We had a delicious lunch here! We stopped by in the summer when choices are a bit limited. The inside is so cute- I loved the lucky cats everywhere. I also love being able to order on a screen. Our food was ready pretty quickly. It's a small space inside, but we found seating without issues. There isn't any outside seating. It was hot, so we tried to pick lighter options. My friend got the chicken karaage on rice, which was the perfect option. I got a hot chicken soup, which was absolutely delicious. The noodles were perfect and the broth was salty and flavorful. The meals weren't too expensive either. It was a great lunch option! read more

Oishii Bowl - Interior - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Truthfully I'd give it four stars but when I saw that Oishii Bowl only has three stars overall I was shocked because it deserves better imo. I actually like the ramen/soups here more than the ramen at Maru Ramen. Each soup dish has a distinctive flavour and imo some taste better than others. One soup dish that never misses is the Veggie ramen. Chewy green noodles and a ginger miso broth with the perfect ratio of toppings to noodles. Perfection. Stick to the entree options. If you really want some kinda side dish go for the sweet sticky rice. This is a casual no-frills sit down spot. If you eat in the shop they've got free hot tea that you can dispense in cups. Service is quick. read more

Oishii Bowl - 21. Veggie Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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it was amazing Oshi ball is the best Rob I've ever had in my life except for the atmosphere is not as good but I need to raise that overall percentage rating so I'm giving them five stars read more

This was my fourth time coming here. I always get the Veggie Ramen since I'm a vegetarian and I love having something with soup. Food: The Veggie Ramen is pretty good. One bowl comes with veggie ramen (green-colored), tofu, bamboo shoots, scallion, Chinese broccoli, bean sprouts, and soup. It's a good combination of vegetables and ramen, making it a just-right portion size for a lunch or even dinner meal. Service: The service is always good. The front lady is always helpful and nice. The food usually takes around 5 minutes to prepare, so it's also quick. Price: Price is pretty average for a meal in Collegetown. Ambiance: The inside isn't anything special, but the most important thing is that it's clean and a good place to sit down for a meal. Overall, this is a great place for some yummy ramen with soup. The service is quick and the prices are typical of something in Collegetown! I'll definitely keep on coming back. read more

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A go-to for fast casual in Collegetown. I always get the Katsu Don - it's by far the best thing on the menu!! I've had the ramen before, and I think it's below average. read more

Oishii Bowl - 1. Katsu Don - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I lived in Japan years ago and this feels like the bowl my neighbor would make for our craft group: nice and filling but not gourmet, yet I grew to crave it! I had the fried tofu bowl with veggies. (Over rice). The tofu is popped into a deep fry, I think, which results in a little chewy ball that pops open I. Your mouth. (Airy inside vs solid cubes). It was the same way at the foreign school in Japan. Feels "home-y". Also had a bun, ( big enough for 3ppl but not soft), and the sweet sticky rice! If you also crave this little treat, it's very good here! Again, just like my friend made and / or we found at the school. (See pic). This is also addictive. I took it on the road with me and ate it all the way home. read more

Oishii Bowl - Sweet sticky rice.. perfectly not too sweet and plenty of sesame seeds! - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Best chicken and rice in c town. Calm ambience would definitely recommend. Quick service never had any issues here

Overall not bad ramen (will be interested to try some of the other menu items here). Since this is in Collegetown, there's a major convenience factor here. The broth wasn't quite as thick as the broth I've grown accustomed to, but it doesn't have a pretty bad taste. The noodles are on the thicker side and are quite soft/chewy. The actual pieces of pork aren't as fatty as I'm used to, which is probably the most disappointing thing for me (I love a nice fatty piece of chashu). Not bad for your ramen craving in a pinch. read more

Oishii Bowl - Tonkatsu ramen - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I'm surprised the rating is so low. I've always had good experiences here, particularly with main courses. The food is tasty, fresh, and reasonably priced. Service is fast and portion sizes are decent. I've had a few things, but I especially like the pad prik moo, a pork and peppers dish that has a nice kick. I've been less impressed by the sides. Fish balls were entirely forgettable and gyoza were oily and over cooked. read more

A go-to for college students! Pricing wise, this is affordable. Do not go for the ramen! The broth is on the bland end and the flavors just aren't that great in comparison to good ramen I would have in NYC. The noodles are a bit on the soggier end. A lot of people rave about the tan tan ramen, but I think the peanut sauce overpowers the soup broth taste, so it's eh. However, if you are not very picky, then you should get the ramen. I always get the katsu don and drizzle with siracha for extra flavor - it really makes a big difference, otherwise on its own, it's a little bland. For a change, I tried the katsu curry, and the flavoring is quite bland, soooo. I also recommend getting the kuay teow (rice noodles with pork) because the flavoring for this is actually good and rice noodles are cooked perfectly. 4 stars because of the underwhelming ramen, but delicious katsu don and kuay teow. read more

