First time coming here and it was great. The atmosphere is very cozy and definitely gives you an izakaya vibe. The customer service is very good felt very welcome and taken care of. Food was great, I had the Shoyu Ramen and kicked it up a notch with the spicy pepper paste they had. The ramen soup was good not salty and almost has a refreshing affect on the body (in my opinion. It's also a very light broth for those who prefer something that's not too heavy. Had a good amount of toppings as well. Their pork chashu melts in your mouth it waz delicious.My partner got the chicken katsu sandwich (with no veggies and sauce, cause he's picky) but even without those it was still very good. The katsu was a very good size. The fries were crispy and they gave you quite a bit of it.As an appetizer I got the chicken skin cracklins. When I say it paired great with my ramen, it was amazing. It was super crispy with a teriyaki type sauce on it.Overall, I will be going back to try thier other ramen. Out if the few that I have visited this one definitely is at the top. I recommend Izakaya.
LIFE OF MO
The service, food, and atmosphere of this place definitely puts it in the top 10 of Houston’s most sought after Japanese restaurants the food, don’t get me started the food. Mesmerizing just as the the picture depicts. Yes I know, I’m using an iPhone. 12 pro max so the pics don’t give this meal proper justice but I can personally attest the taste of this food! It was incredible! Eat it just as it comes, no need to ask for additional sauces. I will certainly be coming back here again! That miso broth was so potent, I could Just tell they cooked for more than 24hrs to allow maximum flavor!!!!!!!! To this day, I still crave their noodles. The dumplings seasoned and the sauces pulled everything together!!!!!
Sharon Ree
Please see my receipt for prices for the 12 of us & the 2 photos of kimchi and tonkotsu ramen. Great vibe, beautiful interior, OKAY service, they DO NOT print or offer separate checks, service was timely, but everyone that ordered their ramen spicy got hit with an extra 1.00 charge (that’s crazy) - different spice level should be free. Also, eh, 20% extra charge for large group… I get it, but he came back twice to check on us, and I had brought my little troop of students-no alcoholic drinks were ordered. No sodas. We were an easy group. No major difference in quality of service vs. when I’ve come here with just my family of 3. The flavors were all okay. Nothing spectacular…unless you’re going out with friends and need a place to drink with a good vibe, I’d suggest going to Bellaire…so much more authentic options at better prices.
Franziska Schwarzkopf
Had a wonderful time at this restaurant! Very friendly staff and yummy food. I recommend going there during happy hour! My favorites were the chicken skins, aredashi tofu, the karaage chicken and the fries. Also love the chicken bao, pork not so much. Miso eggplant is also yummy. The ramen was just ok. Great place for charing small plates with friends!
Sarah Buzsaki
Really nice experience here- nice atmosphere without being too crowded, friendly and helpful staff with great suggestions, good food and good service. We didn't try their drinks but the selection was tempting! We got the takoyaki, tonkotsu, and kimchi ramen. Only negative was they seem a little skimpy on the add ons- added shrimp for $3 or $4 and got 2 shrimp total. Still, definitely interested in coming back another time to try more of the menu
Traci Pryhuber
So many great dishes to try! We ordered small plates and shared. Egg plant, egg rolls, pan fried dumplings, soup dumplings, chicken bao, chicken wings. Would definitely order all again. Try the Mai Tai! You won't be disappointed! And the sake flights are fun too!Vegetarian options: Egg plant and meatless dumplings and ramens
Gustavo A.
I've been here twice and had different menu items both times and I loved both visits. The food is good and service is great. You can't go wrong by coming here to eat. I promise.
Brenda H.
This is an amazing place if you order the right things at the right time. Their "Sunday Funday", from 12-4pm offers almost half off ramen, making it the best priced for quality ramen I've ever had. Delicious and portions were quite large, and they had a great variety of options. I tried the classic tonkotsu ramen and mazemen, and I'd definitely recommend the mazemen ramen for anyone who likes flavorful drier ramen. We also tried the xiao long bao dumplings and the fries, which both were great. Overall, a good place with is worth it if you can afford the price or come at a good time deal!
Emily L.
