Mostly Japanese, with a little Korean, Chinese, and Thai cuisine in the mix... your typical pan-Asian restaurant in this corner of the world. I arrived for a late lunch (according to American standards, of course, as it was probably perfect timing for the rest of the Spaniards in the restaurant) and was quickly seated. I had gotten my filling of tapas during my stay in Barcelona and needed a bit of palate cleanser with a hearty, flavorful bao filled with meat -- a bit like an Asian taco, if you will. I stood firm in my order despite it feeling like heresy as "ramen" is in the name of the restaurant and a quick look around me revealed that most of the tables were definitely enjoying their ramen. Still, with things like pad thai and kimchi on the menu, I felt like I had permission to indulge in my cravings. I dug into a starter of some chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken) that came with some homemade teriyaki sauce on the side. The chicken was perfectly crispy and the teriyaki sauce complemented its flavor instead of being too overwhelming. But the order did seem a bit on the pricier side at €7.50, which is basically the same price as one of the baos, so I think I would've ordered an extra one instead. As for the baos, I got three: the pork, the chicken, and the shrimp. They all tasted very similar to each other -- the pickled cucumber and carrot on the pork and the sauces on the shrimp did most of the heavy lifting, so I barely tasted the difference in meat. There are other places that ofter this bao delicacy in Barcelona (my reco would be Boa Bao) so come to Koku Kitchen for the ramen and gyoza instead. I did appreciate the decor of the place, especially the flower placed in a brown apothecary-esque bottle and the dim, hip vibes of the bathroom. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Baos - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Last night here Barcelona we decided to try something different.. Lots of ramen place here so I decided to try one. Well I was curious to see how good or bad ramen place would be in Spain. Well curiosity killed the cat and my wallet for wasting my money . Restaurant was packed. I thought we would wait but was asked to follow one of the staff. Went downstairs and saw another dining room which was cool. Also packed with people so I was little excited to taste the food. Ordered angry chicken bao.. Don't know why it was angry because it wasn't spicy at all. Took a bite and was trying to figure out what the sauce was.. Little taste of peanut. Bao was alright but not worth the money for how much it cost for one. Then got the pork gyoza. Not bad, not much flavor but wasn't horrible. Then the main dish I ordered spicy miso ramen and pad Thai.. Why I ordered pad Thai at Japanese restaurant in Spain? I have no idea. Presentation of ramen was good. Tasted the broth and I was confused because it tasted sweet and lacked in miso flavor and no spice what so ever. Ramen was cooked little al dente. Employee was nice enough to offer chilli.. So added about 4 spoonful and tasted little better. Over all the ramen was pure disappointment, probably the worst ramen I ate at a restaurant. Then the pad Thai.. Tiny little bowl only with shrimp cut in half on top. I thought I was disappointed with ramen but man... This dish was utter failure.. No way anything near pad Thai flavor. It tasted like egg fried noodle with shrimp on top. It lacked in so much flavor. So dinner was pretty sad.. I could not recommend this place to anyone.. And holy smoke 5.50 for side of kimchee.. What the heck.. Can't wait to tell my mom how much they were charging for side of kimchee... read more

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Epic FOOD! Great environment. The place itself was very cozy and AFFORDABLE. You can get a drink, main, and desert for like 14 dollars which was a heck of a steal! I loved the pad Thai and the ramen was especially delicious. Their homemade Lemonade was super refreshing and not too sweet. Would recommend! read more

When you're sick of tapas or just want a huge bowl of comfort soup - look no further. I got the spicy veggie ramen and it was so delicious. I got an appetizer of the spicy kimchi and it's super spicy but so good!!!! They also sell lemonade, homemade ice tea, beer, wine and also have dessert! read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Spicy veggie ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

First night here in Barcelona and chose this place because me and wifey were having a late (1030 pm) dinner and this was closing at 1130 pm and close to our hotel and had good reviews on Yelp! I gave it 5 stars considering we are in Barcelona and was close to the taste to other ramen places I've had in my lifetime (ramen in Japan, Vancouver, LA, Seattle, San Diego etc) If I was to compare it to the best ramen Ive ever had (Ichiran in Japan), it's likely would be a 3.5 but we are in Spain so it gets a 5. Ordered kimchee based on peeps comments and it was decent but we didn't finish it. Servers were nice and spoke English The Banoffee was good and was new to me. Worth a try I'd say try it if you want something different than tapas. Lots of local ate here read more

