal, great experience, and it's a fun place to go for date night, with friends or family, and if you're not feeling the vibes with any of your peeps, they do have a bar area that tons of people enjoy sitting at, ordering a drink, or just ordering food and sitting there and enjoying it. This is definitely a must try restaurant!
Restaurantji Recommends
For the price of the ramen, it's not worth it. I spend 17.50 in L.A or Elk Grove or another Ramen spot in downtown and got more Ramen, Vegetables, and broth. The broth was okay, noodles were good, 1 piece of pork (usually places give you 2), and green onions. That was it and they didn't even give us a lot of food. Overpriced in my opinion.
So I ordered take out and for the price the packaging looked like it would reflect the taste but let me tell you. This ramen looked delicious but had absolutely no flavor. Pork was pretty flavorful and their egg was as well but the soup base was a light mushroom flavor with zero seasoning or salt. I was hoping it would be good but was let down. Hopefully it was an off day for them but I believe it’s over hyped.
Super LOUD, but wow. Best ramen I've ever had. 2nd best kimchi (grandma had to win #1). Delicious brussels. Sambol is better than mine. Chili oil was great too.This is one of the best meals I've had in a long time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Pickle Plate, Tonkotsu Ramen
Updating now that we tried Japanese milk bread shrimp toast, ? yummm! ***** Delicious mushroom ramen, pickled veg and house made kimchi. Hamachi was fresh and raw wasabe was an unexpected treat. We are looking forward to coming back on Saturday with N&D ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ramen, Mushroom Paitan, Vegan, Vegan Ramen
Much more than ramen. Ate here twice, one in the evening and the next day for lunch. Had a few things off the menu. Godzilla cocktail was really good, but Godzilla vs Mothra was THE BOMB! Karaage is awesome. Brussel sprouts out of this world. Great vibe. Fantastic staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ramen