The roommate was craving pho for dinner, but I wanted to try a new spot. Realized KIO Ramen was down the street, so I decided to stop by. I went in on Tuesday, October 11th around 6pm to place an order for takeout. *Gyoza (4 Pieces): Pork and Cabbage Potstickers ($2.78) *Karaage: Japanese Style Fried Chicken ($3.58) *Kio Special Flavor: Base Broth of Pork & Chicken, Chashu, Flavored Egg, Spinach, Bamboo Shoots, Roasted Seaweed, Kikurage ($10.75) I was debating between the Hella Spicy and the KIO Special. I normally love super spicy food, but I wasn't in the mood to blow my palate in case it was actually hella spicy, so I just went for the KIO special. It wasn't really spicy at all, so I found myself wishing I got the hella spicy. The soup itself isn't necessarily super rich or super light, but I found the broth kind of sour. The bamboo that came with the ramen tasted like it was pickled, so maybe that was why the broth was sour? I'm a fan of spicy and sour soups, but it felt out of place in a bowl of ramen. I had some undercooked ramen noodles earlier in the week, so these were much better. Had a nice chew. The appetizers were good. The karaage was nice and crispy and the gyoza meaty. Overall, an all right bowl of ramen. I just wish it was richer and didn't have that sour flavor. At least the apps were good. read more

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I like this random ramen place. The service was good and I like the food a lot. We got the takoyaki (fried octopus balls) and the vegetable pancake. Both were great, octopus was better. I got the pork ramen and it was good. It was not the best ramen I've had but it was very good. My husband got the tsukemen dipping ramen and it was very good as well. I would recommend trying this place out. read more

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Had the soft shell crab sandwich with homemade fries. I was expecting something small but it was worth every penny. Each bite had crab with the excellent slaw. I highly recommend. Best crab sandwich I've ever had. read more

KIO Ramen - Soft shell crab sandwich - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

House Sake : tastes like rubbing alcohol Poke bowl : Salmon and Tina tastes old and are different colors of the same fish. Did not like it. Chicken karaage : chewy, tastes okay Beef teriyaki : chewy and sauce thin. Not very good. Miso soup: not good. Tastes old and watery. Tonkatsu Ramen : not spectacular, noodles similar to package kind. Watery broth. They have us fried oysters instead of chicken. Bit into it and It is raw in the middle. Luckily we're not allergic. read more

KIO Ramen - Chicken Karaage - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

For those hesitant to try this place, DO NOT BE HESITANT. This place is GRREEATT. Conveniently located on Balboa and 36th/37th, near Purple Kow, KIO is an amazing ramen addition to the Richmond district. I came with two other friends not really expecting much, but we were pretty amazed at the food. You have a choice of four different soup bases for ramen (see picture), each starting at $9.78. From there, you can add in different things at an extra cost. So I ordered a pork base ramen with a side of Ton katsu (that's fried pork cutlet) and extra noodles. We also ordered some gyoza and chicken karrage as sides. Usually with ramen joints, I don't get full with just a bowl, so you know ya boy had to order extra noodles to fill that belly up. But ya know honestly, the portion sizes they give you is enough that I could have done without the extra noodles. But ANYWAAY back to the ramen. The base is made fresh daily and wasn't too salty (Waraku take notes!). It is slightly spicy though, but not so spicy that it completely destroys you. The ramen noodles themselves were at a perfect consistency. The charsiu was nice and tender. The egg could have been better though. I prefer the more yolky, liquidy kinda egg, but the one here was a tad bit over cooked. It was still delicious nonetheless. I personally think that the side dishes are where this place truly shines. The Katsus and chicken karrage here may be the best I've ever had. They are super crunchy and not too dry! The sides are also pretty cheap! I think they were all under $4-5 an order so we got a lot. The service was good as well. The owner was super friendly and walked around frequently to ask us if everything was fine. Don't worry Mr.! Your food is the bombbbbb.com Overall this is an amazing new ramen place. I'll definitely be coming back in the future! Try it out!! read more