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I was really craving ramen during my time in Spain so decided to come to this restaurant. Overall, not bad for ramen in a European country! Obviously the standards for ramen here are different compared to Japan or Asian heavy areas like Bay Area or NYC. The ramen tasted different, but that isn't always a bad thing. I ordered the lunch set menu that came with either a salad or dessert, a drink, and your choice of ramen. I opted for a salad, their Koku lemonade, and a spicy miso ramen. I was delighted to have a salad since vegetables seem a bit sparse in Spain. The lemonade was interesting...they seem to put some sort of chili in it? Reminded me of the ingredient that many Mexican places use in their mangos cups. The ramen was big! The spice from the spicy miso came from the kimchi that was in the ramen. The kimchi was pretty good but more sour than the usual. The noodles were a bit harder than most noodles in noodle soups, but I didn't really mind that. Overall, the ramen was a bit salty though. 4/5 stars since food was decent, service was quick, and ambiance was fine. read more

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Came to Koku after having a craving for ramen during my trip to Barcelona. My party of 2 arrived 30 minutes before closing so we just assumed we would feel rushed by the staff but we didn't at all. The waitress went above and beyond to give us recommendations and explain some of the menu items that we were unfamiliar with. Very nice and attentive staff. As for the food, we ordered the picante and spicy miso ramen both of which were very good with just the right amount of spice and the meat in the ramen was seasoned really well. I thought the portion size was pretty large for the price compared to portions I'm used to at ramen restaurants in NYC. We did order a dessert, I can't recall the name of it but it was a pie like dessert with a cookie crust with caramel sauce, nuts, bananas and whipped cream on top which was good as well. read more

Great service, incredible gyoza and ramen. Best meal we've had in Spain! Highly recommend

The kimchi was surprisingly delicious and went very well with the ramen. The spicy miso ramen had such a tasty broth! read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Spicy miso and shoyu - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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The ramen is alright, with a decent broth, standard ramen portions, and the regular fixings (half an egg, one slice of meat, green onions, dried seaweed) you would get on a ramen in Los Angeles or San Francisco. I appreciated that the menu was straight forward; my boyfriend ordered the soy sauce ramen and I ordered the miso ramen. Both bowls came out quickly, but were too salty for us... the soy sauce one was by far MUCH too salty. It was surprising to see so many people around us at 11PM just slurping their bowls up. We split a mason jar of lemonade, which helped balance our palates a bit more, but there was so much ice in there that it went in about 5 sips. It took a while to get our check, and we had to ask two servers. read more

Great place for ramen. I had the vegetable which was hyper delicious and abundant. Service was fast and friendly. Food was served piping hot. Highly recommended. read more

The place is nice and the service was good but I have to put down 3* for this place because I was pretty dissapointed with my spicy miso ramen. The broth was salty but not savory. The noodle was a bit hard and had a not very great texture. The egg was a little bit overcooked and too salty. The braised pork was very good though and it was the highlight of the bowl, but then the kimchi added to the ramen was very weird and screwed up the ramen taste, especially for a tonkotsu broth base. The only thing I enjoyed was their sake cocktail, which was pretty much just sake and lemonade but it was made perfectly and was very refreshing. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Spicy miso ramen (with kimchi???) - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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So much sodium!!! I could not enjoy my ramen with so much salty broth. The ramen is not tradition noodles but still good. Pork was nice and soft and the soup came out nice and hot. Downfall is I could not sip the broth. At all. Decent place if you are craving something other than Spanish tapas but for $10 ramen it was just okay for me. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

I generally like eating ramen and Koku is a place to try,however, I was left with more to be desired. The pork within the ramen was delicious probably the best I've ever had. The noodles used were great as well, but then it stops after that. I chose the spicy ramen without the kimchi and I wasn't left with the "this was amazing" feeling. The menu has alternate selections, but as of now I'm searching for a great ramen spot. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Spicy ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

Was looking forward to Ramen and was worth waiting for them to open. My husband and I each had a different bowl. We are going to return again with friends. read more

Food: 4.0/5.0 Service: 2.5/5.0 Value: 3.0/5.0 Decor: 3.0/5.0 Overall: 3.5/5.0 Very strong attempt at a fusion-ish ramen joint (eg. kimchi on the menu). I actually did like the ramen here very very much (though it falls short of the quality at R****-*a). Tried a tea that turned out to oddly be flavorless. The picante ramen was actually pretty interested, but I'd stick with miso next time. No line at all on a Sunday mid-afternoon. Definitely worth a stop for all you ramen lovers out there. read more

