I hate to say that I wasn’t impressed with this spot. We had a few different menu items that we’d shared; the jackfruit bao, the cauliflower, and the tofu kimchi ramen. I had the paper crane as my drink which was good, but the food didn’t hit. The jackfruit bao was okay, but lacking flavor; I would have preferred some more differences in texture but even with the slaw it was just okay. The cauliflower was good, but would have been more manageable to eat if it hadn’t come in the form of a full head or if we had more than forks to break it apart. The kimchi ramen wasn’t very special either. Sometimes it fusion feels new and interesting, but at other times it falls flat. As for the atmosphere there were some fun artistic choices but the environment felt rather cold with the concrete floors and the scuff marks of rearranged furniture marking the walls. I like to give the benefit of the doubt; maybe we came in on an off day, or maybe what we had bad choices when it came to ordering. That said, if I’m ever coming back to Cincinnati, I will be choosing a different place for dinner.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
Michael Cline
This place is special. For our first visit, we selected 5 items from the menu for take out and each of them were very, very good. The only conversation we made for that hour was about the food itself. We were elated. Thoughtfully and carefully conceived and prepared, this food was a delightful experience.Do you know how sometimes a bite is so good that it will cause you to pause from chewing any further until the quiet ahhh and mmmm you involuntarily uttered have passed and with another bite comes the realization some manner of stress has left you? Thankfully, dining encounters like these are on par with some spiritual and sensual encounters fleeting as they may sometimes be. We will return with the hope that Kiki might give us this again.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Everything
Brian Ellis
Went on a Sunday evening right when the place opened and I ordered 4 different things off the menu. Our server Ryan was professional and had a good sense of humor and knowledge of the menu. And if you can’t get street parking you can park behind brink brewery for free. Definitely will go backParking: Park behind Brink Brewing for free
Staff were Amazing! The Ryokucha Gimlet and Paper Crane were fantastic - bartender crushed it! And, all the food - Gyoza, oysters, wagyu, ramen, chicken kaarage, curry pan, whole fish, kimchi, green tea ice crème and even edamame - literally everything we ordered was beautiful & delish!! Cannot wait to come back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Raw Oysters, Great Ramen, Curry Pan, Edamame, Pork Gyoza, Everything, Shio Ramen, Chicken Karaage
Garima Mandavya
Amazing atmosphere.The food was good. Curry pan and Oyster were amazing. Ramen broth/toppings and karage could be better.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Raw Oysters, Curry Pan, Shio Ramen, Chicken Karaage
Dennis Krabacher
Our waiter(Logan) said we get one sauce with the item we order and $1 for additional.We ordered 2 sauces each for the 3 items we ordered. He charged $2 for sauces on each of the 3 items we ordered.Overcharged $3 in my mind.Plus we were having a birthday celebration and called prior to arrival and told would tell waiter … he said no we don’t do that …. But someone finally brought a free dessert. Thanks you ..whomever is responsible. ??Please clarifyThanksDennis Krabacher
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Everything
C. Tu
Kiki can hold it's own against any Japanese restaurant in the country. Carefully crafted food and creative flavors, an absolute Queen City gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Raw Oysters, Curry Pan, Karrage, Everything, Kakiage, Seaweed Salad with Local Cucumber and Radish GF Vegan, Temaki, Poke Bowl, Shishito Peppers, Chicken Karaage
D M
Calm laid back environment. Great menu and quality food.Parking: Paid street parking out front. Free parking in community lot behind sleepy bee.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Pan, Shio Ramen
Amanda Merrion
One of the best meals I've had in a long time. Great service with knowledge and friendly staff.
Fantastic food — I haven’t had a single dish here that wasn’t great. The cocktails are inventive and so tasty. The flavors are unique and impressive; foodies will LOVE this place; and non-foodies can find great options to enjoy and return to over and over again.The new brunch menu is a delight.Vegetarian options: Regular menu and special options for vegetarians — always clearly noted. Some menu items can be made vegetarian upon request. Staff very helpful in options.Dietary restrictions: Vegan and gluten free options available.Parking: Spots on the street or in a nearby surface lotKid-friendliness: Kids welcome - special kids menu at dinner.Wheelchair accessibility: Yes
Beautiful, exquisite Japanese food! Had the vegetable Tempura, roasted sweet potato Yakiimo, & Caesar saladGrrrreat ambience as well...
Sydney Cooley
One of the best meals in Cincinnati. Every single course was incredible. The seared scallops, gyoza pork, seaweed salad, oysters... wow. I could go on and on. I would highly, highly recommend trying to reserve your table. It's a small spot so I don't think they usually take big parties. They do have a waitlist they can put you on. If you do have to wait, just go down the street to a bar and chill. It is worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Renato I.
My favorite restaurant in Cincinnati! The food is to die for! The drinks are also amazing even as Mock tails! The staff is so inviting and willing to make your experience the best! The dinner menu that rotates every season has some of the best Japanese dishes I've had in Ohio! The brunch bagels are also amazing since the combos of Japanese cuisine with bagels blends perfectly! The atmosphere is so artistic with always a solid ambiance no matter the amount of people.
Lacrimae M.
