Food was good, service was good, wide variety of food ranging from sandwiches to ramen

Best ramen I've ever had! The sushi tacos are very good as well. The passion fruit lemonade is great!

Yesterday (Saturday) was a major day for Lunar New Year celebrations, marking the Year of the Horse. My friends & I went to the event on Balboa Street and cruised 5 blocks to see the vendors on the street. My friend spotted the sushi tacos. After we satisfied seeing everything including part of the parade, music, met up the SF Supervisor, SF Police Captain & Lieutenant, we walked back to Kio. This was my 3rd time visiting Kio. We were lucky we got the table despite of the event. We ordered our own likeness, salmon avocado sushi taco, soft shell crab taco, house ramen. My other friend craved for more taco so she ordered the Unagi sushi taco. All the food was so delish and the fav on the table was the Unagi taco. The restaurant was getting so busy. There were 2 friendly servers and the other guy had a brace on his arm. But he was able to manage taking orders. The restaurant is small and has a nice wall decor. My friends said we shall return and eat more tacos. This is a good to go spot in the neighborhood! read more

See all

My friends and I came here from ocean beach finding a spot on balboa, yummy food! Decent price too. however the fish texture felt off and was a bit salty. read more

KIO Ramen - katsu sandwich and poki bowl - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Food was absolutely delicious and really good for the price! I was shocked that for $21 I got 2 tacos, other places you only get 1 for that price. Fish tastes sooo fresh and good. Highly recommend! read more

KIO Ramen - Salmon Avocado Sushi Taco - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Super cute ramen place with great service and yummy ramen. They also have a selection of sake.

Let's just dive right into this lukewarm ramen....like literally! The ramen (both of them) needed way more ramen and needed to be reheated and hotter. We were the ONLY people in the restaurant, so I'm not sure what went wrong here. The ramen portion is like 5 bites?!? Like kids size. My coworker said the lobster ramen had barely any flavor. Similar with my black garlic ramen. 3 stars average. The soy wings were awful and NOT worth $10. The wings were flavorless and a total waste of money. The crab sandwich was hit or miss. The crab itself was okay. The coleslaw was old and soooo watery and soggy that I couldn't eat the potato bun because it was soggy from that old slaw. YUCK. The fries were sooo skimpy. You can literally count the small portion on my plate. And they were lukewarm. Just plain sad and not worth $19. Total waste of money. I feel like they missed the mark on everything we ordered here. read more

KIO Ramen - Skip this place - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

This review is mostly for their TAKOYAKI $10 for 5 pieces. TAKOYAKI: Crispy outer shell, melt in your mouth filling- bursting with flavor and lowkey sweet taste of a piece of octopus. Idk how they make the OUTER SHELL CRISPY like that but it's bomb!!! Tbh, the first time I tried takoyaki, I never liked it cause I thought gosh! So much mushy, batter and chewy octopus. How is this worth it?! Until.. I tried Kio Ramen's Takoyaki!!! Must try =) For Ramen, I suggest their simple House Ramen will do. Be careful tho cause there are days where their ingredients are not fresh. It gave my tummy a couple swirls to the bathroom lol. Nonetheless, the guy who works as a waiter there is very kind and friendly. We definetly appreciate him and his attentiveness. Ambiance of the place is a hole in the wall with Japanese artistic values. It's pretty cool! :) eats ya'll! read more

KIO Ramen - 8/4/23. BEST TAKOYAKI!!! $10 for 5 pieces. OUTER CRISPY SHELL melts in your mouth, bursting with flavor and a piece of octopus. Must try! - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food was great!!!! The soft shell crab taco was bomb. The ramen broth was amazing. Waited a little bit to get our table. I did have to check my receipt as I accidentally got charged double for the sushi tacos but I believe it was just an honest mistake. Can't wait to try other item on the menu. read more

See all

Casual spot. Staff was friendly and never felt rushed even though we arrived towards the end of the evening and near closing hour. We tried a seafood ramen dish, sashimi poke, and oysters. Food was fulfilling. read more

Best ramen in the Richmond! Dine in or take out. Friendly service and fun menu. Good ambiance and very nice dinnerware. Excellent Asahi on tap. You'll want to be a repeat customer. read more

Friendly service and piping hot ramen an a cold day was perfect. The beef ramen was well balanced with spice and the beef was very tender.

