Japanese Kitchen Dosunco

I love all types of ramen. Packet ramen, dry ramen, hell even ramen on burgers. Being such a ramen connoisseur, I had high expectations for JKD.
Coming to dinner on a Friday, it was pretty packed. We had around a 15 minute wait so it wasn’t too bad. The service was pretty fast. However, with that efficiency comes problems.
The ramen I ordered was alright. Don’t get me wrong, the broth was delicious. Very flavorful and packed with spices. But that might be the only good part. The egg was a bit overcooked and not the right consistency for my taste. Usually, eggs in ramen are supposed to be gooey and melt into your broth. This egg was completely cooked. To make matters even worse, the egg and the meat were both served cold, meaning they were precooked and refrigerated. There’s nothing wrong with precooking, but it gives a weird temperature blast when your ramen is hot and your meats are frozen cold. The noodles were a bit undercooked as well. Eh… it was like a bowl of disaster.
Overall, JKD has a bit of work to earn my trust back because they missed the target on my bowl of ramen.
tl;dr — Might as well cook your own ramen at home, probably save you some money. Or make a ramen burger, hella good way to eat ramen!

A solid ramen option. Byo spoon.
Came for lunch, sat at the bar, had the spicy dosunco ramen. Service was prompt and efficient.
They give you a nice iced barley tea.
The ramen broth was rich, but not overwhelming.
The pork was excellent. Fall apart tender.
The egg was tasty.
Nice bamboo.
I would have liked more noodles, and for them to have a bit more texture.
The spoon it comes with is not very good for spooning. When asked for a fork, I got a spork, which was also not a very good spoon.
For a ramen place, I figure having usable spoons would be a high priority.

This was my first time every trying fancy ramen. We got there right when it opened and were the first people inside. So I took the stars for 2 reasons. My ramen was really really under seasoned and the karage is not good. It was just really really greasy chicken. After adding salt my ramen was exceptional I really enjoyed it. The service was great and the décor and ambiance is very cool and hipster. Overall a good experience but don’t get the karage.

went their yesterday on a Saturday on one of Tampa’s coldest days, so you could imagine it was busy! We were told it would be about 20 – 30 minutes for a wait & it ended up being an hour +. Luckily they have beer & good service to make up for that! I do not know their policies, but I would call ahead if you have a large party. There was a party of 10 who really shifted the entire seating dynamic (in a not so great way!).
Food is the reason for 5 stars! Delicious & Affordable (affordable as you can be for Ramen!) I got the udon & I wished I had ordered the Ramen. My husband got the spicy ramen & it was incredible! thanks for the delicious food & great service (despite the wait!) Dosunco! — @mrsnutritionista

After reading great reviews about this new restaurant, I was happy to be invited out for noodles on a chilly night with some new friends. The Spicy Dosunco was wonderful! The broth was flavorful and not spicy enough to make you run for the nearest fire hydrant. They also provide chili oil to add some extra punch if desired. The fermented egg and pork made the dish in my opinion. My only regret is not added extra pork and eggs to my dish. The I enjoyed my experience thoroughly. The service was friendly and prompt. The prices are exceptionally reasonable! I am looking forward to another visit where I can try an appetizer and a different noodle dish or two. I have a feeling this will become one of my favorite new restaurants in town.

My first experience having real ramen, and not one that I prepared from a package at home. So glad I came to try it here first. Atmosphere inside is friendly and laid back. Love the light fixtures and modern, simplistic theme. I felt like I was transported to a ramen shop in Japan!
I ordered the spicy Dosunco ramen bowl. Once our orders were in, it did not take long for us to receive our bowls, considering how busy the restaurant was. Broth was delicious, not too spicy for me and definitely not bland. Pork was very tender and I loved the bites of bamboo I got with my noodles. The mochi looked good, but was too full– next time for sure!
Service was excellent. They were very accommodating of our table as well as with all of the other patrons in the restaurant. Definitely car pool if you can, parking is tight. This was well worth my drive over from St Pete during 5 o’clock rush hour traffic. That ramen bowl hit the spot. Actually, the whole experience satisfied– I had a very nice time here. Now I will never look at my packages of Shin Ramyun ramen the same again.

