Yakamoz Craft Ramen — Restaurant in Irvine

Overall Experience: A charming, antique-style ramen spot with a rotating menu, flavorful broth, and attentive but minimal service, though portion sizes may feel small for the price.

Location/Parking: It's located in a tucked away strip mall. There's a parking lot but it was pretty full on a Saturday around lunch time.

Reservation: Not sure if they take reservations, but it was pretty easy to walk in and get a table.

Ambiance: The vibe is very much like an antique coffee shop. Furniture is mixed and matched with a lot of wood elements. You can also sit outside if it's full. A lot of Chinese speaking families were dining there. It appeared that the owner/waitress is Taiwanese.

Customer Service: I had requested for bamboo shoots to be removed from my dishes when I made the order, but it still showed up with it. Luckily, I don't have an allergy and it's merely preference, but this is certainly something for them to note in the future. The male waiter was very attentive at refilling our water cups when running low, but other than that they don't really check in on you/your food until you actively try to get their attention.

Food: According to their waitress, they switch their menu pretty open. It's been changed 3 times in the 2 months they've been open. They continuously improve and innovate their menu.

Signature Duck Ramen - very mild yet flavorful soup taste and I dranked it all. 5 thinly sliced pieces of duck breast, and expected there to be more.

Value: For a $19.50 bowl of ramen, it definitely ran on the small side, but it had a great taste. I could see myself returning in the future to try some other items...

Food: The duck ramen had a rich soup with a strong duck flavor that I loved. The duck was cooked to perfection as it was flavorful yet tender. The wagyu ramen had a rich beef flavor and wasn't too oily despite the fattiness of the tender wagyu. The noodles were perfectly cooked with a slight bit of chew but weren't your typical ramen noodles, I think they were made with a slightly different type of flour. Still enjoyed them though!! The fried chicken wings took the best parts of japanese and taiwanese style fried chicken and combined them. It was definitely the best thing aside from the duck ramen. The beef salad was interesting but wouldn't get it again. Wasabi edamame was very wasabi heavy. Dessert was fire. + they had a great taiwanese tea selection. While there aren't that many dishes to choose from, it's because they've nearly perfected all the dishes they do have.

Service: Family run store so you got the lil kid running around helping too, it was adorable!! They gave us a free dessert too which I really enjoyed.

Atmosphere: The interior is designed almost like a living room with each of the tables and chairs being slightly different. Has a super home-y feel. You can also see into the kitchen and watch how they make the noodles. There's also a small tea bar at the front. They play records from their record...

You need to come here to this restaurant, plain and simple.

I could tell you I spent 2 hours talking to the owners after tasting their remarkable and seasonal changing menu and tell you they went through all these trainings/samplings/menu perfections but the end result is their food is great and their service is unparalleled. It's a small, locally run restaurant who is held together by a humble owner whose primary objective is to serve her community with the best possible product.

The ambiance of the restaurant initially is very confusing, it almost feels as if you walked into your favorite Amish grandma's dining room, with household tables rarely seen in traditional dining settings because of the space it takes up. The owner is focused on creating the most hospitable environment for her customers, to the point where customers who wait over an hour for their ramen are given vouchers to come back and try their ramen at a less busier time to ensure their time is not wasted in line.

Mandatory and no questions asked, You need to come here. If it's not for the amazing food and service, it's to support a locally run establishment. Such a unique and heartwarming place, I can't...