This was my second visit to Kotsu and it didn't disappoint! I feel like some ramen places only really have good pork options, but for people who don't eat pork (like me), this place has a lot of good options. I've gotten the Tori OG with chicken chashu twice and it was really good both times! My boyfriend had the Tori Kick the first time and then the Tori Matcha Madness this time and those were both good as well. The chicken chashu has always been VERY flavorful and not dry. The broth is so flavorful as well and has depth. I feel a lot of broths I've had lacked richness. I also feel like the toppings on the ramen are perfect; a ramen egg, kikurage mushroom, green onion, and the meat! The service has always been very friendly and I've never had a bad experience with any of the employees. The place itself is kept clean and I notice the workers cleaning off tables and other things as soon as they can. The restrooms are also very clean (big plus for me). I feel like this is easily becoming one of my go to places for ramen! read more

My wife and I had a great experience at Kotsu Ramen. I ordered the Fire Ramen, and she got the regular ramen. Both bowls were packed with flavor, and the broth was rich and delicious. The Fire Ramen had a nice kick without overpowering the other flavors. The only downsides were that our food took a little longer than expected to come out, and the dining room could have been cooler since it felt a bit warm inside. That said, the quality of the food made it worth the wait. We'd definitely come back for the ramen! read more

Curry fries were okay, there was a sweet component other than the peanut sauce but the sauce was so bomb!! I got the plant based ramen with organic tofu and extra noodles. The service was fast and nice. The place looked very clean but it was completely dead. I was thinking why would this place and no customers in house? I was wondering why the plant based broth was milk white but it didn't taste like milk, but I don't really know a lot about ramen. I liked it, so maybe will be back! read more

okay - I've read the reviews here. And the negative ones seem to be when you eat at the restaurant. Well, I've ordered ramen from this place about 4x and NEVER HAD any issues. I provided a review in Door Dash. I've tried the broths - spicy, not spicy - and they are rich. When they arrive via delivery, the noodles are at the top in a different container. The broth is below the noodles. It always arrive steaming hot. Flavorful - and they are generous with their pork belly. The tonkotsu was superb and again, maybe I've been lucky but my noodles are always fresh. I know because I order FRESH RAMEN and never ever use those instant noodles. Bottom line, the broth, ramen, meats / vegetables are flavorful at Kotsu Ramen. PLUS i get a beautiful bag that I can use for groceries or when I bring lunch from home. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - kOTSU bag - you get this when they deliver. - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

So disappointed been coming here for a while now since it first opened. Had problems here and there but the food was great so choose to ignore. As of recent times things have not been up to par. Just ordered my normal ordered never had a problem with my gyozas. First time where the meant isn't cooked all the way and tastes rancid. Idk if it's old food or what but yall be safe and check everything. Then I called and the girl on the phone wasn't letting me speak. Said she has never had a problem with gyozas with other customers. Literally waited more than 30 minutes for the food for it to be raw. Used to recommend people this place but not any more. One bad experience / interactions leaves a bad taste in ur mouth quite literally this time. Don't come here it isn't what it used to be. Very very disappointing read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

I ordered the OG Ramen it tastes disgusting it was bland with no flavor. I had to add chili oil for some taste. The service was OK They have dirty dishes buy the cash register, and cleaning products. I would never come back here again. read more

Ramen was great and service was on point. For the price and quality recommend. Order the hot soup delicious. read more

Yikes..... You guys STAY missing a lot of points on your food inspection score.... two scores of 80 and multiple in the 90s... right now yall have multiple of food related bad scores. pretty embarrassing. and to add, your female employees are complete - - - - - - s. they do not greet you. do not even say hi. you have to start the conversation... it's not your job as the customer to greet the employees.. at their job they're getting paid for....... terrible. bad vibes. bad food. they mess up and have "no way" of tracking it. i called two weeks after getting told by the tall male worker that he wrote my name in some binder and that next time, my same meal will be comped. during that call, a female employee was absolutely disgusting and rude for no reason. i told her there was a mess up and that the guy wrote my name somewhere and she was like "ya. nope. don't see it" even though i specifically asked/told the guy that i wouldn't be coming right away and clarified that it will be okay if i come a few weeks after. Terrible place. no accountability. disgustingly rude incompetent employees. read more