My new Asian foodie obsession is a steaming-​hot bowl of ramen noodles served in a rich, savory broth. Now let’s be clear… this is not the instant ramen noodles in the cellophane wrapper that you ate in your college dorm room when you confined yourself to a $ 5 a week food budget (because you were saving money for beer). No, this is something very grown-​up, and very delicious which has quickly become a food trend that is sweeping the country.
Japanese Kitchen Dosunco is an authentic Japanese-​style, ramen-​ya restaurant, located along Kennedy Boulevard, in a small strip mall, opposite the Fox Channel 13 TV studios. There is no blaring rap music, pretentious attitude, or an abundance of tattooed and aloof servers here — this is a quiet, relaxed place to enjoy your meal and socialize with your friends. Dosunco offers stools to sit at the bar overlooking the kitchen, or tables of 4 scattered around the restaurant. The place can get busy, but the wait is seldom unreasonable.
The menu is very basic, with a variety of Japanese beers, sakes, sodas, and teas to start. For appetizers, they offer gyoza (dumplings) either fried or steamed, a green salad with miso dressing, and karage (Japanese-​style fried chicken) with a spicy mayo dipping sauce. The karage is made with small pieces of chicken breast that are breaded and deep-​fried. YUM!!!
Then you have the choice of either ramen noodle soup or udon, which is a thicker wheat flour noodle. Ramen is a thinner wheat noodle which is served in a meat-​based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, ground beef, dried seaweed, fermented bamboo shoots, fermented eggs, and green onions. The soup base takes hours to make, and it starts with roasted beef, chicken, or pork bones, mixed with a variety of ingredients and seasoned according to region and taste.
Dosunco offers a traditional miso ramen, a spicy miso ramen, a shoyu ramen (seasoned with soy sauce), and a broth-​less abura soba bowl. They also offer some vegetarian-​style ramen made with a soy bean paste broth. Each has it’s own flavor profile, and all are very delicious. For the first time ramen eater, you should know that it takes time for the chef to individually prepare your bowl, so please be patient.
If you’re seated at the bar overlooking the kitchen, you’ll see Ramen Chef Alihiro ladling the broth into a bowl followed by a portion of freshly-​cooked ramen noodles. To that he adds the various toppings and seasonings, and finally hands the bowl off to a server who whisks it to your table. The bowls come out one-​by-​one as they are prepared. Your bowl holds a traditional wooden ladle (larger than a spoon), and you scoop up the broth and drink it down using this tool. You’ll also be handed chopsticks for eating the noodles, the pork, the egg, and generally slurping everything else down. (Slurping is acceptable!)
If your chopstick skills are a bit shaky, then ask them for the «Gringo Tool» (better known as a spork — spoon /​fork combination). No one will snicker at you as everyone else is busy slurping and making yummy sounds.
A bowl of this deliciousness is about $ 13, and you can add the karage appetizer for $ 5 more. You’re out the door for about $ 20 (before tip).
Dosunco is my preferred ramen noodle shop in the Tampa Bay area, though there are other choices. See what appeals to you, and happy slurping!

Dosunco is a very hole in the wall restaurant. The décor is very simple, which I like, and a small menu with the basics. I got the karage and the abura soba which is a broth less ramen. The karage was amazing. Once the lemon was squeezed onto the fried chicken, it was very refreshing. The brothless ramen was very flavorful. It was a good sweet and salty mix.
The only reason why I didn’t give it a 5 stars was because when I got there with 3 other people, there were clearly 2 open tables and a sign that said please wAit to be seated and we waited a good ten minutes before my boyfriend has to ask if we seat ourselves or does someone seat us, and they replied let me ask the boss. Other than that, I’ll definitely come back to try the other ramens!

First visit to a real Ramen place (my usual is more of a mix, still love it though). I ordered the Shoyu served with pork and an egg in a thick noodle broth. I was glad that it was not salty and very good foavors. They were busy for lunch and with a small parking lot you may want to get there early. I also ordered a side salad but the dressing was too creamy for my taste. I wish they had more meat options since pork is not something everyone eats.

We were searching for a Ramen place in Tampa, and this came up on Unilocal.I was a bit confused because it advertises itself as a «Japanese Restaurant», and NOT as a Ramen place… but no doubt about it, this place is ALL ABOUT THEIR RAMEN, and it is fantastic!
Clearly made fresh, not soggy, and perfectly balanced. A miso base that is to die for, to the point that I keep going back over and over and over!

