Nice place, nice people. Food seemed good... However, be careful if you don't like spicy food. I ordered Express Lunch Tonkotsu Ramen. The server said, "What spice level do you want?" A surprising question, since I lived in Japan for years, and in my experience Tonkotsu Ramen was never spicy. Trying to make sense of it, I said, "What levels are there?" She said, "One to three." I chose one, because I don't like spicy food. The ramen came and it was *spicy.* Waaay too spicy for me; my nose was dripping and running, etc. I was disappointed because I had wanted to taste the broth, but you couldn't find the taste behind the screaming spice. I asked the server why it was spicy when I had chosen "one." She said she had also said "No spice." But she hadn't. It was sadly not a good experience for me. Notably, the noodles were thicker and a slightly different color and texture from ramen noodles in my experience. It was a little odd but I thought it might be just their spin on it. My husband enjoyed his. Hence the rating. read more

My friend and I ended up going here because the spot we were originally were going to was closed and we were not disappointed. This is going to be one of our new regular spots we go to, I love the classy modern atmosphere. A place to write home about, one of the best restaurants i've been to in Springfield so far. The food is incredible, well presented and delicious. The Salmon was grilled to perfection and all the sushi rolls were unique and so fresh and tasty! The best part though was my server Brenden. He was wonderful, so sweet and attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Come here and ask for him, he made our experience 101827383% better. I wouldn't want any other person to wait on us. He is so personable and kind and I could tell he was overall genuine. 10/10 will be back read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - white house roll - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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I'd been looking for a good ramen place and found this one and drove all the way from Joplin to try it out! We got steamed dumplings and two rolls as an appetizer and they were delish. Two of us got ramen, one got chicken teriyaki, and one pork dish. They were all delicious! There's a reason there's a line forming before they're open! Would definitely try this again! read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Cheeky Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Food, staff, and atmosphere was amazing! I'd totally recommend trying the chicken karage and add lime to the sauce to give the lemony flavor. The ramen is my favorite. I had to add boiled egg on it to finish it off. My husband likes the Chanshu Bowl. Everything about this place is 111/10 I would definitely come again. read more

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We had an AMAZING dining experience here. Modern and clean ambiance with excellent service. Our orders were placed and served promptly. We started with an order of Karaage Chicken- fried perfectly and served with a delicious dipping sauce. We ordered a tonkatsu dinner for the kids, Old School Ramen, and the Karai Ramen. The meals did not disappoint; everything came out in a timely manner, beautifully plated, and absolutely delicious. My family and I highly recommend this restaurant. Tip- the restaurant menu has a scale (0-3 I believe?) when determining the amount of spice you want to add to your ramen. How "karai" (aka spicy) do you want your noodle soup? read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Old School Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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Practically no seafood option's only 2 seafood options (besides sushi obviously) for appetizers and NO SEAFOOD options for entrees. Our first waitress we got accidentally "stole" our table even though she took our order then gave us a different waiter then he didn't even take our order just apologized for the confusion and left. We waited 10 minutes for drinks and our order and didn't get anything so we got up and left. If you take an order you just don't put it through at this restaurant apparently. Huge disappointment. read more

The food was amazing. The service was amazing. The ambiance was also awesome! Everything fit so well together and the food is just incredible. read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Sushi - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Wow!!!! The place was packed so I knew that was a great sign! Loved the fresh and modern-yet warm feel-in the restaurant! We ordered chicken teriyaki and the house ramen (spice 2)-AWESOME!!!!! My husband and I gobbled everything up. We took ours home, but next time we will enjoy dine in and add dessert!!!! read more