The staff is very friendly and polite and the atmosphere is great- super super cute, but it's hard to look past the bad food. We ordered fried dumplings, 3 types of ramen and desserts. The dumplings were only ok. The ramen was just terrible, probably the worst I've ever had. The kimchi ramen broth was like water- extremely bland, with overcooked noodles and an unseasoned and undercooked egg (the whites were runny). My sister let me try the tonkatsu ramen, which was also bland, but the weirdest part is it tasted like heavy cream. Tonkatsu is supposed to be made with bones to achieve creaminess- it's not supposed to have cream. Finally the pumpkin bread pudding was awful. We messed up and didn't notice it had truffle in it, and the pumpkin and vanilla ice cream was absolutely drenched in truffle oil. Just really bad flavor combos... And I usually love truffle. I really hope they get a new chef/change up the menu, because we love the vibe and location.
Christina Coleman
Saw a review from 6 months ago that could say exactly what I am thinking. Server is so sweet, presentation is great, drinks are fabulous (they even have really good mocktails which is a huge plus for me!!) but unfortunately this is the most flavorless meh miso ramen I have had at a restaurant. It was not good. At all. The egg was literally not seasoned. I got a soft boiled egg in my ramen. I took a pic, you can see it’s just plain white. It tasted like a soft boiled egg and nothing else. Come on guys - that’s the best part! Everything really just fell short on flavor. :( I too really wanted to like this. Great place for happy hour, good drinks and decent snacks.
Nice atmosphere, awesome servers, superb food. Price is right for the quality you get. I'm not expecting much from the Japanese curry. Damn, theirs are the top 3 on my favourite curry list now.
Josh H.
I went here for dinner on a Sunday night with my girlfriend and our friend from out of town. This place is a convenient for having good food without going to further out of town and was a place we knew would have seating at the time. The restaurant was roughly 80% filled inside so we sat on the patio to enjoy the cooler weather are greater seating options. We planned on starting out with the Salmon skin Chicharrones but they unfortunately could not serve those so we got the Crispy Chicken Cracklins, which were tasty. I ordered the beef curry and my gf and our friend both ordered a different bowl of their ramen. Unfortunately, they could not serve the 7 min egg for their ramen, which is quite a staple for ramen, but they had another egg substitute. It was strange to not have be able to serve a few menu items, but could be attributed to the timing of the week (Sunday). Overall, we were satisfied with our meal and left with a fully belly. This is a good place given our time and situation that night.
Elizabeth M.
My friends and I went here for dinner last night and I was unfortunately disappointed by several things. First off, it took a long time for our server to come to us and when he did, we were even more disappointed that the 2 main things we wanted on the menu were not available: salmon skin and 7 mins (soft boiled) eggs on our ramen. First off, their ramen menu is full of the 7 minute eggs and only one actually comes with *62 (poached) eggs but they said they were all out of the soft boiled eggs that come with the ramen and we'll all have to get poached eggs. Poached eggs are typically a bit too runny for me and I just wanted a regular, schmegular ramen experience so this legit broke my heart lol, but I went for it because my only other option was to leave and we had already been there too long. I got the Miso ramen which was not impressive at all. One of my friends got the Tokontsu Ramen which she said she loved but also said she wouldn't return to the restaurant so... sus! My other friend got Japanese beef curry and the only thing particularly outstanding about it was how tender the beef was. We also got chicken skin to start since they didn't have salmon skin and it was alright. It took a really long time for the food to come also and the restaurant was not even full so I don't fully understand why the service was slow and menu sparse. I personally wouldn't go back.
Naveah V.
Great atmosphere. Good appetizers. Extremely bland ramen. I would give it another try, the menu is expansive so it's possible there's other good options. The Japanese fried rice was flavorful. But if you're looking for a seasoned ramen spot I would search elsewhere !
Cathy T.
This was our first time at an Izakaya place, and we greatly enjoyed the "street food/tapas" styled menu where you can order and try small portions of multiple items. Both this location and the other location were packed at dinner time and required at least a 20-30 min wait. In addition, the server apologized that they were short staffed and wait times for service would be longer. Despite this, we enjoyed the food, especially the takoyaki, beef tongue, pork belly skewers, and calamari. We tried the onigiri and spider roll but were disappointed that both were mostly just rice. Overall, we enjoyed our experience here!
