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Kokeshi

3.8 (260 reviews)
ModerateAsian Fusion
Closed • 11:30 am - 9:30 pm

Kokeshi Photos

KOKESHI ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Kokeshi

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Fried dumplings
Meg S.

This place was SOO good. It was very interesting because it's a combination of Asian and Italian food. I only got the ramen and the fried dumplings, but I absolutely loved it. Had the pleasure of having the owner as one of the waiters and he was so sweet and passionate about his store. I would absolutely love to come back here and eat here again.

Back Alley Bacon Ramen
Pepper J.

Good food and ambiance. Service is a bit slow during peak hours, will come again when it's less busy.

Ethan R.

I ask you... what's even better than Hot Ramen on a cold rainy day? I answer... nothing!! Gotta love Salem & not just for October or Halloween. Salem definitely never falls short for a good time with lots of great local eats. Very intriguingly setup casual eatery offering a menu of wood-fired pizza, ramen noodles and small plates in comfy digs. Certainly did not disappoint & we left feeling very warm & comfortable.

Back alley bacon ramen and hot pepper and pepperoni pizza
Elaine N.

John was our server and service was amazing! This restaurant was def made for my partner and I because we get the best of both worlds. Ramen & pizza! I can't have a say with pizzas bc pizza is my least favorite food. I did wish there was more meat on it. The back alley bacon ramen was soooo delicious! I love my ramen salty and that was just what it was! I'm from Orange County, CA, so I've had some bomb ramen in my lifetime. I love how chewy and soft the ramen noodles were. The pork belly was crispy, fatty, and salty, just how I like it. We asked for extra broth and John was able to accommodate that! The egg was medium cooked and I was pretty surprised that a restaurant in Salem was able to season and cook it to perfection!

Edamame & colonel sanders ramen
Gabrielle C.

I personally have never gone to Kokeshi but my friend was craving ramen (and I was excited to look at both menus)and it's always a hotspot that's recommended by family and friends. Service was great DJ was super friendly. I still don't take flash pics cos I'm so nervous but I took some of my poke bowl which I liked more than I thought I would! Loved the cucumber and edamame starters. My lychee/sake based sangria was delicious I would go back for a pitcher with friends!

David C.

Since I haven't hung out with my cousin in a long time, I let him choose where to eat. Kokeshi shares the space with Bambolina's, which is pizza. Then menu for either restaurant is on a double-sided sheet, so you can order from either one. I went with the Colonel Sanders ramen. Took me awhile to realize that after adding more chili to the broth, (it was spicier than my cousin's dishes (different type of ramen)), my broth was already spicy by default. The 3 pieces of chicken in the ramen was nice and crispy. Wished it came with an egg. Tried a spurma for the first time, was expecting the chocolate to be softer, so it took me awhile to finish.

The vegan Ramen
Dasha E.

We were there yesterday. Food (ramen) was lacking in depth and flavor but full of oil. Currently one of our party is throwing up. Never again. Ruined a trip and a night.

Wings
Anthony N.

Tried this place for lunch takeout last week for an office. It is priced kind of high for lunch so I had higher expectations given the price. The wings had very little meat and were hard to bite off the bone and the flavor wasn't great. The pizza looked tasty and well cooked but I didn't get a chance to try it. I also tried the chicken lettuce wraps and they were really salty and a strange texture on the chicken. Overall maybe I just had two of the wrong items on the menu but thought the wings and lettuce wraps left a lot to be desired.

Colonel sanders and back alley bacon ramen
Marni M.

WARNING: they share a space with Bambolina! Save yourself the hassle of looking for their name from the street. After finally finding them, we got seated at the bar and handed the split menu. My sister and I ordered the Colonel sanders and back alley bacon ramen. I found the ramen to be undercooked and salty which seems to be the case with many ramen shops. Besides that, the pork belly was delicious but the bacon pieces seemed very Americanized. Soft boiled egg had the jelly-like center and was lightly marinated in soy sauce. I added a whole glass of water to off set the saltiness. It did still have well developed flavors which is why I was also able to add so much water. Fried chicken in the colonel sanders was crispy and moist. Overall, I had a moderate experience. Our waiter was friendly but did not come to check on us very often. I would prefer to check out other ramen spots by Malden before coming back here personally.

