Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai

My first restaurant ramen experience and I must say it was pretty good. First off, this place gets busy fast so grab a coffee somewhere and arrive at 10:30am to put your name on the list and wait to be seated right at 11am when they open.
I LOVE spicy food so when I saw a *warning* about ordering the Green Chili Ramen I had to order it plus a seasoned egg. The ramen broth was good but not spicy at all… I added chili powder to my ramen and that helped a little. The noodles had a great texture and the pork belly was sooooo tender and tasty. I also loved all the greens that garnished the ramen.
Good first time experience; I think my only disappointment was probably my own fault for expecting extra spicy ramen. The flavor was really good, just reallyyyy missed the spice.

Came during lunch time, full house but at least didn’t have to wait about 30 minutes for a table as you would if you came during dinner time.
Parking can be tight, pretty small plaza. Pretty good ramen! Started off with the juicy fried chicken appetizer ($ 4), pretty tasty, love the sauce they give you.
Got the kitikata ramen ($ 8) which came with chashu pork, added an egg ($ 1) and corn ($ 0.80). The prices are pretty good, and the bowl is pretty big.
My gf got the spicy green chili ramen. The broth was nice and spicy for her ramen, which I liked.
Service is on point. The restaurant is kind of small, not really good for groups, gets crowded fast at night.
They lose a star because my broth was really plain, although it tasted really clean and sodium free, i prefer some flavor in the broth. Tasted almost like just plain water.
Overall really good place for ramen, although I would not wait over 30 minutes for a table.

Amazing ramen.
Kitakata is a unique style of ramen that is not offered very shops around the US. The broth is much lighter and the bowl less embellished with toppings than other styles of ramen. The bowl is clean.
If this sounds appealing to you it would be a ⁵⁄₅. I personally find other styles of ramen to be a lot more enjoyable like tonkotsu. For my bowl I added fresh corn, scallions, soft boiled marinated egg and chashu. The chashu was just kind of okay and nothing sensational. The flavor of the broth given it is supposed to be lighter was very good though.
The wait at lunch time was about 30 minutes but it was worth it. Staff and service is exactly what I would expect from such a place. The service was non-​intrusive and they were able to answer my questions including the details of the ramen style.
I hear from a lot of people the fried chicken is where it is at. I would go back but not my favorite ramen spot by any means. Santouka Ramen in Costa Mesa is MUCH better and slightly cheaper.

Great place. My girlfriend and I live in Westchester, and go to every Ramen place we can find. On a trip to Costa Mesa for to see Wicked, we stopped by after hearing it was a great place. We ordered the fried gyoza to split and we each ordered the Kitakata Ramen with an egg. After a short wait of not even 5 minutes, the fried gyoza came and it was some of the best tasting I’ve ever had. Ramen came about 5 minutes after the gyoza, and it was great. Everything about it tasted amazing. The only thing that tasted slightly off was the egg. Or my egg, my girlfriend loved hers, I thought mine was a bit dry. It tasted just fine, but seemed a little dry.
Overall, ⁵⁄₅ service, ⁵⁄₅ food.

Tried this place recently as it was recommended by a friend. Tried the miso ramen. Turned out to be just okay. It wasn’t bad but nothing stood out from the broth to the noodles.

There were people waiting outside before the place actually opened. It was a Monday holiday though, so I guess people wanted their ramen on Presidents’ Day. Wait time wasn’t too long though.
The noodles for the ramen are curlier & a bit thicker than what I’m used to. It wasn’t bad; it was just different. The soup here is also less oily & dense compared to the soup at Shin Sen Gumi.
Service was great! They were very attentive & did not hesitate to give their honest opinion when we asked questions.

Even after trying at least 10 more ramen places in the past year, none of them hold a candle to this place. EVERYTHING I’ve tried is absolutely delicious, and every time I eat here, I am surprised by just how good it is. Seriously.
Since my first visit a about a year ago, I have been here many times. The wait times and popularity have seemed to grow since then, as the waits have been even longer on weekends. But still, the wait is totally worth it. They have even added a toppings menu since my first review, and I love their wonton. It’s nothing special, but it’s delicious.
In addition to gyoza, the juicy fried chicken is also a yummy side. Just as the name says, it comes out juicy and hot
Just went last night and could definitely go back for more now.