I love this place! It's reasonably priced and close to campus. I don't think I have ever had a bad experience here. I mean sure the decor is below average and it's a big run down, but the food is spectacular! My favorite is the tomyum noodles, which are really spicy!!! Here is a picture of the katsu don. read more

Oishii Bowl - Katsu don - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

After many-a-trip to Boston recently and enjoying the various ramen restaurants, I actually made a post on Reddit asking for recommendations on where I could find ramen around town. Someone's recommendation? Oishii (or Oishii Bowl, as the sign reads). I had never heard of this place... which isn't super surprising, considering it's fairly new. The decision? To try it tonight after work. I made a quick order to go as I was walking to my car after work and the girl who had picked up the phone was very polite. I arrived at Oishii about 5 minutes later, noticing that it's a simple little takeout place and appears to be fairly clean, and my takeout order of miso ramen was waiting on the counter. The menu seems to be pretty complete, including 13 different dishes, 4 sides, and 3 different tea beverages. They take credit cards, which is convenient (not all ramen places in Boston/Cambridge do, so I always end up having to remember to get cash before going out to dinner with friends), and the service seems pretty efficient. The miso ramen itself was okay. More bland than what I'm used to from ramen places in Boston/Cambridge, perhaps, but it tasted good on this freezing cold night. Perhaps some garlic would enhance the taste? More salt seems like it would help too. That said, it'd be easy enough to doctor up this ramen a bit at home. TL;DR Decent ramen option, but could be spicier/more flavorful. Will visit again to try the Chicken Mango Salad, Shoyu Ramen, or Oyaku Don though. read more

This was an unexpected gem in college town where Wendy's used to be. The udon was simple and delicious with great noodles and fresh kombu and savory hon dashi broth that tasted home made rather than instant. We also had the sakana don which was a very crispy fried white fleshed mild fish served over Japanese/korean rice with bulldog or unagi sauce. Absolutely excellent. Finally the wife had the kuay teow tom yum that had a great mixing of flavors and textures. I give 5 stars for the food, ambience is so so but I dont care read more

Found a red head FLY in the pork ramen soup. I threw up after that. The food quality is very bad. Please run away from this restaurant. The taste is ok, just like the one you bought at asian market. read more

I went there twice and I promise I will never visit the Oishii Bowl again. It is not Oishii at all! It is even worse than the frozen ramen sold at the Asian grocery, I wonder how they cooked the noodle soup. The first​ time I ordered the miso ramen and the noodle is not cooked. I thought, "ok, they may make​ some mistake". That's why I gave it a second chance when​ I ordered the curry rice. WORST CURRY RICE EVER! It is just like someone pour the salt into the curry. I drunk two cups of water to neutralize​ the salty rice. Next time, I would prefer to buy some curry sauce and cook at home. read more

Oiishi Bowl is a convenient and economic option when one is craving for Japanese style food. The food quality varies with items and as a whole mediocre. The fried fish rice bowl is decent if you like the sauce on the fish which is slightly sweet; the breading of the fish fillet is generally nicely browned and crisp, not soggy or overly greasy. Sometimes the fish fillet is very thin comparing to the breading though. The miso ramen is too salty for my taste and reminds me of the Ichiban Instant Miso Ramen. The sticky coconut rice is microwaved, I believe. And I found a strand of hair in it when I ordered for the first time (and last time). The seller was polite and prompt to replace it though. The fried tofu veggie bowl is a big disappointment. The fried tofu, like another poster mentioned, has a layer of translucent gummy breading and a stale greasy taste to it. The flavoring of the veggies were subtle and decent but the tofu really ruined the dish. read more

Oishii Bowl - Fried tofu veggie bowl - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

As someone with little experience eating culturally different food (I'm from Idaho - not much diversity), i needed help ordering. But once i did, i wanted to come back again and again. katsu don is amazing, and any of the ramen bowls are delicious. If you don't know what to do, just pick a number, you likely won't be disappointed. Thanks Oishii bowl:) read more

I first came here 3 years ago while at Cornell, and I remember being pleasantly surprised that this little shop on a small corner in college town could taste so good! I recently came back to this ramen shop with my mother and it was simply delicious!! For such a rainy cold day, a hot steaming bowl of ramen soup was so perfect! One complaint I had: despite the lines being short due to the quick service, the store is very cramped and it gets extremely crowded. Because of the amount of tables and chairs stuffed into the tiny shop, getting around is a nightmare when there are multiple groups of college students eating there. read more

