The food was delicious and the waitress with the heart necklace (Sofia, I think?) made me feel very welcomed! Had a fantastic experience overall. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason “Argo” Adcock
I've been a few times. The service is quick and friendly and the food is great, but I wish they were more generous with the toppings. They only give you half an egg with an order of Ramen, you can afford to give me the whole egg!The MaMa Ramen is good. The broth is made with Thai style spices and coconut milk.Parking: Parking in the downtown area is done at one of the city's parking garages about a block away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Jon R.
Picked some ramen the other night from Kao Ramen. It was delicious and full of flavor. Not only that but they allow you to customize the spice level of your ramen. I went with the tonkatsu ramen with pork belly and I'd definitely go back for more. This probably one of the best spots for ramen in Ventura!
Al R.
The best ramen!! So good and friendly staff we will be back! Thank you...............................:..........
Kenny Katz
They have the best shoyu eggs I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ken P.
Ramen was cooked well and egg was seasoned and tasty. Only complaint is the broth is a tad oily.
Jaz M.
After living in Ventura for over a year now, I'm a little mad at myself for not eating here any sooner lol. Conveniently located on Main Street, it's in a area that's so cute with so much to do. Finally stopped by this afternoon and was so impressed! I have been a fan of Rice by Mama and heard they also owned this spot and I will say this spot is another great spot. They have a good menu with great variety. After debating for some time, I went with the Miso Ramen with a spicy level 2. I decided to go with ground pork and no spanich and added bamboo. It was so good! Good bold flavor and the spicy ness was good but I probably could have gone with spicy level number 3. So if you love and enjoy spicy food, defiantly go 3 or higher. The noodles were the best part, very good quality. My girlfriend had the mama style and she loved it as well. Our server was kind and friendly and the service overall was very good. Nothing but good things to say about this place. If your in the mood for a hot bowl of soup/ ramen, please keep them in mind. Why not support a great local buisness such at this one. Thank you for the great food Kao ramen!
Rust in my Veins
I always love to go here when a dear friend of mine visits from out of town. The food is excellent and the service is perfect. Very nice atmosphere as well. The large portions are sure to leave you satisfied.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Emily H.
It's been a minute since i've tried a new restaurant. After a nice hike in the Ventura area, a nice warm bowl of ramen crossed my mind. I've been to Asiatique before on main street, so I decided to give Kao Ramen By Mama a go. It was a very mid dine in experience. I don't regret trying something new, but I will not be dining here again. Let me get into it: Food: I had ordered the Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry, a Miso Ramen and for dessert the Pineapple Sorbet served in a pineapple.Taste: The Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry was the highlight of my experience, the curry was warm with chunks of potato and carrots. The chicken katsu had nice crispy breading. It was on the thinner side, but my bf likes it that way. It comes with a miso soup and keep it mind it does not taste like the miso soup you're used to. The miso soup is actually on the sweeter side. The miso ramen had nice flavor, it's nothing special though. It does have some nice chunks of pork chashu on top, i'll give it that. The pineapple sorbet is a never ever try, don't even think about it. I was expecting a nice freshly cut pineapple with fresh pineapple sorbet on top. It is farrrrr from it. I was served a frozen pineapple with two bites of sorbet in it which was spongey in texture. From my assumption, it was like they prepared the sorbet, placed it in the pineapple and stored it in the freezer for weeks to a month making the water in the sorbet evaporate. Price: I understand this restaurant is in Ventura on main street, but you can get more for your buck elsewhere. The pineapple sorbet was $14.. from what I was served it's more like $4. They charged me $4 for pink ginger when I asked for a side of ginger for the curry. I knew there would be an extra charge, but it's not worth $4. Red pickled ginger is what is served with curry in Japanese curry restaurants. It's not even what I asked for.Ambiance: I definitely appreciate the art and vibes inside the restaurant. Take a look at your water cups, bowls, plates, utensils and togo containers before you eat. It's not clean. My water cup had black smudges on the outside, my bf had black smudges on the inside. He didn't care enough to say anything. The togo container for the curry had a hair in it, but I just cleaned it off before pouring it in. It's hott in the restaurant maybe they don't have air conditioning, but I was sweating in there and it was much cooler outside.Service: the service was alright. I didn't see a smile from the two servers working there. I feel like they could have made a little more of an effort to be more friendly and attentive.Overall: I'd come get the Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry again, but to go that's about it.
