Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

We were looking for a ramen place that had decent reviews but also hoping for somewhere with an outside area that was dog-​friendly. They were amazingly accommodating! Waitstaff was incredibly friendly and helpful. They even brought out a bowl of water for our dog, which they also refilled. I had the garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen, and pork bun. Both were phenomenal! Honestly the best ramen I’ve had yet. Don’t hesitate to visit this restaurant. Excellent service and amazing food!

Very good meal. I had hot sake and the chicken rich ramen. This meal was awesome and highly recommended. I would push over small children for more noodles at this eatery. We brought our dog and dined alfresco. It was fabulous.

It’s a decent place for ramen in Portland/​Beaverton area. The price is little expansive compare to the amount of ramen in the bowl though. Overall good place and service is okay. Try to come in from before 5pm on weekdays to avoid long lines.

I loved the spicy ramen. I got the hottest version because I love spicy food, it was spicy but I wouldn’t call it hot. I really loved the broth it’s rich and interesting.
The place is pretty busy, but they’ll text when your table is ready. The space is very clean and modern and a Westernized type of «nice». Simple menu which made it easy to decide.

There was a bit of a wait but we got seated quicker than the others because there were only two of us and we sat at the bar. The ramen was good, so were the takoyaki. Probably the best ramen I’ve had so far in the Portland area.

This location is always out of food. Today was tsukemen noodles and no rice! How the hell can you be out of rice at 4 in the afternoon.

I love this ramen place. I wish they had bigger portions of the charsiu pork. Other than that, the broth is solid. I’m definitely a regular here.

!!!
If you love garlic, and I mean really love garlic, the garlic tonkatsu will blow your mind. If, maybe, you only sort of like garlic, pick something else. I can see how some would find the garlic in this overwhelming (like my boyfriend and the unlucky few with garlic averse tastebuds), but I thought it was great. Packed with flavor, noodles cooked just right, and a perfectly sized portion that won’t leave you bursting at the seams at the end of your meal.

Decent ramen. Good décor, great service. Good gluten free options as well (rice bowls and yam noodles)
The chicken karaage was meh…
Citrus shio broth was good.
The char siu rice bowl was not great. Not enough flavor looked more liked poached then char siu.

I have gone to many ramen places and this is by far the best. I got their garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen and couldn’t stop eating! I wanted to live in that soup so I can enjoy the flavor forever. My fiancé got the miso ramen and he was closing his eyes in pleasure after every bite. We also split the takoyaki (one of the hardest Japanese appetizers to find) and they were made perfectly!!! Definitely on the top of my list for restaurants.
The one thing I do have to say is that there is quite a wait. Don’t go there if you are in a hurry. They text you when your table is ready and there are a bunch of shops in the area, so it is a good place for a date or to kill time, not for a quick bite. The service was impeccable once we were seated however, which is fine. They can’t help being popular!

I have heard so many great things about this place before they even changed the name of the place. There was a wait when we got there, but with all the shops close by we were able to kill some time before our table is ready.
I ordered the Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen, which was apparently the signature ramen that everyone should try. I was impressed — savory and rich flavored soup, with quality ramen and ingredients. I also appreciate the fact you can add more toppings for just a little extra charge.
Here’s the reason why it is not a 5-​star for me… Perhaps I have heard way too many great things about this place, so my expectation was way too high. It is good food, great service too — but not enough to earn the «best ramen I have ever tasted» title in my book, not to mention a little pricey for just a standard portion of ramen. Most definitely worth a try for any ramen lover though!

Really good authentic flavor of ramen. Their menu is not that big but enough. It is great that their is option for low sodium. The noodles cooked perfectly. The broth has so much flavor. Pork and egg, veggies… all made it complete. Once the food arrives, there is silence on the table… until the last broth on the spoon. That is a great sign. We left happy and will come back.

Honestly the best garlic tonkatsu ramen I’ve had in Portland. There’s A LOT of garlic in the broth. And it’s yummy! One decent sized hunk of tonkatsu pork. Some more wouldn’t be bad. But this place almost always has waiting. And I’ve no patience to wait anymore. We were lucky on a Sunday morning, when we got a table within 10 mins. Imo, as good as the ramen is, no food is worth waiting for more than 15 – 20 mins.