ALLLMMOST 5 stars but, I didn’t love Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai (say that 3 times fast, I can’t even say it once)! I might have ruined it for myself because I ordered the Chashu Ramen (Pork Broth, Shoyu Base, Lots of Toro Chashu, Menma, Green Onion — $ 11.25) but I added egg, seaweed, bean sprouts, bamboo AND the umami chili. I highly recommend the umami chili; it’s a dry chili blend that has texture & is great on its own. My bowl was dangerously close to spilling over and it came out to be a $ 20 bowl of ramen.
I had plenty of leftovers but I don’t feel like I had the chance to enjoy the ramen at its purest form. The flat & wider ramen here was enjoyable but also soaks up soup so much quicker than «regular» ramen noodles. So, I’m definitely going to come back to try the other ramen and not load up on so many toppings.
Jasmine Y.‘s Katakana Style Cold Ramen was super refreshing. It almost reminded me of soba. We also had the karaage, which was good, but I’d stick to the ramen here!
All in all, the hour wait was worth it. Get there early — the line starts before doors open!

Unilocaler looking for the best ramen…
I turned to the Unilocal gods for recommendations and unfortunately Kitakata Ramen failed me.
I sat at the bar since I was dining by myself. I asked my server for a glass of water as I review the menu. He returned with no water and ask if I was ready to order.
I ordered the following:
Ban Nai’s Kitakata Ramen
Juicy Fried Chicken
My food arrived (after 10 or less minutes) and I still did not get my water. I had to ask for it again. The Kitakata ramen lacked flavor for me. I had to add soy sauce.
Overall, the service was bad, and the ramen was below par.

One random day, Santouka was closed due to a power outage :(I was so outraged because I was hungry! So I opted for this new ramen place… My mistake.
First of all, the parking sucks here. You have to circle a few times before catching someone leaving and taking over their spot. Some reviewers mentioned you can park at a school across the street, but I’m not sure? Second, there’s a line for this place! It’s so crowded inside that they can’t handle huge crowds. Make sure you get your name on the list, which is inside the restaurant. I waited 30 – 40 minutes for a party of two on a week night. Third, get used to loud calls when parties get seated and when they leave.
Unilocalers raved about the noodles, which sounded really good to me. I love handmade noodles, and Kitakata did not disappoint here. I got the aburi miso ramen, and the best part of the dish was the noodles. It’s one of their signature items; they have an educational sign posted in the front about it. The noodles were the perfect amount of chewy, but not something I recommend slurping. Haha. The broth of this ramen had a distinct smell… like kimchijige… I hate it because it’s stinky. I can’t put my finger on it though. I recognize it because one of my relatives makes it all the time and I never eat it. The smell went away as I got used to it during the meal, but I’m pretty sure it made the soup taste bad to me. (Maybe it’s the pork brew or some pepper??) The soup was slightly on the spicy side, and I’m pretty sensitive to spicy. I didn’t like that you have to order egg ($ 1) on the side; the ramen doesn’t come with it. I do not know what aburi is, and the only thing I got after a google search was sushi served in an aburi style. If I come back, I probably won’t order that again.
My eating partner ordered the chasu ramen, which only comes with a load of chasu pork slices. If you are a meat (and no veggie) fan, you’d like this. The chasu pork is extremely tender and cooked very well. Again, however, the broth did not deliver. My eating partner had to add lots of chili powder and eventually chili oil because the flavor was so lacking. We both agree that the only thing that would keep us coming back is the noodles.
Did you see my picture of the fried chicken? I felt so ripped off with two small pieces of chicken over an overwhelming bed of rice. It wasn’t even juicy like previous reviewers said it was. The sauce was good, but the pickles that come with the chicken were so gross. Don’t get this, despite previous photos of it making your mouth water.
Service is just ok. I have nothing much to say because they weren’t really there.

Came back last week and tried their new ramen. Unfortunately I forgot what it was called but it had a radish garnish and they advertised it as «Warm and Refreshing».
The soup was definitely «refreshing» in a sense that it was not as heavy as their other ramen broths. The noodles were great, as always, and I was satisfied and happy that I decided to try their new ramen.
Not sure if this ramen is just seasonal, but I think it was worth a try.
The chashu was a little disappointing this time around. It was just SO fatty… about ²⁄₃ of one piece was all fat. I didn’t mind too much though. just had to cut off the fat and eat the meat.