Poke
Joellen C.

*Heads Up* due to the pandemic, Kokeshi has relocated & has set up shop in their sister pizza restaurant Bamboljna (just around the corner). At Bambolina you can order from either pizza or Asian menu. Rated Kokeshi 2 stars because it was a poor American take on Asian food. From Best to Least Best: * White Kimchi Ramen - had a very American flavor to it with an overwhelming Togarashi spice profile as little to none kimchi flavors. The 3 slices of pork was over cooked and had huge fatty and meat separation. The noodles were thin egg noodles - decent. * Chicken Lemongrass Dumplings (appetizer) - the MaePloy (sweet chili sauce) overpowered the lemongrass flavor (if there were any at all). The fry on the dumpling itself was decent but the filling was a very plain chicken filling and for some reason was speckled with very out of place corn kernels. More of a filler food than a tasty treat * Farmer's Harvest Soup (Vegetatian) - pretty atrocious. The soup was a jarring miso plus heavy sour lime concoction. The noodles were vermicelli, not ramen. Quite hard to eat with such a sour finish. * Poke - The fish was not fresh as you could tell from it's cloudy non tender depiction. The plate looked big at first until you realize it's majorly rice. Description mentioned sticky rice but it was just cold long grain rice. Service was extremely kind but the Western attempt at executing Asian food was quite tragic. Loved the pizza Bambolina restaurant though.

Famous teriyaki chicken wings
Marcos Antonio E.

Love it while visiting Salem with the family we encountered this fusion of wood fire pizza and Korean Ramen oh lord we all had something different I had the pasta good lord it was great we had a chicken wings and the dumplings To die for. We also ordered a Ramen noodle with pork belly galore. Amazing flavors. Also try the margarita. Pizza Awesome the Service Lakia although she was new was excellent The ambience and surroundings were great. I truly recommend this place by the way, the portions are very large.

a man working in a restaurant
Rei P.

The hubby and I were craving a delicious meal after driving from Central CT to Salem, MA to move our daughter into her new apartment. After a very long day, we decided to stop into Bambolina for Italian, but quickly realized Kokeshi was another restaurant that occupied the same space. We were in luck, because we were starving and were able to partake in two cuisines we love, Italian and Asian! The restaurant has an industrial yet cozy vibe and felt very welcoming. We were seated immediately, despite the place being busy and bustling. Water and drinks were offered when we sat down, which was especially welcomed by the famished duo. We ordered a little bit of everything off of the menu and every last bite was simply delicious: Chicken and Lemongrass Dumplings (tasty, sweet and savory) Caprese Salad (simply divine heirloom tomatoes, the freshest ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and I loved the addition of the crispy garlic!) Sausage Pizza (perfectly wood fired, thin crust pizza with delicious dough and toppings) Back Alley Ramen (as a ramen snob, the noodles were the perfect texture with just right chewiness, all of the meat was so tasty and the broth was full of depth and flavor) Mushroom Fettucine with Chicken (the flavor profile was simply amazing!) Tiramisu (just order it!) We had excellent service from Barbara W. from start to finish and we left with nice full bellies for our two plus hour ride back to CT. Thank you for a delicious and delightful experience! We will definitely be back again!

back alley bacon ramen

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4 months ago

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3 years ago

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8 months ago

my go to for ramen! staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. can't go wrong with this place at all

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

Solid ramen spot in Salem. They have good pizza as well. Lively ambiance and cool decor.

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10 months ago

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2 years ago

The spicy pork broth is so salty it is inedible. It tastes like it's 50% soy sauce.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Ramen was okay. Not a huge fan of it being two different restaurants. Maybe I'll come back and try the Italian menu for a full review.

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Ask the Community - Kokeshi

Does this restaurant cook with peanut oil or use peanuts in anything?

Are they currently open? I drove there and it was randomly closed last week !

