We came here for a late dinner after arriving via train from Paris and am so glad we were able to get a table! We had chicken karagge, yakisoba, and the eel on rice bowl. Our food was made fresh to order and amazing!!! My eel was so bomb and the portion was very generous. The staff here were super cool and attentive, for being a small and busy night. The beer and sake were also flowing and they had a nice selection. The prices and portions were perfect and I was blown away by the authenticity of the food here. Definitely a hidden gem to seek out if you're in Lyon! read more

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After 2 weeks in France, we have craving for ramen and find this Japanese ramen places near our hotel and the review on YELP is very good. However, we were extremely disappointed. (Not that we set our standard high, during our 2weeks in France, we had ate Ramen in Nice and it's way way better than this. The noodle is too sloggy (so soft that they were broken into short pieces) and soup is just normal. And the people operating are not even Japanese. Please go other ramen shop. read more

KUMA Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Lyon, 69

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It's a really nice Yelp-find! Food quality alone compared to other Japanese restaurants all over the world would be not quite up to 4, but for what you can find at this price, and for Asian food in Lyon I tried, this is definitely 4-5 stars. I was at the nearby Matsuri and was so disappointed at the selection and price, so I searched for some Japanese places and this came up. It's a small and cozy place with a cooked Japanese menu (donburi, udon, ramen, tonkatsu, takoyaki, etc.) that you might find at a real Japanese izakaya. I ordered ebi fry (Panko fried shrimps, 5pieces over a small salad 8.5 Euro), chashu ramen (miso broth ramen, 12 Euro), and dorayaki (Japanese pancake with red bean paste sandwiched, 5 Euro). Ebi fry- Overall very good! I really liked the salad and salad dressing. Very well seasoned, delicate soy-sauce based dressing and fresh salad greens. Shrimps were very well prepared, although the breading was a bit thick. I wish the sauce (similar to tonkatsu sauce) was on the side, not on top. Also tartar sauce on the side would have been nice. Ramen - The broth was surprisingly good. Noodle was not the right consistency (too thick and slippery, not the thin Japanese "al dente" style you find in ramen specialty restaurants). Chashu slices were tasty, but thin. Also not as flavorful or charred as what I had in Korea and Japan. But that's ok! This is a restaurant in Lyon! All the toppings (green onion, bean sprouts, bamboo, seaweed, fish cake) are proper. Dorayaki-served with ice cream. Good, but probably I won't order again at 5 euro. Overall this was so much more satisfactory than the other Asian foods (Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese) I had in Lyon. And it's close to the train station and other eateries. (Maison Marxelle and a few Thai & Italian places are nearby). Staff members are very friendly. read more

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PROS: Tasty food, good service CONS: ? The takoyaki and the unagi don were both really good! Portions are also reasonably sized. The food other tables ordered also looked amazing. This spot is definitely comparable to, if not better than, some of the nicer Japanese restaurants in the US. read more

I went here with 2 friends, each got a different dish (soba, udon, tonkatsu pork). We were all really happy with our plates which were nicely flavored and we intend to go back. I found the atmosphere just ok, my friends found it welcoming and cozy. read more

This place is pretty bomb. Lots of flavors, not excessively oily like some other places. I ordered the yaki-udon noodles and they were pretty dang good. Also the taramusi dessert is very pretty and tasty. The restaurant is a bit small and the service is a little slow, but I'm giving this place 5 stars bcuz it's the best out of the three Asian restaurants I've tried thus far in Lyon and it really hit the spot! read more

We liked the Gyozas a lot. The noddle soups were pretty ok. The people were kind and we liked the athmosphere. It felt like we're in Japan.

Wow what a great find in Lyon. This is not a sushi place, it is a Japanese bar with bar food which is delicious. We enjoyed the vegetarian dumplings very much, but even better was the pork filet mignon dish and our favorite was the teriyaki chicken over rice, I highly recommend all of those. The staff were very helpful even though only one spoke English. Very good place, read more

I went in with my boyfriend yesterday dinner time. I work at SAP so the izakaya is just a quick walk down. Last time I went, I was dressed in business attire because I had a meeting with a client and the service was good. The food was just okay. However, yesterday, I decided to wear a hoodie which had the logo of the university I graduated from and the service was just terrible. When we entered the izakaya, there was barely a greeting. They sat us down near the kitchen which was inconvenient. We weren't asked what we would like to drink, instead we were brought lukewarm tea in which the server brought out with no words. After looking at the menu, we decided to go for agedashi tofu and chicken karaage. We closed the menus hoping the servers will see and to come back to our table so we can order. The two servers at the time passed our table three times and still.. nothing. I had to wave my hands to get them to come, which I hate doing because I feel like it is rude. When the agedashi tofu arrived, it wasn't even hot. It was warm. The chicken karaage were like chicken nuggets. I am half Japanese and I know what the two dishes should be like and it was nothing like it. Furthermore, when the server brought the dishes to our table, she just put it on the table and left, she didn't even tell us what the dish she was bringing us was. Mind you, during my high school years I worked as a server so I know this is NOT appropriate behavior. After receiving everything, the two servers did NOT check back on us and started joking around talking in Korean to the sushi man. I am also half Korean so I understood everything they were talking about. No matter how nonexistent the service is, I always tip since I know how it feels to be a server, however, the service wasn't just bad, it just pissed me off. Two ladies came in while we were finishing and both the servers greeted them politely and showed them to their table. They also asked them what they would like to drink. They showed service that we never got. The minimum I tip is 15%, but yesterday was the first time I felt like they deserved 0, and that is what they received. It doesn't matter if I looked "younger" or "unprofessional" yesterday because of my attire. Even if I looked like just a university student (I am a business woman), students are still paying customers and they don't deserve the trash service like I did at Kuma last night. It's unfortunate as my boyfriend is also half Japanese and his Japanese mother recommended this place to us. We're going to have to tell her that it is not worth coming as they base their service on how the customers look. read more

Good food and well presented, good price, pleasant service and for a change not the usual sushi that most "Japanese" restaurants offer in Lyon. Good traditional food and lives up to its name of a Japanese Bistro! read more