I sincerely wish that I could say I love this place. I’ve been excited to try it. My usual ramen go-to’s are Kopan or Gomen to give you a frame of reference.
We ordered the chashu ramen, aburi miso ramen, pan fried gyoza, and fried chicken:
–Chashu ramen: the portion was huge. I couldn’t even finish it. There were at least a dozen pieces of chashu. While the soup tastes like it was made with quality ingredients, it lacks the punch of flavor I was looking for. The chashu isn’t as tender as I expected.
–Miso ramen: again, a huge portion. It comes loaded with corn, seaweed, bean sprouts, snow peas and some meat. The miso flavor is prominent. My boyfriend enjoyed it.
–Gyoza: when the gyoza came out, it looked like any other gyoza. But the crispiness really tastes delicious. I loved it.
–Fried chicken: definitely worth the $ 3.95. There were five large pieces, fried to perfection. They serve it with lemon and a sauce that looked like peanut sauce. Very juicy and delicious.
The service was great. The food tasted decent. It just wasn’t the flavors I was looking for. That being said, I would still recommend this place to people because the quality of food is great. I can tell that there is a lot of energy and love put into the preparation.

Best ramen in Orange County! I’ve been here a couple of times and the juicy fried chicken is to die for!
I’ve had the green chili ramen twice and it’s delicious. Not terribly spicy but still good.
Came here on a Friday at 5:45pm and there was a 10 – 15 minute wait.
I’ll def be back again!

400^th review goes to Kitakata!
Came on a Sunday around 1:30PM and waited for about 30 minutes for a table for 2. The shop is decently sized and they were efficient, so the wait didn’t feel long at all. The ramen menu is pretty simple with 8 options– 5 hot, 1 cold, and 2 tsukemen. There are extra toppings you can add to your ramen as well as some rice bowls and side dishes. Note lunch specials are only on the weekdays.
All their ramen is pork broth and comes with hand crumpled noodles. The Aburi Miso ramen I got is miso based and has bean sprouts, seaweed, corn, snow peas, menma (fermented bamboo shoots), and green onions as toppings. The Mizori ramen is shoyu based with yuzu citrus flavors and is a limited item till ²⁄₂₉. The miso based broth is rich and more savory, whereas the shoyu yuzu based is lighter.
The broths are tasty, but the star is their made in house wavy flat hand crumpled noodles. These noodles have the perfect chewy bite, somewhat similar to knife cut noodles but in different form. I love the noodles, and I love that there was a lot of it. The portion of their ramen is generous, and we were both stuffed mid way through.
Last but not least, the juicy fried chicken! For only ~$ 4, it’s a great appetizer to have on the table. The chicken is nicely fried and not oily. The batter is nice and crunchy while the meat is as the name suggested– juicy!
Recommend: any ramen with added seasoned egg and juicy fried chicken!

I think this place is definitely worth the hour wait. Got there during opening time and there was already a huge line! (It was a Sunday though) The menu isn’t big but I immediately saw the cold ramen! I had been looking for another place that had it since my favorite one closed down. It’s the one with cold broth not the tsukemen. I ordered it with seaweed. We also ordered karaage and my friends each got a diff ramen.
The karaage is pretty good. The skin was crispy and the inside had good flavor. The noodles in the ramen are really good! I’m not sure if they’re made in house but it’s different than other ramen places. I really like the texture. It could be cooked a little less though. The portion size is great; I was super full after.
The wait staff is super friendly and helpful.