There is definitely better Ramen in Riverside. The noodles aren't fresh, the broth tastes like oil and the chicken meatballs are dry and overcooked. The eggs are overdone. The gyozas aren't fried enough and are flavorless. The pork was good. The employee at the counter was nice. The place is clean, at least. Not much else to say about it. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Chashu pork egg, spicy broth - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

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Went here because I was craving some ramen. I was very disappointed.The noodles were tasteless the broth was bland and the pork was so fatty. I got hardly any meat. Will not be going back and I do not recommend this location. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

The service was great and I appreciated the staff. The food overall was okay, not the best but not bad either. The scaling of heat is crazy though so be ready if you ask for hot. read more

Ramen Review Stopped in for lunch and ordered the spicy ramen -- and it definitely hit the spot. The broth had good depth and spice without being overpowering, and the sesame seeds added a nice balance. The noodles were cooked just right, and the pork had that perfect texture. Service was quick and friendly, and they even brought out a chilled water carafe, which was a nice touch. The place has a modern, relaxed vibe -- great for a solo meal or quick bite between errands. Overall: 4/5 -- solid ramen, flavorful broth, and good presentation. I'd come back to try another bowl next time. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Fire in a bowl THIS WAS GOOD SHIT - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

My first few visits I would give 5 stars without hesitation. My last 3 visits have each been more and more disappointing. I always order the plant based ramen and I really loved the noodles those first few visits. They must have cha fed the noodles because visits 2 and 3 ago had noodles with a weird smell and taste. I could not get past it. I ate everything but the noodles and the rest was bomb. This most recent visit I got the curry up and the broth was sludge. Also, I HATE kale. Kale was never in there before so I would not think to ask to leave it out. It seems they used kale in place of bok choy, which I love. I can get past the kale although this change is annoying, but the thick sludge broth was so disappointing. I still have it in my fridge and plan to dilute it hoping to save the meal. read more

The ramen is delicious. Wow!!! The meat was juicy. The broth was flavorful. The beer hit the spot on a hot day read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Chicken - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

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this place is an oven when you walk in and even hotter once you sit down. The Beer is flat and lucky to be 44 degrees as it explodes into foam as its being poured into a 40 degree glass. terrible. A 20 dollor bowl of noodles should be a memorable meal. this one is top forget meal. Service was even worse! I think the hispanic woman in kitchen was Cooked as she litteraly threw our bowls at the table we were sitting for dinner. My 12 yr old daughter ordered a bowl with 4 items. No mushrooms please. thats 3 items. couldnt care to get it right. Not even close to worth it. 50$ meal. no thanks!!! read more

Mixed review because the food was outstanding! My first time here when I walked in I thought it was maybe not open. There was nobody in the restaurant. I sat for five minutes before the person walked back from Starbucks getting their order. The person in the back preparing food didn't even look out to say anything. I was getting ready to leave when the girl walked in to take our order did not speak very good English first time here I wanted her to explain how it works. She couldn't half of the tables in the restaurant had dirty food on them and they were not cleaned while we were there having lunch. I'm assuming they do a lot of takeout orders because their customer service is seriously lacking read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

Every time I've been there I don't have any complaints, food has always been great. Service has always been top of the line. I've been a customer for two years or so. read more

Ramen was good , everything else was mid, customer service wasn't good . You had to look for the waitress to get served . First time trying this , but honestly not coming back . read more

We just finished our 5 star meal. Friendly staff, quality food and warm hospitality. Wife had the chicken and I had the pork curry ramen.. full of flavor and came with one of the best charred pork strip I've ever had. Fully recommend. read more

Everytime we visit, we always leave with satisfied bellies and everyone had a great time. But not at the last time we visited. Not sure if it was a one off or what. The guy that was behind the counter was so rude, no customer service at all. Every time we ask him a question, he keeps saying 'no'. No explanation or any kind of gesture to attempt to be friendly. The whole experience was off-putting. I think Kotsu should rethink who they station at the front or retrain staff on the basics of customer service. read more

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It was my first time trying true ramen, not instant ramen. I fell in love!!!!! Was more expensive than I thought it would be, but was worth it, to an extent. Was our servers first day working there as well and was very helpful on the topics she knew about. Restaurant was clean, though not perfect, but suitable for an establishment A grade. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

This place is my typical pick up spot for to-go ramen. However, it feels like the food quality has gone down recently. Yet, compared to other places in Riverside, this ramen spot is decent. They always seem busy and I was actually disappointed that they hung up on me this last time I tried to order to-go over the phone. It seemed like they asked me to call back in 5 minutes to put in an order, but when I asked for clarification, they just hung up. read more

