KaZe

A beautiful gem. I appreciate how they do not have a large menu, rather, a small menu of relatively simple Japanese dishes done just right. The ingredients are very fresh, for example, I got the tamaki plate (d.i.y sushi rolls) as an appetizer and the raw tuna was very light and fresh. The shio ramen was perfect, again, not trying to do anything new or crazy, just making this classic comforting dish perfectly and with care. The handmade noodles were so good and perfectly chewy. A large alcohol selection including several types of sake and Japanese beers (I got the Red Rice beer and really liked it). For dessert that day they were offering raspberry cheesecake with matcha crust and matcha ice cream with bits of Kit-Kat in it. They were both delicious and fresh tasting, with a pure but not overpowering matcha flavor. I especially loved the ice cream. :) The space is very clean, cozy, and airy with a very pleasing design and beautiful, simple dishware. In a truly lovely Japanese way, every detail is done with purpose and beauty is enhanced by minimalism. The staff were all very friendly and professional, and seemed excited about working here. It felt like a place where appreciation for good cooking and simple beauty is shared by customers and staff as people come to enjoy these comforting and lovingly made dishes in a lovely space. I am looking forward to coming back here with my family. Thank you to the owners and staff!

The combination of yummy Japanese food and the delicious allure of kimchi proved to be an outstanding culinary adventure. Each component of the poke bowl worked together harmoniously, creating a symphony of flavors that left me in awe. What truly set these dishes apart was the quality and freshness of the seafood. Every morsel was expertly sourced, ensuring that the flavors were pristine and the textures were impeccable - I could eat the scallops each and every day!

Husband and I went to Kiki for the first time tonight. The flavors were well balanced, the service was friendly and helpful, and the atmosphere was relaxed. We called ahead to make a reservation since it was starting to get busy (per their website.) We will be back!

I absolutely adore this place. I’m currently looking for a house near cincy and I have it in my search to tell me how far it would be to bike her because I love it so much. The food has lovely flavor, the people you just can’t replace, and the atmosphere is comfy enough for me to feel at ease going alone and just chill.

Had the short rib ramen, it was the special of the day. Delicious! We had the pickled veggies and kimchi too, fresh and bright. Glad we visited, as we heard this location was closing in a month. Too bad.

Kiki is truly a gem of Cincinnati. Hideki rules. His staff is excellent. The service is flawless, and so is the food. Always fresh, always simple, and ALWAYS full of flavor. A must visit for anyone looking for vegan options as HALF the menu is vegan. The curry pan is CRUCIAL and I cannot recommend it enough. They also have a few non-alcoholic options so non drinkers can still fully indulge in the izakaya experience.

Enjoyed the small plates, and small bowls of ramen. Get to try multiple things and still feel okay! Noodles were spot on, special ramen was tastey, and really enjoyed trying oysters from opposing coasts. Will visit again.

Great service, cozy atmosphere. Everything on the menu is excellent, especially the ramen and spicy tuna twists. Plenty of beer, sake, and cocktail options to choose from.

A must go-to in Cincinnati. Amazing food, great service. Dont forget to ask for the specials and ask for the desert (gluten free which is a plus)!

FANTASTIC meal! Each dish was thoughtful, balanced, and inspired. Cocktails were delicious and unique. Space is adorable. 1000/10 recommend and will be back!

Always fresh and delicious! Also, I can see it from my home office, and it couldn’t be prettier, inside and out! Hideki has crafted a diverse menu, with literally something great for everyone, conscious of dietary needs and wants. I could eat there 5 days a week, but try to limit it to 2 lol. The best!

Incredible! Loved it in college hill and dare I say the new spot is even better! Recommend making a reservation, byob 👍🏼 new sushi menu is outstanding 10/10

I love Kiki in all of its iterations! Excited to see how they grow into this new space on Ludlow. Love the sushi addition to the menu, and we had lovely service the entire evening.

Excellent food at a fair price! Miss some of the charm of the college hill experience but everything they make is delicious and the space is delightful

One of my favorite restaurants in the city. I came here for my birthday 3 or 4 years ago and had the loveliest time sharing small plates and drinks with my friends, and I’ve celebrated many other birthdays, valentines days, and regular days here since. It’s my favorite way to dine, and the food has always been amazing, with new items to try all the time. I’m sad it will be closing but so excited to see what the team does next. Chef Harada and his team are doing amazing things in the city! Thank you for the wonderful food and memories, and I look forward to all those to come!! ❤️

Refined Japanese food! The Napa Ceasar and the Fried Cauliflower are must-trys! The Shio Ramen, Pork Gyoza, and the Miso Caramel Gelato were all good but not standouts. Make a reservation as it can get busy! We did feel a bit rushed along despite the restaurant not being super busy and having made a reservation.

This place is great. I ate here a few months ago with my girlfriend and had a great meal. The server was knowledgeable of the menu. The food was great quality, ramen could be a bit bigger though. Room was a bit smoky, hood maybe? Not perfect, but would reccomend to anyone, l be back.

