Kizuki — Restaurant in Katy

Kizuki should just be "Kizuki Ramen", rather than "Kizuki Ramen and Izakaya."

They do have a good ramen to offer, with their garlic tonkotsu shoyu broth rich and flavorful without being overwhelming. Their yuzu shio broth is also quite nice, for when you don't want excessive meat flavor and instead seeking a light base. The egg was well-marinated, the broth, noodles and toppings were all nice, and the pork belly was mouthwatering. My only complaints, if you can call them that, for the ramen is that the yuzu shio broth would be much better paired with chicken as the default combination rather than pork chashu, and the chashu meat may be a little too lean, and the egg slightly overcooked. It's not world-class or anything, but definitely deserves a B.

However, the izakaya stuff left much to desired: The chicken karaage was the best one among them, yet it still tastes reminiscent of frozen karaage sold in packs in Asian markets. Once you get past the texture, there's a marked lack of flavor. The hiyayakko (cold tofu) was very unevenly seasoned. Or rather, perhaps it's better to say that it's very hard to get it evenly seasoned. It's plain cold tofu dipped in a shallow layer of very sharp soy sauce, with some bonito flakes on top of it. The problem is that most of the dish was tasteless, yet the bottom that's dipped into the soy sauce would be extremely salty. One would think it's easy enough to roll the tofu into the sauce to get it seasoned on all sides, but here comes the second issue with this dish: They used soft tofu that pretty much breaks down upon touch, whereas hiyayakko would normally work much better with very firm tofu. The bonito onigiri was too... simplistic for my taste. It's basically a huge ball of rice with some sad bonito flakes thrown in the middle, all wrapped in plain nori and... that's it. There's absolutely nothing else going on at all, so it got boring and hard to digest real quick. I do have to compliment them though in that the rice itself is cooked quite well.

So, there you have it. Decent ramen paired with lackluster izakaya for an average of... Average. 3 stars, in other words.

TL;DR...

If there’s a Ramen Hall of Fame somewhere out there, Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya in Katy, TX needs to be inducted immediately. And leading the charge should be their Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen. Let me tell you, this bowl of ramen isn't just food—it’s a life experience.

First, let’s talk about the broth. Imagine if a samurai and a ninja had a showdown in a garlic field, and then decided to become best friends and open a ramen shop. That’s the level of flavor explosion we’re talking about. The rich, creamy tonkotsu broth is infused with just the right amount of garlic to keep vampires away for the next millennium, but not so much that you'll need a breath mint IV drip afterward. It’s the perfect balance—robust and savory, with a depth of flavor that makes your taste buds do a happy dance.

Now, onto the noodles. They’re not just noodles; they’re the Bruce Lee of noodles. They’ve got the perfect texture, with a little bit of chew and a whole lot of character. These noodles have been trained in the ancient martial art of broth absorption, perfectly soaking up all that garlicky, porky goodness and delivering it straight to your soul.

The toppings? Oh, don’t even get me started. The chashu pork is so tender, it’s basically a hug in meat form. The egg is marinated to perfection, with a yolk so creamy you’ll swear they hired a magician in the kitchen. And the green onions? They add just the right touch of freshness, making you feel slightly healthy for consuming an entire bowl of what is essentially heaven in a bowl.

But beware, my friends: this ramen is dangerously addictive. After one bowl, you’ll find yourself dreaming about it, craving it at odd hours, and perhaps even composing love sonnets in its honor. I’m not saying it’s ruined other ramen for me, but I might be saying that.

In conclusion, if you haven’t tried the Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen at Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya, you’re doing life wrong. Five stars, two thumbs up, and a standing ovation. This ramen is a...

We went to try this new ramen restaurant during their soft opening period. We walked in around 1130am and once we came inside and the layout gave a vibe like you were transported to a restaurant in Japan. We were seated in a booth; my booth back side was open where you cannot really lean back or else you would end up touching the people behind you (lol). I like the layout of the menu as there were pictures of ramen bowl and small descriptions. You get everything that is pictured on the menu. Toppings were extra and could add up. I ordered iced green tea; you could see actual leaves and matcha. They will give a large glass canister which cost $9 but you can share. It was light, earthy and refreshing though it is an acquired taste.

For appetizers, we ordered:

**chicken wings - it came out piping hot which was how I like my food. These wings were large and slightly sweet. It was amazingly juicy as well.

** pork gyoza - the skin was thin and the filling was flavorful and moist

Ramen:

**spicy ramen (added pork belly, regular spicy) - not sure I missed the pork belly but I didn't see it in my bowl? Loved the texture of the noodles and the broth had good flavor. The egg was cooked perfectly...runny on the outside. For me it wasnt spicy enough so probably would bump up the spice level a notch. The bowl of ramen was a good size.

** son ordered the garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen - if you love garlic this ramen bowl is for you! It was too garlicky for me but the broth was light and had depth of flavor like my bowl of ramen

Also they gave us unsalted broth in a mug in case the broth was too salty so we could dilute. It was a tad salty for me so I appreciated the thoughtfulness.

Service was good but since it was very busy by noon we had to flag down the waitress. The ramen bowls came out first then the apps. So not sure if this was their way of doing things but overall I would return later to try other types...