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Came here on a Sunday afternoon at around 4. My mom ordered a kimchi pork ramen and I ordered a pork miso ramen. The broths were flavorful and the service was great! read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's our first time here at this restaurant. Friendly staff also what surprised me is the delicious jazmine tea yum! Their food delicious first time here fell in love of its ramen, fam and I will be back. read more

KIO Ramen - Sorry are too fast on this cold weather curry ramen and beef ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

I always get the chicken katsu sandwich and ramen. I'm addicted! I am not positive, but I really think this is the best chicken sandwich I've had my entire life. So good! read more

Something about this pork doesn't settle right... I couldn't take more than a few bites. The broth came out warm, despite us (myself + 1) being the only table. My friend reports the chicken in her ramen being dry and tasting awful. She also did not finish. I will never return and I do not recommend. There's a moderate health concern for vermin. read more

KIO Ramen - Kio Special Ramen. - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

My friend and i were in the area and came here for lunch because we wanted noodles. This place has more items then just ramen, they have udon, sushi and sashimi. My friend got the spicy ramen and i got the tempura udon. I had some of my friend's ramen and it gave the perfect kick. It was good if you love it spicy because it was so flavorful.. My udon wasn't bad, but portion was a little small and the broth was a little salty. The tempura was average and they did give a lot. The prices on the other hand were a little bit steep for the price and the portion, but that won't stop me from coming back if I'm in the area again. read more

KIO Ramen - Spicy - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I really wanted to like this place, unfortunately I will never come here again. I ordered the garlic miso chicken wings, Kio "specialty" ramen, and water. No water. Ramen comes out and I ask again for water which finally comes. The presentation is poor. Spinach, stale nori, canned menma, the "flavored" egg was overcooked, noodles tasted like something out of a packet. The broth was so salty I couldn't even sip it (usually with good ramen I finish to the last drop). Remember the garlic miso wings? Yeah, it came as a dessert when I was already done with the ramen. No "garlic miso" flavor, just fried. So piping hot with hot oil leaking I didn't even dare eat it after being disappointed with the ramen. Three people working, six customers. Girl in front of restaurant was talking on her cell phone. The customer next to me had to go to the cashier to pay his bill. Luckily this other waiter came around and brought my check. $21.00 bucks is Definitely. Not. Worth. It. Wait for Miki's to open, they know real ramen, or just go somewhere else. read more

Tried the lunch special with calamari and tonkatsu, it was delicious and great value! I will come back to try their ramen.. read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

First of all, this place has horrible service. I am writing this the very second I walked out. I was seated relatively fast because I walked in at 9pm on a Sunday. 3 other small tables are seated with people. There's two servers, and after taking my order they didn't ask what I wanted for drinks. I flagged the girl down and told her but she still didn't bring me any water. When my order came out, I asked again and then she finally brings it. This was when there were only two other tables at a tiny restaurant, it's not that hard to forget. Fast forward, I am almost done with my food and then I see a black thing in my soup (I ordered the spicy ramen so it was really red I didn't notice it earlier). That was enough for me to lose my appetite completely. My God, I only walked in here to try the place out because it's literally a few steps from my house. I will be staying away from now on, first for the horrible service, and second, with that fly. I'm not into that extra protein in my soup. read more

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You can make some poor dining decisions when you're hungry, and this was my latest. A wasted opportunity unfortunately, considering the quality of other noodle joints on Balboa. That this place was empty while others bustling with people was a bad sign, but I've tried almost every other ramen spot in the City, so I guess I'm just a completist. I ordered the "Kio Special" Spicy Miso Pork ramen, and I'm glad that's all I ordered. It came out very quickly, and the broth was luke warm at best - a bad sign straight away. The chashu was limp, and didn't have much temperature either, which is probably why my stomach is feeling pretty funky as I write this two hours later. The noodles were rubbery, as a dish it really didn't have a lot going for it in general. It's never pleasant to end a meal drinking an entire carafe of table water in an effort to flush out what you'd just eaten. The place is presentable enough, and it doesn't feel cheap or unpleasant, but I just don't think they know what they're doing out back. I was three bites in and wishing I'd gone across the road to Shanghai Dumpling or Bao Bao Noodle House. I've eaten a delicious steaming bowl of noodles in places in Taipei with roaches running across the floor and absolutely loved it. This place on the other hand was just the epitome of meh. Avoid. read more

