Loved Ippudo (one wind hall) when I was in Fukuoka, Japan last year. This offshoot Kuro-Obi (black belt) of Ippudo is not even close. We had the TanTan ramen $26.30 w/ toppings (corn $2.20, bamboo $3.50, scallion $2.50 w/cabbage and bean sprouts $3.30) and the Kuro -Obi ramen $16.80. The noodles here are thicker. Bowls are smaller and made of paper. The broth is 1/2 way acceptable for a Japanese chain. The menu is so different than their Japan locations. I absolutely loved their Shiromaru Classic (white circle) and Akamaru Modern (red circle) in Japan. Missing are are deep rich flavors. read more

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Stopped by on Monday, 09/01/25. Located at the food court area at Hillsdale Shopping Center (San Mateo, CA), my mom and I ordered the following: - 1 pork miso ramen noodle = $14.80 - 1 veggie miso pork noodle = $14.80 SUBTOTAL = $29.60 TAX (9.625%) = $2.85 OVERALL TOTAL = $32.45 Food was OKAY - not as authentic as we expected it to me. read more

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Nothing outside of expectations from a ramen shop in a mall food court. My family went on a Saturday afternoon, and there was pleasantly no line so we could take our time with the options. Portion sizes are as expected, and taste was fine (maybe on the saltier end but that might just be a subjective preference). Their namesake Kuro-Obi ramen had more bean sprouts than anything, and the spicy miso ramen was ok. We also got the chicken karaage, which was also served with lemon and mayo to cut the salt. No notes on the ambiance since it's just food court seating. Good for a random craving. read more

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Place is well kept and clean. Located right inside the mall. I LOVED how the mall has an area where you get to wash your hands before you eat your meal. Things seemed to have came in to-go containers. I guess making it easier for the workers so that they don't have have to do dishes. The broth for the ramen dishes seem to be hearty and flavorful. Small portions though. Service seemed to be eh regular. Didn't have to wait too long. It was my family and I's first time trying out this spot. I'm not from the area, but if I ever come back I'd try them again if I am craving ramen unless there is other options. read more

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The mall and restaurant will need to keep place clean and safe for customers to dine, having a rat (or mouse) running around is not okay read more

Kuro-Obi - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Ordered two of the Kuro-obi to go and all they gave me was noodles and bean sprouts. I should have checked before I left but why would they just package bean sprouts and noodle. read more

Kuro-Obi - Only bean sprouts and noodle. Where's the meat and other stuff? - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

$3 extra to add an egg??? No thanks. The ramen here is lackluster - quality has gone done (soggy vs bouncy noodles) from what I remember, and the portions are small. No wonder this place doesn't have a line anymore; I found more joy from our Panda Express plate, which by the way does still always have a line. Would not recommend. read more

Kuro-Obi - Tonkatsu ramen - spicy and non spicy - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Ordered tantan ramen. My first time with tofu, second time with chicken, disgusting the chicken still raw and hard! The broth is ok but super salty, not much noodle too much green union and other crunchy veggies i don't know what is it! Tantan normally with ground meat, either beef or pork! This is not worth it read more

Kuro-Obi - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

First time visiting this mall and decided to try Kuro-Obi. To be frank, the ramen here isn't really anything special. It just feels like anything else? It's good but nothing more, it feels like the usual generic stuff. I personally feel the price is too high considering the quality of the food, you could get something better knowing that steep price tag read more

Kuro-Obi - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Wanted to like it. Did not. Lady was nice enough to go over the wonderful 3 types of noodles they have, just to say that we're not allowed to change to them. The broth of the tonkotsu was pretty good. However they serve it in some generic cardboard bowls which means it got cold really quickly. The meat was tough sadly. And at this point we both were thinking u know- this is mid, maybe lower mid. However, we then ate a piece of the bamboo shoot (which I assume is pickled based on taste) and got a HUGE shock as it is like this sour citrusy flavor. Bro- that does NOT belong in ramen. That killed it for me. $42 for this is insane. Rather have my money back. read more

Kuro-Obi - This is the worst bamboo shoots ever, in a sad generic cardboard bowl. $42 wasted. Next time I use yelp to find a ramen spot. - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Get ready for small portions at regular prices. This is like a kids' bowl. Salty broth, undercooked noodles, slow service, skimpy toppings. No wonder there's no line. They charge an arm and a leg for chicken karagge, like $13 for a couple pieces!?!? I saw a woman order it and complain about the portion size, so we skipped that. The takoyaki we got for $10 for 8 pieces was no better. Chewy weird tasting balls with like no octopus and, again, undercooked. The Shiro-Obi didn't have the rich broth like advertised and again look at how few noodles are in this bowl. I think vending machines give you bigger portions! read more