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This ramen place is BUSYYYY. The inside only has about 5 community tables and 6 hightop chairs to sit along the wall/bar top area. When you walk in you let one of the waiters know your name and how man in your party and they write it on a chalk board. Then they slowly work their way down the names until you are seated. We arrived for lunch on a weekday and still had a 20-25 minute wait. The dumplings were good, tried the meat ones over the veggie, and had the spicy miso ramen. The ramen bowls are quite large so I shared it with someone and we were both full by the end. Great place to stop in when you are cold and want a warm meal. the ramen was a little on the al dente side for me, but that's just my preference. read more

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I was really excited to see good reviews for a ramen shop in Spain !! We went out quite late yesterday and wanted to have asian food for a change from tapas. The place is clean and the waitress was very nice. The menu is on a chalk board indeed but it was easy to understand and they were welcoming questions. The staff were fluent in English. After reading the reviews, we decided to have the picante and the vegetarian picante. 1) I liked my ramen (noodles), but my soup (picante) was too salty. 2) They were very generous in kimchi, and I am not such a big fan, but like.. really toooo generous 3) the pork was wayyy too salty it is the first time in my life I did not eat up all the meat (which is usually only 2-3 slices) in a ramen bowl The vegetarian picante was lighter on salt, and very tasty! We both could not finish our bowl, and were surprised that a young girl nearby drank and finished up the whole broth. Service was quick. We had a glass of home lemonade as people recommended it and it was refreshing! No room for desert. I gave it a four, but on a lower 4 (3.5-4). read more

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The ramen was delicious! During summer they also have cold ramen which was pleasantly different! also they have these spoon/ladles for eating the soup which are awesome! Moreover, our waiter was incredibly nice and made our experience very enjoyable! read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Summer tomato ramen (bottom left), chicken (top left), soja (right). The Rooibos tea was also very good! - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

Legit ramen in Barcelona?! I know, I know. As an Asian female Yelper, I was skeptical. Add that to the fact that my hometown of Los Angeles and my current residence of San Francisco are hubs for amazing ramen, and skeptical doesn't even begin to describe my reaction when my boyfriend suggested we go here for dinner one night. Once I was there, though, eating flavorful ramen with melt-in-your-mouth pork slices in a spicy broth turned this skeptic into a believer. Yes, there is legit ramen in Barcelona. We even told the Irish owner that it was just as good as the ramen back home in SF. And that's the honest truth, Yelpers. read more

Sometimes you just don't want tapas and paella! Koku is a great find among the Asian restaurants of Barcelona. We had soja and picante ramen as our main dishes with a side of kimchi and pork dumplings. Very well balanced ramen with excellent flavor. The sake lemonade was very light and refreshing! No room for dessert! Great meal and would recommend! read more

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Not sure about all the other reviews here. I came with high expectations and I leave with significantly lowered ones. I think it's important to distinguish between a "good" Ramen place and a tasty Ramen place. A lot of the reviews seem to be saying that this place is tasty which I can readily agree with. The Ramen was not bad. It was pretty tasty but there were plenty of things that IMHO prevent it from being a good Ramen place. First off, this wasn't even the ramen place I wanted to go to but the one I wanted to go to was closed. Too bad. So I ended up here where there was a bit of a wait. It seemed busy so I was hopeful. However, the fact that there are only, like, 2 ramen places and only a handful of japanese places in the whole city should be a bit of a red flag. I got seated at the bar so I was able to look straight into the kitchen. For the most part it looked pretty clean but I saw one of the chefs crawl out from under a table to get to the "front" of the kitchen and I'm pretty sure he touched the floor with his bare hands. Then he went back into the kitchen and handled some nori with those same floor touching hands. Yuck. The edemame was not particularly good. It came out covered in salt flakes which made them way to salty. Seriously, pinch of salt is all you need, what's with the flakes? The ramen was decent, and tasty like I said, but the prices were ridiculous. Why do all the extras cost so much? I wasn't on a budget so I wasn't particularly concerned but it's still pretty annoying to be paying 3 euros for 2 extra slices of chasiu. Come on now. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Sitting at the bar, with a view into their kitchen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Although the little ramen shop was warm and inviting, the quality of the ramen was subpar and had me feeling unsatisfied. The noodles were a bit tough and the broth was tasty but not necessarily good. The ramen comes in flavors such as miso and will come with half an egg, 2 slices of pork chashu, a sheet of dried seaweed and some seaweed bits. Also, you can add additional ingredients if you'd like for an additional price. Overall, the ramen was just okay taste-wise. The green tea cheesecake was a bit better but by no means amazing. The texture is buttery and soft and there's a slight hint of matcha tea taste to the cake. It comes garnished with sesame seeds and with a slice of lemon on the side. Service was a bit brusque. The food menu is also on a chalkboard on the wall instead of given to every table individually - I found it a bit inconvenient to have to get up from my table to go decide what to order. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Miso ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Food is decent. I much prefer the Buns over the Ramen. Ramen is not up to my standard but unless you're spoiled like us and are used to so many options for amazing Ramen like in LA this might not be an issue. Been several times and the major problem is the service. The last time was the final straw. Get my check and everything looks copasetic. When they bring my change they totally switched the bill and overcharged me. Like really? There are only 2 other tables in the restaurant so the confusion cannot be how busy they were. They literally brought my change with a different bill like I wouldn't notice. That is not the worse. The incredibly surprised look on their faces when I called them on it and then the 5 min of discussion amongst them all while acting like I had done something wrong. I'm sorry this was not excusable. Not even a "sorry for our mistake" or even a "sorry we got caught trying to short change you!" Moral to the story, always count your change and maybe it is best not to give your money to an establishment like this!!! read more

