Kokoro — Restaurant in State College

My partner and I are vegetarian, so we ordered the only vegetarian meal, which was the "creamy tomato ramen". We also had the veggie spring rolls and veggie gyoza.

Although we were asked if we wanted the appetizers, everything was brought out at the same time, and the appetizers weren't really hot. The spring rolls and gyoza were so-so, and I suspect they were ordered premade and frozen.

The ramen soup was overloaded with msg. The other components did not provide any interest to the overall flavor, as they were overpowered by the msg-laden soup. The bok choy had been blanched too long and was limp, and it was also cold. I might have been OK with the soup if there were A) less msg, and B) some kind of acidity and other flavor. I did not finish my ramen, and even so my tongue felt like it desperately needed water after all the msg.

The owner is overly interested in satisfying his customers. When we picked up our chopsticks and were about to eat, he asked if we wanted forks. When we said no, he proceeded to list all the nearby tables that contained forks that we could take from. One minute later, he returned again to ask how the food was -- before we could even take our first bites. Another five minutes later he again came back to ask how the food was. I don't know how many other times this happened, but it was a little unnerving.

I know decor can be expensive, but it can be pretty important, especially in a college area. The place has a Japanese name and Japanese-themed menu, but the decor consisted of random Chinese paintings and Korean paintings. With the amount of Asian students no doubt passing by, it is easy to hazard a guess about the quality of the food if it appears that the owner can't even tell apart Japanese from Chinese and Korean.

Edited down to 1 star: my partner now has a headache from the MSG because he finished more of his...

This is one of the best restaurants I've ever had the pleasure of dining at in my life. Everything in every aspect was top notch, 10/10. Having been a chef, I'm incredibly picky about the quality of food so was a bit skeptical when I saw a Japanese restaurant with Poutine; however I was deadset on giving it a shot.

I found myself in state college on 3/8 for a wrestling tournament with my son. We both visited the establishment on a Saturday night and were treated to an array of delicious items. We ordered the following: Salmon Nagiri, Poutine, Shrimp/Beef Ramen, Beef Ramen, Soup Dumplings, Mango Lemonade and Strawberry Boba. Every single item was amazing. Easily the best Poutine I've ever had (including the time I lived in Canada), and crazy good soup dumplings that weren't overloaded with filler. The broth had the perfect amount of spice and seasoning. The owner was incredibly friendly and spent time at our table talking about business, family and food. He generously gave us mini-cheesecakes (and some to take home to my wife), deep fried pork dumplings with a multitude of sauces (very spicy but very good) and the shock of the restaurant; literally melt in your mouth brisket. I was speechless at the quality of this food, and baffled at how it all worked. A japanese restaurant serving canadian poutine and texas brisket....CRAZY!

I give my fullest recommendation to this place and implore anyone curious to give it a shot. With 100% certainty, I will make the 2 hour drive to eat here...

We stopped by Kokoro during a day out with friends, not really sure what to expect—just hoping for some good ramen. What we got was way more than that. From the moment we walked in, the owner (wish we’d caught his name!) made us feel completely welcome and taken care of.

We all ordered different ramen—pork, beef, chicken, mushroom—and every single one was amazing. The broth was rich and flavorful, honestly some of the best we’ve had. We added some egg rolls and sushi, which were great, and then the owner surprised us with shrimp tempura and dumplings—just because. That kind of hospitality isn’t something you forget.

We’re still talking about how good everything was. And while we were sitting there enjoying our food, we saw a constant stream of people picking up takeout—clearly this place is no secret. We're from Cleveland, but Kokoro is absolutely on our list for the next time we’re back in State College. Highly recommend it if you’re in the area and craving something...