Kuro-Obi - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Great food really fresh Quite different then what we're used to Highly recommend recommended read more

Cold flavorless piece of pork, noodles are hard, worst ramen I had in my entire life. I would rather be hungry than eat this. read more

Kuro-Obi - KURO-OBI - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

There were several red flags but I decided to order because in the past they had pretty decent ramen. I don't know what happened; maybe the owner changed but the recipe changed for sure. First off the menu now just has photos with the name of the dish without any description. I had to ask the cashier which each dish was. It was also very expensive (same pricing as a sit down place) but this is supposed to be mall food. I expected if the price is high it's o-k if the food is at least good. We ordered the Aka and Midori. Both were pretty disgusting. The egg and meat were cold. The soup was very oily. We threw out the food after eating half. Please go back to the old recipes. The noodle quality was better previously too. read more

Kuro-Obi - Aka and midori - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Unfortunately, I experienced food poisoning symptoms shortly after having lunch here. I ordered the spicy tonkatsu with chicken and an egg. While the broth was fine, the ramen was extremely soft and overcooked. The chicken and egg were both cold in the hot broth. A couple of hours later, I vomited everything I had eaten from this restaurant. read more

Location is Hillsdale Shopping Center.Inside of food coart,and Lively atmosphere. I orderd tantan.It's so good taste.Service is normal. read more

Kuro-Obi - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Not much to say...... thick cold pork, super salty dish (spicy miso) just ok flavor. They aren't busy for a reason. Review is all about the food. Friendly workers but food for the price is crazy bad. $25 since I added extra noodles. Not worth it. Sorry guys... read more

Let's just say that they need to take the name Ippudo off. And Ippudo needs to disassociate with this place. Ramen noodle with sticky. The broth was subpar. The cha siu is just disgusting. I can be harsh, but this place is definitely trashy. read more

Busy but both workers were hustling. Good ramen. Love how they give garlic out to add to ramen. Convenient order online barcodes posted around shop read more

It was my first time eating ramen. I was a little scared to try something new. I was shocked when I had the first taste of the broth. It was so amazing, the taste was so good! The make the food super fast and it's a cute spot. Overall I will return. I asked the guy who helped me what he recommended and he recommended the best one for sure! The service is great. Thank you read more

Kuro-Obi - Kuro-Obi Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Would not recommend this place to anyone, the food is bad and overpriced and it used to be so much better and cheaper a few years ago. I spent $22 on a low-quality ramen bowl with cheap ingredients. If you're looking for a ramen place that's actually good, I'd recommend Ramen Parlor or Santa Ramen which are both in San Mateo and very high quality (and cheaper). read more

Kuro-Obi - Kuro-Obi Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Had the chance to try this place for a quick dinner before an escape room. Lots of choices in the Hillsdale mall like this Japanese food venue. Service was quick since there wasn't a line. After I ordered, a few people were interested in ordering. Nice set up that seems authentic and classy with the wooden furnishing counter. I ordered their chicken kara-age with rice. A medium portion of chicken about 4-5 medium sized pieces upon 2.5-3 scoops of rice with some salad. Great touch of a lemon wedge to add that zest and sour flavor. Once I shook up the bowl, I was ready to dig in. The chicken was crispy with juicy meat drenched in their house katsu sauce which added an umami flavor. The salad and rice were alright. I was happy with my order though because I didn't feel bloated after finishing the entire thing. Good dish and would try other dishes from here. read more

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Food (5/5 stars): Bay Area stop #2: Best food court meal I've ever had. I highly recommend their Black Belt ramen! Experience (5/5 stars): * Price: pretty reasonable * Wait Time: there was quite a wait because we had a big party * Service: good and friendly * Parking: there's a parking lot * Ambiance: it's in the Hillsdale food court, which is nicer than you're average one read more

Kuro-Obi - Kuro-Obi Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Stopped by here after going to the escape room close by. The guy at the counter was very friendly. I ended up getting two ippudo buns...one chicken and one veggie. We got the mayo based sauces on the side since I was sharing when someone who doesn't like mayo . The wait wasn't too bad, and I thought it was pretty tasty, but definitely needed the sauce. I do wish it was more grilled like the menu pic but oh well. I also wish I realized that it's 3 for $13. I will definitely come back and try more things. read more

