Kazakh Ramen has become a favourite spot for me when it comes to ramen dishes…read more Service is always very welcoming and fast at this place, which is always nice!! I'm a regular with the tonkotsu ramen bowl, served with pork, ramen, delicious broth, and egg, to name a few. Their shrimp tempura is always tasty. Ambiance is relaxing and it's very enjoyable to eat the ramen bowl.

It is no secret that ramen has exploded in Edmonton and what was once an elusive cuisine is now…read moreentirely common. It's wonderful to have so many options available and one of those is Kazoku Ramen in the west end area of Glenwood. The Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2022 list named this restaurant as one of their Favourite Date Night spots and I was very excited to find out how they compare to the other big ramen shops in town. Visiting on a Monday evening, the restaurant was busy and bustling, indicative of it's popularity. Almost every table remained occupied for the duration of my visit. The location isn't exactly the greatest part of the city, however you'll find them in a strip mall directly next door to perennial favourite Bucas & Pastas (have you had the pasticcio??). Kazoku is immediately recognizable by their red awning and this theming remained excellent on the inside. Stepping through the door the aroma of broth tantalized my senses and I couldn't wait to taste the food. My eye was drawn to the incredible mural on the wall, which I absolutely loved!! It's of a city skyline with an adorable cartoonish Godzilla eating a naruto (a type of fish cake). The artwork is striking and looks amazing with the red lanterns hanging throughout the restaurant and dark wooden beams. They've done a wonderful job of creating an amazing atmosphere that you wouldn't necessarily expect from a strip mall! Kazoku means family in Japanese and this family business strives to only serve food that they would serve to their own family. The focus is on authentic ramen made with the freshest ingredients, creating delicious melodies of tastes and colours. Our server was prompt and efficient but I did find her to be quite curt and uninterested in answering many questions or offering recommendations. I was happy to order a Japanese Cream Soda (Melon flavour soda with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - $6.50) to drink, a beverage that I've seen on Japanese menus before and was happy to find here. The colour alone is a lot of fun and we enjoyed slurping on the deep green liquid. The soda tasted sort of citrusy to me and not as much like melon. But when you get the ice cream in the mix it's all very sweet and joyful. (An ideal treat for kids.) Next, we grabbed an order of Edamame (Soy beans sprinkled with coarse sea salt - $4.50) because you can't go wrong with some tasty beans. Bright green, well-cooked, and nicely salted. We happily popped these into our mouths and enjoyed the tender beans within. Edamame always feels like snacking, except in a healthy way. The menu features several types of appetizers and tempura but I zeroed in on the Takoyaki (Fried wheat balls with octopus in the center topped with tonkatsu sauce, mayo, nori, bonito - $13.00), a favourite of mine. Complete with dancing bonito on top, these takoyaki balls appeared to be entirely legit. I am certain that the restaurant is using a specialized takoyaki pan, which is what creates their perfectly spherical shape. Biting into the golden-crispy balls, these were almost identical to what I'd experienced on the streets of Osaka. Crisp on the outside but very soft on the inside with a piece of tender octopus hidden within. The sauces on top added a lot of flavour as did the shaved bonito. These were really good and one of the highlights of the meal for me. Ramen, of course, is Kazoku's specialty and with twelve types on the menu they've got a ramen for everyone. Heavy to lighter broths are offered and the menu does a good job of describing the type of broth to expect in each. I couldn't help but notice some stark similarities between the ramen at Kazoku and the ramen offered at Japanese ramen chain Santouka (my favourite ramen of all-time), including the appearance of shio ramen (my favourite!). They also have a chili goma which I usually love, full of spicy chili oil. However, for my first visit I felt that I should experience the Kazoku (Char siu, full soft-boiled egg, nori, bamboo shoots, corn, black fungus, bean sprouts, toasted sesame, green onion, naruto - $18.50), the restaurant's namesake bowl. Unexpectedly, the server asked if we wanted pork belly or shoulder for our char siu and I have never encountered this option before. Looking for some guidance on which to choose, the server offered little (none) information on the difference between the two. We chose pork belly as that seemed to be the cut of char siu that we were more familiar with. Made with a lighter pork broth, the depth of flavour was alright but I did find myself longing for something a bit more robust. I wasn't all that impressed with the char siu overall. As a BBQ pork, I found the slices incredibly thin (they should be quite thick!) and completely lacking in caramelized BBQ char. The meat was underdone and full of wet, uncooked fat. The noodles were great; nice and loose and tender. The ajitama (egg) was nicely prepared with an ideal jammy yolk, although a bit more marinaded seasoning would have been