OoOooOoHkay… The BF knows I cant ever make a decision when it comes to food so he gave me two options, phở or ramen?! ANNNND because I’ve had phở all my life and wanted to try a new place, plus, he’s raved about this place before so I said ramen! I’m so glad that I did because this place totally hit the spot. We came on a REALLY cold day. Thought everyone would have the same idea and would be packed but it wasn’t too bad of a wait.
We had one of their signature dishes which was the Garlic Tonkotusu Shoyu Ramen. They describe it as extra-​rich shoyu-​flavored pork broth with lots of garlic! Comes with a large slice of pork, a soft boiled egg, bamboo shoots and shrooms. Ramen was perfection, soup was rich and flavorful, ambience was simple with a modern twist.
I LOVE Agedeshi Tofu but didn’t get to try it this time around but I’m sure I’ll be here again!

Kizuki «formerly known as Kukai» as it is named on Google Maps has the best ramen I’ve had in Oregon. Unlike some other places that only offer a few options based on the day, you have a wide range of different broth, noodle, meat, topping options to make your dream bowl a reality. Sides like the pork belly bun are delicious as well, but here the main attraction is the ramen.
Chicken based broth is perfect for a lighter but still satisfying meal and the classic tonkotsu is a solid bowl. Broth is rich but not too salty and was one of the few I’ve had that I could actually finish. Noodles are chewy and the toppings were standard but tasty. Overall, no surprises or special additions with the bowls. Just plain delicious.
Another interesting experience was the sake flight. A broad range of sharp, milky, and even cedar tastes were represented and while I never drink sake on its own, paired with the ramen it brought out some new flavors I haven’t noticed before!
Quite simply, I don’t think it’s possible to have a bad meal at Kizuki, or even just OK. Every experience I’ve had has been stellar.

I came here for dinner with the boy about a week after they opened.
We ordered the spicy ramen (decently spicy! I liked the broth, he didn’t), tonkatsu ramen for him, spicy squid (itty bitty calamari, not worth it), fried Takoyaki? (Pretty good). The noodles were a good texture. Service was good.
So why 3? Overall, the food was meh and the prices are a little high. $ 4 for a dim sum size plate of calamari? I like that you can order ramen with low sodium broth but it’s been 2? Weeks since we ate and I can’t remember much about the meal. Maybe I would come back to try their tsukemen since I’ve never had it before. But it was nice to receive complimentary green tea!

Holy christ this is the holy grail of Ramen.
Granted, I’ve only had their unctuous, rich, umami-​laden garlic tonkatsu ramen. But why would I try anything else when that is all I’ll ever crave again in my life. Add the pork belly, thank me later.
Their takoyaki is also the best I’ve ever had. If you like ooey gooey octopus pancake balls then get theirs for sure.
Sword of the Sun sake was killer, and not a huge a markup on the bottle. Semi-​dry with a nice honeydew melon finish. Yum.
This place would easily be 5 stars but the service is a bit curt. Not a big deal, it’s a ramen den, you’re supposed to get in and out but they could up their friendliness a bit. I get it, they’re busy as all hell so they don’t have to worry about it really but it could help.
I just wish it wasn’t in Beaverton! I hate driving through that damn tunnel. Why do people freak out when approaching it and cause a traffic jam no matter the hour? It’s just a tunnel, life will be okay. Take Burnside for a more soothing and beautiful drive.

Omg!!! First off, let me say that the ramen was the bomb!
Having traveled to Japan so many times, this place has the closest thing to the real thing.
When it comes to Ramen, I judge it by the broth and by the noodles. I chose the miso ramen and boy was it flavorful. The noodles were also just right!
I will totally check this place out again for sure.

Came here twice now. Their ramen is so good. A must try for ramen lover. I love garlic Tonkutsu ramen. The broth was so delicious. This is going to be our new favorite spot when we come to Portland. You will not be disappointed.

