Kinki Ramen — Restaurant in Krakow

I went to try this ramen place and overall the food was decent, but with ups and downs. The ramen had a nice flavor, but it lacked depth and the egg was almost raw, which took away from the experience. The vegetarian ramen was okay, more like a dark broth with a hint of umami, but nothing outstanding. The vegetarian gyozas were the weakest point: chewy, bland, and served cold. On the bright side, the dessert (kakigori) was delicious and definitely worth sharing, and the large lemonade was very convenient for four people.

The dining experience was more complicated. We arrived just 15 minutes after opening and the place was already packed. At first, we were given individual chairs, but we asked to move to a bigger table. One of the waitresses initially said no, but eventually they let us switch to a table for four, which we appreciated. The main issue was the heat: no air conditioning, just fans blowing hot air around (and it was 29°C that day).

Service didn’t help either. Our waitress forgot about us, and we had to wait an hour for our food. She kept saying it would be “five more minutes,” which always turned into twenty. That delay made the gyozas arrive cold and worsened the experience. She also forgot to bring us the check. In the end, they gave us the lemonade for free, which was nice, but it didn’t make up for the long wait and the overall service.

On top of that, it wasn’t exactly cheap: we paid €70 for three chicken ramens, one vegetarian ramen, and one kakigori dessert. Considering the quality of the food and the service, the value for money wasn’t great.

In summary: some highlights in the food, but the service, atmosphere, and price made the overall experience far from ideal. A pity, because the place does...

I’ll start with the negatives, the menu is somewhat limited, with only a few traditional options available. Unfortunately, tonkotsu ramen is not available. The pricing was rather high. For instance, a simple bowl of noodles costs around ~40PLN/1500JPY, which seems excessive. Additionally, the sake prices were surprising; they offer a 40ml serving for 12PLN, while a 120ml serving costs over 40PLN. It's odd that they don't offer whole bottles. Considering that nihonshu is a rice wine, it should be treated like wine. On a positive note, still water is complimentary, as is standard in Japan. The taste was quite good, although it differs a fair bit from what you get in Japan. However, considering that ramen Chinese in the first place, variation is understandable. Furthermore, the portion of chashu provided was generous. The service was a mixed-experience. After a short wait, We've been taken to our table and our dog was given a (free) bowl of water, which was appreciated. The waitress was quite pleasant to interact with. However, the wait for our food was terrible; we waited for about 30 minutes before receiving our food. This was quite unexpected, especially considering that ramen is typically a fast food to serve. The atmosphere was intriguing. The decor was interesting and the quality of pottery was very good. The music wasn't too loud and the customers were pretty quiet as well.

Overall, it's a decent spot worth visiting. However, it does have...

Nowadays the competition among Japanese ramen restaurants in Krakow is too fierce! When I saw this new ramen place on @getfinebite I made a reservation to try it out. Overall it was a good experience. This restaurant has made differentiated and characteristic food. The orange decoration creates a warm atmosphere, and their service was nice. The drinks and teas were so fresh and tasty. The crispy fried wontons and tempura were great as pre-dinner snacks. I especially recommend the dry ramen without soup (mazemen). The noodles were homemade thick noodles with a chewy texture, and the matching ingredients such as beef slices and mushrooms were just right, which’s very satisfying and not offered by every ramen place. As for the common ramen, I didn’t know if it’s to adapt to the taste of Polish locals - the broth tasted very strong. From my perspective as an Asian, it’s really a bit salty. Hope it would be improved. Desserts were okay and could be better. After all, thumbs up for the originality of this...