Arrived here around 5:00 on a Saturday, instantly greeted by a friendly hostess, and enticing art work on the walls. The entrance is dark and mysterious, which leads you into a wonderful bright, open experience. Very impressed with use and quality of space, as this used to be an ambulance base and laundry mat! The video projected on the wall in main dining really pulls it all together. I love the way these guys lay it all on the line, and share their story with you on the website. Their openness and willingness to continue to learn the art form of Asian cuisine is reflected in service presentation and dish quality. And so far, so great! Kokeshi offers a new experience definitely not matched in Salem. The Pork Belly Ramen's backbone is in its broth. Porky and succulent. A heart warming dish. Three variations of Kimchi! Three! All with quality's and tastes representative of origin. Tuna Tartare. Perfectly matched with crispy, light, flaky wontons. Tuna is second to none in freshness and quality. Come with an open mind, and ask questions if you are unsure about what you will choose! Quality service starts with an observant manager, and attentive staff. Kokeshi has both. Enjoy!! read more

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I had the swine line ramen. It was SO good. Reasonably priced. Good service. The decor and ambience was really cool. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Kokeshi and will be back. read more

Kokeshi - Swine Line Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

This place gets 5 stars from me as compared to other similar types of restaurants I've tried. My wife and I have been quite a few times and it never disappoints. The tuna poke bowl, Colonel Sanders ramen, and the nori tacos are a few of my faves. I love the decor too. And the music. I could sit there all day sampling the menu while listening to some of my favorite bands and watching old school Kung Fu on the projection screen. Drink selections are on point as well. If you are on the fence just go. I think you'll be happy you did. read more

Kokeshi - Colonel Sanders ramen. Drooling just posting this pic. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

I really like this place, their noodle soups are awesome, especially like the kfc chicken one. The kids meals are great, served in a bento box and come with a little keychain gift. The location is great, so is the service, hope to see it becoming busier so we continue to enjoy it for years to come read more

I really wish we had a better experience here! Immediately I could just tell the "vibe" was off. It took several minutes for us to be acknowledged by the host who was sitting at a table on his phone. The staff just wasn't very welcoming. And then the food was just as disappointing. It was a cold rainy day in Salem and all we wanted was a good warm bowl of ramen! I got the spicy kimchi ramen which he told me was the spiciest one on the menu and it wasn't even remotely spicy. The worst part of the whole experience was my sisters Vietnamese Noodles which came with ground pork that was extremely under cooked. They made her a new bowl but had she not noticed she could've gotten very sick. I don't believe we should have paid for this. I hate to leave a negative review but I would not go back or suggest this place. read more

They got the one star because the pork buns were great. Their service is laughable. No host, no structure in the business, everyone is running like chickens without heads. We sat next to the kitchen and had the pleasure of watching dozens of dishes ready to serve waiting for someone to pick them up for 10-15+ minutes. All the plates looked dirty. We waited 50+ minutes, no food, so we left. The owner needs to train the front of the house staff more. If you are reading this, owner, the servers should not be cleaning tables and bringing waters. What are the 3 bus boys you have for? Also, everyone should be running the food. Not just the server. Never coming back! read more

I had the bacon and eggs ramen. The broth was very rich and flavorful. The half egg was nicely cooked and the noodles were perfect. The bacon was delicious. My only complaint was the pork belly. It was white, with a huge fat layer... kinda "boiled" looking. I expected a nice, crispy square if PB sitting atop the noodles. You wouldn't even need the bacon then. The pork tasted fine, but it was just kinda gross. He had the short ribs. He loved them, but wished there was a bit more meat. I thought the portion looked good for the money. But he was still hungry (dudes!). The edamame was delicious and my cocktail was just ok. The bartender came over and asked me what I like, to make me something custom. It was fabulous. read more

Kokeshi - Bacon and eggs - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

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We have only ever ordered delivery from this restaurant and have never dined in or picked up. We try to order directly from the restaurant so they keep their profits rather than delivery apps getting a cut but we live in Lynn- literally right on the Swampscott line but they don't deliver to Lynn- which is fine because it's worth the extra fees. The colonel sanders ramen should be illegal, that's how good it is. Only complaint is you can't order extra chicken on the delivery apps and it's SO good with extra chicken (I usually get 2 meals out of it and it's with the extra money). I get it every single time and I worship it as if it is a religion. We recently branched out from only getting the colonel sanders ramen to getting the colonel sanders ramen and appetizers. The crispy chicken and lemon dumplings are delicious and I wish I could eat their steamed edamame all day long as a snack. read more