Payton S.
Amazing time here. Walked in and we were seated immediately. Food was ready within 10 minutes and staff were very friendly. Ordered Kao Ramen and the all Vegan option, 10/10. Highly recommend for any ramen lover looking for something local.
Their ramen eggs are so perfect. I could just eat those. Get the mama style ramen. It's Tom kha broth and it's so good. +extra egg.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joy B.
Surprisingly good ramen and Japanese food! Our family of 6 ordered Kao Tonkotsu ramen, miso ramen, chicken Katsu don and chicken Katsu curry and everyone raved about their food! The kids enjoyed Ramune sodas and the adults got Thai iced tea--yum! I am Japanese American and we are from the San Gabriel Valley, so we are used to getting good Japanese food. As I said, Kao did not disappoint! The ramen was flavorful, and the meat and vegetables were perfectly cooked. I got a level 2 spicy level, and it was the perfect little kick. Prices were higher than we're used to, but we noticed that in general the prices seem higher here than where we are from. It is right on the Main Street in Downtown Ventura. Plenty of seating inside and outside.
Jesse Rodriguez
Damn good Ramen, I originally came here to try the poke bowl but instantly changed my mind when I saw all the delicious looking Ramen on their menu. I had the chicken ramen and it was fresh, not too salty, hot! Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
allysa jones
We weren’t given a heads up about if we didn’t want certain items in our mean that we would be UP CHARGED! What should have been $40 meal between two people turned into $60 . This is beyond unreasonable.We wouldn’t be back. I don’t recommend this at all if you don’t like certain thing in your soups.The ownership should be shamed of this unreasonable charge.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Allysa Ripperger
We weren’t given a heads up about if we didn’t want certain items in our mean that we would be UP CHARGED! What should have been $40 meal between two people turned into $60 . This is beyond unreasonable.We wouldn’t be back. I don’t recommend this at all if you don’t like certain thing in your soups.The ownership should be shamed of this unreasonable charge.
The food was delicious and the waitress with the heart necklace (Sofia, I think?) made me feel very welcomed! Had a fantastic experience overall. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've been a few times. The service is quick and friendly and the food is great, but I wish they were more generous with the toppings. They only give you half an egg with an order of Ramen, you can afford to give me the whole egg!The MaMa Ramen is good. The broth is made with Thai style spices and coconut milk.Parking: Parking in the downtown area is done at one of the city's parking garages about a block away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
Picked some ramen the other night from Kao Ramen. It was delicious and full of flavor. Not only that but they allow you to customize the spice level of your ramen. I went with the tonkatsu ramen with pork belly and I'd definitely go back for more. This probably one of the best spots for ramen in Ventura!
The best ramen!! So good and friendly staff we will be back! Thank you...............................:..........
They have the best shoyu eggs I've ever had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ramen was cooked well and egg was seasoned and tasty. Only complaint is the broth is a tad oily.
After living in Ventura for over a year now, I'm a little mad at myself for not eating here any sooner lol. Conveniently located on Main Street, it's in a area that's so cute with so much to do. Finally stopped by this afternoon and was so impressed! I have been a fan of Rice by Mama and heard they also owned this spot and I will say this spot is another great spot. They have a good menu with great variety. After debating for some time, I went with the Miso Ramen with a spicy level 2. I decided to go with ground pork and no spanich and added bamboo. It was so good! Good bold flavor and the spicy ness was good but I probably could have gone with spicy level number 3. So if you love and enjoy spicy food, defiantly go 3 or higher. The noodles were the best part, very good quality. My girlfriend had the mama style and she loved it as well. Our server was kind and friendly and the service overall was very good. Nothing but good things to say about this place. If your in the mood for a hot bowl of soup/ ramen, please keep them in mind. Why not support a great local buisness such at this one. Thank you for the great food Kao ramen!