First time coming here and it was great. The atmosphere is very cozy and definitely gives you an izakaya vibe. The customer service is very good felt very welcome and taken care of. Food was great, I had the Shoyu Ramen and kicked it up a notch with the spicy pepper paste they had. The ramen soup was good not salty and almost has a refreshing affect on the body (in my opinion. It's also a very light broth for those who prefer something that's not too heavy. Had a good amount of toppings as well. Their pork chashu melts in your mouth it waz delicious.My partner got the chicken katsu sandwich (with no veggies and sauce, cause he's picky) but even without those it was still very good. The katsu was a very good size. The fries were crispy and they gave you quite a bit of it.As an appetizer I got the chicken skin cracklins. When I say it paired great with my ramen, it was amazing. It was super crispy with a teriyaki type sauce on it.Overall, I will be going back to try thier other ramen. Out if the few that I have visited this one definitely is at the top. I recommend Izakaya.
The service, food, and atmosphere of this place definitely puts it in the top 10 of Houston’s most sought after Japanese restaurants the food, don’t get me started the food. Mesmerizing just as the the picture depicts. Yes I know, I’m using an iPhone. 12 pro max so the pics don’t give this meal proper justice but I can personally attest the taste of this food! It was incredible! Eat it just as it comes, no need to ask for additional sauces. I will certainly be coming back here again! That miso broth was so potent, I could Just tell they cooked for more than 24hrs to allow maximum flavor!!!!!!!! To this day, I still crave their noodles. The dumplings seasoned and the sauces pulled everything together!!!!!
Please see my receipt for prices for the 12 of us & the 2 photos of kimchi and tonkotsu ramen. Great vibe, beautiful interior, OKAY service, they DO NOT print or offer separate checks, service was timely, but everyone that ordered their ramen spicy got hit with an extra 1.00 charge (that’s crazy) - different spice level should be free. Also, eh, 20% extra charge for large group… I get it, but he came back twice to check on us, and I had brought my little troop of students-no alcoholic drinks were ordered. No sodas. We were an easy group. No major difference in quality of service vs. when I’ve come here with just my family of 3. The flavors were all okay. Nothing spectacular…unless you’re going out with friends and need a place to drink with a good vibe, I’d suggest going to Bellaire…so much more authentic options at better prices.
Had a wonderful time at this restaurant! Very friendly staff and yummy food. I recommend going there during happy hour! My favorites were the chicken skins, aredashi tofu, the karaage chicken and the fries. Also love the chicken bao, pork not so much. Miso eggplant is also yummy. The ramen was just ok. Great place for charing small plates with friends!
Really nice experience here- nice atmosphere without being too crowded, friendly and helpful staff with great suggestions, good food and good service. We didn't try their drinks but the selection was tempting! We got the takoyaki, tonkotsu, and kimchi ramen. Only negative was they seem a little skimpy on the add ons- added shrimp for $3 or $4 and got 2 shrimp total. Still, definitely interested in coming back another time to try more of the menu
So many great dishes to try! We ordered small plates and shared. Egg plant, egg rolls, pan fried dumplings, soup dumplings, chicken bao, chicken wings. Would definitely order all again. Try the Mai Tai! You won't be disappointed! And the sake flights are fun too!Vegetarian options: Egg plant and meatless dumplings and ramens
I've been here twice and had different menu items both times and I loved both visits. The food is good and service is great. You can't go wrong by coming here to eat. I promise.
This is an amazing place if you order the right things at the right time. Their "Sunday Funday", from 12-4pm offers almost half off ramen, making it the best priced for quality ramen I've ever had. Delicious and portions were quite large, and they had a great variety of options. I tried the classic tonkotsu ramen and mazemen, and I'd definitely recommend the mazemen ramen for anyone who likes flavorful drier ramen. We also tried the xiao long bao dumplings and the fries, which both were great. Overall, a good place with is worth it if you can afford the price or come at a good time deal!
