Kazu Ramen — Restaurant in Gilbert

My fiancée and I tried this place for the first time this past weekend after noticing it a few weeks ago while shopping in the area and reading some mostly positive reviews.

We started off by ordering a couple apps, the gyoza and edamame. The gyoza were ok at best, they didn't arrive warm and crispy as expected. The edamame was a rather small portion for the price. Any other place we've gone to, we receive a nice heeping portion.

We finished both apps fairly quickly and ordered our Tonkotsu ramen bowls (mine spicy for an additonal couple bucks which seems like an unnecessary upcharge). I order extra spice on the side which I found out when we received the check was an additional charge just for a small portion of what seemed to be Sriracha or equivalent..

We waited for about 30+ minutes for our ramen bowls, in that time the server did not come back to check on us for additional apps, drinks, to remove the prior dirty app dishes, or to let us know when we may expect our food to arrive. After about the 30 minutes or so the ramen arrived and thats when she asked if I would like more water. My glass was bone dry at this point with a couple cubes left.. In my head I'm thinking, "obviously what do you think??"

The ramen itself overall was pretty good. However, the toppings were very minimal and the pork belly portions were tiny, maybe the size of a pinky finger. Again, I was confused on the spice upcharge. It looked like a couple squirts of Sriracha sauce.. We also noticed that we did not receive the seaweed sheets we are accustomed to getting in ramen. We asked the server when she returned later if she had seaweed and she responded "no." Not I'm not sure let me check see etc., just "no." I mean they serve sushi, so why wouldn't there be seaweed? Lol. We left it at that, but then in checking the menu after we left in the car we saw seaweed was on the menu, but of course as an upcharge.

Well as we were close to finishing our ramen, our server returns and asks "are you done, can I bring your check now?" Mind you, she wasn't rude and very nice but her approach and delivery was just off and could use some coaching in basic service etiquette. i.e., not checking on us for a period of time, cleaning dirty app dishes away, filling water, asking for additonal drinks/apps, food updates, bringing extra napkins, etc.

After we left we decided that we would not return. For approximately $50.00 Sushi Ramen Go is much better and offers portions with a fair amount of toppings. They also offer a variety of chili powder, spices, sauces at no...

Finally awesome authentic ramen in the Valley! Ever since experiencing Ramen in Japan, and more recently LA, I've been scouring the Valley in search of something that measures up. There have been many contenders but until now I've always had to lower my standards for what a great bowl or Ramen should be. Kazu finally changes that.

There are quite a few shops in the valley that have been trying to measure up to the quality or Ramen you can expect in LA but only a couple that I have tried have really come close, that is, until Kazu came around. Kazu Ramen fights in the same league as many of the best LA Ramen shops and has very slim competition here in the Valley.

On my first visit I ordered the "Kazu Ramen." I found it to be expertly assembled, carefully finding balance amongst the bold flavors. The Tonkotstu broth is rich and full of flavor on its own but it pairs with the black garlic super well leveling up the whole experience. The spice level was a pleasant heat without being too overwhelming for most people and toppings are generous... except for the egg. I always want more than half an Ajitama, it's the best part.

I also was able to try the Katsu Ramen and the Spicy Miso Ramen. Both were really great and worth ording for myself some time. The Katsu Ramen had a much lighter broth that is almost refreshing with a juicy piece of Chicken Katsu on top. The Spicy Miso is pretty much the opposite but in all the best ways.

Kazu went with a thin straight noodle for their Tonkotstu which I am super grateful for because it is my favorite type of ramen noodle and most shops around here go for the thicker wavy egg noodles. Kazu recently upgraded their models so now they are better than ever. I still prefer them extra firm but the noodles are cooked perfectly for most people, just a little al dente.

Every appitizer I have tried has been top notch. The karaage is juicy and crisp an pretty authentic. The Gyoza tastes like they are made fresh in house. Lastly the Takoyaki take me back to the streets of Osaka. So far all the appetizers have been great.

On the service: Kazu has fast service and the staff is super cool. Tom...

Kazu Ramen is a nice addition to greater San Tan Village shopping area. The Tonkotsu ramen here is very good. The best I’ve had in Arizona so far. Both the Black garlic and the spicy versions are good. The tonkotsu broth here is creamy and flavorful. The noodles were fresh and had a little softer than Al dente chew to them. I might order extra noodles next time, especially if I’m just getting ramen. The soft boiled egg was cooked perfectly and filled my mouth with rich yolky goodness. The pork belly was just right being tender, juicy and flavorful with a little fatty, melt in you mouth goodness. The poke was good also. We ordered the tuna version, but they also have a salmon option. Half inch cubed pieces of tuna and avocado mixed with a light dressing and seaweed salad, then seasoned with furikake. Finally, we had an order of katsu chicken. It came out hot and crispy. It was tender and juicy on the inside. They use breast meat in their katsu. The house katsu sauce is sweet and tangy and a very good compliment to the katsu. Next time I need to add a little chili paste to it for some kick. It’ll be nice having a good ramen place so close to home. I look forward to coming back and trying their takoyaki and some other dishes.

Some of my favorite items are: Tonkotsu ramen with black garlic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spicy tonkotsu ramen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Poke (tuna) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Katsu (chicken) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My guide on how I use the 5 star system: ⭐️ = Not good ⭐️⭐️ = Not terrible, but would not get again ⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Solid, but I’d try something else before this again ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Really liked it! You should try this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Loved it! Must try I’ll make adjustments to my ratings after subsequent visits. If you see a .3 or .7 it means: .3 = Wasn’t as good the 2nd or last time I tried it .7 = This was better the 2nd or last...