Kamado Ramen — Restaurant in Huntsville

Didn't wanna cook, so me and my fiancé have been making the rounds trying to try out new places to eat. We had the place in mind for a while as we frequent the Mid City area quite often (we do our weekly grocery shopping at Trader Joes and then head over to grab a drink at Kung Fu Tea). We had to go shopping so figured we'd try this place out. I wish we had gone with our regular place. It's cute inside, but was so warm. Thankfully I didn't get anything spicy or it would have been unbearable.

We ordered two ramens (one pork tonkatsu and one spicy miso), an order of gyoza, one fountain drink, one cocktail, and grabbed two waters.

This is a weird thing to start out with, but, the water was terrible. At first I thought that it was just some weird flavor I was getting from eating and drinking, but it tasted similar to dirty tap water. My fiancé told me that he had grabbed the water that had oranges in it and I could not taste anything past what I would consider "hose" flavoring. He assured me there were oranges in the water he had grabbed and showed the fancy containers on the bar that he had gotten it from when we were on the way out and he refilled his own drink from the fountain beverage area.

The ramen lacked richness. It was alright but you could tell that this wasn't anything close to authentic ramen and was definitely something that was produced to please a wider audience and not something that was made with authenticity in mind. There was a lack of full-bodied flavor that good ramen has. This place is okay if you haven't ever eaten the real thing.

I felt as if the topping amounts were a bit stingy. An average of $14 a bowl and only half of an egg and one single piece of seaweed? When the ramen was brought to us my fiancé asked for extra seaweed and we were both a little surprised to hear that it was an extra charge (though we do understand) so we skipped it. The image that are on the website are incredibly deceiving compared to what you are actually served. I went with the tonkatsu ramen because on the website it looked delicious with three slices of gorgeous chashu pork on top of the bowl. But when I got my order it had four thin slices of pork that looked similar to a pork chop sliced up and had little to no flavor to it. There was a lack of condiments on the table, and the only time that we actually interacted with a person was when we ordered and when food was placed in front of us. It seemed as if nobody was on the floor to even flag down a waiter or waitress to ask. And neither of us wanted to go up to the front desk to ask because the girl that took our order was quite rude when I asked about a drink that was on the board near the bar. A drink that I'm almost positive was the wrong one brought to me.

The gyoza was good though, and the one thing that we didn't leave any of on the table.

We ate our food but we definitely won't be back. The service is lacking as well as the overall flavor of the food and the prices are incredibly high for the size and the topping amount. Go across the road to Viet Huong for incredible Vietnamese food (totally different cuisines, but trust me) and grab a huge bowl of Pho that will leave you happy, full, and satisfied. For my cocktail, the two ramens, and the gyoza it cost about $47 and they still expect you to tip at the iPad register when they barely speak to you or want to answer questions about...

The food is great, but the customer service was terrible. I honestly don’t understand why others claim the service is good.

When my mom tried to order ramen with gluten-free noodles, the guy behind the counter asked, “Is she really gluten-free?” I responded, “Yes, she has a sensitivity to gluten.” He then tried to outsmart us when she asked if she could order ramen and simply swap the wheat noodles for gluten-free ones. He said something along the lines of, “Well, I can’t guarantee the broth is gluten-free, because everything has gluten in it.” He came across as incredibly ignorant and rude. I couldn’t believe it.

First of all, gluten intolerance exists on a spectrum. The severity of symptoms varies from person to person. My mother should not have to explain or prove that she has a health condition — it’s none of their business. Their only responsibility is to prepare and serve food based on what they offer on the menu. If they only serve gluten-free noodles to customers with severe gluten sensitivity, that should be clearly stated — maybe with a sign or a menu symbol. But questioning a customer’s condition and then trying to be a smart-ass about the broth being “full of gluten” is completely unprofessional and disrespectful! No, not everything contains gluten.

That is the last time I will ever eat at that place. Yes, the food is good, but it’s not good enough to justify dealing with arrogant and disrespectful staff acting like they know more than the customer.

Also, if they only offer gluten-free noodles in chicken broth, how can anyone be sure that the broth is truly gluten-free? Even if they make it themselves, how do we know the chicken was raised, processed, and handled in a gluten-free facility? That’s where cross-contamination can happen — and it’s a serious concern for people with severe allergies, not just intolerance.

If the restaurant wants to take it that far, it calls into question the integrity of their gluten-free ramen. Is it truly meant for people with severe gluten intolerance? Are they sourcing every ingredient from certified gluten-free facilities? Or is it just a marketing tactic aimed at health-conscious customers like my mother — all while subjecting them to unnecessary interrogation and making themselves appear accommodating...

I recently visited Kamado Ramen (Mid City location) for the first time, excited to try something new. My companion and I ordered the Spicy Mrs. Ramen. After paying and sitting down with our food, we realized pretty quickly that we didn’t like the taste—not because it was poorly made, just that it didn’t suit our palate. Since we had just taken a few bites, we thought it was reasonable to let the staff know and ask about possible options (refund, exchange, or at least some understanding).

We approached the front counter and politely explained that we didn’t like the taste and asked what we should do. The staff member directed us to the manager, who was seated at the bar. When we explained the situation to him, his response was dismissive. He said, “That’s not how it works here,” and didn’t offer any solution, apology, or even basic customer empathy. We were left feeling awkward and unwelcome. We asked if we could just leave the food and go, and he said yes—end of conversation.

Later, we tried to follow up. We accidentally called the Stonehouse location first, and the manager there was incredibly kind—even though it wasn’t his store. He apologized for our experience, empathized with us, and said he’d be more than happy to help if the situation had happened under his watch. He also gave us the number to the Mid City location.

When we called Mid City, it was immediately clear that customer service wasn’t a priority there. The tone was indifferent. When we asked who the store manager was, the staff said, “His name is Mark,” but wouldn’t provide a last name or ask if we had a concern or wanted to speak to him. The whole attitude was unprofessional and cold—completely different from the Stonehouse location.

Bottom line: the food didn’t work for us, but it was the poor customer service that really stood out. No one expects every dish to be a hit with every customer, but there’s a big difference between not liking a meal and being treated like your experience doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning to the Mid...