Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai - Costa Mesa

Homan Taghdiri 2 months ago

Been here a few times, and consistently on point. Service is always friendly (not always quick). Food is always good. Price is reasonable for what you get. Our go-to for ramen in the area. Waits times for tables can be hit or miss (not very big, so it's hard to predict). Parking lot also gets busy, so that can be a pain.

Sean Horejs 3 months ago

Really enjoyed my quick stop into this restaurant. Anne greeted me with a warm smile and seated me right away. Jason followed up by politely explaining some of the more popular menu selections, and the food was out in no time. The gyozas were perfectly cooked (great balance between steamed and crunchy) and the ramen was delicious. Can’t ask for more from front/back of the house. I’d definitely come back.

Jiacheng Liu (Sky) 5 months ago

Wow, their new Jiro-style ramen is absolutely outstanding! I’ve always loved the massive, garlicky bowls at Tsujita in Sawtelle, but Kitakata brings a distinct flavor that really highlights its meat-lover identity—haha. I’ve seen some reviews mention that the service could be more friendly, but honestly, ramen isn’t meant to be a formal experience. It’s simple, comforting, and all about satisfying a craving in a relaxed way.

Jenny Liu 10 months ago

Kitakata never disappoints when it comes to their ramen. The quality of their ramen is always a 10/10. I've been coming here religiously for the past 8 years whenever I visit Orange County. My go to ramen is the green chili shio ramen. I love that the broth is light and it has a kick from the fresh green chili. I like it extra spicy since I like the burn so I would ask for extra of the green chili. Their chashu is always a nicely sliced even layer and if you're big on meat, they have a ramen option to get more meat (chashu ramen). I also really like the texture of their ramen. It's flat and thicker than normal ramen noodles. I feel like today's service was kind of slacking a bit. They forgot our extra chili that we ordered and when asking for extra napkins, they forgot about it. Parking is limited when it gets busy and during rush hour, there will be a wait time so make sure to join the waitlist on yelp if you're in the area before arriving to cut down on wait time.

THANG THAI HOA PHAN 10 months ago

We joined the waitlist and the staff was new they missed us for more than 1hr. We need come reminding them. The food was worth of waiting, I specially like the noodle, it’s not at every ramen shop to have. The noodle size is a little bit bigger, but it was al dente cooked, even it stayed long in the broth, it didn’t soften itself.