Really delicious food and generous portions! Ordered delivery through Skip. We were very impressed…read morewith how well prepared our meal was. This is definitely going to be our new go-to Indian restaurant. The vegetable samosas were huge and the dough flaky. Came with two different sauces plus a delicious side if Chana Masala. Was a meal in itself. Also had Daal Makhani...yum! Love that we were given a spice level preference to all of the dishes we ordered. Came with an order of free Saffron rice which was also very fluffy and flavourful. The naan bread came in it's own sealed bag. Delicious, well prepared and packaged food. Wonderful experience and looking forward to trying more dishes. Highly recommend this restaurant!

Great food !! Love the butter chicken, so creamy and a kick to it!! The Mann is amazing!! Service…read morewas very nice, we always get the same gentleman

This is one of my favorite places to eat at WEM, on winter time is when I love stoping there…read morebecause I order the spicy coconut chicken soup is so good, not really spicy but just with the right kick of spice, I know their meat is not the best quality like their chicken is not my favorite but I love that soup just because of the coconut flavor!!! My kids like the rice and spring rolls and obviously we all love the green onion cake!!! I know is not the best place to eat at WEM but for me is my favorite soup place only because is spicy and coconut flavor i wish other places had something like that soup but this is the only place they have it so that's why i stop there at WEM just for the soup lol

Decent quality and price for food in WEMread more

Friendly service? Nope Quality? Meh and my dragon rolls came…read morewith no sauce Crispy noodles are new to me but I don't think I'd order them again. After tipping in advance, not impressed with the service or food.

Food is ok Not cheap but .. the thing that got me is I like…read moreto read little papers etc at lunch - callingwood location has only Chinese restaurants papers - nothing in English - Pisses me off - I think I'll go to other places for lunch from now on - this is not China - yet

Great food, Excellent service. Great place for events and…read moreparties. Very reasonable prices.

Food was hot and super tasty. Service was exceptional. Very fair prices. Not a fancy place but this…read moreplace is substance over style.

Good rice, fresh broccoli, beef slimy, lemon chicken deep fried something that was tasteless…read more chicken balls OK, good service, restaurant clean.

This is a fast food style setting in the mall food court. There are quite a few different types of…read morenest to choose from and some vegetables, rice and noodles. Most combos come with a choice of noodles or rice, a vegetable and a meat option. The service is quick and you can have you food within a few minutes unless these is a large line up. I choose the bourbon chicken which was tasty but it was quite oily and sweet. The broccoli and the noodles which lacked flavour. Overall, it's the average for fast food. Not great but not horrible.

Not gonna lie, the portion sizes have definitely dropped. You get maybe 3/4 of what you used to get…read moreyet they charge a higher price. Choose 1 or the other, smaller portions or less money. I wasn't made aware the portion sizes were so much smaller until after my purchase. The flavour is still good so far.

I ordered for my first time from this place as a takeout order from SkipTheDishes…read more Although it took about 55 mins to arrive, the food was nice and hot. I ordered beef fried rice which was super delicious and double chicken laksa. The laksa was wayyyyyy too spicy which I wish had stated in the menu, as I was unable to eat it at all. Otherwise, it was good, and the packaging was very cute and both dishes were stuffed to the brim in the box if you're wanting value for your money. I would suggest they use different takeout containers so the food doesn't get so squished and destroyed as they literally had to stuff it in to close the box. I would eat here again.

The service is sufficient, but the food is always great. I really like the wor wonton soup, worth…read morethe couple extra dollars if you super love wonton soup that's extra. I almost wish it came with a second bowl of broth just to make it last longer! The ginger beef is my go to. I don't find it very gingery which is slightly disappointing, but it is always delicious anyway. I never have to wait long, whether or not I am waiting for the food to go or if I am staying to chow down. The only downside of this west end location is the one way streets all around, but there is more than one way to get into the parking lot so if you miss one turn, grab the next.

I love this place! Have been going for 20 years. The staff that make the food remember what you…read moreorder, it's extraordinary! They make your food with love & it tastes delicious every time. Highly recommend!!

Whenever I'm on the west end I make sure to stop by the last location in Edmonton. The owner…read moreremembers my order, is always polite, has great music going on and is always clean. I love stopping my this please. The chicken Caesar wrap is my go to, and my teenager likes the rice box with a few veggies, jasmine rice and soya sauce. Highly recommend.