It's really good! My favorite is their soft shell crab ramen with homemade source. And the fried oyster is good too! read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I came here a while back with my ex. Tried the black garlic ramen. OMGOD IT WAS AMAZINGGGGG. I don't understand all the bad reviews for this place. I ate everything and even drank all the soup, I remember scraping out the bowl with my spoon, it made this loudddd scraping noise in the restaurant cause the bowl was made of pure stone I will always remember my experience at KIo Ramen fondly :). read more

KIO Ramen - Black Garlic Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

We wanted to go to another place close by with out door seating and they were full. So we settled for this location. We can see why there were no other customers outside. The food is mediocre with expensive pricing. Ordered their sushi for $20 the salad was horrible with soggy lettuce. The miso soup was not even drinkable! I almost spat out the soup: IT was beyond salty. The ramen was "ok" but nothing special. We also ordered salmon and the salmon was not cook right and kind of raw. All in all, we were disappointed. Kinda figure it would be like that based off the tea we were given initially. It was watered down with no real flavor. When a person eats out these days you expect good food. This place wasn't busy so you can't blame that. Sad. read more

GOOD: - outstanding appetizers - modern & pleasant atmosphere - very fast service during off-peak hours - good prices BAD: - ramen wasn't very flavorful - small dining area I decided to try this place during off-peak hours because I wanted to avoid waiting for a table. It was worth it. We were immediately seated and our food arrived within 15 minutes of ordering. I went with my brother so that we could try more things off the menu. I highly recommend ordering multiple appetizers. You only get four pieces for the appetizers that we ordered, which was perfect because there were two of us. The gyoza was very crispy on the outside and absolutely delicious. The miso chicken wings were outstanding. They were crispy and perfectly seasoned, allowing you to actually taste the chicken. I also ordered chicken katsu as an extra with my entree. The fried chicken strips were perfectly cooked. They were crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. They were not that flavorful, though, but the sauce that came with it more than made up for it. Best... Sauce... EVER. We both ordered Ramen for our entrees. My brother got the classic pork flavored broth and I ordered my personal favorite, classic miso. Compared to other ramen restaurants that I've been to, the classic ramen here is quite mild in flavor. The broth was lightly flavored with miso and the vegetables added a rich, earthy flavor that was very satisfying. The pork strips were fatty and delicious. I tried my brother's soup broth and it was also mildly flavored, but had an earthier overtone. My only real complaint about the ramen with that the noodles were a little more al-dente then I prefer. Despite the soups not being very flavorful, they were still rich and satisfying. Overall we had a very positive experience here and we'll definitely be coming back to try something other than the ramen. read more

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My second experience proved to be very very unsatisfactory. We order the family meal for two -chicken ramen and pork ramen . Totally disaster with the meats...chicken was dry almost like jerky and pork dry and cardboard texture. Saving Grace were the noodles and decent broth. Their Chicken sandwich is decent and good. read more

I should have known when I walked in on a Sat evening 7pm and nobody was there. I love ramen and am always looking to find new places. I also love spicy food so when I saw the "Hell spicy ramen" on the menu outside I had to go in and try it. I got the sashimi salad in addition to the Hell spicy pork ramen. Both were 13$ each. This was honestly the worst meal I've had in as long as I can remember. The sashimi quality was poor and tasted quite fishy. It was supposed to be a mixture of 3 fish, you couldn't even tell which fish was what as it was all drowned in salad dressing. Although thank goodness it WAS covered in dressing so as to not taste the fishiness so much. At least the lettuce was crisp, and the cucumbers were still green. The ramen was spicy as hell as advertised but the everything was completely overwhelmed by the burnt/roasted chili pepper flavor. It was NOT a good tasting spice. There was no tonkotsu or pork flavor. I don't know if the regular version has good broth but I wouldn't go with this one. Noodles came in a large quantity but were waay overcooked and close to being mushy. They had pieces of raw spinach in the ramen (not my preference). The bamboo shoots tasted of preservatives from the can or jar it came from. On the up side the few slices of pork and the egg were good. Given this was a 30$ meal I begrudgingly ate all of the sashimi salad almost expecting a stomach ache later that evening and took the noodle soup to go so that I could use the spice and make something decent out of it. I wasn't full mind you, just tired of eating it. If it were free, I wouldn't eat any of this. I feel terrible writing this review and am sad to say I will never come back again. Also - every single employee here was wearing a large puffy parka. I kept my wool jacket on as well. Maybe turn up the heat a tad bit? Just a tad? read more