This place has incredibly authentic ramen. I recommend coming here without reservation. I have several criteria for evaluating ramen (in no particular order); 1) broth/base-hearty and filling. I had the original here and enjoyed the full rich flavor here. It wasn't salty either. They have it down here 2) chashu quality- each bowl comes with two pieces which is a little on the more frugal side to me . There's the option to add more. The cuts are thick, tender and cooked perfectly. Pieces aren't dry or chewy but instead fall apart in your mouth. 3) soft egg-I have a real soft spot for the half cooked eggs and they cook it right here. The main issue here though is that they cut it in half. Most of the fun is biting into the soft gooey center! Ask them to leave it whole. 4) noodles-I'm partial to thicker noodles and they serve the thinner version here. Noodles are still hard and chewy which I like a lot. 5) accoutrements-they have a nice selection here. Can pick wood eat mushrooms, classic bean sprouts and seaweed. Overall the ramen is a 89.5/100 They also have sushi and some classic Japanese appetizers on their menu that I also tried. Their chicken kaarage (Japanese fried chicken) is incredibly authentic. Tender seasoned and perfectly fried pieces of chicken. Have to get Tried their soft shell crab and shrimp tempura maki here. I think it was okay but would pass. They both have Tamago in it (Japanese scrambled egg) which isn't the norm I don't think. The soft shell crab also had what seemed like imitation crab which was a little off-putting. Just keep it simple! The soft shell crab was also fried less traditionally with some batter that I generally am not a fan of. With all that being said I'm pretty picky about sushi so I still thought it tasted good. Lastly I tried the salmon skin hand roll. It was presented unrolled which was a little unique. Salmon skin was fried well and had some meat on it as well that was a good touch. Location is in a mall tucked into the corner so it can be easy to miss-it's by the much brighter gym. Great and attentive service. Very nice dining area. They play sort of pop/house/tech music. Not too loud to have conversation but you can tell they're trying to cultivate a trendy vibe. Pricing is pretty reasonable compared to how much I usually pay in LA/NY for similar. Closer to how reasonable it would be in Japan (dirt cheap yhet ANYWAY COME FOR THE RAMEN!! I came back again and tried their sushi which was great quality. Also I found out they have both types of noodles, thin and thick so this place is now a straight 10/10 read more

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Everything they do is sexy. Idk why they don't get more business (perhaps location?) But I continue to pass along the sexiness to whomever brings up ramen cravings. -note- they do close for a brief period mid day... it's a thing?? A lot of shops do I guess? So just look at times before going is all. read more

Karai is yummy! What can I say?!?! I only ever get the Ramen, but it's my favorite place to go in town for Ramen. Delish!

The food is great. The environment is awesome and the setting allows you to enjoy your food. read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

FOOD IS SO GOOD !!! The waitress was so nice and sweet. It was so beautiful in the restaurant and the broth in the noodles was heavenly. Definitely worth my money and my taste buds read more

Can't beat good ramen and some sushi rolls. Both quality and full of flavor. A few good beers on tap as well.

Brandon was the best server I have ever had ask for Brandon he's amazing and nice and goes a wonderful job!! Ramen was okay the pork we got in it was super fatty but other wise it was really good the chashu bun and nigiri were amazing read more

Love the ramen here! The location is also so cute and the ambiance is perf! I think if you're looking for a nice lunch or dinner this is the spot! the lunch deal is also so yummy! read more

Good ramen; lots of choices to decorate and flavor the dish. Decent size bowl; great place to hangout for lunch or dinner

Food is okay but not great. Tempura vegetables were too big and not cooked well. The broccoli was doughy inside and they pour sauce on everything - not great. CA roll was like I bought at Sam's, looked good but little taste. Shrimp pops are good. Probably won't go back for these type things but maybe try Ramon. read more

Great food. Great customer service. Great environment. I appreciate the consistent quality of the food. Most restaurants can't provide the same experience every visit, but Karai does. My family always gets excited when I tell them we are going here. Highly recommend. read more

