Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba - River District — Restaurant in Vancouver

Have been coming here since they opened & often ordered take out. The food has been really great and we’ve enjoyed coming up until today.

Today’s experience left a very sour taste to our experience and we would be hard pressed to return again.

We have been coming here enough to know portion sizes and would usually order one chasu ramen for both my kids to split. We NEVER ordered the extra noodles or soup before today as the amount that came was sufficient for my 3 and 4 year old. Today, we ordered two chasu ramens, decided to get extra noodles on the side (it’s free and this was the first time we’d done this) and a dish for myself.

My husband and I were shocked at how LITTLE amount of the soup came out this time! I wish I took a photo because in both bowls the soup barely, BARELY covered the noodles. This is a $20 bowl of ramen and a side bowl of the “free extra noodles” that came out rubbery, dry and stuck to a bowl. Keep in mind, we’ve ordered this SAME dish MANY times before and are aware of what normally comes out.

Still, we managed to split it for the kids but with literally 3 tiny spoonfuls of broth each while the extra noodles were so undercooked and so rubbery, we barely even touched them.

I then explained to the waiter that this was so much less broth than what normally is brought out and asked the waiter for just a little more broth and without hesitation, he INSISTED that we be charged extra for it. After seeing he was absolutely unwilling to try and believe us, I said fine. We’ll pay for the “extra” broth because there was so little of it to begin with. They charged me $4.50 for this extra broth. It was not worth it.

I think the worst part was the waiter was making it seem as if we were trying to be cheap and take advantage of their free extra noodles instead of considering my request to serve the usual amount or honor an honest request and it felt petty and rude. He also tried to say that the amount of noodles in the bowl will make the soup appear less to the customer - excuse me, please don’t try and gaslight me into thinking I don’t understand soup to noodle ratio. They could have made things right but really went out of their way to make excuses or imply I was making things up.

Spend your money elsewhere, Kokoro River district is not...

Kokoro in River District is an absolute gem! From the moment you step inside, the warm and welcoming atmosphere makes you feel right at home. The restaurant offers a fantastic selection of Japanese dishes that are both authentic and flavorful. One of the best things about this place is the generous portion sizes—each meal is packed with fresh ingredients and presented beautifully. It’s clear that they focus on quality while maintaining a reasonable price, making it a great spot for anyone looking for delicious yet affordable Japanese food. The food here is simply amazing! Every dish is well-seasoned, balanced, and full of rich, umami flavors. Whether you go for their signature donburi, ramen, or other Japanese specialties, you’re guaranteed a satisfying meal. The textures and flavors work perfectly together, and you can tell that everything is made with care. What stands out the most is how fresh and healthy the food feels—it’s not overly greasy, and you can taste the quality in every bite. Another great thing about Kokoro is the value for money. Finding a restaurant that serves such large portions at a reasonable price is rare, especially with this level of taste and quality. It’s the kind of place where you leave feeling completely satisfied, both in terms of flavor and portion size. The friendly staff and fast service also add to the overall experience, making it a spot worth returning to again and again. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this place! I will definitely be coming back, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys authentic Japanese cuisine. Whether you’re dining in or getting takeout, Kokoro never disappoints. If you’re in River District and craving a delicious, filling, and well-priced meal, this is the...

My girlfriend and I love this chain and have eaten at most locations in the lowermainland so we were excited to come try during their grand opening. Basically, food is standard to what we expected, but service left a lot to be desired.

Food was flavourful as good as we've come to know it at other locations. We both tried their low carb noodles for the first time and it wasn't as good as the regular noodles (chewier and didn't soak up the flavour of the dish as well as regular noodles), but if you are health conscious then it isn't a horrible option.

Service left a lot to be desired. There were a couple of very friendly staff that we encountered, however it was a mess in terms of waiting on customers. It was confusing who our server was as we had about 4 different people waiting on us. We weren't sure if that was how they operated, or our actual server was slacking. The person who initially took our order and served our food did not once come check on us to see if we required anything else (e.g. complimentary rice), he also seemed to actively avoid coming to our table when we were ready for the bill, instead he went and cleaned an empty table that had already been sitting messy for 5 minutes, and then proceeded to take and serve orders while walking past us. Someone completely different came and brought us our bill AFTER clearing our table while we were still sitting there (we had been waiting for almost 15 minutes at that point). Another thing we noted was how the restaurant was half empty for the last 20 minutes or so at the end of our meal, yet as we left there was a lineup of...