I am normally a big fan of this place, but the service I have received lately is sub par.
The waiting process is the absolute worst.
If you get there and are waiting for anyone in your party, they will not seat you. I’ve watched countless people being seated before my party because we were waiting for one person (who had already given me their order as to not hold anyone up). What could have been an hour long lunch turned into two. No working person has the time for that on a weekday.
If you go during a peak hour, good luck. You will find yourself stuck in a crowd of people with a feeling of needing to push forward as to get the Hostess’ attention. Other patrons push their way through the crowd of people to get their name on the list first (even if there is a line), making what should have been a 45 minute wait 1 hour +. The person at the Host desk should be trained to handle the crowd, but this is clearly not the case.
We are regular customers and have left twice because of the awful experience we have had while checking in.
Once you are seated, the service is normally fine; however, good customer service in a restaurant starts when you walk in the door. Not after being seated.
Don’t get me wrong, the food is delicious, but I’m not a fan of feeling like a member of a cattle being herded into a seat.

My wife requested a ramen restaurant for her birthday and this was one of the places recommended to me, it did not disappoint! The ramen was cooked perfectly with fresh vegetables and one of the best soft boiled eggs I’ve had. It still seemed new and was very busy, but our wait wasn’t very long. It did take some time for our server to take our order, however.

Wonderful new experience! Started with the pork gyoza which was crispy & light. I had the Chicken Rich Ramen & Lou had the Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen. Both were fantastic. Best Plum Wine straight from Osaka Japan! Will defiantly be back. Perfect on a cold rainy night.

Came back several times since my review during their soft opening.
The quality is consistently good.
The only negative was that after a long wait we were sat at the bar at the entrance while a table opened up not even 30 seconds after that…

Kizuki– I’m so glad you’re on the west side because I hate crossing the PDX bridges to get ramen. PLUS since it’s in a modern shopping mall, there is lots of parking.
I ordered 2 things– 1. the pork bun– which was super yummy. Filled with pork belly and cucumber in a light fluffy and warm steamed bun. They gave me 3 sauces to place in it, but I opted to eat it as is. The sauces were hoisin, mustard, and a spicy mayo. It was pretty awesome without sauce. I scarfed that down in less than 5 min. 2. Garlic tonkatsu ramen with low sodium. I can’t say that I have ever tried the regular sodium, but I can tell you that the Low sodium was pretty flavorful and rich with LOTS of garlic. Noodles were cooked to perfection with a nice chew. The soft boiled egg was also perfect! I think if I didn’t have the pork bun, I wouldve been a little disappointed that the ramen came with only one piece of meat and it wasn’t pork belly either. I didn’t order any extra topping because it was $ 1.50 per topping which I think is steep for scallions/​corn/​bean sprouts. The ramen did was pretty awesome! I would highly recommend.
Service was super fast and friendly. I was in and out in 30min.
This would be my favorite place so far regarding where to go for ramen. My order would go.
1. kizuki
2. Mirakutei
3. Shizego
4. Boke Bowl. (yuck)
I know that there are plenty other places to try ramen and I will continue to
scope out other places, but for now This holds my #1 position. :)

This place is hit or miss. First time hated it. Second time loved it. Third time hated it. They are inconsistent with their dishes. Ordered the exact same thing the last two times, yet everything came out prepared differently each time. Probably depends on who is staffing the kitchen that day. Most recent visit, the pork belly didn’t taste very fresh…
The broth at Toshi’s tastes much better, and is overall much much more consistent.

This is our second time here & it doesn’t disappoint! The chicken karage is AMAZING! It’s fried and crunchy but so juicy inside! It’s wonderful!
We got the garlic tonkatsu ramen again and it was really good again. Lots of flavor & good portions. I just wish there was more meat in it. Oh and just a warning: bring gum, for those around you will suffer your garlic breathe all day long!
The spicy ramen was also good, not as strong of a flavor and less salty so it was good for my boyfriend.

My sister had their Spicy Miso and I had their Tonkotsu Shio Rich (low sodium) ramen. Both dishes were very tasty! The noodles were chewy and not soggy. The both is very flavorful and you can taste the essence of the ingredients. My sister and I both agreed it was a bit salty including my low sodium version as we kept having to drink our water and asking for refills. The staff are friendly and helpful in describing each type of dishes. The décor is simple and the murals are a nice touch.

Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm and there’s a nice long wait. Was it worth it-​umm I would say no. I tried the low salt broth option for my Ramen and still felt I was on salt overload. In all fairness, Ramen is not one of my fave foods, so if you’re a big Ramen fan and live in the area the wait is certainly worth it. Would I drive out of my way to eat here and stand in line. Nope– not for me.