This was our first time here and we loved it. The drinks are great as well as the food. Highly recommend the Vietnamese noodles if you like spicy food. Everything was flavorful and the ambience was nice. The waiter was friendly and attentive. We had a fun relaxing time and will be back very soon. read more

Super fast service food is really good! The torched salmon don is delicious! Everyone should try the orange tofu!! Super good!!

It was my first time here, food, service and ambience was great! My colonel sanders spicy noodle soup was very satisfying and filling. The octopus hotdog, is a must have, very tender and delicious. Tiki drink was a perfect way to end the evening. Will definitely be returning. read more

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First time here with my friend. Entered around noon, sat at the bar. Great service, brought us waters without asking, took our orders for drinks and food. Tried some local brews recommended by the guy who was waiting on us. Delicious. I got the pork belly ramen and friend got the colonial sanders. Both delicious. Great atmosphere, good music, anime on the wall from a projector, amazing ramen. read more

Kokeshi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

My boyfriend and I were really looking for a ramen place in Salem because it's our favorite food, that is when we found kokeshi. We love how the staff is so eager to make your ramen with your own suggestions and they are SUPER helpful. Love this place and definitely recommend if you want some incredible ramen and with great customer service. read more

This place is one of the best noodle places I've been to. The atmosphere is peaceful and very clean. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The food is absolutely delicious with great portions for a fare price, definitely try the Land of Smiles if you want something filling but not to heavy on the stomach if you're walking around Salem for the day! Will definitely be coming back for more! read more

Kokeshi - Land of Smiles Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

My favorite ramen spot I've ever been to. The colonel sanders is to die for. Their collab with bambolina is amazing - now I don't have to choose between my 2 fav Salem restaurants!! So good. read more

Love love this place! The udon and pork noodle dish is amazing and I can't seem to make myself order anything else there. My husband and daughter love the ramen, with the pork belly being a favorite. We always get the steamed pork buns, chicken wings and tuna tartare as appetizers- plenty to share. 2 minor complaints: the space is cavernous and usually cold in the winter. I often have to leave my jacket on while I eat. Also, we did a to-go order once, and the quality and portion sizes were not at all up to par. I didn't even finish my leftovers. Definitely the right place to eat in for wonderful, Asian inspired comfort food with a fun and funky decor. read more

First off let me say that I love this restaurant. The noodle bowls are amazing. And the wings used to be amazing. In fact we came here tonight just for the wings. Unfortunately they changed the recipe and the new wings are burnt black with some kind of breading on them. Please go back to the old recipe! The new ones are burnt black and taste awful. Look at the picture. How could you serve this to guests? read more

Kokeshi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Yeah, its that good. That pork belly ramen bowl just tanked me. On the floor. Perfect texture and flavor impart via pork. Yes, you can get stuffed on what would likely be labeled a "bowl of soup" by some townie who thinks a grey steak and baked potato at the local tater skin restaurant is a good value. Or thinks chicken parm at yet another red sauce "Italian" restaurant is "da' best." Come on baby boomers. You can do better than that! Since I don't have the time and money to make trips to Momofuku, Kokeshi is a blessing. Important note: also got them green beans. Yeah, grean beans don't usually get me all hot and bothered. These were insanely good. Perfectly cooked to that sweet spot of very slight wither/char. The tea is also malted with rice; amazing. Daddy like. Daddy like a lot. read more