Came here for lunch. It was kinda hard to find at first. It’s located at a very small plaza and have a limited parking spot. The place was a lil bright. Decorations are simple and have a very small choices which is good to familiarize with what they have.
Ordered the spicy Dosunco ramen and it was good the ramen is just right and it tastes good. The service was a lil slow I guess but other than that the food was okay and the prices were not bad. Still not comparable to the ramen I had when I visited NYC but hey ramen place in Tampa were as good as we can get.

I must admit, I have never had ‘fancy ramen’ before. To me, ramen has always been associated with college and severe budgeting to make it to your next paycheck. This has changed my mind and I could see ramen joints being the next big thing. Move over sushi!
Dosunco is located on Kennedy Blvd, just past Dale Mabry if you are heading west. It is a very small restaurant with a very small parking lot. I snuck into a very snug (and the last available) parking spot around 9pm on Friday night. There was just 2 in our party and we were seated almost immediately. I would not recommend going here with more than just a few people because seating is extremely limited. Plus ramen takes a while to eat so no one is leaving fast.
Menu time: DELICIOUS! I was surprised that ramen noodles and a few simple ingredients could be so elegant. I had the Spicy Dosunco Ramen ($ 12) which was not overly spicy but had hints of red pepper. The ingredients were not overwhelming and very well balanced. The noodles were the spotlight and the miso based broth went well with it. Ramen FTW. Also got to try the gyoza ($ 4) which were tasty. Drinks are limited to sake or beer ($ 5-​$ 7) and they give you free Japanese tea. The waiter forgot mine, but they were busy and I was focused on sake anyway. On the entrée menu, there is a veggie option and children’s options.
Overall a nice place to grab a bowl of ramen and I would definitely go back! Key things to remember: it is small, plan accordingly. There are 5 main dishes to choose from (to me, that makes life easier and tells me they specialize in one thing: NOODLES)! Give it a try

We found this place from a fellow Unilocaler that I’ve relied on their word for another restaurant. We read many reviews as well and decided to give this place a shot.
Not sure what happened…
Positives:
Clean and cute restrooms.
Restaurant was clean. FYI — it is VERY warm though. Usually I’m cold everywhere. Not here.
Server was polite.
Here’s our dilemma:
My hubby ordered the vegetarian ramen. A few minutes later the server came back and said they didn’t have some of the ingredients so he ordered a different ramen. Out of curiosity, we wondered what ingredients were unavailable in hopes we could just nix them from the dish and still try that particular ramen. Hubby motions the server and server proceeds to forward our question to the chef. The chef was short and I’m not referring to verticalness. Server relays the message, they have none of the ingredients. Okay go back to the backup Ramen. No biggie.
Our ramen arrived. I asked for a fork and they brought the cutest little spork I’ve ever seen! Really, it’s cute!
After getting past the sporks cuteness factor I dive into my spicy miso ramen. My hubby dives into whatever his backup ramen was. Here’s where things just didn’t stand a chance at good and there’s no recovery. I can get past most things. Greasy/​oily food I can’t. Neither can the hubby. Both ramens were greasy to the point of inedible.
No recovery and no returning for do overs. Just no.
I’m not sure if it was an «off» thing but honestly, the cost is not so inexpensive that you feel comfortable brushing the possibility of bad off your shoulders. If it were edible, I’d rate it as somewhat inexpensive. Having to dine elsewhere after paying for food that you can’t eat doesn’t make it ‘feasible’ anywhere though.
:(

A new restaurant in town that specializes in ramen. The restaurant is small and open. The menu is small, which I prefer. I feel restaurants with gigantic menus are a bit overwhelming. I never had ramen from a restaurant before, so this was a new experience.
I ordered the spicy ramen, my friends got a few appetizers. Such as Hiyayakko (tofu) and Chicken Karaage. The tofu was simple and light, it gave off a fresh taste. The Chicken Karaage tasted simply like fried chicken tenders.
The ramen was something I was looking forward to. This is because of all the people telling me how amazing it was. Honestly, it didn’t live up to how amazing all my friends were telling me it was, but it definitely was tasty. The ramen didn’t taste spicy at all, the broth was flavorful. The pork that was in the ramen was quite tender, stirring the soup broke it up into tiny pieces. The egg is good but little overcooked, probably because it was precooked, then heated up once more before serving.
Service is great! You walk in, someone greets you instantly. The server is happy to answer any questions you have and will give you advice how to eat the food. I will come again and recommend it to my friends.

