KAIJU RAMEN — Restaurant in Washington

Capitol Hill's newest restaurant is the neighborhood's first ramen spot and it's a good one. In between local favorites Ambar and Cava Mezze along Barracks Row, one block from the Marine Corp's oldest active post, comes monster-themed ramen Kaiju. Here's why you should go:

1. Ramen: There are nine ramens on the menu, each made with broth that simmers for 10 hours in-house, creating a rich experience. The ramens range from $16 to $66 (for their wagyu ramen). There's a lobster ramen, spicy ramen and one made with squid ink. Several ramen come with a whole chicken leg in it. If meat on the bone is not your thing, I recommend the black miso cheese ramen. The deep black broth and cheese make it unique while maintaining the flavors of ramen we love. There's a vegetable ramen made with butternut squash.

2. Food: While ramen is the main course, Kaiju sells appetizers too. There's a seaweed salad, gyoza, fried rice and a potato salad made with lotus roots. More unique dishes include a cheese mochi and an octopus corn dog.

3. Takeout: They offer takeout via UberEats. Another option is to go inside and wait at the bar. (They'll bring you ice water to enjoy as you wait.) I went in on a Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. and placed a ramen takeout order. My wait was between 7-10 minutes.

4. Space: They make good use of a small Barracks Row space. There are group tables, small tables, booths and a long bar in the back. Fluorescent lights and funky art on the walls make you feel like you stumbled upon a Japanese eatery.

5. Location: Barracks Row is a perfect area with easier-to-find parking nearby (if none are along 8th Street SE, try the nearby neighborhood), plenty of bars, restaurants and shops next door and the Eastern Market Metro a few blocks north. There are also plenty of Capital Bikeshare docks close. If you have time after ramen, wander down the alley directly across from Kaiju to find The Fridge, an art space, murals and a gin garden...

I absolutely LOVED THIS PLACE!! & I initially took my Bf here because he's heavily into Anime! & when I googled bars this came up so I figured I'd surprise him because life been lifing for him. Alex was our awesome Waiter he explained everything and was so welcoming, suggestive simply what customer service should be!!..It's very Colorful,welcoming, and there's a Tv with Anime literally Everywhere!!. My favorite part was the heart beat moving!!! I've NEVER seen nothing like it!. They have an amazing Speakeasy bar downstairs, it's soo cool. The kitchen is in face view so you can see ppl making your food. They have several food options Ramen(my thing), Soju, regular drinks(not refillable tho), appetizers like the Monster Claw(chicken tenders) sooo good. I ordered the divinely delicious Spicy Chicken Ramen with added 3.50 pork belly, they give you Thick pieces of pork, a whole wonderfully flavored chicken leg quarter and it was seasoned down!!!! hell the Whole bowl was!! That I drank the broth. You can swap the ramen noodle for a thick noodle think semi thickness of udon!! For no charge. The Speakeasy Bar layout was EVERYTHING very chill, Delicious strong drinks, a Good time for sure!! , the Bathroom was dope!!! Inside and out. The Place itself was very inviting once you came in, ANY BIG anime fan would loove this esp the action figures as into the decor and you can watch anime no matter which way you're seated or no matter which way your head turns. My Bf absolutely LOOOOOVED this place so much!! But I'm coming back for that Spicy Ramen with that delicious tender seasoned well leg quarter what you...

Good vibe environment and decorated with many Japanese well known figures (top shelves above kitchen). Really like the Kaiju Nest Tempura, very crispy and fun to pull them apart. The tako corn dog is just a piece of octopus wrapped inside corn dog batter, nothing too special. For ramen, we tried the chicken, Tokyo, vegetable, black miso cheese, tonkotsu (spicy and no spicy) and the group consensus was it's not bad but also not the best ramen. Half of us felt the soup base was way too greasy, you can see the layer of oil. We all like the soft-boiled eggs, still liquidy inside and good flavors. Now both the chashu and the chicken....chewy and a bit on the dry side, not juicy. The noodles are the curly type, didn't see they offer other noodle types. For drinks, I tried the jelly sake 🍶 is refreshing citrus flavor with lots of jelly in it, goes well with 🍜 ramen. For dessert the matcha cheesecake is average, not very smooth but really love the matcha creme brulee, silky smooth, not too sweet and there's a subtle green tea...