I’ll start off by saying this is the most authentic ramen place I’ve come across in the OC/​Costa Mesa area. I’m more familiar with ramen spots in NY such as Ramen Lab, Totto, Yuji and Ippudo. Hence I wanted to try Kitakata a couple times before reviewing it.
The line is a good sign. Like most places prepared for the rush, there’s a sign-​in clipboard outside that the staff strictly goes by. The service is efficient so an 8 person list is about a 35 minute wait in my experience here.
We typically order the boiled gyoza with green onion and the charred shishito peppers to start. They each are priced at $ 3.95. We really enjoyed the soft gyoza and between the two of us it was a perfect appetizer before our ramen arrived. As far as the shishitos, some of the peppers had a real kick of heat. Not all of them were spicy but some were extremely hot. I love shishito peppers and spicy food so this didn’t phase me but if you’re someone who doesn’t like hot be careful. They don’t specify the spice on the peppers simply because they aren’t supposed to be spicy.
On another occasion we also tried the juicy fried chicken appetizer. The chicken for $ 3.95 had crunch, tender bite and the perfect amount of spice. We didn’t need any additional chili or dipping sauce for that.
Beer is affordable. We had Sapporo premiums at $ 6. It doesn’t get much better than an ice cold beer and ramen on a cold day.
I’ve had the aburi (pork broth) miso ramen twice and the mixed chili shio ramen. Both are delicious and priced at $ 8.95 before toppings. The mixed chili shio is not as spicy as I thought it would be. But it was the perfect amount of spicy while still obtaining a great flavor I wanted to continue slurping. What puts Kitakata’s ramen above others in the area is their hand crumpled noodles. You really can taste the difference. The noodles are softer, fuller and simply just better. They give you a lot of noodles where I couldn’t even finish my bowl. So don’t even think about ordering extra on your first time. You can always get more half-​way through your bowl.
MY TIPS: Get the aburi or mixed chili shio and add some toppings. I always add the $ 1 egg and the napa cabbage. They give a ton of cabbage and it really makes for a healthier, hearty bowl for only .80 cents! I also get the umami chili for $ 1 on the side. I don’t even think they charged us last time for this but it really jazzed up a little bit of everything on the table. I’d love to find out what that spice mix is.
I wanted to try the citrus yuzu sorbet for $ 1.80. I HIGHLY recommend this at the end of the meal. Even if you’re feeling super full, i’m telling you, this just cleansed my palate and was really refreshing to have at the end of dinner.
** I’ve only had dinner here. Our waiter told me about their lunch special that I would love to try but it’s hard getting here during the week for lunch. Their special is simple, you get a half bowl of rice on the side with the purchase of a ramen. You can up that half bowl to a spicy half bowl for .50 cents.
Happy Ramen Season :)

I never realized how many ramen places there are in Costa Mesa.
I decided to try this ramen place based off of a friend’s recommendation. (She said this is her regular ramen place in the OC.) I came here on a week night for dinner (around 6PM) and the wait was about 40 minutes. There’s limited seating for the waiting area inside, so your best bet is to wait outside; be prepared to dress warm if you’re coming for dinner on the weekends. The servers are very attentive and kind, so 5 stars for service!
I ordered the kitakata ramen and added an egg, dried seaweed, bean sprouts, spicy green onion, and yuzu chili paste. I’m a huge fan of spicy ramen, so I added all of the recommended chili pastes and spicy toppings. Let me tell you now that I was definitely not a fan of either the yuzu chili paste or the spicy green onion. There was so much spicy green onion that it was difficult for me to even get to my ramen. I didn’t use all of the yuzu chili paste, but the taste was so strong that it overpowered the taste of my ramen broth and I couldn’t really get over the taste.
We also ordered the juicy fried chicken because of everyone ( Unilocal reviews and waiters) raving about it. Yes, the chicken was good, but I wouldn’t call it fried chicken. This was more of ginormous pieces of popcorn chicken with a side of delicious sauce. It was good, but not as fantastic as everyone had made it out to be.
Would only consider coming here again after I’ve tried a couple other ramen places in the area.