KIO Ramen is clean, has new decor and a simple japanese design. There were no other patrons in the restaurant when I was there. The menu is very simple, and unfortunately the ramen is also...simple and plain. I agree with several other reviews that the broth is very bland. The simple style ramen options are only $11, so at least you get full for a low price. The agedashi tofu was decent; a tad more fried than the more delicate versions of agedashi tofu I've had. Basically I wouldn't go out of my way for KIO. Just a place to hold you over if you're in the Balboa neighborhood. Bottom Line: Satisfactory ramen. read more

KIO Ramen - Shoyu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My children love to have appetizers in KIO Ramen,especially the pancakes. The pancakes are crispy and the sauce is rich. Definitely will come next time. read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very comforting Japanese food! I tried their black garlic pork ramen, takoyaki, agedashi tofu, and unagi set dinner. The black garlic ramen had a very rich garlic flavor which was perfect for me. Lots of noodles and pork slices too! I highly recommend trying out the takoyaki and agedashi tofu! The takoyaki was flavorful and fresh and the tofu was light and crispy! They also have a unique selection of Japanese sake and alcohol which is pretty cool! I recommend trying the Ume (plum wine)! Very light and refreshing. Also, their Asahi beer is straight from Osaka! Overall, I highly recommend if you're in the mood for good Japanese comfort food! read more

KIO Ramen made my week! After six long weeks of working and cooking from home I decided to order take out. I ordered through caviar hours before a dinner time pick up. When I arrived it was promptly ready. Please note I walked home for 20 minutes with the food before eating. Shrimp Tempura - I ordered this knowing it might soften a bit on the walk home. It was still great! Three scoop poke - the seaweed was yummy, there was a healthy portion of salmon & tuna. I was quite happy with the overall taste, portion and price. Pork Ramen - My husband got this and said it was good. Thank you KIO for being open during Covid. You made our pandemic date night in even better. We will be visiting you more frequently once shelter in place is over. read more

Got the chicken karaage, Kio special ramen, and takoyaki. This is literally the best ramen place I have ever eaten at in San Francisco. Drinks are amazing, food is fantastic, and service is freaking awesome. read more

Great Ramen! Great sushi! Just great Japanese food! & great prices! Definitely recommend & will be going back! We were a party of 6 & were all happy when we left! read more

Found this place while looking around outer Richmond for a place for a dinner break. Place was pretty quiet which was nice. The menu was pretty simple, you pick your broth and they all come with standard toppings like chashu, egg etc. You can add a huge variety of other things as extras. I got the pork broth and it was good. They also have pretty cheap sides. I got chicken karaage for under $4. It wasn't anything amazing though, could have been a bit tastier. Overall a decent ramen shop. read more

KIO Ramen - Chicken karaage - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I've been here so many time never been disappointed I don't mind making the drive here most people mind but I don't mind the distance it's worth it no line to wait and excellent service with great food I come here for the ramen. They also other stuff check out their menu it's big ! I've had ramen from ken ken in Valencia I love it but the down side it gets gets packed on weekends this place is a just as freshly made. I hate lines and if you hate line and love great Japanese food this is the place for you and your friends. I'm big fan of the 36th balboa restaurants especially this one kio read more

KIO Ramen - Hell spicy ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great ramen! Good service, nice place...great prices! 8.26.17 Menu has been updated with more items and choices. My favorite is still the Classic shoyu ramen. Ramen bowl now $1 more but a whole egg and more slices of pork belly now...great warm bowl for cool San Francisco evenings! read more

