Kanji Ramen Noodle & Izakaya — Restaurant in Bend

I came here on a Thursday in between lunch and dinner. I was the only customer there. I ordered the Thai tea, Japanese bun (karaage), and the miso ramen. This review will be long and in depth because the food was phenomenal and I cannot recommend it more. I came because I wanted something warm to clear my sinuses from allergies. Starting with the service; I am giving it 5/5 stars, as soon as I walked in an older woman said welcome in and led me to a table. She was extremely attentive and brought out the ramen the second I finished my bun. There was a younger gentleman in the back in his phone; I was the only person there so I assumed he was on break or there wasn't anything for him to do. Atmosphere- lovely art on the walls, comfy chairs, sensory friendly lighting and noise level (at least when no one is there lol). Enough said; 5/5 stars. Food- best Thai tea in bend I've tried; a sweet and earthy flavor and larger portions than anywhere else in bend 5/5 stars. The karaage Japanese bun had a slightly unexpected presentation; it was more like a sandwich. It consisted of a fresh cucumber slice, a piece of fried chicken, a pickled Daikon slice, and a thick dark sauce (like teriyaki but saltier and not quite as sweet). Holy shit I never knew fried chicken could be so refreshing, it was juicy and delicious, paired with the veggies and sauce it was heavenly. I like the bun but it was a little tough and for that reason it gets a 4.8/5. On to the main dish: miso ramen. The broth was phenomenal, salty and with a very slight spicy kick from the miso. The toppings were fresh and high quality. I'll start by saying I don't normally like eggs or mushrooms but I really enjoyed them in this dish. The egg was heavenly; a slight sweetness and a perfectly jammy yolk. The wood mushroom was a great texture and mostly soaked up the flavor of the broth. Green onion was fresh and gave a nice little kick. The corn was sweet and soft. I'm not a huge fan of pork and the pork in this dish was just okay, not super juicy, the tiniest and I mean tiniest bit chewy. The bamboo shoots soaked up the broth flavor and provided a nice texture. The noodles were soft but not too much so. Overall 4.5/5 for the miso ramen. I left with a full tummy and snot dripping out of my nose lol, 5/5 awesome spot, location kinda sucks but it's worth it to drive there. Prices aren't cheap but aren't too expensive, I'd say pretty normal pricing for bend. I can't drink (underage) but they had a good selection of Japanese beer and sake....

Kanji is a WONDERFUL place to go for a meal! The restaurant is clean, which is a really big deal for me.

The staff goes out of their way to be helpful, but without being obtrusive. The servers have you look over the order to make sure it is exactly as you want it, before sending it to the kitchen. It’s a great way for both sides to avoid a miscommunication.

The food is DELICIOUS! We have eaten there a few times now, my husband and I love it. The really big deal is that it is helping our horrifically picky nine year-old try NEW THINGS!!! I cannot even begin to convey what a big deal this is for us. Her avoidant restrictive food intake issues are heartbreaking. She will just very calmly NOT EAT. It is not a power thing, or for lack of being exposed to other options. She is weirded out by textures, and sauces, and stuff like that. The first time we went there, we felt confident that she would eat coconut shrimp, and edamame. We got some of those for her…. And some gyoza for everyone. She LOVED ALL OF IT. She has had yakisoba at other places, and it was not a good experience for her. Tonight, she tried a VERY nervous teeeeeeny tinnnny bite, and she LOVED IT!!! She at most of the serving!!!! We are delightfully SHOCKED!

We are so happy to have found Kanji, and we will definitely be coming back!! We have been to the other main place for ramen in Bend, and my husband and I aren’t so excited by it, and our daughter will not go anywhere near it.

(We have done both dine-in, and take out. Tonight we...

We went to kanji ramen because it is where our old favorite sushi place used to be. The shop is small and quaint. It was very peaceful and quiet. Much of the old Japanese aesthetic from the previous owners is there with menus placed on the backboard of the booths for easy reference. It would make for a great little casual bar meet to enjoy the nice selection of sake and imported beers.

The ramen was amazing! We ordered extra noodles because most places give you so little but we could barely finish what we ordered. The serving sizes are great and I would say the ramen quality is superior to Miyagi Ramen in the Old Mill area. The chashu was very flavorful and tender. We also got the takoyaki and loved it— well presented, piping hot, and tasty. The staff was exceptionally polite and tentative.

I highly recommend this shop and will let my friends and family...