The best Ramen in SW Missouri and maybe all of MO. I've had a lot of ramen, a lot. This rivals anyplace from NY to LA. Totto Ramen in NY - watch out! First, this place is beautiful. It's industrial, clean, bright, and reminds me that I'm in a trendy space in Chicago or New York. The service is also fantastic (servers, manager, owners, everyone). The bar is stocked with all my beloved Japanese whiskey offerings of at least 7-10 different grades with a large bar with TV's. Things to Note: 1) Express Lunch includes a choice of Tonkatsu/Vegetarian Ramen and a Rice bowl dish. I opted for the Tonkatsu and Chasu (pork-based) Rice Bowl for like $10. 2) Broth, which is why you come here is completely spot on with the depth of what ramen should taste like with all the umai goodness. It's not too salty - but clean. I got it medium spice and it was perfect. 3) Always add a soft boiled egg. They understand how not to overcook an egg. 4) Great for groups 5) Amazing music in the background 6) The salmon handroll was good - but honestly the ramen is the star. read more

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Phenomenal food!!!! Delicious and great presentation! Get the OMG Sushi Roll! Putting a picture would ruin the 'experience'!!! read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - The Hangover Ramen!! - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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As a vegetarian finding flavourful, truly vegetarian broth is almost a quest in itself. Karai served up a massive bowl full of heart warming deliciousness, it was pure joy, specially when it's 30F outside and you are chilled to the bone. Top that off with litchi martinis (I may have a huge weakness for these), beautiful interior, great service and you have a WINNER!! Absolutely plan on coming back when in the area again. read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Veggie Ramen with Spice - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Set in a small strip mall in the burbs, you wouldn't expect this place to knock your socks off, but they will! There are a few places that I absolutely must visit when in Springfield and this is now one of them. I've eaten here several times and always had luck in finding a table, but we were smart and made reservations for our party of 6 for Friday night and were seated right away. They had us set up at a high top table, but with two people in our party over the age of 79, we asked to be moved to a lower table and they quickly and happily accommodated our request. I was particularly hungry from driving in from STL without stopping for lunch, so I ordered a cocktail (suuuuper delicious), two appetizers to "share," - the cucumbers and the tomatoes and then a trio of handrolls (no sharing!), before ordering my spicy miso ramen (with an extra egg). Hey, I said I was hungry! LOL! The little persian cucumbers were the sweetest and spiciest little things and my little sister and niece gobbled them up with me. The tomato app had a very fish sauce forward taste that was a bit too much for us, but it was still good and a refreshing dish. Would I order it again? Probably not, but only because there are SO many other items on the menu that are not just good, but great. Like the hand rolls. The trio of handrolls is an amazing deal - only $13 for 3 fresh hand rolls served un-rolled. I can only imagine that this is so you can appreciate the fresh ingredients before rolling them yourself. This is one of the rare places that gives you REAL snow crab instead of krab with a "K." I ordered the White House (seared "white tuna," which everyone knows is really escolar), snow crab and salmon as my 3 choices. I would definitely order these again, along with 3 more of their other choices and make it 6! My ramen of choice that evening was the spicy miso ramen at spice level 3 and it was the perfect level of spiciness for me. I recommend ordering an extra egg ($1) because they are JUST THAT GOOD! I also asked for extra garlic (free) and was given some really strong garlic mashed into a paste and after using the entire portion, I was just happy that others had added garlic too, because the garlic breath was raging! :) Everyone else at the table were very happy with their choices ranging from sushi to ramen and the consensus among several was that the vegetarian ramen was AMAZING and one of the most flavorful. My little sis is Celiac, so she had gluten-free ramen with tofu (she's a regular here) and she never worries about cross contamination because this restaurant "gets it." There aren't many places she can trust, but Karai is happily one of them! Service was friendly and prompt even though every table was packed. The noise level was pretty loud with happy diners, great music & happy staff that work together seamlessly and help each other out at every table. It was a jovial night with family made all the better by great food in a great atmosphere. I really love this restaurant! read more

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I've been to a number of ramen places recently out of state (even the famous Momfuku in Las Vegas), and the ramen here is a clear winner. The house special is perfectly seasoned and spiced, the sides are tasty. The hand rolls aren't really worth the hype, usually these would be served wrapped, otherwise you're getting a piece of seaweed and rice and sushi on top that you have to roll yourself, and that can get messy if you don't do it right. read more