***RAMEN REVIEW*** Came up to Salem on a weekend of festivities. Was so excited to try Kokeshi after seeing it on Phantom Gourmet- specifically the colonel sanders ramen. First walking in: the atmosphere is so artistic, pan-asian, and welcoming. The servers were nice. Fine. The food: We only ordered pork buns to precede our ramen. The pork buns were good, minus the cucumber in it (that's not my thing personally.) Could've been filled a bit more with pork, but it tasted good. The colonel sanders ramen; oh how excited I was to try it. My partner got the same thing. I wish I got the other ramen they had (slow pork belly?) so we had a variety of food to try in all fairness. -The broth was okay, wasn't as rich as other ramen broths I've had, my husband felt it was more of a pho broth (which we like, but weren't expecting in this dish). -The fried chicken in the ramen I felt was lacking a bit. It tasted good, but I did not get the savory goodness that reminded me that I was eating fried chicken- wasn't flavored on its own really/was washed out too much by the broth. The quantity of it in the bowl was small. -The noodles, which in my opinion are the best part of a ramen dish with the broth, were OVERCOOKED. I could not even eat half of the bowl. Overcooked noodles ruin it for me. Maybe I came on a bad day, but I'm still unsure if I would give it another chance. I really want to try their other ramen, but if the noodles will still be overcooked it's not worth it at this time. read more

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Wicked bland. Vegetarian soup and rice bowl were very boring. KFC ramen was not on the mark. Good local beer selection, enjoyed my can. Fortune cookie was the most interesting part. read more

kokeshi's ramen is the perfect comfort food for me. Rich, flavorful broth, slurpy noodles and lots of other good stuff in the bowl. I've been twice and will definitely be back. Don't let the menu intimidate you. I did not understand all the words. Narudo? Sounds like an anime character not a food. But both times I went I found the staff to be very helpful, explaining the food and answering my questions. They even allowed my kids to swap out the broth to a different kind. read more

Beautiful place, very modern with a look of street food. Now the food : i had some pork buns that were excellent and my boyfriend got the kimchi trio and really liked the ginger one. He had the classic pork ramen and i got the udon don noodles and we ended up exchanging because mine was too spicy for my taste(but ,very good) the classic ramena were good, the broth was excellent. We went for lunch and we literally were the only ones there. The staff was friendly. read more

Kokeshi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

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First...we love it here. The poke bowl is awesome (would you ever consider using sushi rice? Last nights rice was a bit hard-the last time I got it the rice was much softer) My sons love the ramen! The chicken in the colonel sanders is cooked perfectly! And the wings are delicious. Everyone needs the octopus hot dog in their life, I have still not tried it because it is never shared and nobody leaves me a bite so I can taste it! The pork buns are good, one of the boys said it was better than the ones we get at dim sum! Our only gripes are that the bok choy in the green curry was VERY sandy/gritty and could have used a better washing and the music was very loud near the large TV screen. The staff has been very pleasant, our waitress last night (purpleish hair-I didn't get her name) was very sweet, professional and effective; the hostess is always great. We are T-Shirt wearing fans and will be coming back often! Oh and would you ever consider adding Japanese curry or Japanese potato croquettes? Then I can stop driving to Porter Square. Update! 7-18-18: Hey Kokeshi thanks for listening-we love the new menu additions. I still order the poke bowl-twice a month. Loved the summer rolls and chilled curry noodles :) read more

This place looked really cool but the ambiance was kind of weird and the food was very bland. It also cost a lot for what it was. The good: server was pleasant. Tuna tartare appetizer had a nice taste. The weird: the interior has a cool industrial feel with red accents and paper lanterns, etc. It's a big place, but the seating options were odd considering they weren't busy. The choices were a table under a massive TV covering the whole wall, or the bar, facing into the dish pit. We chose the bar. As someone who has worked in restaurants my whole life, I just tried not to mentally do the dishes. It just wasn't what we were looking for, we were on a date and should have left, but were starved so said "whatever" and stayed. Country music blaring. I am almost 4o but it just seemed like old people music- weird with the vibe. How about some Thievery Corp or something? The bland: the "faux pho" dish was incredibly soggy and bland. The menu said bok Choy- it had one sad soggy piece. --the green curry was also incredibly bland. I don't like spicy, but neither of these dishes had any flavor. We were grateful for a hot meal on a rainy day, but wouldn't eat here again, there are better options. read more

Cool ramen place in town, the Raman was good, friendly service but the food took quite long to make compare too other ramen place I've been to read more

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Been here a few times and got the Colonel Sanders Ramen. It's always very good. The restaraunt is nice and the staff is friendly. Parking can be tricky sometimes- like most places in Salem- but it doesn't stop me from eating there cuz the ramen is yummy. read more

