Kishimoto Mendo is a sister restaurant of Menya Rui, the ramen spot that has lots of hypes in the city. The ambiance and restaurant decor is cozy - designed similarly as Menya Rui. The style of service is set up the same way as well. It's pretty much self- service. As far as food, it's phenomenal. I highly recommend the Shisito Peppers as appetizers and Tonkansu Classic on the menu. The price is reasonable- about $30 for both items. read more

Kishimoto Mendō - Ramen Near Me - University City, Missouri

See all

Just wow! This has to be the best tonkotsu in St. Louis. We stopped in at around 2:30pm on a Saturday and we were able to get seated pretty quickly. You order at your table and we decided on the red tonkotsu, classic tonkotsu and chasyu rice bowl. The rice bowl came out first and the pork was rich and delicious and everything worked beautifully. Our ramen came out next. I got the red tonkotsu and my partner got the classics the broth was incredible and the additional spice from the red miso paste was incredible. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the toppings and meat were to die for. I'm sad this isn't closer to where we live but it is worth the drive. Can't wait to come back and try more of their selection. Still dreaming of the ramen. The restaurant is pretty unassuming from the outside but the inside made it seem like you were transported elsewhere. The staff were incredibly helpful and kind! 10/10 across the board read more

See all

Kishimoto Mendō just opened less than a week ago and I had the privilege to check it out! I knew i was going to like it, because I absolutely love Menya Rui. Tonkotsu broth was thick and creamy like it was supposed to be and as usual, the noodles had the perfect chewiness. Quick service! Spacious. Japanese bar style. Street parking! read more

See all

The ramen was absolutely delicious. Rich in flavor and texture. The restaurant was clean, sleek and cozy. The service was excellent and whole experience was top tier. If you are new to ramen, this is a great place for your first time. read more

See all

Fabulous new ramen spot by Menya Rui. Different style of ramen with a decadent broth in the tonkatsu style. We got there a bit before they opened, knowing that a line forms quickly at Menya. Similar to Menya, you can grab your own water and you order through your phone at your seat. Nice ambiance inside with a set up that encourages you enjoy your food and then clear the way for the next guests. We tried the wings, potato salad, and shishito peppers in addition to the tonkatsu ramen. I don't know that I have ever had a broth so rich, very yummy! The pork melts in your mouth. I am normally a hard core egg person but in this case, I think it is ok to skip the egg. Still great, but the broth and pork bring all the richness you need! Might be the best ramen I have had to date. read more

Kishimoto Mendō - Tonkatsu classic - Ramen Near Me - University City, Missouri

New ramen place? I wouldn't miss it! Don't be surprised that they don't have signage outside their restaurant. The interior is modern and comforting. Perfect for solo diners, but even with my friend, we were comfortable eating next to each other. It's a self-ordering system with a QR code, and I personally like this system because it's fast and efficient. Food also came out super fast! The peppers and potato salad were deliciously excellent! Most importantly, the tsukemen was outstanding! I opted for this instead of a traditional bowl of ramen with broth because it was hot outside. The noodles are cold and you dip it in the broth, and I was absolutely blown away by how tasty the combination was! I told my friend that I'm pretty sure I would be thinking about this when I got home, and I was right. It was just that good! Highly recommended!!! read more

See all

Super excited about this new ramen location! Kishimoto just opened yesterday in U City. It's owned by the same owner as Menya Rui, which hasn't been my favorite, but I was excited about this tonkotsu-style ramen and wanted to give it a try. We waited about an hour. I love the vibe of the restaurant, though I wish they would play more Japanese-style music. The ramen broth is so rich--I absolutely love it! I prefer the original Tonkotsu Classic noodles compared to the thicker Gyokai noodles. The shishito peppers were quite bland, and I would love to see more variety on the menu, but I will definitely be back for more ramen. The staff members are very nice; I actually ordered an extra ramen bowl by mistake, and they were able to refund me. Also, you have to add the eggs since they don't come with the bowl--they are so worth it! Highly recommend checking this place out. read more

See all

Yep it's legitttt. I can easily say that this is the best tonkotsu bowl in STL. After months of anticipation, my first time at Kishimoto on opening day did not disappoint one bit! We got the tonkotsu black (classic tonkotsu with black garlic oil) and tonkotsu red (classic tonkotsu with a dab of spicy miso), and also the pork rice bowl. Y'all, the noodles were solid with a satisfying bite. The broth was not overly rich/overly powering; it was flavorful and addictive. My honest critique is similar to my Menya Rui experiences, which is we really have to order extra add-ons such as egg and extra chasu to make the ramen bowl really worthwhile. Egg is not included in the standard bowl and they only give you one thin slice of chasu. I do wish they give you the option to order extra noodles (kaedama). Separately, the chasu pork rice bowl was really delicious! The rice texture and mix-ins were scrumptious - we ate this as an "appetizer". Service was great! It was well staffed and the staff were attentive and accommodating. We were seated quickly and efficiently. The space is well utilized and it has about 3-4x the amount of seating as Menya Rui. It genuinely didn't feel like today was their opening day. Kudos to the entire team. This is an amazing asset to the Delmar Loop (alongside some truly great recent additions such as Noodle Story, Movoc, Zhang lala). The loop is truly in great hands. P.S. adored the city pop music playing in the background read more