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*Edit* This place is inconsistent in quality, but when it's good, it's worth the gamble I absolutely love this place and I've been a regular practically since I first stepped onto campus freshman year, 2 years ago. I used to get it delivered to north campus whenever I was having a bad day. I tell all of my friends to come with me and whenever someone craves it, they know who to ask. My favorites are definitely the miso ramen, tonkotsu ramen and karaage(thick and juicy), close behind are the katsu curry and oyakodon. They are very accommodating with removing elements I don't like (ex. bean sprouts). The food is always very fast, but the lady is very friendly when I order ahead for pick up as well. I have no idea what this forced tipping and raw ramen thing is about? The tipping screen has a custom tip option, but I admittedly have never wanted to tip lower than 15% anyway. The meat has also vastly improved this past month. They were a little thin and dry before for my taste, but now they are wonderful. Your teeth can sink into them and tear them apart tenderly. Absolutely in love. I might be a little biased, but this is definitely my go to place for comfort food in ctown. read more

Good food, real authentic taste. It's not too fancy but it's reasonably cheap for us college students and a good meal. Good portion size for the money too read more

Genuinely surprised by how low the ratings are for this cute, affordable spot with great food! Truly a hidden gem in collegetown. The udon and Japanese curry are delicious and the rice bowls are tasty!! read more

The food here is actually horrifying. My friend was ill the next day after eating the "ramen" here, which was served with an undercooked egg with runny yolk. Also, they are really stingy about the soy sauce. You have to actually go up and ask for it, and the cashier will silently give you one tiny packet of soy sauce per person, like she is the guardian of the soy sauce. read more

Oishii is a new Japanese restaurant in collegetown that serves quickly prepared rice bowls. There are only about 7 bowls on the menu ranging between $7 and $8. I ordered the mango chicken salad ($7) that had freshly fried katsu style chicken over a bed of iceberg lettuce and shredded mango. The chicken tasted very fresh, but lacked salt. The dressing was a touch too sweet but not as bad as many Japanese restaurants in Ithaca. I also ordered a green tea latte that was pretty tasty, not overly sweet. My friend's bowl, which contained fried pork and onions over rice, while fresh and crispy, also tasted kind of bland. It was decent enough that I'll give them a second try when they become a bit more established. read more

Oishii Bowl - Mango chicken salad - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

The place has been open for just a week and from what I've seen, it's getting a fair amount of business. Their menu is really limited - seven items (possibly eight, but one was blocked out) and half are Japanese and half are Thai. I've tried two different items here and was pretty satisfied with both. One was the mango chicken salad which was pretty enjoyable. The salad wasn't drenched with dressing, although I would have preferred if the mango was sweeter. The other thing I tried was the katsu don bowl. It definitely beats out Cafe Pacific's version of it, and it's much cheaper. The only downside of this one was that I thought the rice was a bit too moist. There are already several Japanese options in Collegetown, but this one wins in price and speed without compromising taste. read more

The menu has more than 14 items now. I got number 4, which is fried fish on top of rice with 3 slices of cucumber. They were out of unagi sauce, so I asked for the spicy ginger sauce (seriously, the ginger sauce was really good!). All dishes are $7.99 and they have three different kinds of iced tea. From the looks of it, some dishes might be pretty sweet, so if you're not a fan of that, stick to what I ordered or ask them what is sweet and what's not. - awesome location, cheap food. read more

The place has definitely improved since opening. I now come here maybe once every two or three weeks, but I'd eat here twice a week if they increased the portions and added more ramen (at a marginal cost to them of 25cents, I reckon). At $8, you have Apollo next door that will do a long line up of noodle soups *stuffed* with noodles. That said, the soups are Chinese style and the Japanese broth is different, so variety keeps me coming back once in awhile. read more

We have been trying Oishi now and again ever since they opened. They definitely keep improving. My favorite thing about Oishi is that their broths are obviously homemade and not from some salt infested pre-package. You can always add salt, but just try taking it away. NOT possible. Oishi's noodle bowls and soup have a nice robust flavor without relying on salt to hide a lack of flavor or a lack of freshness. The food always tastes fresh. This is the ONLY restaurant in Ithaca whose dishes taste like ones you might make at home, SPECIFICALLY not so salty you need to drink a quart of water afterward and still feel thirsty. Nice. Fresh. Clean. I would 5 star them, but the location is pretty squirrelly, and parking is tricky. read more

I love oishii bowl The ramen is great. The karaage is killer. And the service, with a smile. read more