I’ve been here a few times now. In the beginning, the wait time was pretty long, but now it’s «normal». We were able to get seated immediately coming at 7 on a Wed night. Expect a little wait during weekend.
I like the noodles the best — it has a nice chew on it, and it always been cooked consistently. I’ve tried their special tonkotsu broth, the garlic broth and also the spicy ramen. They’re all rich and flavorful, just depends on your mood. Garlic one is definitely garlicky though, make sure your partner order one too so they won’t smell you :)
One time I ordered low sodium and didn’t taste a difference, another time, to be sure, we ordered one low sodium and one traditional and we were able to tell the difference. I think it’s not so easy to tell, so you can order low sodium if you want to be a little healthier, but I always order Traditional now.
As for their appetizers, love their chicken wings. And while everyone seems to like their takoyaki, I’m not a big fan of it.
I should try their tsukemen next, one of the few places that even offer them.

Color me impressed.
My bro told me that this place is legit. You can’t say no to a bro.
Like all ramen places, always a damn line. This place is no exception. Quoted 50 – 60 minutes, but really only 35 minutes for 5 people, during the late lunch hour. This place has a pleasant and modern atmosphere. You can drop your phone number down and get a text when it’s ready. Haven’t decided if that’s a bad or good thing. If you’re a ramen fiend like me, you’ll wait at the restaurant, so don’t really need a text message (so other people can just drop it down and go somewhere else… which adds to my wait!)
On to the main event:
Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen (traditional): Impressive. Deep flavor, thick broth. It hits your tongue and then you swallow, getting that sixth sense that this is authentic and beautiful. Has the right amount garlic and porky goodness. Noodles are thick and stand up to the heavy broth that it soaks in. One piece of chashu comes with it… Unfortunately no pork belly. I added fish cakes, which was a nice addition. Oh, can’t forget! Perfect soft boiled egg. They did it right… Further, my bro had this version as the «low sodium.» You can def tell the difference, as the low sodium is less flavorful, but lighter on the palate overall. Still delicious, pick your poison.
Chicken Karaage — OK.
Geso Karaage — Not worth the $ 6.
Check this place out. I will again.

Wow. This place was amazing. My boyfriend and I sat at the bar and had a fantastic meal. I had to redeem ramen for my boyfriend. He had only tried it once and it wasn’t a good experience. This made up for it and much more. The Garlic tonkatsu had so much depth of flavor. The ingredients were all cooked perfectly. Everyone should make there way out to this spot!

I honestly came here with low expectations, but my golly… the Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen was delicious. I did spend extra $$ for additional toppings (scoop of corn and few slices of tofu), but it made my ramen experience so much better. I love how you have the options of picking either traditional or low-​sodium broth. I picked the low-​sodium, because I didn’t want anything too salty and it was wonderful, rich and creamy, just the way I like it. The Takoyaki Octopus Dumplings was amazing! My friend had the Tsukenmen Dipping Noodles and it was fun watching her dip all her food in broth. Very nice ambiance, kinda reminds me of Vegas. Not very Portland at all. It’s great having something nice in the suburban area. Overall, great noodles, broth, and everything that comes in it. Seating is limited, best to come as a group of 2 – 4.

God, I love this place!
I’m always on the hunt for good ramen. Places have been popping up here and there in Portland but none have really stood out… that is until Kukai came along.
I love that there are so many variations of this dish. You can really customize this ramen. I’ve had a couple different kinds and both were very delicious.
I’m also a big fan of the takoyaki (not something that is at every Japanese restaurant in Portland, although it should be!
The décor and ambiance is nice, albeit a little bright. There’s always a wait when I go, but that’s ok… it’s well worth it.
I definitely recommend traveling out to the ‘burbs for this wonderful place!

KUKAI RAMEN & IZAKAYA
A legit ramen joint in Portland, Oregon, that has franchise locations in Japan, Taiwan, and the US. The servers here even shouted welcome intros in Japanese, even though they were Mexican, Caucasian, etc. The garlic tonkatsu ramen’s broth was nice and brothy and very flavorful. The soft-​boiled egg was amazing. On the flip side, though the Yuzu Ramen, made with both pork and chicken broth, was only so-​so, the flavor slightly bland. Overall, great interior decoration, friendly service, and decent Ramen makes this a great spot for some noodle soup on a cold, rainy Portland day.

