Iso Iso Ramen & Boba — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I personally don't care for the self-serve kiosk; I prefer to be seated right away, take my time reviewing the menu options and for someone to take my order and educate me on the menu if I have questions (I know that is an option, but I reckon most people being polite wouldn't ask for assistance so as not to hold up the line). During heavy volume times, I can totally see this being a bottleneck and causing unnecessary delays.

I had the fried gyoza as appetizer and didn't like that the traditional soy sauce/vinegar/green onion dipping sauce isn't an option (could be a Chinese vs. Japanese thing). Instead you can choose between teriyaki and sweet Thai chili. I opted for the teriyaki sauce and as suspected, was too sweet for what I'm used to when eating this dish. The gyoza itself was perfectly fried and delicious.

I was persuaded to order the Black Tonkotsu Ramen by what the menu read, touting extra, more bold flavor. Sadly, as other commenters have mentioned, the broth lacked depth and flavor. Unlike other ramen shops in Jax, I was happy to see it had the correct milky color as Tonkotsu broth should be, which told me they boiled the pork bones correctly but man did it taste flat (even with the black garlic oil stirred in). It almost tasted like they didn't use any tare or very little of it. Basically, there were no umami notes to the broth.

The chashu was tender but not entirely flavorful.

I didn't like that I paid $0.50 for a side of Chili oil only to discover they have a full jar of it right on the table that you can help yourself to for free. To the owners - recommend you remove that item from the menu, or make it free. It's not that $0.50 is a big deal, it's a matter of principle.

The music volume was a bit loud. You shouldn't have to strain having a conversation with others at the table for them to hear you.

Lastly, I opted to leave a tip during the checkout process, which you do before receiving food or service. While I didn't experience any issues, a waitress dropped my food off and was never seen from again. No 2 minute check-back was performed to see if my food was to my liking and I purposely sat here in the restaurant to write this review and my table hasn't even been cleared of dishes.

Beautiful decor and ambiance. I like that the kitchen is in view and not hidden in the back somewhere. Food service was fresh, hot and fast.

Would I return? If someone else wanted me to come with, surely I would, however when I'm in the mood for ramen on my own, I would opt for other...

Over all we're pretty disappointed. My boyfriend and I went in because we noticed the location changed from Moes on our way to World Market and decided on our next visit we'd stop by for Lunch to see if it can be a regular thing when we're in the area.

When we came in we were impressed by the robot and the general feel of the space but when we noticed they were playing country music it completely ruined the atmosphere.

Service was okay but the lack of interaction compared to other places when it comes to service is almost non-existent.

We ordered the Black Tonkotsu and the Chicken Ramen, Karaage Chicken, Thai Tea with Boba and a Mango Milk tea with boba. Over all its all over priced. We constantly go to places like DOMU and Tasty Pot in the Town Center area which beat this location in both quality and price. The Black Tonkotsu is what i get from DOMU and thought it'd be great to compare the two. Price wise they're the same. Taste wise this was completely bland. The black garlic oil was grainy and over all lacked any body and didn't contribute to the dish. The broth itself wasn't rich or flavorful which is what i'd expect from this price point. The noodles tasted like generic ramen noodles and lacked the quality you'd expect when paying this much. The pork, again at this price point is terrible. At DOMU for example the pork cuts are thick, meaty and fatty and soaks the rich broth; making for flavor bomb that melts in your mouth. Here the pork cuts are extremely thin, are cardboard like, lack any ability to soak in flavor from the broth and are hard to chew through. The marinated eggs were also somehow lacking. My boyfriend also could even finish his bowl he was just as disappointed with the quality.

The Karaage came out to us and looked decent. Comparing now to the karaage from Tasty Pot; The chicken from Iso was bland. Quite frankly the easiest way i can compare them is to chick fil a chicken. After two pieces we were bored.

The boba was okay but compared to locations like Tasty Pot's boba or a place like Moge tea, the drinks lacked a sense of quality.

Over all, this experience has left me with the following. It's not worth it. The quality does not dictate the price. If this is going to be your first ramen place you were thinking of going to; just don't. Please try DOMU or Tasty Pot. The price points are the same but you definitely notice the...

Been a while since I felt compelled to write a review after one vIsit. This has the making of a great spot. The place used to be a Mama Fu's location and they kept the existing floor plan with some upgrades. It feels more open, look much cleaner and love the fact that they made it brighter inside. They kept the outdoor dining area as well. The setup for ordering is similar, you walk in, make your order and then find a table...except the order is made thru the kiosk and then you get a number after paying, which can be done thru your phone or thru the cashier. I'm not a fan but I don't dislike either. The food order came out very quickly, almost too quick (you know what I mean?) but after tasting it...that concern went away : The Isolso Ramen hit the spot!!! I'm a huge fan of Karai Ramen and this bowl is a clone. Don't know who came up w the recipe first though. The spicy & creamy chicken broth was nicely done...love the depth and the heat level. About the same HEAT level as Sriracha sauce. The spicy ground beef was as if the dood from Karai made it. The ramen noodles were tender but not mushy. Not exactly al dente but whatever. I was loving it and it was making me hum:) love everything about this bowl of goodness! I did add an extra egg ($2) to my bowl. Staff was great! Friendly and very helpful. I will be...