I rotate between three dishes: the Coronel Sanders, the Vietnamese noodles, and the Udon Don. I've tried some of the other items but these three hold a special place in my heart and stomach. The people are just as awesome as the food too so every visit is special. The movies that play on the back wall are always a delight and ecletic. Lots of Miyazaki films and even some old school Shaolin films read more

Their pork belly ramen was delicious. I drank the broth and wanted to eat the glass bowl it came in, it was that good. The atmosphere is great and the music isn't too loud and of good taste. Staff are kind and helpful, as well as being efficient and timely. Definitely worth a visit. read more

They have a great drink menu and all the food is so fresh. I'm a fan for a little late night bite.

This place is SO good! My friend and I are vegetarians so we had the lettuce wraps with tofu (amazing) and the miso noodle soup! Yum. In love read more

Very cool vibe, to the point of being "too cool for Salem" as another poster mentioned below, but unfortunately the cool stopped at the ambiance as we found Kokeshi to be a let-down for food, price, and service. We walked by and were intrigued by the funky interior, which wins for coolest design in the area. It has the feeling of being beneath the stars (with interesting upside-down umbrellas) in a garden. The kitchen is creatively inside of a shipping container and there is a cool loft/balcony overlooking a bar and various sized tables. The menu has a mix of ramen bowls and rice bowls with a few interesting starters. I was impressed by the cocktail and drink list featuring lots of tiki-style cocktails priced around $12 and beers from all over Asia (Tsingtao to Beer Lao? They've got it). Various reviewers noted the fried chicken ramen and the pork belly buns. We tried both and added a pork belly ramen. Pork buns were excellent, great flavor, though it was two small buns for $9, which seemed very steep given the size. Ramen bowls were also high at $15-19 - paying for the vibe and location, I suppose, given one piece of pork belly in one and a slice of fried chicken in the other. Flavor was salty and clearly more on the artificial side rather than a long-term broth brew. Lime in one added some weird flavors. The fried chicken as ramen was a cool concept. I just wish there was more to it, or at least more meat, given the price. Where Kokeshi really fell flat was on service. We arrived on the later side (9pm on a weekend night), but our waitress kept disappearing. Then she reemerged to mop or bus a table as other staff loitered around. She then brought out our food without washing her hands after seeing her take out a trash bag to the back - scary! Without a check-in during the meal or after we finished and piled up our bowls and plates, we had to flag down and walk over to other waitstaff to get the check. I give credit to the staff for the kind goodbye as we got out of there as quick as we could. I would recommend Kokeshi for a cool, design-forward cocktail and drink place rather than a spot to grab an overpriced, fusion-style ramen. read more

As others have mentioned, the restaurant is beautifully decorated and they have a projector that plays old Kung Fu movies :). The service we received was not good. It took 4 of us over an hour and a half to get food, no one checked in to see if everything was going well, no one every returned to refill water or ask us if we needed anything else. We had to ask two separate people for our bill. We wanted to love this place but the service was sub par and the food was underwhelming. read more

Pork Ramen was amazing broth was perfect! Only suggestion is to make the soup a bit hotter temperature wise. Pork buns even better! I would give 4.5 starts if I could. The beer choices are excellent which is hard to come by in Asian restos. read more