Kuro-Obi - Ippudo buns menu - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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3.5 stars. Found myself hungry at the mall yesterday and decided to give Kuro-Obi a shot. On a Saturday, late afternoon, there was no line, so I was able to walk right up and place my order. Went with the Kuro-Obi (black belt) ramen: tori paitan (chicken broth) with fragrant garlic oil, umami miso paste, scallions, shredded cabbage, kikurage mushrooms, and chashu ($11.50). Had I noticed that you can add a bakudan ("spicy bomb to add a kick to your ramen") for $2 more, I would've. I also got an order of the chicken buns: pieces of karaage tossed in their "special BBQ sauce" with a drizzle of Japanese mayo, wrapped in soft buns (2 for $8.50). Since there was only one order ahead of mine, the food came within minutes. The ramen was a smaller bowl than at most ramen places, but it was still a satisfying meal in itself. The broth was really delicious and had great flavor, and the noodles were cooked perfectly, al dente with just the right amount of chew. The chashu was tasty, but the pieces are small and thin and there were only two in the bowl. That felt a bit stingy. I know the bowl is only $11.50, but at least one more piece of chashu would've sufficed given their overall size and cut. The chicken buns were good. I thought the BBQ sauce had a bit too much sweetness, but the pieces of karaage were super hot and cooked fresh and not on the small side like the chashu. The buns were soft but still had that perfect chew and denseness to hold up to the chicken. My biggest compliant is the nickel-and-diming on all the add-ons. Egg, corn, nori, bamboo shoots, and the "spicy bomb" are an extra $2 each, or you can do the combo add-on of chashu, an egg, and nori for $5. If you just want two extra pieces of chashu, it's $3. With the exception of extra meat, these add-ons aren't usually add-ons but are included in a typical bowl of ramen. Adding, say, an egg, nori, and bamboo shoots brings your reasonably-priced $11.50 bowl of ramen up to $17.50 -- on par with the average price of a bowl of ramen around the Bay Area, but smaller in size and without the experience of a sit-down, full-service restaurant. Overall, I liked Kuro-Obi. I thought the broth was really, really nice and the noodles were very delicious and well cooked. The guy behind the counter was also super nice and friendly. But the bowl being on the smaller side and the cost of the add-ons impacted my overall rating. I'd say give them a shot -- the novelty of being the only Kuro-Obi on the west coast and outside of New York City is kind of cool -- and see what you think. I'd try them again and especially so I can make the ramen spicy, but the cost would prevent me from eating here regularly even if I lived much closer. read more

Kuro-Obi - Kuro-Obi ramen and chicken buns. - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Plenty of other options for food at Hillsdale. I ordered the red belt ramen. The order took at least 20-30 minutes on a Saturday. There were only 2 people working, so they were definitely short staffed and it showed. They had to manage everything from cooking to cleaning to taking orders. I think a lot of people also placed orders online, which made it seem like no one was waiting for food at first. By the time I got mine, there was a big crowd of people waiting. When it comes to ramen, I look for the noodle and the soup. I will say that the soup here was pretty good, but it in no way made up for the noodles. They were super overcooked to the point that they were mushy. For the price/portion size/quality, I am definitely not returning because there are so many good ramen places around San Mateo. read more

Kuro-Obi - Red belt. Very overcooked noodles... - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Located inside the Hillsdale Mall food court, this unassuming ramen spot is one of my favorites. I typically get the kuro-Obi (sometime i add the special combo; 4.75/5). The broth is delicious (consistently!), noodles have a nice bite to them, and the toppings are delicious (spinach, bamboo (yum!), and chicken or pork chashu (Shockingly I might prefer their chicken as it's more tender). It's a simple but super tasty bowl of ramen. I've even come right around when they were closing and they still served me so they also get an A+ for service. As mentioned, this is in a food court so it's not exactly a date spot with great ambiance; however, if you chose to eat outside (upstairs or down) there are fire pits lit at night and nice fountains with beautiful greenery, so it's actually not bad as far as food courts go. Just try it! read more

I was shopping with mi madre one Monday at Hillsdale, the bane of my middle and high school experience. I remember when this was THE place to be. Years later (a lady never reveals her age!), and Hillsdale has gone upscale. The new food court is much larger, airier, brighter, and has better food (albeit pricier food.) I'd been to Uncle Tetsu's a few years ago when it was new and the bee's knees, but hadn't eaten a meal in that new food court before. My mom and I perused the offerings, and landed on Kuro-Obi. We love ramen and were fascinated by the TV showing a cool video of how their noodles were made. Such authenticity! My mom ordered the eponymous Kuro-Obi ramen ("black belt") with extra pork belly, and I tried the Aka-Obi ramen ("red belt") with extra pork belly. The red belt was spicier than the Kuro-Obi--we both agreed our broths were good, but the noodles were meh--they didn't stand out. Prices are cheaper than most ramen places in my good ol' hometown of San Mateo, which has in recent years emerged as something of a ramen haven or enclave; that being said, though portions are smaller, it is sort-of nice to not take leftover ramen home. Service was good and friendly and helpful--very busy at lunchtime. Will be back when I'm back at Hillsdale. read more