Great broth and great chewy ramen! I ordered the picante miso and it wasn't so spicy, but it was so delicious that I scarfed it down anyway. The lunch special included and seasoned salad and small beer for €13,50. This really hit the spot after so many tapas. And the service was good too. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Picante miso ramen with salad and drink - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

I know the urge to only try the local cuisine when you're travelling, but you need to throw that hesitancy away when you see Koku Kitchen's neon red 'RAMEN' sign. Absolutely delicious ramen, drinks and desserts: + Ramen: we tried 3 different types of ramen and each was great in its own way. My favorite is still the classic Miso option + Drinks: the homemade lemonade was super sweet just the way I like it, and the local Barcelona craft beers serve as a nice reminder of where you are having this awesome meal + Desserts: we got the lunch special and the banoffee was the only option for dessert that day, but boy was it delicious The influence from the Irish owners' background shows itself in the Irish ciders and desserts offered. The attentive staff and great playlist solidify Koku as 5 stars! read more

In my group of six, we have been hesitant to try ramen while in spain on vacation, but being in such an international city like Barcelona, and given a very widespread craving among the group, we decided to give Koku a go. Upon entering we were welcomed by a very nice waitress who quickly and happily seated us. With a simple and descriptive menu, we quickly had our orders in. Within 10 minutes our food arrived, woth bery traditional presnetation. To no surprise, the noodles were not the traditional ramen noodles found widespread in Japan and the United States. This did not in the slightest diminish the quality of the dish. The ramen had an incredibly rich flavor profile, the broth being thicker than normal. One portion proved perfect for the averagely appetited person, especially considering the thickness of the broth. We decided to finish off the meal with a round of sake shots, and the server admirably suggested we buy two flasks instead, as it would ultimately be cheaper and for more sake. In conclusion, given the tremendous service, surprisingly great food, and perfectly pleasant atomosphere, I would gladly rate thus restaurant a five-star. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Gyoza - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Came here on our third night in Barcelona. We were craving for some noodles since it got so cold during the day. From the reviews this place seem legit .. and it was also recommended by one of the tour guides. We got here when it opened so there wasn't much of a wait. The menu is rather simple .. your traditional ramen choices of miso / shoyu/ spicy miso / soy / and vegetarian. My husband got the spicy miso ( spicy bc of kimchi ) and I got the miso .. Sad to say .. this was one bland bowl of ramen. The condiments did not include salt .. only soy sauce .. it was pretty hard to make this bowl tasty. In the restaurant it was encouraged to try the broth before adding anything.. this to me seemed like others though the same too ... hmm .. The service I have to say was the only thing that got this to a two star. I'm shocked to hear that reviewers from sf thought this was a decent bowl of ramen. read more

In Spain, in Barcelona, this is a pretty good bowl of ramen in the cold winter and or time out for the tapas. The shop is in an alley next to another church in BNC. As I walked in, it is a good size shop compare to the rest of the hole in the wall tiny set up. There is a bar/counter, sunken dining room with sharing tables and individual tables, plus upstairs. The service is friendly and English is widely communicated here. From other Yelpers, the Koku owner is from Ireland (Hint: Irish Ciders). The combination comes with a drink, a bowl of salad, ramen (includes two slices of pork belly, seaweeds, and half an ajitsuke tamago/egg) or choice of dessert. You get to choose the soup base. Their homemade lemonade is pretty popular here. In mu opinion, the lemonade is decent but nothing much to rave about. It is not too sweet to drink and comes in a mason jar. The ramen broth is a little thicker in texture but not too thick. The broth is not as salty as the traditional ramen broth. For that, I enjoy the reasonable amount of saltiness. Other than that, there is nothing much to talk about my miso base. The noodle was not soft but it is lacking the expected chewiness. Once again, I appreciated something decent and hot soup in Spain. If you like a soup base with a little more a kick, the Picante will do it for you. Don't worry, it is not too crazy spicy. Overall, I like this shop and would come back again if I am in town. Be prepared to walk and search a little to the destination. read more

