Kaizen Ramen - Beşiktaş — Restaurant in Beşiktaş

Out of all the ramen places in Istanbul, this is the best!

As self-proclaimed ramen connoisseurs (who lived in San Francisco and traveled to Japan, but that’s beside the point 😅), we’re so happy to finally have found an authentic ramen restaurant 🥲🙌

The concept: You can choose from a pre-set ramen menu, or make your own using the paper they provide you. We made our own ramen (chicken chashu with chicken broth and beef chashu on beef broth) and it turned out great! The chicken was juicy and had a smokey flavor, while the beef was so soft that you could pull it apart 🤤 A note if you can’t handle spicy food: choose the ‘no spice’ option 😅 My boyfriend picked Less Spicy and it was still powerful enough to clear our sinuses lol

The extras: We also ordered Japanese Gyoza for the appetizer and Asian Churros for dessert. The gyoza was excellent and reminded me a little of Georgian khinkali (slightly crispy dough and spice meat inside). The dessert wasn’t bad, but the crisp was a little too thick (although it paired well with the chocolate sauce!)

The interior: Very cozy, looks like a Japanese izakaya restaurant. You can sit at the bar (where they make ramen) or at a normal seat near the window.

We visited on a Thursday at 4pm, and there wasn’t a crowd (thankfully 😃). However, I’m pretty sure this place will be packed during the evenings and/or when more people will find out about this place.

Overall, if you love ramen or Japanese food, I really recommend Kaizen!! If we didn’t live across the Bosphorus, we would be here...

Finding a satisfying ramen restaurant in Turkey can be quite a challenge. It's difficult to come across a bowl of deliciousness. Most of the time the ramen is either too soggy or the broth is too bland. But I have discovered a hidden gem that has left me overjoyed.

Upon entering this restaurant, you are handed a sheet with checkboxes alongside the menu. You have the option to either choose from the pre-set dishes or embark on a culinary adventure by creating your very own ramen masterpiece. And let me tell you, my friends and I decided to take the plunge into the world of customization.

The broth options are a delightful choice between chicken or beef, each offering its unique essence. As for the tare, you have the mouthwatering options of shoyu, shio, miso, and tantamen. But that's not all! They also offer a range of aromatic oils to elevate your ramen experience, which consists of garlic, onion, sesame, and even coconut. And if that's not enough, you can also adjust the spiciness level and add your favorite toppings. Oh, and did I mention they have pork too?

I highly recommend visiting this Japanese restaurant. It promises to deliver one of the finest ramen experiences you can find in Istanbul. Trust me, your taste buds...

The gyoza here are doughy, too big, the dough was raw in some places, the dough is too thick, and they were not fried, maybe steamed or "fried" on a dry cast iron pan. They also fell apart when my wife tried to pick them up.

I have had Japanese gyoza in Japan, in other countries, and I've cooked it myself. The typical gyoza in Japan are crispy and fried. Maybe Kaizen is serving some regional variety but it wasn't what I expected.

They also tasted really plain. Should've just sent them back

Gyoza was not served with the usual sauce.

Instead it was a strong beige paste. I think miso paste or some other fermented soybean product. Too strong tasting, not spicy.

The noodles were just spaghetti cooked al dented. Again, I had ramen in Japan, including on "ramen street". It's literally undercooked spaghetti.

Broth was maybe fine, chicken was ok.

Really loud inside.

Place looked kinda cool I guess

Waiters were nice

It's WAY too expensive. Almost 900 TL for 2 people. That's a joke with such low quality. (I live in istanbul and I know you can get awesome quality food for a fraction...