Kishimoto Mendō - I dug in before this photo, sorry! - Ramen Near Me - University City, Missouri

See all

OMGGG... this is my new favorite place to eat ramen in STL. The quality of the noodles is phenomenal, staff helpful and friendly. It's super clean and in the heart of Delmar Loop. If you didn't try it yet, I challenge you to try and see with your own eyes what I am talking about!!! read more

See all

I went to Kishimoto Mendo in the late afternoon on opening day and had a great experience overall! I scanned a QR code after entering the restaurant to get on the waitlist. The QR code is across from the door upon entry. I found it to be an efficient wait system even though I only waited 5 minutes. The service setup is similar to their other restaurant, Menya Rui - you scan a QR code after being seated to order and pay, then your food is brought out. I like how streamlined everything was. The service was friendly and smooth. I ordered shishito peppers and tonkotsu black ramen (classic with addition of roasted garlic oil) with ajitama (egg). The shishito peppers were decent; I just wish they had more sauce for extra flavor. The tonkotsu black ramen was excellent and the highlight of my meal. The broth was rich and flavorful without being heavy or overwhelming. The egg was perfect. The noodles were on the thin side and had a good chew. The pork had a nice sear. I'm so happy to have another authentic ramen restaurant in St. Louis. I can't wait to come back! read more

See all

Already knew since it was the first day of opening it was going to be packed and it was definitely packed so I of course didn't put the wait time in my review because is obvious. So loved the interior. The food was amazing!! The chicken wings were sweet, garlicky and very good! Lived the rice bowl! Will go back for that! The shishito peppers were a nice app but I thought they were going to be spicy. I thought they were okay. But I got the Tonkostu classic and my sis got the Gyokai black. Really enjoyed my ramen bowl. The flavors were amazing and I did add a bit of spice to the ramen to give a kick! My sis loved her gyokai black. I tasted it and it was a bit garlicky for me. Will definitely be back read more

See all

We came a few minutes past noon, quickly scanned the QR code to get into the waitlist, and still ended up waiting 45 minutes for a table. Then, another 20 mins for our orders. I had the Gyokai black while my friend had the tonkotsu black. Both broths were tasty. We were surprised that there was only 1 sliced of pork belly chashu on our bowls. We'd had ordered extra topping if we had known. Overall, we personally thought it wasn't a great experience, and definitely not worth 1 hour wait. read more

See all

We attended the soft opening, it was stellar just as expected. We checked in with the QR code and wait was maybe 30 minutes. I ordered the wings and potato salad, both absolutely delicious. Ramen was complimented with the sesame oil - even our 6 yo knew this was the good stuff! Tysm for the amazing service. read more

I went to the most anticipated restaurant of this year, Kishimoto Mendo. They have just opened for 2 weeks and everyone is rushing to come check it out as they were run by the same chef behind Menya Rui. I went on a Saturday around 1pm and waited about half an hour. Make sure you scan the QR code first thing when you enter to add yourself to the online waitlist. The inside was so nice with plenty of seatings. I like the good vibe with City Pop playing in the background. I got to try almost all the appetizers. My favorite was the potato salad. It was the perfect combo texture and flavor. The creamy potatoes blended well with the crispy shallots and the crunchy cucumbers. The shishito peppers were spicy so be careful. The wings were well seasoned and crispy on the outside. You must order at least 1 appetizer. I like that the menu here is bigger than Menya Rui. You still got the same 3 main options. You can either do broth, broth less or dipping noodles. I got the Tsukemen Gyokai and it was delicious as expected. The noodles for the Tsukemen were thicker and chewier to soak up all the flavor of the dipping sauce. Their charsiu is THE BEST one that I have ever had. The meat just melted after each bite. The tenderness was insane. The egg was extra but definitely worth paying for. The yolk had this jelly like texture and was marinated. I also got to try the Red Gyokai tonkotsu ramen. The broth was so creamy. You can definitely taste the seafood in the broth. Chef Steven Pursley did not disappoint! I would definitely go here all the time. read more

Day 2 of opening, we did not have to wait for very long. Scan the QR code and you'll receive a text when your table is ready. The broth, noodles were fantastic. I got the Tonkotsu Black ramen and cold potato salad read more

See all

Do yourself a favor and go to Kishimoto Mendō. Great apps and even better ramen. Line moves quick and the service is efficient. read more

Kishimoto Mendō - Ramen Near Me - University City, Missouri

See all

The place is pretty spacious and calm to dine in by yourself, and the bowl of ramen I had was TO DIE FOR!! I'm excited to try the rest of the menu. The staff also makes the experience so much better. You can definitely tell that they pour their hearts into what they do. read more