The menu here is SUPER simple (if you like that). I ended up just getting the chicken Karaage and shrimp tempura while my friend ordered the Ramen pork flavor. If you read the actual menu, their ramen bowsl aren't really that different--only spice levels vary. I do not recommend ordering the shrimp tempura only because it only came with three superrrr small pieces...and for the price it isn't too worth it. The Karaage was alright, but I've had better. I can't say much about the ramen since I didn't even eat the ramen (heh) but my friend did mention how there was actually not that much ramen, despite it being in such a big bowl. The service though, was GREAT!! Very friendly staff and welcoming vibes (= read more

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*update: you can order pickup and delivery directly from their website. It's much cheaper. I walked by this restaurant and decided to give it a try. I ordered takoyaki and spicy miso ramen. The takoyaki was delicious. The broth for the ramen can use bolder flavor as I didn't really taste the miso flavor. While it's not the best ramen shop in SF but it's not too terrible for the price. Another good thing is that there is hardly any line so for anyone who wants to have ramen without the wait, this is definitely the place to go! read more

Not authentic Japanese ramen. I give 3 stars for trying but not a place for ramen purists. Miso ramen lacked true Japanese miso flavoring. This establishment is not owned by Japanese owners. read more

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Of the five meals we ordered, two were ok. The wife and I got poke bowls, do not to order these. Fish was not fresh. A creepy kind of chewy. Two of my cucumber pieces tasted of a fungus of some sort. This miso soup was awful. My mom's ramen was ok, probably the best of all, as she was able to eat it all. Mother in law's udon was not cooked all the way, and it was practically a soy sauce soup, she could finish it. The three year old got the chicken cutlet. Wasnt too bad, good actually. Service. Wait staff was nice. They did give us a heads up that there was only one cook, but pretty close to a hour, and a meal trickled out every ten minutes, is ridiculous. I know this because of the time stamp on the text my wife sent me while I was looking for parking. I have never in my life left a 10% tip and I am in my early 40s. Bill came to 72 and some change, I left them 80. read more

Came here for dinner and it was pretty empty. I was debating on whether to order the hell spicy ramen or the Kio special. Ended up with the Kio special because I was too scared to try the extra spicy one. Happy with my choice because it was just spicy enough for me. The ramen was okay. Nothing was wrong with it, but definitely not great. Compared to all the ramen I've ever tried, this one is no more than decent. Worth a try, but wouldn't ever go out of my way for this. read more

KIO Ramen - Kio special - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Oh la la......All I can say is this is my ramen spot! Sashimi , Jumbo Unagi Don, clod soba, Beef Udon, Bento combo......I've had just about very sashimi item. Hot sake Cold Sapporo. Always amazing fresh fish here. The service is amazing. read more

First time at KIO Ramen & we will definitely be back soon!! The food was 10/10, the service 10/10! And they are following the precautions for COVID-19! read more

KIO Ramen - Soft Shell Crab Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The wrost salmon teriyaki I even had, it seem uncooked to me, plus I'm not sure is that salmon or some other kind of fish, it also taste awful! Will never come back again! read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Nice little hole in the wall locale. Seating arrangement is kind of cramped. I think it would do the servers and customers alike a favor if the individual tables were less so that there would be space in between. The menu is relatively small and simple, which I like. Not confusing or complicated. Straight forward which makes ordering easy. The food was only okay. My girlfriend had the miso ramen and I had the shoyu ramen. It did its job in making us full, but it was barely memorable. The choice of their meat in their ramen was different, kind of bland. Broth was good, but the rest could use some improvement. Portion size was average. Considering this place is new, it has a lot of potential. I would give this place a second chance if I ever happen to be in the neighborhood and needed a place to eat, but otherwise Tanpopo, Waraku, ramen Yamadaya, and a bunch others would be a better choice. read more

KIO Ramen - Shoyu ramen w/ corn. Add-ons are slightly more than other ramen places. - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Good food. Service was good aswell, and a nice ambiance. Nothing to complain about.

We ordered chicken miso ramen and black garlic chicken ramen. Miso ramen broth was salty, and the soup was not hot. The chicken looked good but didn't taste fresh. It looked like it had been cooked a few times. read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California