The food, awesome!
The service, HORRIBLE!
The venue is small, Max seating capacity is prob 40 people. This is my 6^th time here and it never fails to have to wait at least 1 hour to be seated.
The hostesses and waiters are RUDE! The seating SUCKS! You have a large party 5 or more, good luck being seated together. They only have 1 table that seats 8 people which is their «community» table; as in multiple parties can be seated there, like a teppanyaki place!
If it weren’t for their ramen being bomb and their location being close to where I live, I wouldn’t come here ever!!!

Kate N.‘s review of Kukai was so spot on! Kukai, being a legit, established chain straight from Tokyo, knows exactly how to mass produce the perfect bowl of ramen:
— The noodles are plentiful, perfectly chewy, and you can choose different types of noodles and firmness (an extra serving of noodles is only $ 2).
— The meat broth is rich, thick, flavorful, and again, you can customize the thickness & spiciness to your liking.
— There are 13 toppings from which to choose (most important of which was the tender & delicious pork chashu)
— They have chicken and vegetarian options for those that aren’t into pork
Compared to all other ramen shops in the city, both their top notch quality and the $ 8 – 12 price point cannot be beat!
Keep in mind that they take a maximum of 2 credit cards per table, they only will seat you when everyone in your party is present, and they are notorious for long lines during peak hours.

I don’t know.
I mean, I like ramen. Don’t get me wrong, but our experience here… just…
I don’t know.
It all started when we walked in, we weren’t that big of a party. Six. That’s all. But the hostess asked all these questions about tables instead of taking charge. Asking if this table was okay. Asking if that table was okay. In the end, she took our name and telephone number down, and she told us she’d call when a table was ready. FYI… As a hostess, you’re supposed to take charge, and… do YOUR job. We browsed the market nearby while we waited. After quite a while of not being called, we decided to walk back to the restaurant, as we walked in, our telephone went off. Oh, the timing. Anyway, we got sat at our table, and we all looked at the menu. Two people in our party had been here before. Two people on our party have never been to a ramen place. So, we were kind of all over the place, but the server tried her best to explain the menu, although she did it rather quickly and without making sure the two in our party who’d never been to a ramen place understood. The food was good. I did enjoy my ramen, and it was just the right amount of spicy. But the service was just… eh. My friend’s order came out incorrect, and she ordered a soda that didn’t come out until the server was reminded. I don’t think she’ll ever try a place like this out again. She barely touched her food. Would I try this place out again? Perhaps. Again… I don’t know. We’ll see.

Came all the way out here to get some ramen after my Portland friends insisted that it was the best ramen in all of Portland, and guess what! They weren’t wrong!
This place is a solid ramen and izakaya joint, and coming from an LA-​native ramen snob, I feel that it carries some weight. Not only was their classic garlic tonkotsu ramen delicious, but they also offered the more-​rare tsukemen and some pretty interesting chicken ramen bowls that I’m not very used to seeing.
There was also a great selection of izakaya/​tapa dishes such as the chicken karaage and takoyaki. Everything we tried was great, I wouldn’t say that there are any truly unique twists on their dishes, but they did everything that they offered very well done and the service was solid although there was a busy Friday lunch crowd.

