Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai - Costa Mesa

Not a big Ramen guy, but this was amazing. We can’t wait to get back and try it again. Will get photos next time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Staffs are friendly, however the noodles and fried chicken are over cooked. And the taste is on the salty side, not much flavor in the broth.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

Kitakata never disappoints when it comes to their ramen. The quality of their ramen is always a 10/10. I've been coming here religiously for the past 8 years whenever I visit Orange County.

My go to ramen is the green chili shio ramen. I love that the broth is light and it has a kick from the fresh green chili. I like it extra spicy since I like the burn so I would ask for extra of the green chili. Their chashu is always a nicely sliced even layer and if you're big on meat, they have a ramen option to get more meat (chashu ramen). I also really like the texture of their ramen. It's flat and thicker than normal ramen noodles.

I feel like today's service was kind of slacking a bit. They forgot our extra chili that we ordered and when asking for extra napkins, they forgot about it.

Parking is limited when it gets busy and during rush hour, there will be a wait time so make sure to join the waitlist on yelp if you're in the area before arriving to cut down on wait time.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Good place to try ramen. Many different styles of ramen that are well prepared and flavorful. Efficient and professional staff that will serve you well and make your experience positively memorable.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Always a great experience here. The Tonkatsu broth is amazing. Sometimes I order their spicy ramen which also has that same broth. (Pictured) The Karrage chicken is juicy and delicious. This place has been here for years, definitely check it out if you’re in the Costa Mesa area.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We joined the waitlist and the staff was new they missed us for more than 1hr. We need come reminding them. The food was worth of waiting, I specially like the noodle, it’s not at every ramen shop to have. The noodle size is a little bit bigger, but it was al dente cooked, even it stayed long in the broth, it didn’t soften itself.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Came here to try the Kitakata style of ramen and wasn’t disappointed. Very tasty broth and ramen was just right.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Too late to review. I'll review tomorrow when it's not too late.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Our family used to frequent another Ramen shop on Bristol, but the taste and quality (especially with the Low Sodium options) are tops at Kitakata.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The delivery was quick and the food was great as usual!

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Green Chili Shio

Exceptional ramen, unfortunately the place is just too small for comfort. Feels like your shoulder to shoulder with the table next to you. Especially when there’s a party of 8 which takes up 40% of the space. The restaurant needs to consider relocating.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 5

Service: 5

Been going here for years. Very good ramen but parking and the wait can be difficult when they are busy.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food and staff were amazing, seemed like a busy night and everyone was doing their best to provide great service. Now for the atmosphere... Seems like ownership needs to make a visit during business hours. Had a woman next to me get her beer taken off her tab due to all the glasses designated for alcohol were already in use. Why are you not providing enough dishware for your staff to serve their customers? Alcohol is an great product to boost business sales, and your management team should be aware of that. By not providing proper dishware for serving alcohol, and in turn denying sales because of it, you are killing your profit. Since you don't seem to care about the well being of your employees, care about your sales and the people who pay to keep your doors open. Hope everyone there gets tipped well, and gets more dishware for their dinner service.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 5

I had an amazing experience at this ramen restaurant! The food was absolutely delicious—rich, flavorful broth, perfectly cooked noodles, and fresh, high-quality toppings. You can really taste the care that goes into every bowl.

What really stood out, though, was the customer service. The staff were incredibly welcoming, attentive, and genuinely kind. From the moment I walked in until the moment I left, they made sure everything was just right. It felt like they truly cared about making sure I had a great dining experience.

Whether you’re a ramen lover or trying it for the first time, I highly recommend this place. Great food, great people—I’ll definitely be coming back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Green chili ramen was very good. Thank you for your kind service

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5