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We arrived there around 8:30pm and the restaurant was full, luckily we got a shared table straight away. We ordered spicy ramen, vegetarian ramen under gyoza. The ramon bol is quite big, really tasty, but I couldn't finish it. The gyozas are good, but rather small (5pieces for 5,5eur). I saw they have a green tee cake that looked really good, but we didn't order because were too full. read more

A couple of friends and I came here in search of good ramen and were not disappointed. Out of our ramen choices, the vegetarian ramen was BY FAR the best! Delicious and savory and awesome. The only reason that I feel I can't give five stars is because one of my companions - quite the connoisseur of ramen if I must say - got the miso ramen and said that it could have been more awesome. Still definitely worth the visit; ambiance as fun and trendy. Delicious!! read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Miso Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Second best Ramen I've ever had, best one in Barcelona hands down! Generous portions. Very cost-effective! Excellent dumplings as well ^_^ read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Misu Ramen! The soy one is also really good! - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

The photos look better than it taste. Miso soup base sucks, it is to salty and not much of the miso flavor you would expect from a miso ramen. The the pork chashu was the only good thing about this ramen. Don't order the gyoza, you will be disappointed (thick skin and bad filing). Can't understand why this has such high reviews. I guess Spain a very little choices when I comes down to Ramen. I am comparing this to the many ramen I experience I had in LA, Japan and Taiwan. Food 2 stars Service 3.5 (not bad, not great, just average) read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Miso Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Cure for the common hangover. Spicy Miso does the job every time. Portions are good, prices are affordable and the staff is friendly. I was surprised to find ramen this good outside of Japan or the US but I shouldn't be because ramen is a worldwide phenomenon. My better half couldn't even finish hers so I ate that too. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Spicy Miso - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

Loved this gem in the gothic quarter. It was kind of hard to find since it's tucked away on a side street, but it is well worth the walk. The menu is very vegetarian friendly, and they offer a 3 for 16€ menu at lunch (so like ramen, gyoza, salad and dessert). I got the spicy vegetarian ramen, vegetarian gyoza, and 2 beers and the check was €20. Super affordable! I was so full because I couldn't stop myself from eating!!!! Would definitely recommend, Koku Kitchen could compete with San Francisco ramen. read more

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This has got to be the best ramen I've ever had!! I ordered the Miso and my boyfriend ordered the Miso Picante and we had a few of Barcelona's Edge Brewing IPA's, Hoptimista. I tried a bit of the Picante Miso, so good!! For dessert, we had the Banoffee. This was a first for me and I loved it. The service here is great, too. This was our last night in Spain & we were in the mood for ramen. We were staying closer to the airport, so we traveled by train about 45 to get here, but it was worth it. Check this place out when you're in Barcelona, if you want an authentic ramen experience. You will be glad you did. read more

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I was stoked to try this place when a friend suggested it. I love ramen and this place had good reviews. Unfortunately, for me, it missed the mark. The noodles weren't soft and chewy, the texture was a bit off putting for me. The broth also wasn't flavourful. I ordered a spicy one, it was about 9 or 10 euros and I don't know if I have a different definition of spicy but there was no heat to it. I also loaded it with the hot sauce on the table to add more flavour but I still couldn't get it as spicy as I'd like it. It surprised me that it was so busy, but I guess people really do like it. There are better spots than this one, in my opinion. read more

The service is very friendly, food was amazingly delicious and very satisfying for the price (ca. 10€/ramen). I ordered the vegetarian ramen and it was really tasty. Even if the place is a little bit hidden in Barcelona, it still has a good food quality. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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It's a great place to have a good tasty Ramen. I have been coming here for some years now and it keeps it's good taste and service. If you like taking a toke before having a teasty meal there is a plaza outside to have a smoke. I double love Ramen when I am munching. Cannabis is legal in Barcelona just keep in mind you can get a ticket if you are cought smoking in the wrong place. read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B

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Crowded restaurant eventhough not in the main road. Friendly staff. Smell and taste of green tea is great. I chosen Soy chasiu Ramen, the noodles and the chasiu are great. The vegetarian Gyosa is nice, juicy inside and the combination with sauce is perfect. The kimchi is nice read more

Koku Kitchen Ramen - Cashu soy ramen - Ramen Near Me - Barcelona, B