Kai Ramen At Joseph’s Cafe

Reviews

• Jim H.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  Yup.
  Yup yup.
  Yup yup yup.
  Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cooooool.... (#brooklyn99)
  
  OK, so first off, it's in a weird building.  Most of the restaurant it kind of empty/dead, but Kai Ramen is in an enclosed patio at the front of the space.
  
  I got there and it was dead empty (why was it EMPTY, PEOPLE!?!), and the (friendly) water apologetically explained that they were out of the first two beers I asked for.  Not a great start.
  
  But then I ordered the ramen.
  
  OH.  MY.  GOD.
  
  It was...OUTSTANDING.  The pork belly was mouth porn.  The egg was half-boiled and perfectly firm and runny in the middle.  The noodle/meat ratio was beyond perfect.  It's 5 stars even with the "out of the beer you want" issue.  I didn't care after he dropped the bowl in front of me....
  
  Until today (TODAY!) Silverlake Ramen has been my favorite Ramen outside of Little Tokyo.
  
  This place...
  
  [ok, ok...chill out, man...just think of what you're saying here...]
  
  This place...
  
  [deep breath]
  
  This place is better.  
  
  Silverlake Ramen has climate control (big win, esp during the day), and great service (although this place wasn't bad), but the RAMEN HERE WAS DELICIOUS.  Top 5 in the world, that I've had, period.
  
  Can't recommend highly enough - I can say, without ANY hesitation, that it's THE BEST RAMEN IN HOLLYWOOD.  Period.
  
  Run there now, buy their food, get them to a point where they can open up their own restaurant.  Now.  Seriously.

• Christa C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 29 May 2026

  I sent a message to them via website and have yet to heat from them about the bites I recieved on my leg during my visit on 8/28.
  
  Update: They reached out to me and said they put citronella candles everywhere to help with the bugs and flies.... What kind of bugs bite like this and are solved with citronella candles? None. These are legit bed bugs or fleas. Please get your restaurant cleaned.

• Hannah E.

  star star star star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  This is a weird-looking place, especially at 2pm. Kind of a half-outdoors loung-y terrace with couch-like chairs around a large empty space, and totally deserted, smelling like mold and sink cleaner. Not a great start, although I'm sure it looks and smells better at night!
  
  Their ramen, though, is at least interesting if ultimately not really my thing. If you like a really buttery, rich, make-you-want-to-only-eat-salad-for-the-rest-of-the-day broth, the Kai's White should be your pick. It's so heavy it starts congealing after only a few minutes without stirring.
  
  They spice their noodles (I know this because I got it to go and they came separately) and it just adds to the rich flavor. The egg is done pretty well - maybe a little too done in the white, but still runny at the yolk. The pork is tasty but the texture is really more carnitas than the typical ramen style pork belly. They give you lots of wood ear mushrooms - yum.
  
  For $12.50 it's pretty standard for a normal sized ramen bowl.

• Aileen C.

  star star star star star 25 May 2026

  You will think you're in the wrong place, but the ramen is soooo right!  We've been here twice and there hasn't been any other customers and we can't figure out why (they say its more of a late night crowd and we're always there at dinner time), but hey, no waiting in line to get into a great ramen place?  Yes please!

• Greg K.

  star star star star star_border 16 May 2026

  Very good Ramen. It's worth it to upgrade to the jumbo noodles. Only problem is that you have sit outside and it's very hot. They only have one fan and need at least 3. Other then that it is very good for the money. Must try, but definitely not on a hot day.