Kotetsu

Reviews 9

JE

Jennifer Hudiono

Im a fan of ramen and Ive had my fair share of ramen around the bay and in southern california, and this one disappoints. Ive had Kotetsu twice. My first visit, I thought this place was okay. Their ramen wasnt anything too special but it was good enough for me to come back again for a second visit. And on my second visit, it was just bad. I came here with a group of 5 on Saturday night and the wait was about half hour. Their service was slow and it just took a long time to get our order, food, etc. We got some appetizers to share for our table and for the most part enjoyed those. The black pepper karage chicken was delicious. The roasted rice ball (yaki onigiri) was good but it was slightly too roasted, and lacked a bit of flavor. The pork and avacado wrap was just gross. It came last after all the ramen and it was cold. The taste was just off, the mix of kimchi and avacado was not good and in one of our wraps.. they forgot the pork ): I also got the spicy kuro ramen with extra noodles. I loved the garlic in the broth but the saltiness of the broth was overwhelming. I couldnt taste anything else but salt, plus it wasnt spicy! an extra dollar for nothing. The chashu and the noodles were okay. Overall, I was not too happy with the food and service here. If im going to wait for ramen, might as well wait at Orenchi or Santouka.

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CA

Carena Ng

This has been my go-to ramen place in the South Bay! Im by no means patient when it comes to food, and Im most definitely not waiting more than an hour for ramen. I love Orenchi and all, but the wait kills the experience for me, hence now deferring to Kotetsu! With its growing popularity, the wait here can get long so Id still recommend getting to the restaurant as early as possible. Keep in mind, they do have a strict policy of having your entire party present in order for you to be seated!!! The Negi Ramen with the light Kuro base is what I usually order because Im a fan of everything in that bowl! Love the green onions!!! Its more than enough to last you your entire meal and plus more! Cha siu is very thinly sliced but moist and delicious. The soft boiled egg is consistently oozy. Ramen has the perfect amount of elasticity and chewiness. Everything about this bowl of ramen is just perfect and is so satisfying when craving for ramen!

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B.

B. Li

Kind of a remote ramen place in a non-Asian plaza. You can expect a small group of people to be waiting outside 5 - 10 minutes before they open. Had the koshu (black pepper) karaage as an eppetiser. Very nicely seasoned and had a satisfying thin crunch on top of the chicken. Ordered a regular (refers to fat content) kuro (soy sauce broth) ramen with spicy paste and an extra soft-boiled egg. The spicy paste is $1 extra and it packs a punch; if you like a mild - medium spiciness to your soup, I would suggest splitting the paste with a friend or asking for the paste on a separate small plate. The chashu was a bit disappointing as it wasnt melt-in-your-mouth or broken down from a single bite. The soft boiled eggs were consistently gooey, but not quite as gooey as Orenchis. The noodles were good and had a solid bite to them. The broth was also very savory and had a satisfying garlic-y aftertaste. Definitely worth stopping by every now and then.

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AL

Alyx Barranger

Rounded up to 4 stars for this one since they were playing sick 90s jams on the radio - not sure where they found that radio station, but it definitely amplified my dining experience. :) So, Kotetsu - you are a very solid place to eat. The prices are fair, the portions are great. However, the ramen was not memorable. It was definitely good, just nothing I would ever crave or remember. You get a TON of food in your ramen though, so if you have a bottomless pit of a stomach, this might be a good place to satisfy you. I got the Kotetsu ramen and my husband got the one that had bean sprouts on top of it. However (and yes, this needs its own paragraph), THE GYOZA ARE AMAZINGGGGGG. Get them. No, really, you will be missing out if you do not. I would come back here just for those. In summary, not my favorite place for ramen, but they have such an extensive menu that I wouldnt mind coming here for some delicious appetizers!

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TI

Timothy Wingerter

We tried this for the first time on a Tuesday night. We didnt expect a wait at ~8pm but waited about 30 min for our table of 2. The service was prompt and we quickly placed an order for one spicy shiro, spicy kuro, and one chicken karaage. After ordering, it took some time to get both the chicken and the ramen (which was delivered to the wrong table, I guess). Ramen wait times always baffle me - in Japan, it takes what feels like seconds. Some places down here are really fast, as well. This place was on the longer side. $1 extra for the spicy seems a bit steep but it is a good flavorful heat. But all-in, it seemed about average cost ($10.95) for a hefty portion. The soup is thick and hearty as youd expect (deliciously-so) from a good, bone-in-broth ramen, it includes seaweed, egg, mushrooms, some other greens, and the noodles are _really_ thick. Next time, well probably try the light version, though.

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CH

Christine Mamuad

BEST ramen in the Bay Area, in my opinion. They just revamped their menu and I thought I might be disappointed, but holy cow is it ever more incredible. The pork belly is perfectly cooked to melt in your mouth, the egg the right amount of creamy, the noodles at the ideal firm consistency and thickness, and the rich tonkotsu broth absolutely delicious and not too salty. All their other food items are just as incredible, from the grilled rice ball to the karaage and the white tuna carpaccio. UPDATE: Menu has changed a bit, and alcohol is now available. Kakuni ramen, tan tan men, and soupless ramen are all fabulous new additions to an exciting menu with even more delicious foods to explore.

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AN

Annie Lin

This place is not bad but its not blow your mind amazing ramen. I came w/ a friend and we got a shiro and kuro of the all star ramen (lots of meat yayy!) The soft boiled egg was probably my most favorite part of the ramen, any ramen place that has a soft boiled egg immediately gets plus points from me! Also, the waiters here arent super great.. they messed up our order and wouldnt give us a new/replacement but at least they were nice enough to comp it, seeing as we only ate 1/4 of the order. Also lucky enough we went early as when we left there was a small line forming since the place is becoming quite popular. Id probably come back if I was in the area.

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JU

Jun Mukai

むかしは喉に絡みつくようなコッテリ豚骨醤油と太めの麺がマッチした家系志向の美味しいラーメンだったんですが、いつのまにかスープがなんてことのないおとなしいものになってしまい、麺との釣り合いがとれていない駄ラーメン屋に成り下がってしまいました。 そのわりに混んでいるので中国人などへのウケはいいみたいですが、行く価値はありません。

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KE

Ken Feng

Excellent, authentic ramen! Flavors are well balanced and noodles are cooked perfectly al dente. If you find the noodles too hard or the soup too oily, its fine to ask them to cook them longer or to put in less oil - its done in Japan all the time. Also, Japanese will also often not drink all the soup or drink lots of water with their ramen. But imho, they got it just right. In comparison, Orenchi has localized their ramen somewhat for local tastes (soup has less attitude). At most ramen shops, I usually ask for 片麺で油少なめ (harder noodles, lighter oil), but Kotetsu is perfectly authentic, as is.

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