If your family enjoys Japanese fare, then drop what you are doing and take them to Kiki on Ludlow. The food is delicious and good value for the money. The service is prompt and courteous. You can order all at once or order as you go until your tummy is full. As an added bonus the restaurant validates your parking for the lot next to the building. Pro tip: reserve your spot ahead of time for dinner. Word has traveled about Kiki. Otherwise, plan to wait for a table.

I heard it was good but… truly words cannot express how delicious the food was. The ramen was the best ramen I’ve ever had, pork belly cooked to perfection. Service was lovely, chill, & efficient and the space was very clean and beautiful. Happy to definitely become a regular here 😋.

We love Kiki! We’ve been going since the College Hill spot, and they’ve definitely stepped up in terms of quality and service at the new location. Juliette and the rest of the team was amazing. They’re byob at the moment, so bring a bottle of sake and enjoy the top notch ramen and sushi they’re offering!

All of the food is really delicious! We love the ramen, skewers, and the special sushi. So glad Kiki is back open! We really missed them during the move. This new location is nice because there is a free parking lot!

We are SO excited that Kiki is in the neighborhood. We’ve been 4 times since it opened and can’t wait to keep coming back. The food is amazing. The sushi is some of the best in the city - fresh, unique, delicious. And the staff is pleasant and knowledgeable. 10/10.

Kiki is hands down the best culinary experience in Cincinnati. Chef Hideki Harada is a master of his craft, there is a level of intentionality in every dish that you just don't find elsewhere. The shio ramen is soulful and perfectly balanced, but the small plates are the real stars. The curry pan and the gyoza (with that incredible crispy lace!) are non-negotiable orders. We are so lucky to have a James Beard caliber talent like Hideki making this neighborhood feel like a slice of Tokyo. Don't just eat here, experience it.

Ramen, bao buns, curry pan are our favorites but everything is delicious and service is fast. We’ve eaten in and gotten takeout and had a great experience each time. Highly recommend.

Great shio ramen and kaarage. The ramen is full of flavor but not too heavy and the kaarage is very krispy and goes well with the house mayo. Prices are reasonable and they validate parking in the lot next to them for 1.5 hours.

Had the lunch salmon poke and pork belly ramen. Both were good. The green tea was minty and not very good. Otherwise a good experience.

Kiki pays attention to details. I especially loved the curry salt that was sprinkled on top of their tempura vegetables dish (the dish overall was sooooo yum) and the house-made pickled jalapenos and hot sauce presented when I requested a spicy kick to my ramen. I mean, the place does everything well for those of us who appreciate quality food. Only thing is that everywhere I have traveled from NYC to LA to abroad, Ramen is presented in larger bowls and the homemade broth is always the star. While Kiki will never compare themselves to one of those shops, they may benefit from benchmarking against them from a portion standpoint to offer a better sense of value for Ramen lovers. I found everything else to be priced right. I am rooting for Kiki. I want to see them win.

Ramen was very good. Spice level was GREAT and the pork belly was perfect. Extra belly is the power move. Noodles were stuck together because we got it carry out. We'll order in next time. Gyoza was very good. Sauce was sour for my taste but very flavorful. Would recommend Kiki to everyone.

It's good for what it is, upscale and a little pricy for the portions. The napa ceaser was delicious, absolutely order it. The ramen was just okay. Service was VERY fast, maybe too fast.

I hate to say that I wasn’t impressed with this spot. We had a few different menu items that we’d shared; the jackfruit bao, the cauliflower, and the tofu kimchi ramen. I had the paper crane as my drink which was good, but the food didn’t hit. The jackfruit bao was okay, but lacking flavor; I would have preferred some more differences in texture but even with the slaw it was just okay. The cauliflower was good, but would have been more manageable to eat if it hadn’t come in the form of a full head or if we had more than forks to break it apart. The kimchi ramen wasn’t very special either. Sometimes it fusion feels new and interesting, but at other times it falls flat. As for the atmosphere there were some fun artistic choices but the environment felt rather cold with the concrete floors and the scuff marks of rearranged furniture marking the walls. I like to give the benefit of the doubt; maybe we came in on an off day, or maybe what we had bad choices when it came to ordering. That said, if I’m ever coming back to Cincinnati, I will be choosing a different place for dinner.

The Ramen was flavorless and disappointing. The sushi was pretty good. The space was clean and service quick.

An expensive restaurant is worth paying for if the ambience is great, the service is perfect and the food is exquisite and unfortunately Kiki on Ludlow is neither for the price that we pay for the food. Granted some dishes that we ordered like the Jackfruit Bao, Karaage were pretty good in flavor. Small details like menu not having no description of the dishes (not helped by servers either) to the service being not very friendly and being extremely slow, we were very underwhelmed.