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Owners might've changed cause the menu is different with no details on each bowl, and they don't use ramen noodles, it's like chow mein noodles in the soup. The soup is shallow and loaded with oil. read more

They changed their menu and their ramen is inedible and really bad. It used to be so good. Now they increased price and quantity but I am never going back after eating more than 100 times. read more

This used to be my go to place for raman. A go to place for a mall visit. We would even visit the mall so that we could stop by this place for raman. Not any more. Echoing the other recent reviews, since they changed the menu, their raman now taste like, without the lack of a better word, s.h.i.t. Seriously. The noodle are now thick tasteless chow mein. Soup oily and salty. The new pork slices are like really bad chinese bbq. Terrible. read more

I believe the food is very good because the flavor is very enriching! The service is very well! I liked how I can add protein, including eggs and tofu chashu which I may consider for next time! read more

Kuro-Obi - Aka-Obi Ramen with Calpico - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

Bad experience ever. This is not considered ramen. Not even half bowl, i trashed it. Not recommended.

They must have changed ownership. It was good before but now it is inedible. Greasy broth, noodle is not even ramen, more like thick buckwheat, pork is not char siu, it's big pork chunk, it has more veg (bean sprouts & cabbage) but are soggy, it has a lot of pork fat and minced pork on top (as garnish?) the corn on the side is of much smaller portion. Price increased. So disappointed. No more ramen in the mall. read more

I used to love this place, the soup had a light creamy texture to it, the noodles were thinner cooked and had spinach in it. They recently changed their menu to noodles that were chewy, the broth has changed. They've added cabbage bean sprouts, making this not a soup at all, but something awful. They only have three items on the menu now. They really should go back to their old menu where the super delicious soup existed . We will never come here again. I had to throw my soup out because it was so awful. read more

Takoyaki balls were yummy. Soft and savory with the creamy sauces drizzled on top. We also got a taco trio to try which was less impressive. The amount of protein in the taco was quite small compared to the ratio of bread. And the bread was also a bit soggy and soft at the bottom. read more

Was very excited to see Ippudo endorsed ramen place in the Peninsula and was so eager to try out. Visited this place during lunch today with my friend. Was disappointed with the portion sizes to be honest. Super small bowls and so pricy? And no where close to Ippudo noodles. I had the spicy ramen and it was ok. The small bowls made it so difficult to mix the noodles around. We ordered the combo buns coz they were the best parts of Ippudo. And they were alright too. Bit sweet. The buns are really soft just like I remember. Am not sure if I'd visit this again. It's located in the Hillsdale mall food court so it's either a hit or miss to find a spot. read more

Kuro-Obi - Chicken Bun shrimp bun Veggie Bun combo - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Kuro-obi ramen is just basic. Doesn't taste much better than instant ramen noodles. Broth is salty. Chicken cha su is like a thin piece of meat. The buns are almost a joke. Tiny. The pork one you at least get two pieces of pork. The fried chicken one is like a tiny nugget karage. The bao itself is fine. Overall, the food tastes like knock-off Asian. And that makes sense because all the service staff weren't Asian. They were friendly though, but the cashier was confusing and didn't seem like he knew what he was doing. Wouldn't come here again or recommend it. read more

This used to be a decent place to get some Ramen. I just went there a week ago, and now today all of a sudden they changed their menu. My boyfriend and I were not able to get past how greasy, oily and fatty the broth was. We did not finish the soup, but tried to eat the noodles and pork. Everything now is just mediocre. The cabbage and the bean sprouts they put on top are such a bad call. They have pictures of Ramen on the menu that do not represent what you actually get. They need to revert quickly to the old menu before this place shuts doors for good! read more

This is a pretty solid spot for food court ramen! I was impressed by the broth flavor -- it had a nice robust chicken flavor. The texture of the noodles were also springy and not soggy at all. Since this looks like an off shoot of Ippudo, the quality of noodles definitely makes sense now. The pork pieces were very tender. I only wish they gave a little bit more meat and noodles but it hit the spot. My bowl was ready pretty quickly. I also wanted a bun but they told me that would take ~20 minutes so I decided not to get it this time (I wasn't clear if that was standard or maybe it was just due to the weekend crowds). I will come back to grab a bite from here if I'm at the mall since there aren't other ramen places in this food court. read more

Kuro-Obi - Kuro-Obi Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Mateo, California

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