The staff is very friendly and polite and the atmosphere is great- super super cute, but it's hard to look past the bad food. We ordered fried dumplings, 3 types of ramen and desserts. The dumplings were only ok. The ramen was just terrible, probably the worst I've ever had. The kimchi ramen broth was like water- extremely bland, with overcooked noodles and an unseasoned and undercooked egg (the whites were runny). My sister let me try the tonkatsu ramen, which was also bland, but the weirdest part is it tasted like heavy cream. Tonkatsu is supposed to be made with bones to achieve creaminess- it's not supposed to have cream. Finally the pumpkin bread pudding was awful. We messed up and didn't notice it had truffle in it, and the pumpkin and vanilla ice cream was absolutely drenched in truffle oil. Just really bad flavor combos... And I usually love truffle. I really hope they get a new chef/change up the menu, because we love the vibe and location.
Saw a review from 6 months ago that could say exactly what I am thinking. Server is so sweet, presentation is great, drinks are fabulous (they even have really good mocktails which is a huge plus for me!!) but unfortunately this is the most flavorless meh miso ramen I have had at a restaurant. It was not good. At all. The egg was literally not seasoned. I got a soft boiled egg in my ramen. I took a pic, you can see it’s just plain white. It tasted like a soft boiled egg and nothing else. Come on guys - that’s the best part! Everything really just fell short on flavor. :( I too really wanted to like this. Great place for happy hour, good drinks and decent snacks.
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice atmosphere, awesome servers, superb food. Price is right for the quality you get. I'm not expecting much from the Japanese curry. Damn, theirs are the top 3 on my favourite curry list now.
I went here for dinner on a Sunday night with my girlfriend and our friend from out of town. This place is a convenient for having good food without going to further out of town and was a place we knew would have seating at the time. The restaurant was roughly 80% filled inside so we sat on the patio to enjoy the cooler weather are greater seating options. We planned on starting out with the Salmon skin Chicharrones but they unfortunately could not serve those so we got the Crispy Chicken Cracklins, which were tasty. I ordered the beef curry and my gf and our friend both ordered a different bowl of their ramen. Unfortunately, they could not serve the 7 min egg for their ramen, which is quite a staple for ramen, but they had another egg substitute. It was strange to not have be able to serve a few menu items, but could be attributed to the timing of the week (Sunday). Overall, we were satisfied with our meal and left with a fully belly. This is a good place given our time and situation that night.
My friends and I went here for dinner last night and I was unfortunately disappointed by several things. First off, it took a long time for our server to come to us and when he did, we were even more disappointed that the 2 main things we wanted on the menu were not available: salmon skin and 7 mins (soft boiled) eggs on our ramen. First off, their ramen menu is full of the 7 minute eggs and only one actually comes with *62 (poached) eggs but they said they were all out of the soft boiled eggs that come with the ramen and we'll all have to get poached eggs. Poached eggs are typically a bit too runny for me and I just wanted a regular, schmegular ramen experience so this legit broke my heart lol, but I went for it because my only other option was to leave and we had already been there too long. I got the Miso ramen which was not impressive at all. One of my friends got the Tokontsu Ramen which she said she loved but also said she wouldn't return to the restaurant so... sus! My other friend got Japanese beef curry and the only thing particularly outstanding about it was how tender the beef was. We also got chicken skin to start since they didn't have salmon skin and it was alright. It took a really long time for the food to come also and the restaurant was not even full so I don't fully understand why the service was slow and menu sparse. I personally wouldn't go back.
Great atmosphere. Good appetizers. Extremely bland ramen. I would give it another try, the menu is expansive so it's possible there's other good options. The Japanese fried rice was flavorful. But if you're looking for a seasoned ramen spot I would search elsewhere !
This was our first time at an Izakaya place, and we greatly enjoyed the "street food/tapas" styled menu where you can order and try small portions of multiple items. Both this location and the other location were packed at dinner time and required at least a 20-30 min wait. In addition, the server apologized that they were short staffed and wait times for service would be longer. Despite this, we enjoyed the food, especially the takoyaki, beef tongue, pork belly skewers, and calamari. We tried the onigiri and spider roll but were disappointed that both were mostly just rice. Overall, we enjoyed our experience here!