2 star on the strength of the food... but don't think I'm going to come to your restaurant when there's Kaz and Sakura on either side of you that has BETTER food and have the audacity to tell me I better "eat quickly" since you're closing 30 minutes before your posted hours, then serve people AFTER me. Bet you won't have to kick me out twice. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Ramen n gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

This place is terrible. My food pictured is actually incorrect. this is not what you get in the tofu rice bowl. my food was made incorrect the next time i came. THERES NO SUPERVISORS MANAGERS NOTHING. JUST CHILDREN WHO WORK HERE. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Tofu Rice Bowl, Curry It Up! - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

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Food is mid, tonkotsu was very lackluster and would've rather just taken the drive to shin sen gumi or orochon instead. Hour drive but well worth the money. read more

Tried out this new ramen spot today in the IE and honestly, it was pretty good. First off, this is a type of restaurant where you order at the front desk and then sit down. Then your food will be delivered to your table. The interior looks nice, but it was empty when I went. I ordered the "Kotsu Kick" with spice on the side and I really love the broth here. The black garlic oil gave it a nice added flavor to it as well! The charsiu had a nice crust on it and was very flavorful! My friend ordered the "Tori Kick" and she loved the broth and the chicken! She said it had lots of flavor in it. I like this ramen place, but with the way you order first... I feel like this ramen spot would be great in a food hall since you just order at the desk and sit. The customer service was okay and they never checked up on our table, so it's different than other restaurants I've been to. Also it happens that the table we had wasn't wiped down very well. Overall, I would come here for the ramen again since the broth was nice and flavorful. The taste of the food was great. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Kotsu Kick Broth - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

I almost never leave reviews, but I felt like I had to share my experience because it was honestly that bad. We arrived at 8:00 PM, and the restaurant closes at 9:00 PM, but the worker insisted that it was "too late" for us to eat there and was basically arguing with us instead of trying to help. The service was horrible from start to finish. She seemed completely uninterested in helping customers and had a rude, dismissive attitude that made us feel very unwelcome. The overall experience completely ruined what should have been a simple, enjoyable meal. I won't be returning and definitely wouldn't recommend this place based on the level of service alone. read more

came on a wednesday night and it was dead as a ghost. we ordered ramen,gyoza, and some beer. the food was good and i don't have any complaints about that. super spicy tho so i was pretty spiced out. my biggest complaint is the service. the girl who was helping us out must have been faded. we were the only table in the entire establishment and she didn't come to our table not once. and she forgot to give us our gyoza. she had it sitting on the counter and didn't realize she never handed it to us. as a former server myself...it was bizarre that she didn't come ask us if we needed water, napkins, etc. not once. the entire shift she was sitting in the corner on her phone lmao. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

I was really craving Ramen so I gave this place a chance. Im so disappointed in this place the food was so good but the service..... All I did was pick up my food and the lady was really rude. I walk in she asks me if I had a pick up order I smile and say yes. She goes behind the counter to the register like she was going to check me out then walks away while I was at the register. She comes back out and cleans the bar that is connected to the register. I saw a to go order on the counter and politely got her attention to ask if that was mine. She rolls her eyes walks back to me and takes my payment. Then she had the audacity to ask for a Tip . Food was so good but I won't be returning due to the service. That was just for a pick up. Imagine if I actually sat and dined at the restaurant . Anyways I dont recommend read more

This place is really really good - I've tried most of the combinations of broths and meats and they nail it every time. Picking this spot to eat is an easy choice - definitely a spot to hit if you find yourself in Riverside. read more

We came at a weird time so it was pretty quiet and we were able to order immediately at the front (not at table). The menu is straightforward, with 3 main options of pork, chicken, and vegan. Rice bowls, gyoza, and a few other sides round things out. Ambiance is fast casual. Played Spotify pretty loud (with commercials lol). We got OG Kotsu and Tori (chicken). The chicken protein can be grilled or fried and it turns out fried means chicken meatballs. The food came out quickly and I immediately could tell the noodles weren't the right texture. They were indeed overcooked but I guess I could've asked for more al dente. The chicken broth was thick but had a weird smell to it, kind of alkaline, maybe from the noodles. The kotsu was better but the noodles were still soggy. The pork meat was tasty but a bit over cooked and tough. Pork broth was tasty but kind of starchy aftertaste, probably again due to noodles. Prices were fine at $14 a bowl but I won't be back for a subpar bowl. read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - The O.G. - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

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Chicken was old Egg was cold and old Noodles didn't have any flavor Threw up about 3 hours later. Wanted to eat something good and the broth Was very bad and made me sick. read more

Ramen is delicious!!! I had the Kotsu broth with pork Chashu absolutely delicious! I highly recommend it to anyone in the Riverside area who is looking for good ramen. read more

I went and the food was so gooddd I got the pork rawmen and the spicy appetizer. It was so delicious and the service was good.

