Kokoro Ramen & Roll in Seaside

Review №1

2023-08-31 21:36:33

Reasonable, affordable, quick and easy. The food wasn’t bad, but definitely could improve. I tried ramen and sushi. The ramen regular noodles were pretty good but the thin noodles tasted and had the texture of spaghetti noodles. The broth was enjoyable, as was the meat and soy egg! The sushi was pretty in presentation but left some things to be desired. The flavor and texture profiles seemed sort of basic, like grocery store sushi but slightly elevated. The service was great and the atmosphere was cool!

Review №2

2023-08-20 11:53:38

I was visiting the area and a store owner recommended this restaurant as it was brand new to the area. Its tucked in between Buffalo wild wings and Mountainside Pizza. When I walked into the restaurant, it had an odd layout. You are immediately faced with what seemed to be a kitchen takeout counter which had full access/view to the kitchen area. I stood there looking lost and confused for about 3 min before I was greeted and advised to sit anywhere. I had a choice of 3 high top tables in an alcove to the right or a few oddly spaced standard tables to the left. After I seated myself I was not attended to for around 10 min, until what seemed to be a manager noticing me with no menu, water or utensils. She apologized then called over my waitress with my menus. I was unfamiliar with the menu so just went with my go-to choices when visiting a ramen spot.Shoyu Ramen ⭐⭐⭐ It was hearty creamy full of ingredients. Chewy noodles with plenty of woodear mushrooms but the broth lacked flavor and they used what seemed to be grilled Canadian bacon not Charsu as is traditional. Be warned if you dont like spice their regular spicy was pretty spicy but was perfect for me.Chicken Karage ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ large perfectly breaded pieces of chicken thighs with what seemed to be a tarter sauce dip. My only feedback is the pieces were too big but still tastySeaweed salad ⭐⭐⭐⭐ sweet salty a little slimy and crunchy...classic seaweed saladVibe ⭐⭐⭐

Review №3

2023-12-08 00:02:40

My Crunch Roll was attractively presented and tasty. However, compared with other local sushi places it suffered because proper sushi rice was not used and the cuts on the cucumber were too large & inconsistent. I am a first-time customer and this lack of attention to detail makes me uncertain about returning to try the ramen.Server Kelly was pleasant & professional.

Review №4

2023-12-09 21:27:20

I am very impressed. Sushi rolls are not 75% rice like most places these days. The ramen is also amazing, I prefer the Shoyu kind. Ingredients are fresh. Price is fair and the dinning room is very clean. If you are fortunate you will get Kelly as your server. Kelly is attentive but not constantly bothering you while eating. She is very upbeat and friendly, the kind of server that makes you want to come back!

Review №5

2023-06-02 03:36:29

Arrived a little after 5pm. Fast and attentive service. We both got the black garlic ramen but I opted for the kale noodles. It was delicious! Definitely not bland!. Will definitely go back again and try a different ramen and the sushi rolls.

Review №6

2023-02-28 05:46:10

We were excited to try out this new ramen and sushi spot where Crab Bucket used to be (same owner). The ramen was the star, we got the black garlic ramen and the miso ramen and both were delicious. The broth was rich and flavorful, and there was no skimping on the toppings.As for the sushi and the appetizers, there were some creative liberties taken and honestly, Im not sure what I think about them, but diners should be given a heads up on the menu.Chicken Karaage and shrimp tempura were done with a fish fry batter. So they were puffier and more doughy than normal. Red bean rice was used for the rolls which gave them a denser, slightly sweeter taste. The quality of the unagi and fish slices seemed okay, but hard to tell since they were smothered with unagi sauce and spicy mayo.I hope drink choices also expand with time. No hot tea for a ramen/sushi place is unusual at best and sorely lacking. $3 for canned soda with no refills or ice or cups was also jarring.Service at lunch was attentative and the waitress did her best with the limited menu.Will definitely be back to have more ramen and try more items. Maybe add more combos to the menu.

Review №7

2023-04-09 22:44:16

Stopped by here on a random day for a late lunch.... Had the black garlic but with the spicy mix on the side and it was absolutely delicious. Only been here once and it was delicious, will have to try the sushi and other items in the future and will update this review later, but for now its good, worth a try!

Review №8

2023-03-25 03:36:06

Wanted to try a new ramen spot, but not worth it. We were seated right away, but not given menus for about 20 minutes even though it was not busy inside. Our server never checked on us and everything seemed disorganized. Ramen was average, there are better spots in San Jose.

Review №9

2023-02-21 04:30:13

Super delicious Ramen and sushi! My husband and I decided to check out Kokoro as he loves Ramen and I’m a big fan of sushi. He got the karage and Tonkatsu Ramen regular spicy and I got the red dragon roll added cream cheese and a shoyu ramen. I loved my ramen and sushi they were so delicious. Most ramen we’ve eaten has a chasu roll instead of strips of meat like Kokoro. We were pleasantly surprised by the taste and texture of the pork strips, they were so tasty! Overall we loved the ramen but the spice was not evenly distributed through the spicy ramen. The first bite was very spicy but the ramen got less spicy as he got towards the bottom of the bowl.I loved my Red dragon roll with the purple rice! The purple rice tastes the same as regular rice but adds a cool visual effect. The sushi was so good but it had just a bit too much cream cheese. In the future I’d say I only want a little bit of cream cheese added. The chicken karage pieces were HUGE and definitely worth the cost. They came with a lemon aioli.Lastly, while the servers were very nice we did have to ask for things often. We asked for water when we ordered our food and I had to ask again once our food was served as we still hadn’t gotten our water. I had to ask twice for a refill as well. We also had to ask for soy sauce for our sushi. To make it easier on the servers we thought it would make sense to keep soy sauce at the tables. Another thing some restaurants do is give the table a small pitcher of water.While there was some struggles we’re taking them with a grain of salt as the restaurant just opened and everyone is figuring things out. The food was so delicious and we can’t wait to go again. Fingers crossed Kokoro is here to stay! This is now our favorite ramen shop on the peninsula.

Review №10

2023-08-14 02:44:24

I’m not sure if that’s a thing or I was just that “lucky”, but the garlic Ramen was terrible. The meat was impossible to chew and burned as well as the broth (I didn’t know that the broth could have this taste of burnt meat). The worst ramen in my life.