Takoyaki balls were yummy. Soft and savory with the creamy sauces drizzled on top. We also got a taco trio to try which was less impressive. The amount of protein in the taco was quite small compared to the ratio of bread. And the bread was also a bit soggy and soft at the bottom.
Alexandra R.
Stopped by here after going to the escape room close by. The guy at the counter was very friendly. I ended up getting two ippudo buns...one chicken and one veggie. We got the mayo based sauces on the side since I was sharing when someone who doesn't like mayo . The wait wasn't too bad, and I thought it was pretty tasty, but definitely needed the sauce. I do wish it was more grilled like the menu pic but oh well. I also wish I realized that it's 3 for $13.I will definitely come back and try more things.
Benjamin Chiu
I’m a longtime fan of Kuro-Obi since their opening, but after eating here today, I’m very disappointed with the value offered by the new menu. It’s really apparent that cost control is the priority. Two tiny pieces of sliced chicken breast (finger sized, and 1/4” thick at most) instead of larger servings of pork charsiu in the past. Tiny bit of veggies limited to 1-2oz of spinach and 4 bamboo shoots. The soft boiled egg is now presented as extra. The broth is still delicious and has always been unique. To the owners: I liked your spot before, but it’s taken a turn for the worse. In the age of inflation, you need to offer value instead of removing it. I’m not sure I’d come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Andre Petersen
Aka Obi ramen was pretty good! Definitely worth trying imo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Judy Margaret Chen
Quite good ramen. Given it’s a stall in a mall’s food court, I’d say the taste was quite decent. It tasted better than some restaurant’s ramen dishes.However, the portion was quite small though. Given the price, I’d expect more ramen or bigger bowls.Parking: Plenty of mall parking lotsKid-friendliness: Located in a mall’s dining food court, so plenty of seatings, high chairsWheelchair accessibility: Elevators to the food court and plenty of space with open tables
Recommended dishes: Black Belt, Chashu Rice, Kuro Obi Ramen, Red Belt
Steven D.
decent ramen place considering its at a mall. I had the Kuro-obi dish and the broth was very flavorful. The noodles were just okay. The spice level wasn't too bad so I asked for a side of red hot sauce. The price was ~$16. All that said, I'd come back. picture honestly doesn't reflect the taste.
Marc T.
Had the chance to try this place for a quick dinner before an escape room. Lots of choices in the Hillsdale mall like this Japanese food venue. Service was quick since there wasn't a line. After I ordered, a few people were interested in ordering. Nice set up that seems authentic and classy with the wooden furnishing counter. I ordered their chicken kara-age with rice. A medium portion of chicken about 4-5 medium sized pieces upon 2.5-3 scoops of rice with some salad. Great touch of a lemon wedge to add that zest and sour flavor. Once I shook up the bowl, I was ready to dig in. The chicken was crispy with juicy meat drenched in their house katsu sauce which added an umami flavor. The salad and rice were alright. I was happy with my order though because I didn't feel bloated after finishing the entire thing. Good dish and would try other dishes from here.
Chi Nguyen
The food was below average and not good. The fish and wagu steak were not fresh and tested like left over from last week.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup
Brenner Q.
I had the chicken Kara-age bowl with rice and the shishito peppers, good flavor! The chicken was awesome with the garlic toppings and Mayo and unagi sauce and the peppers were nice and crunchy with the garlic salt... super good stuff!
Demian Raspall
Their Ramen was great. It sits in a shopping mall so there's only so much they can influence the atmosphere ...I enjoyed it!
Menu has changed.. kuro obi is No longer the same it was. Used to give 4 pieces of pork. Now they give 2 small pieces of chicken. They also sell a small portion of chilly paste for $2.00 and no longer give out chilly flakes. No longer giving them service
BornAgain
Menu has changed.. kuro obi is No longer the same it was. Used to give 4 pieces of pork. Now they give 2 small pieces of chicken. They also sell a small portion of chilly paste for $2.00 and no longer give out chilly flakes. No longer giving them service
Alex Zepka
I had the Chashu rice, which was yummy, but not super filling. I would like to try the ramen next time. There are a few other restaurants in this food court, so you have to be good to stay competitive. Some dining tables were not clean, but the space is otherwise nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chashu Rice
Chandler Ng
The ramen quality dropped considerably since 1 year ago. Now it tastes nothing like ramen. I understand that it's hard to find good ramen, similar to those in Japan so we often settle for something worse. But this quality is really unacceptable.Please take the word Ippudo out from the name because this is definitely nothing like the Ippudo quality that I know.
Ariana J.
Was very excited to see Ippudo endorsed ramen place in the Peninsula and was so eager to try out. Visited this place during lunch today with my friend. Was disappointed with the portion sizes to be honest. Super small bowls and so pricy? And no where close to Ippudo noodles. I had the spicy ramen and it was ok. The small bowls made it so difficult to mix the noodles around. We ordered the combo buns coz they were the best parts of Ippudo. And they were alright too. Bit sweet. The buns are really soft just like I remember. Am not sure if I'd visit this again. It's located in the Hillsdale mall food court so it's either a hit or miss to find a spot.
