Koi Ramen - My Spot For Home-sickness

Although I am originally from Pennsylvania… Philadelphia, the last decade of my life has been spent in California. This is where my children came of age, and adapted their palette to a menu of the West Coast.

So as my son turned 16 shortly after arriving in Hutchinson KS, It was time to celebrate his birthday. We asked him where he wanted to go and he selected Koi Ramen on 30th Ave. When we arrived, with my sister-in-law in tow, she gave us the history of the building and the businesses that came before it.

I love a good ramen!

So, in great anticipation, we were seated and given menus. Right from the get-go, I was impressed at the depth of the menu and the ingredients available. This is not just a ramen restaurant, as they also have sushi and my much-cherished hot sake.

I ordered gyoza as the appetizer, the saki, a Sapporo for 4 my sister-in-law, and drinks for my wife and son. I was very impressed at the generosity, presentation, and temperature of my sake when it arrived. Warm saki has that wonderful nutty flavor as it almost steams over your palette. I love that stuff 🙂

As a group, we ordered a very diverse table. If there is any encouragement I could give you about visiting Koi Ramen… It is the inspiration to try new things. Every presentation of ramen we received or sushi that hit our table was top-notch. The spicy beef ramen had just enough spice to make you pay attention but not so much as to punish you. The sushi was firm, seemed fresh, and stayed together while you tried to eat it. It was also very appropriate in its sizing.

Many people reading this review may have had skimpy sushi, and we know that that can be disappointing. However, many people reading this review may have also had giant rolls of rice and seaweed with chunks of stuff in the middle of it facing the challenge of trying to eat it without embarrassing yourself. I found the presentation and quality of sushi at Koi Ramen to exceed my expectations by far.

I was not expecting sushi and ramen in the middle of Kansas to be so stinking good.

The staff

In this review, I am breaking out the staff from the food. I am doing this because I really wanted to shine a light on some excellent service. Here is a little more transparency from me. We have been to this place more than once in the time it has taken me to write this review.

On our first visit, a young lady served our table. It was my son’s birthday and she was friendly, gracious, dare I say jubilant, and just a little shy all at the same time. She made the first visit a wonderful experience… And to our surprise, she and her coworker brought over a piece of what I think is Korean cake and sang Happy Birthday to my son. I loved it. My wife loved it. And it was just enough embarrassment for my son to make the night perfect.

On a subsequent visit, we brought my older daughter while she was visiting from California. She too was “jonesing” for a little bit of that cuisine that cures homesickness. Koi Raman hit the mark. This time our server was a young man and his level of attentiveness made the meal enjoyable.

When a restaurant can nail the presentation, consistency, and flavor of food so well but then also have a friendly staff with decent pricing… You have a recipe for success.

My hope for Koi Ramen is that more people in the community begin to try it. On our second visit we ran into a family we know from Boy Scouts. I was happy to see other local families coming to support the restaurant. I don’t know what the appetite is for sushi and ramen in this area, as I am so new to Hutchinson, but I do hope that the appetite is strong. I really enjoy this place and want to see it succeed.

One of our family members is Vegan, and while discussing local eateries… she disclosed that Koi Ramen is one of her favorites as well. Seriously, go check this out and try something you wouldn’t usually get.