The oxtail ramen was so incredibly good! The oxtail meat was tender but very flavorful! The noodles had a familiar instant ramen-like shape, but had great texture. The broth had good flavor as well and the egg was cooked just right. I've had ramen with a better tasting egg and slightly more flavorful broth, but this was still really good. I can't wait to come back and get the oxtail ramen again. The softshell crab sandwich was quite flavorful and had a light texture in the crust without feeling greasy. The atmosphere was somewhat simple, but cozy. read more

KIO Ramen - Soft-shell crab sandwich - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Had the black garlic ramen- best ramen in the Richmond area! My friend loved her pulled pork sandwich. read more

KIO Ramen - Black Garlic Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Delicious!!! Service was great :) Calm and relaxing atmosphere. Plenty of parking in a nice part of town

There must be something about the salty sea air near Ocean Beach that made the blow-up picture of the soft shell crab sandwich look so appetizing. It was hanging on the front door of this cafe, and me of pliable iron will, I couldn't just walk by without going in and trying it. The menu was full of Japanese comfort food favorites with a robust list of ramen and even okanomiyaki. But I stuck with my guns and went with the $19 Soft Shell Crab Sandwich. The crab was intact and prepared according to expectation as it was crunchy crisp. Shredded cabbage and onion mayo were added to the split potato bun (photo: https://bit.ly/3hWQNuA). It was good though the bun was overtoasted. I also didn't care for the dry fries that came with it. The ketchup didn't help matters. I also ordered the $7 Edamame which were warmed up but a bit oversalted (photo: https://bit.ly/3jGqr0i). It was the end of the lunch hour, so there was just one other table occupied with four women yammering away with nary a breath between them. They have too many other temptations for me to ignore this spot. Dishes like curry ramen and katsu sando might just lure me back. FOOD - 3 stars...potato bun, edamame, and fries were off - though the crab ultimately worked AMBIANCE - 4 stars...atmospheric compact spot with enough space SERVICE - 3.5 stars...a bit slow but not unbearable TOTAL - 3 stars...consider this one an incomplete play RELATED - Exploring the Richmond? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2HvkBu7 read more

See all

Kio Ramen is hands down my favorite in the city. The noodles are always perfectly cooked, full of flavor, and the broth is both creamy and light at the same time. I'm obsessed with the Black Garlic Ramen--it has this unique flavor that's just the right balance of savory and rich. It's definitely a standout. read more

Kio - a nice spot! Super easy going vibe. Great service. Some tasty izekaya selections to meet all and any beer snacking needs one might have. On my visit - tried the soft shell crab sando and the okonomiyaki. The sandwich was super tasty, okonomiyaki was delicious but not my preferred style. Looking forward to coming back and trying more items from the extensive menu. read more

The ramen made me reminiscent of the instant noodles I have in my cupboards at home. Even though there were different kinds of ramen options, everything had the same ingredients. It's just the soup base that tastes different. Although the ambiance and decor of the restaurant was nice, the food was subpar. After eating here, I wanted to apologize to my favorite ramen places for betraying them. read more

Easy to find parking, good quality food, perfect customer service. The ambiance is peaceful and clean. read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

I will give it 4.5 stars. soft shell crab was delicious, was very satisfying to be eat it whole. Enjoyed my ramen. Something lacking in the soup base and how I like stronger, thicker ramen noodles (the further away my noodles are from instant noodles the better) curbed my enthusiasm. Still will go again for the other ramens. read more

Love their ahi tuna burger and the unagi entree! The burger is delicious and filling and comes with fries.

Came here with the hubby yesterday 3/26 around 3pm for some ramen! We were in the neighborhood and wanted something warm since it was cold and foggy. We were seated right away as we were the only ones in there. The male server quickly bought us iced water. We ordered: -Sunrise Drink -Gyozas -House ramen with chicken -Black Garlic ramen with pork I noticed something wrong right away with the gyozas. They were frozen as the outside was hard as a rock and interior was still a bit frozen. It didn't give me much hope for the ramen. I enjoyed the soup of my black garlic but the pork was hard and not the thin slice of fatty pork that I am used to. This was hard and meaty. My hubby enjoyed the house ramen and he thought the chicken breast was good. We wanted something simple but they do have a bowl of $25 Oxtail Ramen and Lobster ramen (did not see on the menu) but was posted on the wall. Towards the end of our meal, another couple walked in and got seated. A female server came out and offered iced water or tea. We did not get offered tea as I would've wanted that since it was so cold out! Service differs amongst their staff. She was very friendly and bubbly and the male server barely spoke to us. Overall, 3 stars. read more

