Food was delicious, staff seems a bit shy but that's ok, the ambience is perfect, clean and quiet the prices were very very reasonable and we finished every single plate of food we ordered. Highly recommend the Korean popcorn chicken, Chinese sausage fried rice and of course the Dan Dan noodles. We will definitely be back for our 3rd outing very soon! The drinks were incredible too we got something with Oreo... amazing!

Sirena W.

Came for the bubble tea, stayed for the food and ambiance (cute, clean and modern!) My friend and I were looking for a casual place to catch up with bubble tea, and this hit the bill. When we saw the menu, we quickly flipped the switch and decided to stay for dinner. That menu is HUGE! This place ain't JUST a ramen place. It's got Chinese authentic dishes that you can't get anywhere else in this region and I'm all for it. ShanXi Dao Xiao Mian aka Knife Cut Noodles is specialty dish of the ShanXi area. It's a thick, roughly cut dry tossed noodle dish that's savory, sweet, tangy, warm yet refreshing all at the same time. Xian Rou Jia Mo nicknamed the Chinese Hamburger or Sloppy Joe - we got the marinated beef version. Kazami put a fusion spin to this authentic dish. They used an English muffin which is a lot thicker and less crispy than the authentic dish. The meat was well seasoned and flavorful and the toppings were on point... it's worth a try esp if you've never had, but I'm hoping for some improvements on the bun! We also got the kazami ramen, and it was good - yolky egg, soft chashu, and mmm duck. Next plan for me is to try the buns, that duck ramen, chengdu dandan noodles, and maybe get another order of the knife cut noodles... stay tuned! If you're stopping by, I HIGHLY recommend you venture out of your comfort zone and try some of the other dishes - you won't be disappointed.

Quintin R.

Elegant, delicious, and helpful! Went here with a big party. And it was everyone's first time. The staff was patient and understanding taking our litany of questions, and comments. One member of the party was unfamiliar with ramen and wanted something more traditional Chinese takeout, and the staff offered the sister restaurant menu which had items they were looking for. Amazingly cooperative and trying their best to make sure everyone was satisfied. Then when the food came out we were overwhelmed with the quality and flavor. Every dish was seasoned well, great flavor, and great concept. We also had lunch midday on a Sunday and the restaurant was not too busy. Definitely other patrons, but a calm and tranquil environment. Whenever back in Schenectady, this will be top of list for sure!

Hem B.

I've come back a few times to sample more items off their menu and I've been impressed. Just a few observations - there is an emphasis on hospitality here. The servers always seem to be on top of things- making boba teas, welcoming new customers as they enter the establishment, waiting patiently for orders from patrons who don't necessarily know what they want (me), quickly cleaning and resetting tables, etc. Another thing - regarding the two restaurants adjoining each other, Kazami (Boba teas and casual Asian fusion) and Mr. Wasabi (Japanese sushi); I believe Kazami does it better. The bar is higher for sushi restaurants. There is a wide variety of Asian-inspired dishes on their menu yet each one of the items I've tried has been very good. I can't vouch for the "authenticity" of the dishes but that's a moot point, the food needs to taste good. Rest assured, it does. Examples: Dan dan noodles - Pasta with an Arrabbiata-like sauce (marinara with chilis) with ground pork, bok choy, cucumber, and green onion. Tempura Green Tea - there's a distinct bitterness to the green tea ice cream. It's also a dessert that isn't too sweet. I'd order both again.

Hwal L.

I'm all for supporting local businesses and had been looking forward to the opening of this local shop, and so far, the boba teas have been dismal at best. What saves the teas from being a complete letdown was the fact that the boba was cooked well even though they were a bit too sweet. And sweetness was a major issue on our first visit with the teas. It turns out the impossibly sweet teas had to do with the impossible bitterness from brewing. We were forced to take the drinks back because they were unbearably sweet, and I gotta give props to the lady at the counter who understood the issue and tried her best to address it. Even though the drinks were less unbearable after dilution, the experience felt more like an endurance test than a pleasant tea drinking that it should have been. There's a casual, comfy vibe to the ambience and the place certainly got busier as the dinner crowds poured in. I'm open to doing back to try their food, and I'm hopeful that they will pleasantly surprise me.

Ian W.

I stopped in at Kazami, which opened recently next door to Mr Wasabi on Union Street. This casual full service sitdown and takeout restaurant offers a variety of noodle soup bowls, steamed buns, fried rice, bubble teas, fruit teas, sake, beer, wine and smoothies. I decided to eat in since I was going to order the Tonkatsu Ramen ($13.95 plus tax), which is meant to be enjoyed very hot and served in a bowl. The ramen bowl was served in about 10 minutes after ordering. This hot noodle soup had slices of roast pork, quail egg, corn, slices fish cake, scallions, soft ramen noodles in a miso broth. The soup had good flavors of a typical pork ramen soup. The portion wasn't too big or too small, which I finished and was satisfied. The check was $15.07 with tax and before tip. I would come back to try the bubble tea and some pork buns.

