Airi Ramen Cypress — Restaurant in Cypress

Airi Ramen is a hip local ramen joint with several locations around the Houston area. They serve a variety of Japanese dishes including ramen, stir-fried udon, rice bowls (tempura, tonkatsu, teriyaki chicken), poke, and more!

Vibe: A good size with lots of seating. Cool interior, artsy mural on the wall. Good casual hang out spot.

Service: We had a great attentive server. Food came out pretty quickly, and piping hot.

Food: We ordered the basil chicken kaarage, katsu chicken bao, and tonkotsu ramen. The kaarage tasted more like Taiwanese popcorn chicken, and it was delicious! It came right out of the fryer, and the aroma of Chinese five spice and white pepper was intoxicating! It is served with fried thai basil on a small bed of cabbage and shaved carrots, which added extra texture and color. A pretty substantial side of spicy mayo is also included. The chicken was hot, juicy, and tasty! Definitely dip in in the spicy mayo to get to a whole other level. The spicy mayo is tangy, surprisingly flavorful, and has a small mild spicy kick (I think there's some yummy togarashi in there). If you want to elevate further and transcend its status as a great appetizer, order a side of rice and mix it all together - it is phenomenal as its own rice dish! We will likely come back just for that alone. Next, we had the katsu chicken bao. The katsu was piping hot and encased in a bed of lettuce, teriyaki, and spicy mayo between the bao. The flavor combo here is on point, as you get lots of savory from the spicy mayo, chicken katsu, and bun, but also some sweetness from the teriyaki and coolness from the veg. Be careful, these things are addicting! Bao is soft and holds all the ingredients very well, the sauces boost all the flavors, and the katsu is juicy, crunchy, and cooked perfectly. Lastly, we had the tonkotsu ramen. It was OK, but did not blow us away - we have had better at other Houston spots. The noodles were a little overcooked (for ramen), broth felt like it was lacking in depth and the flavor was monotone, chashu was a strip of pork belly that was a little tough and not circular or well marinated, mushrooms were a bit tough and mostly stems.

Overall, the food here is phenomenal, and you should definitely give this spot a try - especially the rice dishes and appetizers. We will definitely be coming back for that basil chicken kaarage and katsu chicken bao! Maybe try another Houston spot if you're looking for ramen. Airi ramen is Let's Eat...

My wife and I just left here and we are excited to say we have found our new Ramen place!

Short version: Great food, great staff, great atmosphere! Eat here! It's delicious!!!

Long version: We arrived and were promptly greeted and had our temperatures taken. Once seated, there was hand sanitizer at each table/booth. Our server was very attentive and knew the menu very well.

We ordered a few appetizers and a la catre items and were not disappointed.

Harumaki - (Vegetable Spring Rolls) crispy, fresh, with a very nice dipping sauce

Gyoza- (Pan Fried Pork Dumplings) Just the right amount of crispy on the dumpling and came with a very nice sweet soy sauce.

Katsu Chicken Bao- This! THIS IS A MUST! Perfectly crispy chicken with the soft Bao drizzled with their special house sauce! The avocado and spinach on it made for a very nice touch.

Edamame: Well prepared and with great flavor

Now we move on to the main course. Ramen. The presentation of both bowls was very good and appealing.

My wife had the Spicy Miso Ramen. All the ingredients came together to make a very well rounded and delicious bowl of Ramen. The star of both dishes was the pork which was melt in your mouth good! The broth was not as spicy as my wife would have liked but the staff was accommodating and brought out the house sauce to spice it up. The owner let us know he is working on hotter options as well. The owner was also very present and invested in his restaurant. He took time to talk to us and let us get to know him and see his passion for what he does. My wife also wanted to note that the fish cakes in her Ramen were a very nice touch as well. And this is coming from a woman who does not like seafood.

My Super Yummy Ramen was very much the same story. Very tasty and all the flavors and ingredients had their own moment to shine. What a great bowl of Ramen.

We ended the night with Mango ice cream served on a frozen Mango peel! How fun and very clearly made from real mangos and not at all chemically!

We left feeling so satisfied and happy with our meal and overall experience! We will...

I keep reading that this an authentic Japanese Ramen restaurant. I find that highly unlikely. Yesterday I went by after noting it for months. At the time I was famished and chose to go out to the Cypress area a few miles away instead of driving to the usual China town areas for Asian food. I was highly disappointed at the food that was served. As I do have an Asian wife and have travel all over and tasted a variety of Ramens, and cook the stuff ourselves, we know there is limited salt or sugar that are ever added in these type of foods. This may have been the worse experience ever, the food was so salty you could not taste the flavor of the food. I tried the other plates my family had ordered and it was the same from the Wonton to the Ramen and the other plate my daughter had. Every single plate seemed as if it had to be sprinkled with salt before it went out the kitchen. This was a terrible first impression. So if you want authentic Ramen, this is...