Meh.. not amazing and not bad. The ambiance left much to be desired and while the service was friendly, it felt like they didn't know what they were serving. Not a big deal though, as the atmosphere leans towards very casual. The food was tasty enough, if not a bit pricey for what one would typically expect in casual dining. read more

Found these metal flakes in our sodas!!!! Not sure how much we had in our first drinks but we did notice in the second drinks when a big chunk came through the straw. Not sure what it is but it's a thin shiny flake of breakable material. read more

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The food was amazing , the employees were kind and considerate. This is my new ramen spot!! Check it out! read more

Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Riverside, California

TL;DR: Food was good, service was horrible like other reviews mentioned. First, I would like to say that the ramen was good. I got the Kotsu "kick" ramen with chashu pork and was satisfied with the food. This review however, is mainly about the service like many others. This was mine and my family's first (and most likely last) visit. When we walked in, there was no one at the front of the store (other reviews shared the same experience). We waited 3-4 minutes until someone came out but even then, they did not acknowledge us. They simply came up to the counter and stood there. We let them know we were first timers and that we had a party of 8 coming in. We asked if we ordered at the counter and then sat ourselves. Cashier said yes. We then let them know we would like to order just appetizers for now as we wait for the rest of the party (they were 5 minutes away). The cashier immediately said "PLEASE give me a minute." (I assume the system was rebooting or something, but the tone was definitely not necessary). After the rest of the party arrived, we began to order. Ordering was surprisingly smooth, that is until I asked for a pitcher of Sapporo. The cashier simply said "there's no beer." Uhhh.... It's on the menu and each table has a napkin holder promoting bottles and pitchers. I asked "okay no pitcher... not even bottles?" She said "no beer." okay..... that's fine! I understand we're a larger party but orders arrived randomly with no pattern and half the table received it quickly, while others waited about 10-15 minutes from the arrival of the first dishes. When the cashier (same person) would bring out the orders she often rolled her eyes or gave us the "gen z" stare. It felt awkward and rude almost as if it were an inconvenience that we ordered food at a restaurant. Like I said in the beginning the food was good. As some people in the group were still finishing their food or just wrapping up, the same cashier (who hadn't acknowledged us the entire time since receiving our food and didn't acknowledge other tables) asked us "Do you need anything else?" in a tone that insinuated wanting us out of there. Overall, horrible experience and would not recommend despite having decent food. Also, tables did not have any extra condiments, no soy sauce/hot sauce. read more

Last Thursday, I volunteered at Feeding America in Riverside. Love my volunteer work! If I live closer, I would volunteer every day. Anyway, during my lunch break, I decided to drive around and see what restaurants are available and I also checked Yelp to see what's close by. I found Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza and said let's do it. What a cute pink ramen place! You'll see what I mean when you look at the pictures. There weren't a lot of customers at the time. Staff was in the kitchen... waited just a minute for them to come out from the back. They have 3 different types of broths for their ramen... Kotsu broth (pork), Tori broth (chicken), or Tonyu broth (vegan). I went back and forth, but ended up choosing the Kotsu broth... thought I get the real deal LOL. The soup was so savory and delicious... made the right choice! Tons of ramen noodles... ate everything! Chasu was okay, but could have been more tender. Egg was a tad salty IMHO. Overall, it was still a great ramen bowl... will get again! Maybe I'll try the other broths next time. I also ordered the chicken karaage. Unfortunately, I didn't care much for it. Chicken was not moist and needs more chicken. Batter was too fried... almost tasted slightly burnt... will not get again! Staff was okay... they could be smilier though. Prices are average. Ambience is very cute pink & black LOL. Good space inside. They play great music. Parking is plenty. I'll be back to try their other foods the next time I'm in the neighborhood. Happy Kotsu'ing! read more

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Usually good but eggs were probably sitting for a little while. Ended up with a stomach ache within hours of eating here.