Update: On my second visit, even though we had a reservation, we were given a table at the very end, in a poorly lit corner next to the restrooms, while almost every other table was available. I didn’t like it and asked for a different table. The host explained it was for optimizing space and said switching wasn’t possible. We arrived right when the restaurant opened, and I was with friends who came because of my recommendation. To be honest, I don’t care about optimization, nobody wants to sit in a corner when there are better tables available. I requested a different table from our server, and she was able to move us a little further down, but we were still far from the crowd. It made us feel like outcasts, lol. It really killed the vibe for us. The food and service were good. ---- Tried the chicken karaage, Wagyu skewers, pork bao buns, and the mango cheesecake. Everything was delicious. Our server was nice and helpful. We'll be back to try more dishes.

With all the accolades, nominations, and a visit from Guy Fieri, I expected Kiki to knock our socks off. Well, this was not the case. We ate early on a Sunday and our server Joel was friendly and explained how the menu worked. I ordered a glass of pinot grigio, but they were out of that, so he suggested another white. We ordered the Curry Pan, which looked fun, but tasted bland and dry. The Inari Soba was a dish I've never heard of, so we ordered that. It was also bland and dry, and there was no where near enough dressing on the soba noodles. The "shell" was also mushy. It looks pretty in a picture though! Next was Chicken Karaage. The tempura batter made the pieces super crunchy, but it really lacked seasoning. There is a choice of 5 sauces from which to choose at $1 each. The gyoza was the star of the small plate dishes. The presentation was unique with the apron of batter holding them together. You can taste that the filling is an original recipe of Chef Hideki and Yuko because it is unlike any gyoza we have tasted. The sauce was so citrus forward that, although we didn't enjoy it, must have been a perfect compliment to the gyoza. Lastly, I ordered the Shio Ramen. It was good, the noodles were springy, and the pork belly and egg were cooked perfectly. After returning from Vancouver where there is a great ramen joint on every corner, this one to me was only good, not great. I wish there was more of it, and more toppings. There are also good ramen spots near me in West Chester.

Service and atmosphere are really great but the food was not up there the noodles were stale from the ramen I had and tasted like instant ramen and for the price I don’t think it was worth it, for the price i hope they improve with the quality of their noodles and broth

We went to Kiki’s to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Our reservation was originally for 12, but we added a 13th last minute, knowing it might be an inconvenience. When we arrived, we were told the reservation had mistakenly been entered for 4 instead of three 4-tops. After some juggling, the staff managed to seat us in the dining room, which we really appreciated. However, once it became clear we had 13 instead of 12, the attitude shifted. The host who seated us seemed frustrated, and our server was noticeably cold throughout the evening. We completely understand that the mix-up and extra guest added stress, and we stayed positive and patient, but their frustration came through in a way that made the night feel less celebratory. As someone who worked in front-of-house for 20 years, I empathize with how tough these situations can be. Still, it was disappointing to see so little effort to hide that stress. The food itself was solid, and I’m sure they usually provide better service, but unfortunately this wasn’t our experience that night.

The vegetarian ramen wasn’t flavorful and the portion was very small. I received lots of broth but the kimchi/tofu portions are what was minimal about the dish.

Holier-than-thou attitude from every employee the second you walk in the door, nonexistent service, overpriced food and tiny portions, sat at a tiny, inconvenient table despite making a reservation for our wedding anniversary, forgot to make the sushi I ordered then had the audacity to question if I ordered it in the first place and didn’t hide their excitement when I told them not to bother. Most hoity-toity, worthless establishment I’ve ever had the displeasure of entering and pales in comparison to even the worst food I had while in Japan. Telling everyone I know to never go here and counting down the days til they shutter their doors. Support Genki Ramen instead!

Overpriced and overrated food. I lived in Japan 7years, the food here is nothing close to authentic Jpn food. Not tasty fusion style neither. Portion was small, taste was really just ok. Short of people for service too. Disappointed

I never write reviews, but I had to write one after the experience we had last night. My husband and I went here for our first wedding anniversary dinner. We were very excited because we love Japanese food and just visited Japan over the summer for our honeymoon. As soon as we walked into Kiki, we were seated at a tiny table behind a huge pillar. I had said on the online reservation that it was our anniversary, so I thought we might get a better table. We waited for 15 minutes before we were even able to order. The server admitted that he forgot about us because of the location of our table. The curry that we ordered was good, but the rest was honestly just ok. We have had better food at other Japanese restaurants in the area. My husband had ordered salmon sushi, which was never brought out. When we asked the server, he said he never heard my husband order the sushi. Then when we said to just bring our check, he seemed thrilled to not have to bring anything else to our table. I asked to speak with a manager as we were about to leave, and I shared our experience with her. She said that they are a new restaurant and are still working out the bugs. She did not seem at all bothered that this was supposed to be a special meal for our anniversary and did nothing to try to make up for the bad experience. I was a server. My dad worked in the restaurant business for over 30 years. I know how a customer is supposed to be treated, and this isn’t it. We will never return to this restaurant and I would not recommend it to anyone.