Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

Reviews 4

CA

Cameron Iizuka

1. Long wait. Wasted 10 min waiting for a hostess to enter our name on a tablet pc/phone number. Why not have a backup sign up sheet that they can enter if they are floating around holding onto the device, that way people wont cut in to put their name down. 2. Even longer wait. Get some black plastic bins for the busers/servers to clean the tables fast. We were next in line but there were 5 dirty tables and the servers were making 3 to 4 trips to the kitchen for each table, first carrying the glasses, then the plates and then coming back to wipe the table down. This is basic restaurant operations. Do you guys even have busers????? 3. Servers dont know what tables they have. Asked the server who sat us to take our order and was told he was not the server. Then waited around another 10 min for someone to bring water and then the same guy came back and said he was our server. 4. Bad hygiene practices for the servers. When the server came with a pork belly appetizers he explained what the sauces were by lifting the little bottle by the spouts touching the tips were the sauces come out. We didnt want to try them after he contaminated them with his fingertips. 5. Orders dont come out timely, Ordered 2 ramen and they came out at different times. One had the wrong noodles both broths were lukewarm but we were hungry so we ate them anyway. 6. Then we got a completely different server who finished up and gave us our bill. Its confusing. You have the best designed looking ramen shop in Portland but part of the problem is that you hire mostly non-Japanese people (not a big Japanese hiring pool here I understand) who cant explain the menu or pronounce things and it detracts from the authenticity. Maybe spend more time training them and have friends and family come in incognito to see how the service/food handling is going. Im going to give you another try because maybe this was just a bad week night. Mind you it wasnt really busy but many things were off. I give the food 4 stars but the service 1 star, needs improvement. We were tired and not interested in writing down our servers names so its not important to us that someone gets blamed or singled out. There are some basic issues that everyone should be aware of and improve no?

JE

Jeff Salata

Update 3/10/16: service has stepped up remarkably. The quality of the Ramen bowls is also more consistent and they have lowered the price on the first-added half-boiled egg by $.50. Yay! All around quality Id still very high, and being seated is occurring much more professionally and quickly. Upgrading from 3.5 stars to 4.5. ALSO: to learn about the true soul of ramen, I suggest reading Ivan Orkins book "Ivan Ramen." If an American can create two of the most highly lauded ramen joints in all of Tokyo, he sure as s**t knows what hes talking about. I cant believe how good their veg dumplings, (dark-meat only marinated in soy, teriyaki) fried chicken with speciality mayonaises, and Hokkaido Miso ramen are. The ramen is traditional, which is to say: fantastic. Id give it 4-5 stars if they made their own noodles, like Toshis Ramen in Eugene, OR--my hands down, #1 Ramen joint so-far in Oregon (you can even buy noodles fresh from them at $1.25 a serving). Toshis Ramen bowls are only $9 as well, in comparison to 10 and up at Kukai. Generally the service is pretty good except when it gets quite busy, then it can be downright dicey. It seems, however, this is--at the moment, Dec 15 - Jan 16--probably due to understaffing and under-training. Being a regular helps, but it shouldnt need to in order to be seated in a reasonable matter of time and plated a meal in a reasonable matter of time. It seems more than not, the shortages fall on the side of service. The staff did overcharge my credit card once--I even showed them receipt and credit statement, so I didnt tip at all the couple of times following, as they did not offer to refund or adjust my current bill. They are getting better, but not quite there. And H. Park, Ramen joints ARE everything-already-pre-made "fast food" of Japan (i.e., broths, eggs, chasu, etc.), MUCH unlike Americas grotesque fast-food market in that Kukais ingredients are (seemingly) pure, unadulterated and fresh (except the noodles). 3.5 stars.

RJ

RJStrange

Came in not too long after they opened for dinner on a Tuesday. We were excited to see that we arrived for happy hour, my party of three was seated immediately. However, only after we were seated were we told that we had to sit at the counter or outside to order from the happy hour menu. The sun was scorching hot and they thought it was too windy to put up an umbrella, and the counter was too crowded for us, so no happy hour. Not like their happy hour was anything good, just the $6 sake of the day seemed like a good deal, otherwise just appetizers like tempura and edamame. One of our servers (they serve you as a team) stated that they force people to sit at the counter or outside for happy hour to reduce the wait time for people sitting at the tables. I think it will reduce the wait time by less people showing up because no one likes to be told where they have to sit to be able to order from the happy hour menu. Aside from this unpleasant restriction, all the ramen we had was incredible, the best that I have had in Portland, and among the best I have ever had period. The Yuzu ramen is very unique with a great balance of hearty tonkotsu broth and the refreshing yuzu citrus. They are very generous with their noodles, and offer extra noodles for only $2, with thin (think angelhair) wavy (typical ramen) and flat (kinda like linguine), and they will gladly substitute any noodle at no extra cost. Their complimentary oolong tea is good, and I had one of the pricier selections of sake, the "Black Bull," which uses heirloom "Omachi" rice, and has a delightfully fruity, yet with enough dryness to balance. Highly recommended to sake connoisseurs. Overall, outstanding ramen, but the service is overly formal, almost cold, and inflexible. Hopefully they change this happy hour policy with enough complaints, and the onset of colder weather.

CH

Charles Ferguson

Horrendous service, and their ramen is nowhere near as tasty as Shigezo Izakayas. Dont waste your time, because you WILL waste a LOT of time waiting and they will find some way to blame you for something. Let me explain... First, I visit at 3pm not realizing that they arent open during this time on a weekday. The door was unlocked with no closed sign for myself and others looking to see. Instead of locking the door, they allow multiple customers to walk in only to rudely snap that the restaurant is closed. I saw this happen to at least 3 other customers before I left. When I asked about the hours in a friendly way, she was very short with me and only demanded that I take a photo of the hours on the door. When I came back the next day for dinner at 8, the same hostess was there, this time too busy to notice. I decided that takeout was a good option given the wait was supposedly 20 min (it was actually an hour). My takeout was supposed to be out in 15-20, but it took 45. Then, they blamed me for not asking about my order when I was standing in the lobby the entire time, asking every 10 minutes. These people are so miserably bad at what they do, they should be embarrassed. VERY rude service, average ramen at best, vastly under-stating wait times.. This place is a mess. There were at least 4 other customers in the lobby who shared my sentiments. The hype is not worth it. The only positive note worth mentioning is the tall American waitress with her hair up who brought water to me as I waited was helpful and friendly. Go to Shigezo if you want incredible ramen and at least half-organized service. Lastly, the arrogant response from the owner on a previous review doesnt help, either. Yikes.