Fantastic atmosphere service and atmosphere. They make it easy to order and to pay with a scanner at your table
I hate to say that I wasn’t impressed with this spot. We had a few different menu items that we’d shared; the jackfruit bao, the cauliflower, and the tofu kimchi ramen. I had the paper crane as my drink which was good, but the food didn’t hit. The jackfruit bao was okay, but lacking flavor; I would have preferred some more differences in texture but even with the slaw it was just okay. The cauliflower was good, but would have been more manageable to eat if it hadn’t come in the form of a full head or if we had more than forks to break it apart. The kimchi ramen wasn’t very special either. Sometimes it fusion feels new and interesting, but at other times it falls flat. As for the atmosphere there were some fun artistic choices but the environment felt rather cold with the concrete floors and the scuff marks of rearranged furniture marking the walls. I like to give the benefit of the doubt; maybe we came in on an off day, or maybe what we had bad choices when it came to ordering. That said, if I’m ever coming back to Cincinnati, I will be choosing a different place for dinner.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
This place is special. For our first visit, we selected 5 items from the menu for take out and each of them were very, very good. The only conversation we made for that hour was about the food itself. We were elated. Thoughtfully and carefully conceived and prepared, this food was a delightful experience.Do you know how sometimes a bite is so good that it will cause you to pause from chewing any further until the quiet ahhh and mmmm you involuntarily uttered have passed and with another bite comes the realization some manner of stress has left you? Thankfully, dining encounters like these are on par with some spiritual and sensual encounters fleeting as they may sometimes be. We will return with the hope that Kiki might give us this again.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Everything
Went on a Sunday evening right when the place opened and I ordered 4 different things off the menu. Our server Ryan was professional and had a good sense of humor and knowledge of the menu. And if you can’t get street parking you can park behind brink brewery for free. Definitely will go backParking: Park behind Brink Brewing for free
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Pan, Karrage, Shio Ramen
Service was horrible and food tasted
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Staff were Amazing! The Ryokucha Gimlet and Paper Crane were fantastic - bartender crushed it! And, all the food - Gyoza, oysters, wagyu, ramen, chicken kaarage, curry pan, whole fish, kimchi, green tea ice crème and even edamame - literally everything we ordered was beautiful & delish!! Cannot wait to come back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Raw Oysters, Great Ramen, Curry Pan, Edamame, Pork Gyoza, Everything, Shio Ramen, Chicken Karaage
Amazing atmosphere.The food was good. Curry pan and Oyster were amazing. Ramen broth/toppings and karage could be better.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Raw Oysters, Curry Pan, Shio Ramen, Chicken Karaage
Our waiter(Logan) said we get one sauce with the item we order and $1 for additional.We ordered 2 sauces each for the 3 items we ordered. He charged $2 for sauces on each of the 3 items we ordered.Overcharged $3 in my mind.Plus we were having a birthday celebration and called prior to arrival and told would tell waiter … he said no we don’t do that …. But someone finally brought a free dessert. Thanks you ..whomever is responsible. ??Please clarifyThanksDennis Krabacher
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Everything
Kiki can hold it's own against any Japanese restaurant in the country. Carefully crafted food and creative flavors, an absolute Queen City gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Raw Oysters, Curry Pan, Karrage, Everything, Kakiage, Seaweed Salad with Local Cucumber and Radish GF Vegan, Temaki, Poke Bowl, Shishito Peppers, Chicken Karaage
Calm laid back environment. Great menu and quality food.Parking: Paid street parking out front. Free parking in community lot behind sleepy bee.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Pan, Shio Ramen
One of the best meals I've had in a long time. Great service with knowledge and friendly staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Everything, Shio Ramen
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic food — I haven’t had a single dish here that wasn’t great. The cocktails are inventive and so tasty. The flavors are unique and impressive; foodies will LOVE this place; and non-foodies can find great options to enjoy and return to over and over again.The new brunch menu is a delight.Vegetarian options: Regular menu and special options for vegetarians — always clearly noted. Some menu items can be made vegetarian upon request. Staff very helpful in options.Dietary restrictions: Vegan and gluten free options available.Parking: Spots on the street or in a nearby surface lotKid-friendliness: Kids welcome - special kids menu at dinner.Wheelchair accessibility: Yes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Pan, Edamame, Pork Gyoza, Karrage, Everything, Shio Ramen, Poke Bowl
Beautiful, exquisite Japanese food! Had the vegetable Tempura, roasted sweet potato Yakiimo, & Caesar saladGrrrreat ambience as well...
One of the best meals in Cincinnati. Every single course was incredible. The seared scallops, gyoza pork, seaweed salad, oysters... wow. I could go on and on. I would highly, highly recommend trying to reserve your table. It's a small spot so I don't think they usually take big parties. They do have a waitlist they can put you on. If you do have to wait, just go down the street to a bar and chill. It is worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My favorite restaurant in Cincinnati! The food is to die for! The drinks are also amazing even as Mock tails! The staff is so inviting and willing to make your experience the best! The dinner menu that rotates every season has some of the best Japanese dishes I've had in Ohio! The brunch bagels are also amazing since the combos of Japanese cuisine with bagels blends perfectly! The atmosphere is so artistic with always a solid ambiance no matter the amount of people.
Fantastic atmosphere service and atmosphere. They make it easy to order and to pay with a scanner at your table