My bf and I got the tantan spicy ramen and the baked chicken noodles. Both were pretty good. Broth in the tan tan was very spicy. THE soups come out piping hot. There is a good quantity of noodles esp for 8 dollars. Only complaint I would have is that they need more veggies and other condiments in the noodle soups. Can't just be just noodles and soup, oishii!! Also their sweet tea is good (Thai tea without the cream) but it is really sweet. I diluted with some water and waited for the ice to melt Their current rating is 2.5 stars. I think it deserves way more. 4!! read more

Do not order from here. I got the chicken noodle soup bowl and the Kara age. The food left me with an upset stomach for hours and was generally not good at all. read more

They have a variety of rice and noodle soup dishes that come in pretty large portions for very affordable prices. Because of the small space, it does get crowded often, making the wait time longer. The ramen noodles are made very fast, while the rice bowls take much longer. read more

Oishii Bowl - dried tofu vegetable rice bowl - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Great food for a great price. This take out restaurant gives you a good portion of food and the flavors are excellent. There's no place similar in Ctown. read more

Update: glad to see that this place is improving, although I only recommend one thing on their menu, number 14 with roasted chicken. Basically a Japanese fast food place where gives you instant noodle with boring toppings. I would say it's slightly above being edible. read more

It's a great comfort on a wintery day (and there are so many of those in Ithaca!) to enter this small authentic Japanese place and have a huge bowl of soup and noodles by yourself, some alone time when needed. They have a fair service quality but if you go in, try dishes #2 and #11. It's healthy filling and has fair prices. Cheers. read more

The food here is ok... Not great, but not bad either. I got the tan tan men... Broth was ok, had decent flavor but was pretty oily.. (I still had to add a ton of spices) toppings were tasty and the pork was crumbly.. But they didn't give you a lot of it. Noodles were cooked well and were a good consistency. My wife ordered the tofu veggie bowl and it was not very good. Basically just steamed veggies on top of A LOT of rice. If you are in the mood for ramen, this is your only game in town.... And If you do come here, def stick with the ramen. read more

The best thing here is speed. Quick to get in, order, eat, leave. Also, tea is free. The menu is mysterious. No descriptions beyond a title for each dish and a tiny photograph. Online menu is better. Tried both tofu dishes. The dried tofu was much better than the fried, though neither had enough protein - really skimped on the tofu. The bowls were mostly rice for $9. Veggies were fresh and a good assortment, but over-cooked. Bowl was very hot - too hot to eat for a while, so takeout would be best. Overall, both dishes weren't memorable. Soysauce provided was the cheapest kind in little plastic packets - yuck! Tables were all pretty nasty. Bottom line: if I'm starving and in college town and already have a parking spot and must eat RIGHT NOW then I'll go back. If not, probably not. read more

Actually, it was not Japanese food. They served Kao Mun Kai (It's Thai language: meaning: Steam chicken with steam rice), that's really Thai or Chinese food. The food are very pricey and too much MSG in both food and their hot tray. I don't like the chicken that they served, too. It was low quality and not a well-prepared one. I stopped by for a couple times and not been there anymore because too oily soup in noodle soup and price is too expensive for the little ingredient that I recieved. I preferred anyplace else for the better and healthier quality of food and service. Or just stopped by at 7-11 for cheap boneless chicken wings or make instant noodle at home still worth it better, healthier. read more

Oishii bowl has been one of my collegetown guilty pleasures since it first opened. I always get the #6 (fried chicken bowl) and my wife gets the #15. If you are looking to fill up and not pay a ton, this is definitely the way to go. Not gourmet by any means, but a great fast food alternative for sure. Their new taro lattes are my new favorite sugary drink. Give this place a try if you haven't yet! Just make sure to check your bag for all of your items, because they occasionally leave something out. read more

Oishii Bowl - Their new Taro Latte is sweet and delicious! It tastes like cookies! :) - Japanese Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Ordered the shoyu ramen and it came out rather fast. Strange they give you an option to give tip, but they don't serve you the food, you walk up to the counter to get your order. The shoyu was a smallish serving size. Presentation was usual, with sliced pork laying over a bed of ramen.the ramen was soft, not particularly slippery. Pork was sliced good but the quality of the pork could have been better,meat was fat was a bit chewy. A lot of green onions, it's a garnish...a filler at best. But the most mediocre part was the soap. The color was light, the taste had no heart to it. So it wasn't horrible overall, it was a very mediocre. Probably wouldn't go back for the ramen. read more

Last time I went I ordered a tofu bowl and it didn't come with tofu. When I brought it up to them, she pointed to the cauliflower and said it was tofu. I said it's cauliflower and then they took it back and put in barely fried tofu. Use to come here a lot but not anymore read more