It kills me to write this review, but I really need to air this out. The term Kokeshi comes from the name of wooden hand-carved dolls from northern Japan. They're simple, they lack limbs, they are exaggerated caricatures, and a labor of love that's signed personally on the bottom. There's something deeply endearing about these dolls, and you'd think that a restaurant with the same namesake would follow suit. Well. When you walk into this place, you get a sensory kick to the teeth in the form of Oni yōkai masks on the walls, origami cranes (an attempt to pull off a Senbazuru, clearly), some sort-of arcade game that's like Burger Time but a bit more "Japanese" and a gigantic portrait of some sort of samurai-sword wielding woman on the wall. The night I went, outside of really bizarre post-punk/new wave blasting, The Red Turtle by Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit was playing. This, combined with paper lanterns and koi fish suggested to me that there was a sort-of message they were trying to get across. Sure, aesthetically it's cool; it has a Blade Runner/Anime Club vibe to it, but you can tell a lot of effort was done to make it "fun." But, the line between fun and full-blown cultural appropriative nonsense came in full swing when my waitress came over to me and said the following (to paraphrase): "As you can see, we're Asian influenced, but not actually an Asian restaurant, you know? For example, we have a Colonel Sanders bowl." This in-itself was beyond absurd and actually kind of terrifying in its own right. It's as if she was saying that this restaurant wanted to be all the fun things about Asian culture, but had a hard line against calling itself remotely authentic. That's when it became clear that all these decorations weren't so much a tribute to Asian culture, but served as more of a fun Outback Steakhouse-y kind of parody of Asian culture as a means to illicit a sort of "aww, this place is quirky huh?" vibe as you sit down and eat massively overpriced and underdone and poorly flavored ramen noodles and top it off with "fortune cookies" (really, folks?) that promote Bambolina. In the end, this restaurant does take some queues from their namesake. The restaurant is a deeply exaggerated carving of something presumably Asian while lacking limbs to hold itself up with and politely signed on the bottom. It's about as authentic as a shodō tattoo that you think says "Culture" or "Love" but actually says "Shoe." Salem has been a remarkable epicenter for being on the right side of history culturally, what happened here? read more

Waited for about an HOUR for our food. We had only ordered cucumber salad, 3 Ramen bowls and 1 Chicken sandwich. The people who were seated after us received their entrees before us. I'm not sure if it's an ethnicity thing but the food was not worth the money! The noodles were super soggy, and cucumber salad was actually made of pickles! read more

Went here to try the Ramen because I saw so many awesome reviews. What the h*** are these people on. They must be on some type of drugs that their tastebuds can't taste what good food is. I had the chicken ramen and it was the worst i've ever had. I could've bought packaged ramen and made a better soup myself. The egg was soooooo off. I can't read reviews and go off of what these yelpers say. Omg so disappointed. Golden rule that I must follow, if you dont see Asians eating at an Asian restaurant, you must not try! read more

Kokeshi - They look like very nice people, but I got them making me ramen? Thanks but no thanks. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Had a brief but memorable lunch here with a friend. We shared the sri-racha-marinated pickles as a snack, which were delicious. We sat at the expansive bar, and our server was affable and attentive. The manager came by a few times to check in, and he was both friendly and knowledgeable. For lunch my friend got the Cambodian-style sandwich, which she seemed to enjoy thoroughly. It's large and she had said she wasn't famished but she enjoyed it enough to finish about 3/4 of it :) My ramen was entitled something about "Bacon 'N Eggs" and delivered on its promise. The broth has exactly the right amount of bacon flavor, the strips of bacon were cooked to perfection, the shoyu egg was perfectly cooked, there were scallions and roasted pork and it was delightful. Though the dish was served with a bit of nori, I felt there could have been more. But I always say that about nori in ramen ;) The prices were reasonable, though not exceptionally cheap - about $30 before tip. The bar was attractive with an ample supply of spirits. I've heard the drink service is good, but my friend wasn't drinking so I joined her in this regard (out of solidarity). Kokeshi marks the installation of superior ramen with strong service, a reason to return in the already-crowded Salem food scene. If you haven't been, you should go! read more

Wonderful culinary experience. Delightful flavors, wonderful service. Ahi Tuna Poke was divine and Vietnamese noodles were exquisite. Try it once and you will become addicted. read more

I've easily been to this restaurant over a dozen times over the last few years. The best parts IMO - great with kids (they have temporary tattoos, coloring pages, and bento boxes), great on a weekend night (tasty cocktails, music, and atmosphere), and the food is consistently tasty and flavorful. A fresh take on ramen, great apps, flavorful and bold- just a great restaurant all around. Kokeshi is also very central to some other great spots in Salem, find a good parking spot and explore 2-3 blocks in any direction to find museums, public art, local shops, and the waterfront. read more

As an Asian person who loves ramen. Their pork belly ramen is probably the worst ever. I don't understand how it can get four stars. People never had authentic ramen before?! The egg absolutely sucks. It looks ugly and gross. I don't even want to touch it. They obviously have no idea how to make an ramen egg. The broth tastes like the cheapest instant noodle soup... The pork belly is too soft (it's supposed to be grilled after boiled) and doesn't have any flavor in it. read more