This new ramen shop is showing lots of promise and is a welcome addition to our city. I tried the Shoyu Ramen on my last visit and it was refreshing and affordable at $ 10 for a big gourmet ramen bowl. The restaurant gives you sporks that help chopstick impaired diners like myself.
The ingredients tasted great and the broth goes perfectly with the noodles although the broth by itself is a little salty due to the soy-​base, just for your information. My friends udon noodles looked tempting and I’m thinking about getting a shrimp tempura udon next time.
The dining room could use some work as far as seat arrangements/​efficiency and the turnaround time for ramen sent out can be improved, but for a new business that is paving the way for ramen in Tampa — I can be patient.
The appetizers are affordable at under $ 5 as is the sake with many prices at around $ 6. Complimentary barley tea is available which is a very Asian kind of drink, but anyone from Asia will appreciate the added item. The green tea mochi ice cream dessert was $ 2 and was delicious.
Parking is limited so try to carpool. I’m hoping the hours will be extended as business picks up as well. Ramen for lunch would be amazing.
I will definitely be back soon!

One thing that Japanese Kitchen Dosunco has down is the ramen! Oh, and also the awesome service. This place brings authentic Japanese Ramen Shop to your doorstep. well you gotta drive there of course.
I’ve seen some ramen shop come and go and wish the best for Japanese Kitchen Dosunco because they just feel right. The simple and very small menu shows that they are only focusing on bringing you the best ramen.
I’ve tried a few appetizers and enjoyed the Chicken Karaage and the Hiyayakko (cold tofu). The chicken is crispy and juicy while the cold tofu is simple and refreshing.
The Spicy Miso was delicious as well… of course being the main star! The broth is rich in flavor yet not greasy. It was perfectly seasoned and I love slurping it down to the last drop. The pork is super tender and fall apart, yum! I did find the noodles to be a little overcooked as well as the egg, but flavor was spot on.

A trip to Japanese Kitchen Dusunco starts out by walking into an industrialized, clean space with an open kitchen and pretty light fixtures. You can start your meal with a free tea of the day (the flavor when I went was a barley iced tea, it was interesting and not for everyone but cool to try). Then you order some delicious food. I tried the Dusunco ramen. The broth was fatty and flavorful with perfect consistency noodles. I finished off my meal with the mochi ice cream. You can try both the vanilla and green tea or get two of the same varieties. The vanilla was my favorite.
This new shop definitely adds a great choice to the Tampa food scene and I will for sure be returning.

We have a very off night from this place. We have a group of four went to this place for the ramen. We hope to try some of the new and hot place in town. However, we do not have the good experience tonight.
We came to this place after the museum night at downtown. We arrive at 7:20 and one of friend family just finish and they let us have the table. Thanks to him that we have no waiting on the table. We put our order in for the food and we order the sake. The sake is a good deal. We have finished our sake and the appetizer has not arrived. It took them 1.25 hour to bring out the appetizer. Before the app is out, I told my friend we should walk out if the food did not come in one hour. However, we are eager to try this restaurant food and we stay and wait for the excitement of the food.
We waited close to 1.5 hour before our ramen came. We were wonder why it take so long. The food came and I immediately disappointed what we have longing for. The ramen is sticking together and the noodle is not separated. The meat may be cook extreme long time and the meat is easily broken into powder pieces. The soup is considering average on the miso base. I have better ramen in Tampa compare to this place. I not even need to compare to the standard in Japan that I have experience.
I had ramen in clear broth base, miso base, spicy base, and dry base before. The meat of other place is moist and good for the pork. The good ramen place has marinated egg in half broil. When you break the egg yolk, the yolk will spill into the broth and create another sensation. This place the yolk is complete cooked.
The output of this restaurant needs to be rethinking. In Japan, I have seen 50 bowls of ramen in 30 minutes but not in this place. I know this is art but also need to consider the wait of the customer. Lack of efficiency, technique, material. I am award 2 stars. Many rooms need improvement.