I always love to go here when a dear friend of mine visits from out of town. The food is excellent and the service is perfect. Very nice atmosphere as well. The large portions are sure to leave you satisfied.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen
It's been a minute since i've tried a new restaurant. After a nice hike in the Ventura area, a nice warm bowl of ramen crossed my mind. I've been to Asiatique before on main street, so I decided to give Kao Ramen By Mama a go. It was a very mid dine in experience. I don't regret trying something new, but I will not be dining here again. Let me get into it: Food: I had ordered the Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry, a Miso Ramen and for dessert the Pineapple Sorbet served in a pineapple.Taste: The Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry was the highlight of my experience, the curry was warm with chunks of potato and carrots. The chicken katsu had nice crispy breading. It was on the thinner side, but my bf likes it that way. It comes with a miso soup and keep it mind it does not taste like the miso soup you're used to. The miso soup is actually on the sweeter side. The miso ramen had nice flavor, it's nothing special though. It does have some nice chunks of pork chashu on top, i'll give it that. The pineapple sorbet is a never ever try, don't even think about it. I was expecting a nice freshly cut pineapple with fresh pineapple sorbet on top. It is farrrrr from it. I was served a frozen pineapple with two bites of sorbet in it which was spongey in texture. From my assumption, it was like they prepared the sorbet, placed it in the pineapple and stored it in the freezer for weeks to a month making the water in the sorbet evaporate. Price: I understand this restaurant is in Ventura on main street, but you can get more for your buck elsewhere. The pineapple sorbet was $14.. from what I was served it's more like $4. They charged me $4 for pink ginger when I asked for a side of ginger for the curry. I knew there would be an extra charge, but it's not worth $4. Red pickled ginger is what is served with curry in Japanese curry restaurants. It's not even what I asked for.Ambiance: I definitely appreciate the art and vibes inside the restaurant. Take a look at your water cups, bowls, plates, utensils and togo containers before you eat. It's not clean. My water cup had black smudges on the outside, my bf had black smudges on the inside. He didn't care enough to say anything. The togo container for the curry had a hair in it, but I just cleaned it off before pouring it in. It's hott in the restaurant maybe they don't have air conditioning, but I was sweating in there and it was much cooler outside.Service: the service was alright. I didn't see a smile from the two servers working there. I feel like they could have made a little more of an effort to be more friendly and attentive.Overall: I'd come get the Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry again, but to go that's about it.
Amazing time here. Walked in and we were seated immediately. Food was ready within 10 minutes and staff were very friendly. Ordered Kao Ramen and the all Vegan option, 10/10. Highly recommend for any ramen lover looking for something local.
Restaurantji Recommends
Their ramen eggs are so perfect. I could just eat those. Get the mama style ramen. It's Tom kha broth and it's so good. +extra egg.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Surprisingly good ramen and Japanese food! Our family of 6 ordered Kao Tonkotsu ramen, miso ramen, chicken Katsu don and chicken Katsu curry and everyone raved about their food! The kids enjoyed Ramune sodas and the adults got Thai iced tea--yum! I am Japanese American and we are from the San Gabriel Valley, so we are used to getting good Japanese food. As I said, Kao did not disappoint! The ramen was flavorful, and the meat and vegetables were perfectly cooked. I got a level 2 spicy level, and it was the perfect little kick. Prices were higher than we're used to, but we noticed that in general the prices seem higher here than where we are from. It is right on the Main Street in Downtown Ventura. Plenty of seating inside and outside.
Damn good Ramen, I originally came here to try the poke bowl but instantly changed my mind when I saw all the delicious looking Ramen on their menu. I had the chicken ramen and it was fresh, not too salty, hot! Will be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We weren’t given a heads up about if we didn’t want certain items in our mean that we would be UP CHARGED! What should have been $40 meal between two people turned into $60 . This is beyond unreasonable.We wouldn’t be back. I don’t recommend this at all if you don’t like certain thing in your soups.The ownership should be shamed of this unreasonable charge.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We weren’t given a heads up about if we didn’t want certain items in our mean that we would be UP CHARGED! What should have been $40 meal between two people turned into $60 . This is beyond unreasonable.We wouldn’t be back. I don’t recommend this at all if you don’t like certain thing in your soups.The ownership should be shamed of this unreasonable charge.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1