See all

We were looking for a place that is currently doing outdoor dining and found this place! We arrived here last Saturday for a late lunch around 4:25pm and there was no wait. My friend got the Slow Cooked Pork Ramen under the "Chef's Special" section and I got the Ton Katsu set with katsu sauce from the "Teishoku" section. When we got our food and the portion size of the ramen looked a lot smaller than the average ramen bowl that price at other restaurants, so that was a little disappointing. However, when I got my order, it looked a lot bigger and was well presented too. Anyways, now let's talk about the most important part! Both of our orders tasted good and the meat in the ramen was well marinated and very tender. I also love the type of ramen noodles they use because it was chewy. My order was also very good and the ton katsu meat was still moist and not overcooked, but my least favorite part of my order was the seaweed salad part because it had a stronger flavor than what I'm used to. I'd recommend this place for the katsu sets! I wouldn't recommend getting ramen here because of the small portion size for the price you pay, but the ramen did taste good though. I feel the katsu sets here are more worth it. read more

See all

If you are not open at 12:00 noon, and still not at 1:30 PM on a Saturday, change your hours on your website, your door, and on Yelp. Every time we've tried to go near noon or 1:00, you haven't been open, at least 4 times. There is nothing on the phone message about hours or anything restaurant related. Your Ramen is good but your hours posted are very unreliable. Please change your hours to reflect the time you open. I will remove this review when you change your posted hours correctly. read more

KIO Ramen - Vegan Kio Special Ramen extra spicy - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Was down near the beach and wanted a place somewhat nearby that served hot food. So ramen fit the bill, perfect for some outdoor eating as the afternoon sun weakened and the chill breeze picked up. Everything I had was pretty yummy. Chicken Karaage: Had that freshly fried crispy skin with slightly oily glisten. Steams a little when you bite in. Inside you find firm yet tender thigh meat. Really good with the creamy dipping sauce. Takoyaki: Also seemed freshly made to order. The outer ball was slightly crispy and inside was like a partially cooked pancake (in a good way). Love the chewy octopus piece in the center. But wow, all the sauces and shaved bonito on top give it so much flavor. A perfect appetizer to really whet your appetite. Slow Cooked Pork Ramen: Doesn't look huge, but this is very filling! The slow cooked pork had a pulled pork texture with a sweet soy flavor. And there's lots of it. The cloudy tonkotsu broth is pretty rich as well. Not quite as intense as Ippudo, but pretty good. The noodles were springy and chewy, but didn't seem freshly made. Though whomever the supplier is probably made them not too long ago since they were way better than dried noodles. Rainbow Sushi Tower: It's like sushi deconstructed. Spicy tuna between layers of rice with chunks of avocado, salmon and cucumber on top. It's actually quite a fun way to eat your raw fish if you're getting bored with rolls and poke bowls. read more

See all

Coming from the south bay, we tend to stop by Balboa Street for a quick bite to eat before heading over to the De Young Museum or Legion of Honor Museum. The kiddo's first choice is always pho at Kim Son one block over. However, we find ourselves at Kio Ramen on those days when we discover Kim Son is closed. The ramen here is decent, but it's not something that leaves us dying to come back ASAP. It'll always be a back up option when Kim Son is closed on whatever day we're in the neighborhood. Street parking has never a problem within a block or two from the restaurant. read more

See all

Stumbled upon this place after another restaurant we had our eyes set on was closed for LNY! What a treat! Outdoor dining with contactless payment and ordering at our table. Given covid we were well attended to and the food came out hot and delicious. I went for the black garlic ramen and my dining partner got the slow cooked pork ramen- we shared gyoza! Both came in compostable bowls which looked like small portions then we accidentally ate ourselves silly. Black garlic ramen- delicious depth of flavor and enjoyed the egg. The corn in it added a nice sweet pop of flavor. Slow cooked pork ramen- was some of the best meat I've ever had in ramen. So yummy! The broths were not a deeply flavorful as some but the toppings more than made up for it! read more

KIO Ramen - Black Garlic Flavor - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Excellent Ramen! We have been there a few times with the kids the ramen are great and the sandwiches are a big hit with my 12 year old. We also ordered once and even though we had a missing item they proactively called the delivery crew and ended up driving to our place on their own only a few minutes after. This is a great place well worth supporting! read more

I dont know why people giving low stars but this place does a good job. Someone said the ramen was warm not hit and yes they are right, saw the review and when I ordered i asked for extra hot. I guess they understood as spicy, my ramen came spicy and warm, so i send it back and ask them to make it extra warm. I guess that how you should order. However i tried their California sushi and the kio ramen, it was so good and delicious. Definitely recommended! read more

