Kotsu Ramen & Gyoza Riverside — Restaurant in Riverside

Absolute incompetence. They have no idea what Japanese food is and don't know half of their own menu. Someone in a previous review wondered if management changed. Obviously either it has or the whole staff was replaced with people who have no clue what they are selling.

I asked for an onsen egg. It's what it was named on their menu. A cute reference to Japanese hot springs and making hard boiled eggs in them. They didn't know what that was.

I asked about nori. They didn't know what that was. I said it's seaweed. They didn't understand.

Forget it. No extra toppings. Just the menu items then.

They asked for the spice level. 1, 2, 3. Normal for other places. Yet they executed this in the order as different topping packages with different contents.

I discovered this by looking at the receipt afterward.

Part of this was being asked to make sure a dish didn't have a certain ingredient. They said it didnt.. and then they keyed in an add-on package that included that ingredient. Afterward, I asked, doesn't that have it in it? They said yes.

And stared.

Like someone who does not know how to interact with other humans, or maybe doesn't even know what humans are.

This was a few weeks ago. Those drinks they added with that standee by their register? That was there then... but they said, when asked, that they don't sell those things. That they were advertising. Right by their register.

Then the manager came out. He "helped" by also not knowing anything at all. He didn't know what onsen eggs were, he didn't know what nori or seaweed was, he didn't understand how spice level numbers didn't correlate to packages. He was arguably even more useless.

I demanded a refund. At least I got it.

The entire time, a woman in the kitchen looked outward with a worrying thousand yard stare.

If you went here after they opened and had a great time, I was right there with you. If you're doing online orders now and getting lucky, I understand why you still go. But I wouldn't.

Morons in this place. Ruined it with...

I will update this if, in the future, an issue is addressed. I dropped off my girl to go in and order for herself for takeout while I went to park. Upon entering in, the inside looked very nice. There was a young girl at the front with glasses who welcomed me in. Looked around and my girl was sitting in a corner waiting for her order. Sat down with her and she did not look okay. She said quietly... "I almost cried". Asked her what was wrong. She said, I should have done my homework or something. She said she ordered a the curry kotsu. But, she didn't know there was more to it. From reading the menu, it seemed to her that that should have said just enough to get her order in. Well, it wasn't, but to be fair, she's never ordered from a ramen place before let alone this one. However, one might assume the person taking her order would assist with her getting it in. She remained silent and stared at my girl. My girl then stated that she had never ordered ramen this way before, and apologized for not knowing better. The girl taking her order said nothing, continuing to stare at her. My girl then went further to ask for help, reiterating herself. The girl simply said... usually people order pork with this, and continued to stare. That was it. So, my girl fumbled her way into getting her order in, went to a corner, and sat quietly feeling embarrassed. That's when I came in. I wanted to speak up, but my girl just wanted to leave quietly. Sitting here at home while my girl eats her food, she is very happy with it. However, the service today needs serious improvement. That...

I have given this place a LOT of chances, but "3 strikes and you're out".

I'm still impressed by the menu options (Curry Brussels Sprouts are a huge win), and when they do get your order right it rocks. I love the taste and the plating can be great. Unfortunately, it has been a gamble every single time. The food can be cold, or just straight up wrong. On our very first visit, I sat and watched as a server not only poured me the wrong beer, but poured it so poorly that 1/3 of the glass was foam. Just last night I ordered the "Kick" again and I swear I got the "Flame" instead.

I also know for a FACT now that we are NOT the only customers to receive a bad attitude when confronting an incorrect order. Telling us that WE need to get our order right is a surefire way to lose business. We were appalled - NEVER have we received such a sour response - but we persisted. Ever since then we have to order slowly, item by item, and ask for a receipt - and these extra measures still promise nothing.

On the subject, it doesn't seem like anyone enjoys working there: the body language and overall vibe say it all. The last two times we have dined in, there has been zero music and only one television was playing the Roku screensaver. They argue amongst themselves publicly. Cashier will just pull out their phone on the floor.

When the food is right and hot, it absolutely wins - it is just too bad that it is never consistent, and the service needs an upgrade. It is going to be quite a while before we go back, and hopefully by then they...