I’m definitely no expert when it comes to ramen or Japanese cuisine for that matter. But a friend of mine has been waiting for a true ramen house to open up in Tampa for quite some time. So when I heard Dosunco opened their doors this week, we headed there right away…
Upon entering, the entire staff greets you in Japanese which feels nice (and also as you leave). My biggest takeaway from eating here is that they want you to feel welcome and genuinely want to make you happy. They are open to hearing your concerns and will accommodate any special requests you have. I liked how they gave us a suggestion card where we could rate them on service, taste, ambience, etc. This is a mark of an owner who «gets it».
For starters, we ordered the appetizer sampler which consisted of gyoza, karaage (fried chicken), and cream croquette (2 pieces of each; only $ 6). I thought they all tasted great and were cooked perfectly. I would definitely recommend getting that as an appetizer.
Once we finished eating the apps, our ramen came out. I ordered the Shoyo ramen ($ 10), which consisted of a soy sauce base broth with roasted pork, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, seasoned egg and green onion. I’m not going to lie… the grayish brown color of the egg kinda made me leery so I passed on eating that. The broth itself had good flavor, albeit a little salty for my liking due to the soy sauce base, I presume. My friend though ordered the Dosunco Ramen (miso ramen) which had a soy bean paste broth, which she liked but she also thought it was too salty.
For dessert, we shared mochi (2 pieces) which had green tea ice cream filling (they also have vanilla). Tasty treat which I recommend if you’ve never had it. Sweet and chewy exterior with a creamy interior.
In short, I’ll give Dosunco 4 stars highlighted by the friendly service and unique menu offerings. The restaurant itself is clean and modern but could use more seating, especially at the counter, which I’m sure they’ll add in the future. A sign outside indicates they’re hiring which should help with the wait time as they only had one chef cooking. So like any new restaurant, they have some shortcomings, however, it seems they are well-​aware what they are and will make improvements. I’ll definitely return and look forward to trying other things on their menu such as Japanese fried chicken and udon.

#300!
I normally dedicate every 50^th review to one of my favorite restaurants, but I decided to make an exception tonight because this is sure to become one of them. I have driven by this place several times thinking it was sure to be yet ANOTHER sushi restaurant but I was so happy to find out they were specializing in ramen!
Japanese Kitchen Dosunco just opened yesterday (⁷⁄₂₈) and I love that they have been totally under the radar because we were able to get in for dinner and it wasn’t crowded at all. Of course, I was very cocky walking in because I thought for sure I would be the first Unilocal Elite to eat here. Lo and behold, Josh W was at a table with his beautiful family to the right of me and Mark P was sitting to the left of me!
The restaurant is simply decorated and very clean. We were greeted right away as we walked in by the entire staff like we were walking into a Japanese Moe’s…and I loved it!
I started with an Asahi beer. It was only $ 6 for the huge bottle and very good. My dining companion started with the Sake, which was equally good.
I ordered an Appetizer Sampler which consisted of Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken), Cream Coquettes, and Gyoza. Everything was so delicious, but the fried chicken was my favorite!
Next, I ordered the Onigiri, which were the rice balls filled with Tuna with Mayo. The rice balls were very good, too!
For my entrée I ordered the Miso Ramen. It was chock full of roast pork, ground beef, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, green onion, and a seasoned egg. It was so tasty and exactly the ramen I had been craving since my favorite ramen joint had closed months ago.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU DINE HERE:
1.) They just opened and are trying to iron out the kinks of being a new restaurant. They are still looking to hire more staff and please note that English is not their primary language so please be patient with them.
2.) The food is here is MADE TO ORDER. If you are expecting to be in and out of the restaurant, you will be disappointed. Everything is delicious, is not pre-​made, and if I must say so myself, worth the wait.
3.) Yes, the broth may bit a salty for some of you but it is soy based. But, I also am not a ramen expert and am a saltaholic!
Definitely check Japanese Kitchen Dosunco out. Everything we ordered was so delicious that I will be putting this place on my weekly rotation. The staff was very friendly and did a great job taking care of us.
Go get yourself some delicious ramen before the word gets out!