Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya (Carmel)

The absolute best, most authentic ramen I've ever had in America. I didn't get a photo of the ramen cause it was good I couldn't stop eating. The broth is incredibly flavorful but not too heavy, the noodles have a great texture, the noodle to broth ratio is spot on, the chasu is high quality, the eggs... OOOHHHH MY, the eggs are transcendent. The service is similar to Japanese-style with the midwest nice flair, which is to say they're super friendly, they're always there when you need them, but they aren't bothering you every five seconds. It feels like you're back in Japan. If you've never had authentic ramen, or are feeling homesick for Japanese ramen, give this place a go. You won't regret it.

Ordered the garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen with chicken karaage. The interior was nicely designed with cool wall décor and a pleasant atmosphere. I also appreciated the open kitchen — it gave me confidence in their cleanliness. However, the food itself was just average. First, the chicken karaage came out extremely fast, like within a minute of ordering. It was clearly pre-fried rather than made to order, though it still tasted pretty good. The biggest disappointment was the meat on top of my ramen. It was tough, dry, and completely lacking in flavor — honestly, the ramen would have been better without it. I understand there aren’t many ramen spots nearby, but for a $19 bowl, this was disappointing. I really wanted to like this place since it’s so close to home, and I’ll probably give it a

Good food and atmosphere. I ordered two ramen for pickup, but I was pretty disappointed with how little soup was in the containers. It looked like barely any broth after transfer to bowl. Am I supposed to add water myself? >>> I live only 6 minutes from the restaurant, and the soup wasn’t split during pickup or during the drive. If you look at the soup cup, it simply wasn’t filled with enough broth.

Our server (from Indonesia) was the best! We loved all the recommendations. We were referred here by friends and will be paying it forward! Heads up the house said is huge!

We loved the food here. Had three appetizers (cannot pronounce) and all star ramen. Everything was great and hot. Came quickly. Will be back for sure