Kawa Ramen and Sushi 川ラーメンと寿司 | East Side — Restaurant in Milwaukee

The location on Farwell is currently closed due to a fire so we went to the location inside the Crossroads Collective Hall across the street. The building is set up like a food hall with different vendors. There were about 4 vendors and a bar insid. Kawa was one of them. You place your order at the counter or table which we didn't realize until after we already ordered from the counter. They had limited menu to accommodate the space. I was visiting my son at UWM and we ordered 2 Hellfire ramens (med spicy option). My sister ordered the miso soup, takoyaki, and tuna rolls. The presentation of the ramen was delicious. However, the noodles had the same texture of instant ramen which was so disappointing then the flavor of the broth was equally disappointing. Honestly there's a flavor that was off-putting.....almost like a hint of dish soap. I thought it was the bamboo shoots because sometimes they can be strong but it wasn't. Maybe it was the spice they used.....like hot oil of some kind. The egg was good though.....not overcooked like some ramen places but not enough to save the ramen overall.

Now moving on to the sushi and takoyaki. The takoyaki didn't have enough mayo and the size was too small. The sushi was also not impressive but then again maybe a better presentation could have improved it. We do eat with our eyes first.

Overall, the ramen were a hard pass and the rest was just okay. They're a bit pricey for the portions. The ramen was $17! I have no problem paying that amt if they delivered but they unfortunately didn't. We're from Chicago which has some of the best ramen places in the Midwest like Wasabi in Chicago and Chicago Ramen in Des Plaines and the new one in Wheeling (Des Plaines location is better though and maybe because the other one just opened up). I'll edit my review if they improve the areas I've addressed if I go back again. I would like to be fair and give second chances especially if they currently have a 4.4 rating. Hopefully their original restaurant reopens soon!

I don't see the option where I can upload pics like I...

Let me preface this by saying this review is based purely on authenticity of the food. I’ve grown up spending my summers in Japan with my family, and have had ramen countless times from various shops/cities there.

I stopped in last Saturday for lunch with my husband (he is half Taiwanese and spent years growing up there, and considering Japan’s influence in Taiwan, he’s also had his share of ramen). We had an order of yellowtail nigiri (always our test for sushi) and each got tonkotsu ramen.

The sushi rice was undercooked and under seasoned, fish was tough (I had to chew on it a pretty long time). I’ve never had good quality sushi fish in Milwaukee so I wasn’t too surprised there. Unrelated to quality, but there was an unnecessary amount of wasabi (cost savings opportunity?).

Ramen broth was not nearly salty or flavorful enough, but I could tell they make it themselves. The noodles were overcooked, beyond al dente. Made me wonder if it sat a while before they brought it out. There was corn in it, which was not listed on the menu. I do not like corn in my ramen (have only seen that in the US, but understand that it originated with Hokkaido-style ramen). The egg was pretty good, well cooked. Pork belly was very tender, but only 2 pieces. This seems minor, but the bowls they serve ramen in are so small! I saw others come out in a different bowl and they were about to spill. Need an oversized bowl for slurping without spilling.

Overall, sadly won’t be returning. Having a bowl of ramen means super hot, rich, salty broth in a big ol bowl. We were hoping to chat with a manager to share our thoughts, but didn’t see anyone besides the waitstaff and sushi chefs. I was told by a friend that the restaurant owners spent a lot of time learning the traditional methods for preparing ramen from a Japanese chef, so I’m bummed. I’m guessing it’s too drastic for most people to have so much salt, so the demand created the change. Too bad because that’s...

This was my first experience at Kawa, and it did not disappoint! I picked a good time to go, at around 4:30 in the afternoon, before the dinner rush started.

I was seated promptly, and I was fortuitously lucky I tried this place the day I did, because one of two specials of the day was the toro (fatty tuna), at the modest price of $12 a serving.

The menu is extensive, and has a lot of delicious looking options from which to pick, but I was in a ramen mood, so I opted for the garlic miso-based ramen, at the price point of $13 a bowl - competitive with other ramen joints in town.

The broth was extremely savory, with a strong aroma and flavor of garlic. As you can see in the pictures, the broth is very silky, and has a wonderful unctuous mouthfeel. The solid contents of this particular ramen include the ubiquitous slices of pork belly, soft boiled eggs, slices of fish cake, marinated bamboo shoots, sliced scallions, and kernel corn. The corn didn't really add much to the dish, in my opinion, and could easily be eliminated. This is the normal portion that you receive, although large bowls can be ordered. I loved this, and would not hesitate to buy it again.

The toro was incredibly fresh, and completely melt-in-your mouth tender. A pleasant surprise I discovered is that you are asked whether or not you would like regular or low sodium soy sauce when you order sushi; I made sure to let my waiter know how refreshing it was to have this option! (By default, there are no bottles of soy sauce on the tables.)

The space itself is lovely, very clean, and spacious. I was seated toward the front of the restaurant in front of the large garage door window, facing Murray Ave.

Overall, a very pleasant experience, and definitely will be making a return trip in the future! This was a great option as a place at which to dine alone, but it would be a great place for a small family, couples, or for date nights....