Yes, they are open for takeout and dining.

Is the faux pho vegan/ there isn't any mention of what the broth consists of?

No there was nothing I saw that said vegan and I believe the broth is pork based

View All 4 Questions

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Sala Restobar - Sala Restobar Tacos

Sala Restobar

4.3(60 reviews)
1.8 mi
Family-owned & operated
Established in 2023

I've had the best meal there that I've had anywhere in recent memory. The Spicy Tuna Poke I had…read morelast night was fantastic! And the Churros with four different delicious sauces were fantastic. And to top it all off, they had a great jazz trio for entertainment. It was a wonderful evening of really fine music and dining.

Tried Sala Restobar in Beverly and overall it was a pretty underwhelming experience…read more We started with drinks -- I ordered a piña colada expecting it to be blended, but it came unblended. Nothing on the menu or from the server mentioned that, which was disappointing right away. When I told the server I didn't like it and wanted something else, he literally tilted his head and said, "ummm what do I tell the bartender?" That honestly rubbed me the wrong way -- just felt unprofessional and awkward. Jenny got a tequila cosmo, which was fine, nothing special. Food-wise, everything was just average. The bao buns were overcooked and the bun fell apart, though the flavor was decent. The pineapple fried rice was probably the best thing we had, but even that was just okay. We also had dumplings -- Jenny liked them, but I thought they were just alright. Dessert was the biggest miss. The blueberry cobbler was not good at all -- maybe a 3/10 at best. One thing that really didn't sit right was when we asked to split the tasting menu and were told no. That doesn't make much sense -- if people want to share, especially for a tasting menu, it should be allowed. Overall, nothing stood out in a good way, and between the service and the food, solid ambiance , it just wasn't a great experience.

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Sala Restobar - Sala Restobar Bar Area setting

Sala Restobar Bar Area setting

Sala Restobar - Sala Restobar Tuna

Sala Restobar Tuna

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Sala Restobar Table setting

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Pork floss skewer

Nightshade Noodle Bar

4.2(227 reviews)
4.7 mi
•$$$$

Incredible night! We have been here a few times but not since they do the coursed meals. We had the…read more14 course and the meal was incredible! So many dishes were just an explosion of flavor in your mouth! I'm not a huge foodie or get weirded easily by consistency and I went all in and was so grateful! The service was impeccable! Squad is on top of it and all the little delights of surprise were the perfect touch! Especially the Verona chocolate add on as we exited! Ambiance was moody and just the vibe we wanted for our long overdue date night! A++ all around and can't wait to go back!

The food was presented simply but beautifully. I did have a favorite. The uni brûlée. That was…read moreexcellent. I also liked the lacquered fois gra and the bone marrow bahn mi and a slaw salad w apple and mushroom. Also highly enjoyed the ice cream at the end. The waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. And the woman- I think the front of the house manager was also kind and polite. Now for the rest of the food. We got the 14 course tasting menu. I wish I could grant it 5 stars but my husband And I agree it is a 3 star rating. The flavors were powerful on each dish - the overwhelming taste however was much TOO SALTY. This was the case for the egg noodles, the kale, the bahn mi, scallops even the chocolate mousse at the end. We also feel the portion sizes were just too small. Literally one bite for the majority. Some were 3 or 4 bites (salads). I know it's not the same type of restaurant but I can't help but to compare it to the Zuma experience at the Four Seasons in Boston. THAT was amazing. And the portions were 5 times bigger. Steak. Lobster. of course sushi and a magnificent dessert boat of highest quality gelato and fruit. An experience memorable for life. Nightshade won so many awards. We had to try it. But it didn't meet our exoectations. Portions need to be bigger. Flavors need to be more subtle on the salt. It is a beautiful and casual at the same time environment - people very friendly. And we appreciated the Anniversary card!

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Nightshade Noodle Bar - Restaurant

Restaurant

Nightshade Noodle Bar - Salted chocolate mousse

Salted chocolate mousse

Nightshade Noodle Bar

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Kokeshi - asianfusion - Updated May 2026

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