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My partner and I randomly found Karai on here while visiting from out of town. What a hit!!! Our server Lily was amazing and attentive and absolutely contributed to the hip and welcoming environment. I ordered the ramen veggie combo and it was more than enough to tie me over, not pictured is the chashu bun and it was the most fluffy flavorful cuisine EVER! I didn't order any drinks, but took a pic of the yummy looking cocktail list:) Thank you Lily!!! read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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My husband loves the karaji chicken. I love all of the Ramen bowls especially the old skiol bowl..mild Great Ramen place..a 10 for sure read more

Such great food, anything on the menu is a good choice. Besides being packed full of guest all the time we enjoy going here for the ramen. We will be back! read more

Drove 1 hour to come eat here. Absolutely worth it! As soon as food arrived to table we all went silent and ate for 5 minutes straight...Pictured here are veg ramen, chicken cheeky ramen and chicken Karai ramen. Each. One. Was. Delicious! Also highly recommend fuji apple martini! I have eaten a lot of ramen and hot pot and this one easily makes top 3! Someone come give this place Michelin stars... read more

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Good ambiance inside. Food came out pretty quickly. I got the Spicy old school ramen with pork & a sex in the city roll. Sushi was very fresh! read more

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This place is outstanding, we had sashimi, great role and ramen. Great service Sake !! read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Original ramen - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Authentic ramen with meticulously made sides and well crafted drinks. Karai ramen and shrimp appetizer are favorites.

Update: food still great! They've added more items to their menu since they first opened about 4 years ago. Will always recommend their signature karai ramen with pork chashu and an egg! And their katsu is crispy and delicious! Takoyaki is also yummy here. I've had their drinks here and they're also great. Service is always nice. Haven't tried their sushi so I can't speak for that. Watch out for the weekend nights here cause they get packed! read more

Karai Ramen + Handroll - Tempura cheesecake - Ramen Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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My first time having ramen and it was amazing. We got great recommendations from our server (including the Gyoza) and the staff was perfectly engaged. What a treat! read more

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This is our go to for a date night. The food and service is consistently excellent and they have great lunch specials as well. We love the Jacks Hangover Ramen with medium spice and the teen loves the chicken teriyaki bowl. Cocktails are great and it's a fun vibe for happy hour also. It can be pretty noisy at night so those who prefer a quiet more intimate meal may enjoy a lunch or happy hour more. It's not unusual to see kids there, but not a great place for young children. read more

I love everything about Karai. I always order my meal and then a teriyaki bowl to take home because it's so good and an insane proportion.

What a wonderful little spot! We were in Springfield for 3 days and this place won our hearts. The house speciality ramen with extra garlic and some shrooms.. yessir! That's the ticket. I wasn't even hungry and I kept spooning more into my mouth. After internally yelling at myself to stop, I asked for more noodles.. girls gotta plan ahead for lunch ya know. My galpal got the asparagus and motz tempura, I didn't even know those guys were friends! They danced so we'll together and that wasabi sauce was killer. read more

Solid ramen and sushi. I came here for lunch and had the lunch special of pork house ramen and Miami roll. The portion size was perfect to slightly big which was great because I was hungry. The ramen and sushi were solidly good and the lunch special price was very reasonable around 16-17 bucks for a big bowl of ramen sushi. Ambiance would also be good for a date night or business meeting. read more

Karai has a great selection of food, from ramen to sushi to rice bowls. Their ramen is tasty and prepared well. Their express lunch is a great way to try a couple of things together, so that's a recommendation for a first timer to try two of their most popular items. read more

Ambiance is less "traditional" than I'd like, but different and directed more towards the college croud in my opinion. Food was subpar at best, if it was cheaper I'd rate it higher. Service was great! read more

Service is always good and food is delicious!! We have never had anything but the best experience when we eat at Karai Ramen.