Matt W.

Japanese noodle shop / ramen stand style noodles with extras, served with a fast casual vibe but in a full-service sit-down setting. They have a liquor license (Asian beer and sake), boba, really expensive smoothies, and a simple selection of sides, steamed buns, and a small selection of pho. Its appearance on Upper Union street is a bit of a poser. One assumes that because it shares a building an a patio with Mr. Wasabi, it's a spin-off, perhaps intended as direct competition with Tampopo down the block. As such it's really hard not to compare Kazami to both places. The ramen reminds me of street ramen, or small shop ramen, in Japan. It's tasty enough, if not exactly unusual or transportive. We tried the miso veggie ramen ($14), the shoyu seafood ramen ($17), and both vegetable and pork gyoza ($6.50 each). Everything was pretty good; I liked the noodles, which tasted fresh, and the scallops the the seafood ramen (along with shrimp and cuttlefish) were not rubbery or overcooked, which is always an excellent sign. It's all more mellow -- not exactly bland in comparison to Tampopo so much as in the basic traditional home style. The latter has spicier, slightly bigger bowls that have a bit more kick, bigger soba noodles, and heartier chunks of meat (although this latter is by inspection of other people's bowls, not our own, so take that with a grain of salt.) The interior is more like Mr. Wasabi's -- clean, open, refined -- compared to the bizarre (IMHO unsuccessfully dank) retooling of Hot House Harry's at Tampopo. It's really nice, simple. The counter is straight ahead, all the way in the back, presumably to facilitate takeout orders. It does feel a lot more like a fast casual place than a sit-down restaurant -- the food came out very fast -- but the table service was excellent, so it's a bit more than that. Some of the extra sides and such reminded us of Mr. Wasabi's style. We tried the mango boba, which was pricey ($6.75), although maybe everything's gone up. Tasty, not too sweet, and the bubble balls came up the straw very nicely (always nice not to have to dredge them off the bottom!) The presentation and tableware are lovely. This may be a little more impressive because everything is new, of course, but it added to the overall wabi-sabi. Overall, we enjoyed it, and it's very pleasant to patronize. I have to be frank that while I prefer the spicy delights of Tampopo, it's much nicer to linger in Kazami. We were left with the impression there's still plenty of room for two noodle places on upper Union, depending on what mood you're in. We'll see whether there's actually enough business to go around, though.

Denise C.

I stopped in after a late night dinner nearby as I noticed that they had boba drinks. Not only do they have boba but a wide variety of refreshing beverages on their menu. The establishment is extremely clean and has a contemporary minimalist feel which I really like. There's outdoor seating as well as tables and booths inside. I noticed that there were a few late night diners seated and enjoying some rather tasty eats. As I waited for my papaya boba I saw that they had a rather extensive menu of food items in addition to their wonderful drink selections. I can't speak on their ramen or other dishes offered as this was an after dinner goodie. I will return here though when I am in the area to report back on the food! My papaya boba was made to order and the wait time was short. It was refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness. In my opinion its never good when too much added sugar overpowers the natural flavor of the fruity drink itself. The boba drink here was just right and the boba balls itself wasn't mushy and had the perfect chew. Overall very refreshing and a nice finish to the evening. The staff here is very efficient and welcoming so do give it a try!

Perhaps I just ordered the wrong thing on the wrong night. First, the space is clean and modern . Vocal jazz was playing in the background. There are two wide screens showing up on the wall. I came around 4:30 and one other couple was in the restaurant. The menu is nice and fairly explanatory, but know that any add-ins are listed on the very last page by the beverages. I was deciding between the hand, cut noodles and the Ramen. I chose the vegetarian miso Ramen and requested it to be spicy. I added tofu, skins and cilantro as extras. The Ramen came with corn and bok choy and asparagus. A miso broth was as expected, but there was nothing spicy about it. I ordered chili on the side. Just beware of the very hard soy beans in the chili mix. I don't believe the noodles for the Ramen are handmade, but they were bouncy and plentiful. Overall, the Ramen was good, but nothing special. The waitress seem to be if I had to guess the relative of an owner forced to work after school as an obligation. Service was fine, but perfunctory, no eye contact, and maybe a bit tortured. Beware of the lock on the bathroom door. You cannot tell it is locked from the inside. You have to check it from the outside. There is also no hook to hang your purse or coat. I'll return one more time to try the hand cut noodles.

Christine C.

We stopped in for lunch for a quick bite and the service was really swift. Husband got the Pho King and really liked all the fresh herbs and broth flavor. I enjoyed the chicken ramen and the whole dish was really delicious but the half egg with jammy yolk was a great inclusion and a highlight of the dish!

Emily F.

i got the knife cut noodles with tofu and the chili sauce. absolutely amazing, the noodles had a great texture and the serving was gigantic. i really liked the sauce flavor too. if you're a fan of anything spicy/chili/a little sour, like cucumber muchim, i would recommend!