Kio Ramen is super yummy and a local favorite for us. The ramen broth is tasty, the pork slices are thick and the noodles are perfectly done. They also have an excellent drink menu. Try their appetizers if you can. We love this place. The service is really good and very attentive. There is such a warm ambiance that keeps us coming back. The chef often comes out just to check in to see how you liked a meal. We brought friends here and they said they would certainly come back and they also remarked that ramen was excellent. I couldn't agree more! read more

See all

As one of my friends likes to put it, every so often, ever so succinctly... "Dude, you eat at some random ass places." Not exactly how I would describe them, but yeah, I've probably been to a lot of neighborhood joints that aren't exactly household names. Usually, they're just places that I pass by often, but a lot of times, it's purely by chance and/or circumstance. Like with KIO Ramen - the first time, I was walking by and saw that they were new(ish); the second time, it was late, I was hungry, and this was the only place nearby that was still open. Not exactly first rate circumstances... While this stretch of Balboa has some decent restaurants to offer, it's not exactly a foodie hot spot. So, needless to say, I was pretty stoked (if only mildly hopeful) when I first came across them; it's never bad to see another new ramen joint and KIO's menu actually looks pretty decent for the most part. It's not as exciting as Nojo's or Marufuku's, but it does have dozens of types of ramen, including varieties with soft shell crab and lobster, as well as starters, udon, soba, dinner sets, and salads. -- KARAAGE - Japanese-style Fried Chicken...$5.75 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kio-ramen-san-francisco?select=NXo6gHYgaBSetKdSbOT0Vg) Not great, but not terrible for the money. While it certainly could've used more seasoning, the portion was pretty fair and the pieces of chicken were crispy and juicy. The aioli added a touch of spice as well, but it also tasted kind of generic. -- PORK RAMEN - Classic Tonkotsu Ramen with Chashu (2pcs), Flavored Egg, Spinach, Bamboo Shoots, Roasted Seaweed, and Kikurage Mushrooms...$11.98 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kio-ramen-san-francisco?select=wFWySJlY8uqjNf_bEQcmiw) Meh. The noodles were fine, and I liked the egg (despite being hard boiled), but the chashu was a bit dry and there was an insane amount of bamboo shoots. As for the broth, it wasn't very salty or fatty, but it didn't exactly stand out either. -- TAKOYAKI - 5pcs of Deep Fried Balls Stuffed with Octopus...$7.95 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kio-ramen-san-francisco?select=T2_Wput9Vni-uWu297keig) You know, I don't think one thin tentacle that's less than half an inch long counts as "stuffed with octopus". What's more, while this looked good, all I could taste were the takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayo. I may have had worse, but I've definitely had far better. -- SOFT SHELL CRAB RAMEN - Seafood Pork Soup, Soft Shell Crab, and Roasted Pork with Flavored Egg, Spinach, Bamboo Shoots, Roasted Seaweed, and Kikurage Mushrooms...$15.25 (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kio-ramen-san-francisco?select=jwcmD1w7oCvhKxsUoClneg) As with the takoyaki, this looked good, but it fell short. Eating this was like eating the Pork Ramen again, but minus the egg (which they forgot) and with soft shell crab (mostly shell, not much meat). Then again, that's probably because the "seafood pork broth" tasted just like their tonkotsu broth. As far as service goes, it felt just as uneven as their food. Both times I've been here, the workers have been very friendly and attentive. However, the second time I was here, our server was a little TOO attentive. After bringing us to our table, I could see him standing to the side, watching us ever so intently, waiting to come take our order. As the meal went on, he would immediately appear whenever we needed water or to clear dishes away. Great that we didn't have to wait, but perhaps a little too prompt. While I certainly appreciate how they're one of the few places on this side of town that stays open past 10pm (seriously, everything around here closes so early!), I can't help but feel underwhelmed by what I've tried so far. Then again, perhaps their teishoku dinner sets is the way to go, as the ones I saw didn't look bad. In any case, great to know there's a semi-late ramen option to go to, even if I wouldn't make it a point to come back. TWO AND A HALF STARS rounded down for now. read more

See all

Kio Ramen is where it's at. So flavorful. Great portions, delicious noodles and broth, and feels like home. I order the Kio special ramen and it had the right amount of spice. My friend got the curry ramen and it's tasted just as flavorful without the full peanut butter taste. I'm going back to try more. read more