A friend who has had ramen in Chicago and SF spoke very well of this place, and he’s not one to throw out food praise easily, so hubby and I made the drive from Vancouver to see what the fuss was about.
For a Friday night around 6 PM, a half-​hour wait wasn’t bad. We opted for the counter instead of a table, which probably helped, and we enjoyed being able to see into the kitchen.
Our server was very patient with explaining the menu to us and her recommendations. We each ordered a pork belly bun; hubby got spicy miso, and I got traditional miso and added a half-​boiled egg.
The pork belly buns were so good. I thought they were good on their own, but my husband enjoyed his with each of the three sauces they delivered to our spot. The pork slices were decently-​thick and bigger than the buns; the little slices of cucumber helped to cut the saltiness of the pork. These were executed better than what I’ve had in Chicago.
Okay, on to ramen. The noodles were cooked to the right chew, and there was a good amount of them. The broth was well-​flavored without being salty. I enjoyed the pork that came with the ramen; and the half-​boiled egg was perfectly done; just the right amount of soft yolk without being too leaky, and they gave me the whole egg too! Never had that before.
There were a couple of issues I had. First, the broth was tasty, but not hot; closer to lukewarm. I’m not sure if this has to do with how they keep it warm in the kitchen, or if there is too much time between dishing out broth and delivery to the table, but it was a disappointment for the broth to not be hot.
(Or…maybe it’s because there’s been too many lawsuits in this country from people who scald themselves because they’re too careless to think that HOT soup could HURT if they drank it TOO FAST, but I digress…)
The other issue I had was the price of my egg. I know that they can’t put all possible toppings into a bowl of ramen, which is fine. But somehow, charging $ 1.50 for an egg seems… well…crazy, to say the least. I mean, a $ 1.50 for corn is crazy, unless it’s corn with special powers. But I’m not flying or wielding a big hammer yet, so I don’t think the food has magical powers…
Overall, we liked this place better than Boxer. But the price and the lukewarm broth subtracts a star for me.

Not quiet sure what the hype is all about. Its allll right. But not really worth an hour and a half wait.
This was my second visit and i am disappointed both times. I just hateeee how the broth comes out luke warm. And flavor of broth is on the bland side. I kept adding the red seasoning pepper every other bite. Their «spicy ramen» had the exact same flavor as their other ramen broths.
And their side izayaka dishes are mostly a bit on the salty side. Its good if u like beer.
Ive tried their
chicken karaage (crispy but salty)
Pork buns (good)
Chicken wings (salty and too sweet)
They have a good sake selection now and i liked how (on the menu itself) they actually recommend which ramen complements well with what.
The space is very clean and modern. Its overall good but I personally feel like it is way too overrated.

Omg people.
If I have to go back on all my Unilocal reviews and demote all the previously 5 stars rated ramen place to make Kukai’s rating more legit, I would. This is THE BEST ramen place in PDX (or PNW for that matter). Have fun with their Japanese whiskey flight. Also get the Tonkutsu soup based ramen. It’s cooked for 12 hours daily and the best taste on Earth.
It’s located inside a strip mall, so plenty of parking spaces. Wait can be long on the weekends, but they will text you when a table is ready.
You won’t be disappointed!

Huh??? No extra condiments no chicken katsu ramen?
Come from San Francisco this place is nothing compare to other ramen places I have been to and I’ve been to hundreds of them in different cities.
This place is good because it is Oregon not much choices out there for ramen so I will settle with this place and give it one star for the food and 5 stars for the service.

Overall this was a great experience even though I have had slightly better ramen on this side of town. The broth was good and the ramen noodles were perfect, the atmosphere was a nice modern Japanese style and the service was good. The whole table ordered the Tonkutsu Shoyu Ramen but one of us got the extra garlic option which in retrospect is really the best one to order, I’ll be doing that next time. They have a lot of other food too so I’ll update this when we try more.
Do expect a little wait, maybe 15 minutes at least even on a weekday lunch, but it’s worth it :)

Yes, Kukai is a bit overrated, but I still enjoy the food, atmosphere, and service.
I personally have not had to wait, the last five or so times I went, granted I went once twice during lunchtime (once during the week, and once on the weekend), and the other times either right when it opened or later in the evening.
My favorite items to order are:
— Takoyaki: Always comes out fresh and hot. so hot that the bonito flakes on top are always moving (from the heat and steam).
— Chicken Karaage: Crispy on the outside, soft and juicy in the inside, and nicely salted.
— Garlic Tonkatsu Ramen (traditional): Let me warn you, they don’t mess with the garlic. If you love garlic and a thick hearty broth, get this one. You can also opt for the low-​sodium version, which is just as tasty, just not as salty and thick.
— Miso Ramen (traditional): The broth on this one is not as oily and garlicky, which is nice sometimes, and it comes with a bunch of delicious toppings such as pork slices, bean sprouts, and corn (just to name a few).
It doesn’t get too loud in the restaurant, unless you’re sitting at the bar, which is on the other side of where the cooks/​chef prep some of the food. Other than that, the atmosphere feels clean and inviting.
The service has always been good.