Hokkaido Ramen House — Restaurant in Lexington

My husband and I came here opening night. It was slammed pack, but can you blame them? Columbia/Lexington doesn't have enough Ramen places, and this place is by far better than Menkoi. Menkoi, is good, but Hokkaido was much better. Maybe it was because it doesn't smell like a dirty mop water?

Anyway, I got the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, my son got the Rich Chicken Ramen, and my husband got the Tonkotsu Shoya. However, by the time we had gotten in the door and seated the pork for the Tonkotsu was all out, which left me disappointed because I truly wanted some Pork buns and I wanted pork in my tonkotsu. But, we substituted the pork with chicken and it still came out wonderfully!

For appetizers we got Crab Rangoon, Tempura Shrimp and Pot stickers. All of which were delicious. I believe you get 6 of each item, so that split well between the three of us.

As for dessert, we left with the Reese's Peanut Butter Pie and Tiramisu. Both were super delicious, and super sweet, lol.

For once, we had no real complaints, aside from the wait time, but being that it was opening night, that was really to be expected and we were weren't disappointed to say the least. But. The only thing I can say was.. there is no changing station for babies. They have high chairs but no changing station, so make sure you change the any younger prior to eating here.

Our waiter, Brandon, was super kind, he was definitely zooming around, very busy with trying to take care of his tables. I applaud his hard work.

I definitely recommend this place. And I can't wait to go back for an even better experience, to finish trying out the menu as it...

As an American who recently returned from working in Japan, I was eager to find a bowl of authentic ramen. Unfortunately, my experience fell short. While the service and atmosphere were pleasant, the ramen itself was disappointing. The noodles tasted like instant noodles, and the broth lacked the depth and richness I had hoped for.

Despite my request for firm noodles, they arrived overcooked and mushy, likely from sitting too long. I ordered the spicy ramen, but the flavor was overwhelmingly dominated by kimchi, which is more Korean than Japanese.

Additionally, the restaurant marketed this dish as Hokkaido ramen and charged significantly more than what it would cost in Japan. This added to my disappointment, as nothing about the dish felt authentic.

I suggest being more transparent about what you're offering. Perhaps call it "Americanized ramen" to set the right expectations. Creating tasty, authentic Hokkaido ramen takes work and effort, and it's clear that some corners were cut. To the chef, manager, and owner, I encourage you to visit Japan, explore the local flavors, and bring that inspiration back to your cooking. With some adjustments, I'm sure you can create a more authentic and enjoyable...

Happy to see it was open, I went in around 2:00 to get something to go. The restaurant closes at 2:30 and then reopens at 4 for dinner. When I entered two people were up front, neither bothered to greet me. I finally asked about placing a to-go order. I was told Gracie (I think) handled that. Waited a couple of minutes and finally was able to place my order. My bill was $16.90. I gave Gracie a twenty and she said she had to go to the manager for change. When she returned she let me know that they didn’t have any coins so she could only give me $3.00 back instead of $3.10. No sweat, only a dime. It turns out the manager was one of the two people up front when I entered. You would think he would have come over and said something to me about the change situation, but no, he didn’t. As others have said, it’s expensive. I know it was near the lunch closing time, but I counted 4 tables that had not yet been cleared and there was food on the floor. Won’t...