Takoyaki balls were yummy. Soft and savory with the creamy sauces drizzled on top. We also got a taco trio to try which was less impressive. The amount of protein in the taco was quite small compared to the ratio of bread. And the bread was also a bit soggy and soft at the bottom.
Stopped by here after going to the escape room close by. The guy at the counter was very friendly. I ended up getting two ippudo buns...one chicken and one veggie. We got the mayo based sauces on the side since I was sharing when someone who doesn't like mayo . The wait wasn't too bad, and I thought it was pretty tasty, but definitely needed the sauce. I do wish it was more grilled like the menu pic but oh well. I also wish I realized that it's 3 for $13.I will definitely come back and try more things.
I’m a longtime fan of Kuro-Obi since their opening, but after eating here today, I’m very disappointed with the value offered by the new menu. It’s really apparent that cost control is the priority. Two tiny pieces of sliced chicken breast (finger sized, and 1/4” thick at most) instead of larger servings of pork charsiu in the past. Tiny bit of veggies limited to 1-2oz of spinach and 4 bamboo shoots. The soft boiled egg is now presented as extra. The broth is still delicious and has always been unique. To the owners: I liked your spot before, but it’s taken a turn for the worse. In the age of inflation, you need to offer value instead of removing it. I’m not sure I’d come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Aka Obi ramen was pretty good! Definitely worth trying imo.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Quite good ramen. Given it’s a stall in a mall’s food court, I’d say the taste was quite decent. It tasted better than some restaurant’s ramen dishes.However, the portion was quite small though. Given the price, I’d expect more ramen or bigger bowls.Parking: Plenty of mall parking lotsKid-friendliness: Located in a mall’s dining food court, so plenty of seatings, high chairsWheelchair accessibility: Elevators to the food court and plenty of space with open tables
Recommended dishes: Black Belt, Chashu Rice, Kuro Obi Ramen, Red Belt
decent ramen place considering its at a mall. I had the Kuro-obi dish and the broth was very flavorful. The noodles were just okay. The spice level wasn't too bad so I asked for a side of red hot sauce. The price was ~$16. All that said, I'd come back. picture honestly doesn't reflect the taste.
Had the chance to try this place for a quick dinner before an escape room. Lots of choices in the Hillsdale mall like this Japanese food venue. Service was quick since there wasn't a line. After I ordered, a few people were interested in ordering. Nice set up that seems authentic and classy with the wooden furnishing counter. I ordered their chicken kara-age with rice. A medium portion of chicken about 4-5 medium sized pieces upon 2.5-3 scoops of rice with some salad. Great touch of a lemon wedge to add that zest and sour flavor. Once I shook up the bowl, I was ready to dig in. The chicken was crispy with juicy meat drenched in their house katsu sauce which added an umami flavor. The salad and rice were alright. I was happy with my order though because I didn't feel bloated after finishing the entire thing. Good dish and would try other dishes from here.
The food was below average and not good. The fish and wagu steak were not fresh and tested like left over from last week.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup
I had the chicken Kara-age bowl with rice and the shishito peppers, good flavor! The chicken was awesome with the garlic toppings and Mayo and unagi sauce and the peppers were nice and crunchy with the garlic salt... super good stuff!
Their Ramen was great. It sits in a shopping mall so there's only so much they can influence the atmosphere ...I enjoyed it!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Menu has changed.. kuro obi is No longer the same it was. Used to give 4 pieces of pork. Now they give 2 small pieces of chicken. They also sell a small portion of chilly paste for $2.00 and no longer give out chilly flakes. No longer giving them service
Menu has changed.. kuro obi is No longer the same it was. Used to give 4 pieces of pork. Now they give 2 small pieces of chicken. They also sell a small portion of chilly paste for $2.00 and no longer give out chilly flakes. No longer giving them service
I had the Chashu rice, which was yummy, but not super filling. I would like to try the ramen next time. There are a few other restaurants in this food court, so you have to be good to stay competitive. Some dining tables were not clean, but the space is otherwise nice.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chashu Rice
The ramen quality dropped considerably since 1 year ago. Now it tastes nothing like ramen. I understand that it's hard to find good ramen, similar to those in Japan so we often settle for something worse. But this quality is really unacceptable.Please take the word Ippudo out from the name because this is definitely nothing like the Ippudo quality that I know.
Was very excited to see Ippudo endorsed ramen place in the Peninsula and was so eager to try out. Visited this place during lunch today with my friend. Was disappointed with the portion sizes to be honest. Super small bowls and so pricy? And no where close to Ippudo noodles. I had the spicy ramen and it was ok. The small bowls made it so difficult to mix the noodles around. We ordered the combo buns coz they were the best parts of Ippudo. And they were alright too. Bit sweet. The buns are really soft just like I remember. Am not sure if I'd visit this again. It's located in the Hillsdale mall food court so it's either a hit or miss to find a spot.