KIO Ramen - KIO Special Ramen with Chicken - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Compared to Pho, I don't typically go after Ramen at the same frequency level, so admittedly I'm not a great Ramen Mind. A sophisticate may scoff at this being a 5-Star, I don't know. That said, I've been very satisfied with all of my trips to KIO and plan to keep coming back. KIO is a small little restaurant on Balboa Street in the Outer Richmond. For those of you who have not ventured to this little part of town, it feels like a different world - a little surfing community a few blocks from the Ocean. KIO is one of the dozen or so little sit-down restaurants located along this little stretch and has the distinction of being open until 10pm, which is a huge plus given most places close at 9pm on the block. The Ramen has never let me down. They cook their broth each day for 12-14 hours and the love and care shines through. I think the stand-out is the KIO Special Flavor (Miso, Chili Paste, Garlic) and it is terrific when you get it with a little kick. My personal favorite is the Black Garlic Ramen made with Homemade Black Garlic Oil. The flavor is simply delicious. In all cases, the broth is fairly rich and flavorful and the pork has always been succulent. I've also had the Beef Curry Udon, which was solid but was not worth having over the other Ramen dishes. I have not yet tried the Soft Shell Crab Ramen or the Lobster Pork Ramen, and these will both be on the list once Social Distancing ends. I'm also a big fan of Tempura, in general, and KIO serves a generous portion of either Shrimp, Veggies or a Combo. If you happen to be dining alone, the Tempura as a side is a pretty big item and even a big appetite like mine ends up taking a piece or two home for a post-game snack on occasion. (...although frequently it gets munched on during the walk home.) The Takoyaki is solid. Not the best I've ever had, but still pretty good. Ambiance wise... It's a cute little place. Always very comfortable and friendly. It's cozy without being compact. And yes, they do have Japanese Beer and a range of Sake choices. And once again, it's open until 10pm on Balboa Street, which is awesome. I look forward to my next trip. read more

See all

Pleasant sunny outdoor seating with an icy glass of sake + lychee, some pleasures of the modern covid world. Accompanied with a broth of shoyu ramen topped with some soft-boiled eggs, this was a bowl of afternoon goodness. The noodles were a good texture. Excited to try their soba options sometime. read more

Great service, very attentive wait staff, and clean dining area! The downside: food left a lot to be desired. Tl;dr ramen broth did not have a meaty depth and portions were fairly small considering the price. My partner and I had the pork Kio special ramen and slow cooked pork ramen. The noodles and toppings were great but the broth did not have the comforting and flavorful meaty richness one would expect from a great bowl of ramen. This is not to say that the soup was bland, it was flavor that merely relied on salt and quick bouillon flavorings. If this were on the cheaper end of ramens this would totally be a passable meal. Given the price and portion, however, I expected a better rounded broth. Would recommend making the trip to Japantown for Hinodeya, Marufuku, or to downtown for Ippudo. read more

Sometimes just with one meal, u can destroy all your day((( I don't know why they serve not fresh meat and chicken wings, the problem is ppl always can feel that is good food or not. firstly meat is spoiled and u can feel the smell that they don't clean at all, in addition, the taste of food is the worst meal I've ever tried in my life. Furthermore, my stomach was hurting all day. In conclusion, my friend next to me vomited after this place(((its so sad that I'm writing such a bad review, but ppl need to know ((( read more

KIO Ramen - Beef Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

I was looking for dip ramen and I saw it on online until I realized it was an old menu. It is a quiet little shop in the neighborhood. I ended up getting black garlic ramen with pork. The overall flavor was pretty good and the service was fast. I am users to handmade day ramen so I was a little disappointed with the premade noodles. The pork is also not fatty enough for me but it is a personal preference. The server didn't say much but he was definitely on the look out with what is going on. read more

See all

I read the reviews. I just came here for the Ramen. (Not seafood) And I gotta say, it's pretty darn good. My housemate and I check out all ramen spots. And this and Kaiju Cooks, take the cake We had the gyoza and seaweed salad and house hot sake. All tasty. Highly recommend for us Sunset Richmond locals read more

KIO Ramen - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

Clean looking restaurant. Service is prompt. Miso ramen was a bit bland to me. The flavoring of the broth tasted a bit diluted. The noodles were al dente, a bit too stiff for my preference (I've ate my way through Japan). This is a personal preference, I tend to shy away from foods that are unexpectedly sweet like the bamboo shoots, just not a fan. The garlic miso chicken wings were crispy and nicely flavored. However I think the price is a bit steep for 4 wings ($6). read more

KIO Ramen - Miso ramen ($9.78, 5/2017) al dente noodles, low richness of flavor in broth - Ramen Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all