I first heard about Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai at the Ramen Yokocho Festival back in 2013 and I actually waited 2 hours (some people even waited 3~4+ hours) for its «Hand Crumpled Curly Noodles» (excellent noodle, but overall broth was fairly average and not worth hours of waiting). Now Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai finally opened its first U.S. location in 2014 and it is sharing the same plaza as Manpuku Tokyo BBQ. Kitakata raman is one of the three popular ramen variations (the other two are Sapporo and Hataka) in Japan.
So I came here at 6 PM and I already saw a small crowd gathered in front of the restaurant. I immediately put my name down on the waiting list and the staff called our party in 20 minutes.
Menu: Ramens (Kitakata Ramen, Chashu Ramen [same as Kitakata Ramen, just more chashu pieces], Green Chili Shio Ramen, Aburi Miso Ramen, Mixed Green Vegetable Ramen, Cold Ramen, Tsukemen [dipping ramen]), rice bowls, three different gyozas (pan fried, deep fried, or boiled), Menma Plate, Fried Chicken, Edamame, Yuzu Sorbet, etc.
***
Kitakata Ramen (pork broth, shoyu base, toro chashu, menma green onion — $ 7.85 + seasoned egg — $ 1 + spicy green onion — $ 1): Clear & not-​so-​oily tonkotsu broth with amazing curly & al dente noodle (I think noodle is the biggest selling point). Chashu pieces were good, but not exactly the fatty style I personally preferred. To my amazement, spicy green onion was actually pretty good! (4.25÷5)
Gyoza (pan fried gyoza with yuzu chili paste — $ 3.95): They were really good and probably the best gyoza I’ve had in 2015. (⁵⁄₅)
Juicy Fried Chicken (marinated with house special sauce, crispy outside and juicy inside — $ 3.95): The dipping sauce was the bomb and chicken tasted pretty good and juicy, but it was definitely not the best Japanese fried chicken I’ve had. (⁴⁄₅)
***
I like Kopan Ramen a little bit better than Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai simply because Kopan Ramen serves heavier broth and fattier & melt-​in-​your-​mouth chachu pieces; however, I am still a fan of this ramen restaurant and this is a great option if you are looking for a less fatty and heavy bowl of ramen.
P. S. — There are over 50+ Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai locations throughout Japan.

110% Stacyakemi approved! :D
My friends and I came here after seeing all the reviews about this place. When we drove in there were a lot of people waiting outside. And that most of the time means the place is really good! We waited, I would say 15 mins for a table. It kinda sucks if you’re with more people than two cuz your group gets passed up and they go for people who have just two. We got passed up three times. So heads up, they don’t go in orderd of when you put your name down.
Next getting to the service, she was really nice, and reallllly informative. Since it was our first time. But I honestly think she didn’t need to point out things for us to try, or explain things to us without asking us what we were in the mood for or recommend appetizers. I know she was just doing her job, but we all knew what we wanted already by looking on Unilocal,reading the menu (while we waited), and seeing pictures. I actually felt bad that she said all that and we had already our minds made up of what we wanted lol. But after us telling her our order, she reread to us, which was good.
Now the food… omg! Yes, this place is in my favorites for ramen but it’s in SoCal while I’m up in NorCal! Ughhhh, lol. The broth wasn’t too salty or oily; you could taste the miso. The temperature of my noodles was just right. Slightly over the hot mark, but not where it has been sitting waiting to be picked up. You could see the steam still. The noodles were amazing! The chashu was a bit too fatty for me. You get three pieces and I only ate two. Oh I got the Aburi Miso Ramen. Actually all four of us did, I just got mine without oinions. They also give you this really useful spoon with holes so when you think you’re done with your bowl, you take the spoon dip it in your bowl and the next thing you know, you still have some left to eat.
Next time I’m in SoCal, I am coming here! You should too! The price is very reasonable too.

I picked up my brother from SNA for his extended weekend stay. To warm up his belly and to stretch his stomach (proper preparation for his feasting visit), I took him straight from the airport to Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai. We got here at 11:30am on a Wednesday, the wait wasn’t too bad, 10 minutes or so.
Despite the amount of customers, we were greeted with a smile and shown to our table. Service was friendly and polite; we were given a thorough menu tour for first-​timers. The atmosphere was terrific, and the décor inside was a mix of traditional Japanese and contemporary western style. Lots of square trims on windows, doors and ceiling that gave off cool, modern-​Asian vibes.
As for appetizers we both ordered fried chicken (each). It was was delicious– crispy outside and juicy inside, basically the norm for perfect chicken karaage. The main dish was Chashu Ramen with a substantial amount of tender pork-​belly. Of course we had fiber add-​ons in forms of corn and seaweed and as if the meat wasn’t enough, we also added a seasoned egg to our order. The Shoyu-​based pork broth was clear with an excellent flavor, the noodles were superb with just the right texture, the chashu was mouth-​melting and the add-​ons overall helped to keep the flavor in check. The whole bowl is suuuuper filling! I didn’t expect it to be that filling, otherwise one order of chicken karaage to share would have been perfect. Again, the eyes were bigger than the stomach (as usual).
We enjoyed our experience very much and I got to push my brother’s stomach to the limit (well, mine also). It’s easily one of the better ramen shops in this area. I highly recommend stopping in!