Cozy and consistent with great spicy tonkatsu and miso ramen. The service is timely and very friendly.

Rainy days call for hot ramen! We went mid week an hour or so before closing and it wasn't very busy. Service was good and food was great! The inside is very clean and simple. The only thing we would change is potentially adding some sound barriers to help dampen the echos--if it was a busy night, it would probably get loud! read more

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The place is super tiny, and I wonder what it would be like during a very busy time, but the place is quaint and comfortable. But let's get right to it - the food was delicious! I had tonkatsu ramen, my partner had takoyaki and honey spare ribs - all good quality ingredients all prepared very well. The price was fair too. I hope they work out whatever problem they are having with water - they only sell bottles and cans, but still, it won't keep me away. This place is a must try for lunch! Only true complaint - they charge you for togo containers. Please stop this. read more

Amazing ramen!!! Intimate space but perfect for ramen vibes. Fast, friendly service! Limited drink options but you're allowed to bring in your own beverage (non-alcoholic). Great spot for a quick, cozy lunch or a fun dinner date. read more

Sama Zama - Spicy Chicken Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

I stumbled upon this cute little spot on 39th near Westport around dinner time. I was starving and wanted to try something new but didn't want to wait. Not sure how long it's been here but it's super cute on the inside. The service is friendly and and welcoming. It's small but not cramped. It's casual and pretty quick and made fresh to order. Vegan and vegetarian and gf options. Non alcoholic beverages in bottle and cans only. You can bring in your own beverages. Water is $1. To go containers are $1. You could probably bring your own container to save a buck. It was solidly good. I will def be back with my water bottle and to go container. read more

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Food is delicious and service was amazing. Its definitely a must try in midtown. Im going to go back for the Sushi.

Such an adorable spot! Tiny but very cute. I notice they keep the door locked during business hours. I think it is due to shortage staffs and to prevent certain people from coming in because of the area it is in. There is only 1 server, and she is super nice. We ordered a few dishes to try. All came out really quick. My favorite is the spicy ramen. Full of flavors and perfect cooked ramen. Yaki udon was kinda bland to my taste. Note: They do not have water. You must bring in your own or buy one for $1. read more

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Finally got to try Sama Zama and we left happily stuffed! Went here for lunch on a recent Saturday and there were a few other patrons enjoying their lunch when we arrived. Our waitress was very friendly and sat us right away. We were handed our normal menu and then a few house instructions: no free tap water (but you're able to bring your own drink - super cool!), and to-go containers are not free. Both seem pretty self explanatory of why Sama Zama is doing that and we both were happy they had rules like that versus having to close or cut corners elsewhere. We ordered pork katsu curry, takoyaki, garlic green beans, and a Korokke bento box. The food came out super fast and everything was hot when it arrived. The food was seriously so good and really reminded us of our trip to Japan earlier this year. The pork cutlet and curry (also was able to get some hot chili oil) were so comforting on this cold and rainy day. The takoyaki was delicious and looked just like it did from street vendors in Japan. The green beans were seasoned so well and had such a great garlicy taste. And the bento box was a great size with some fresh veggies accompanying it. We really loved our visit to Sama Zama and glad they have been able to stay open throughout the years. We are excited to come back and try more of the menu. The lady serving us was really great and the atmosphere of the restaurant was really laid back. Both of which really added to the experience! read more

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Service was good and food was hot and delicious! The door stays locked so you have to be let in. Open room for seating, simple and quiet environment. They have an $8 minimum, prices ranging from $10-20 Will definitely be back. read more

Stay away from sama Zama. This place is an absolute joke. I just read other reviews about how they pick and choose who they let in & that's absolutely true. Why are some peoples dollar of value however my family's dollar has no value? We were first refused service because we had an 18 month old with us and was told they don't have highchairs. We said that's fine she doesn't need a highchair as she really doesn't. Then we were told well too bad, that they only take reservations. I've never been turned down at a ramen shop due to having a small child. I'll never step another foot in this place and I'll make sure the people close to me know of my experience. Don't waste your time at this judgy joke of a restaurant. read more

First time going here and it was amazing! The food was hot and delicious! The customer service amazing! 10 out of 10 would totally recommend! read more

Sama Zama - Tonkatsu bento box - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Amazing little place! Really good ramen. Make sure you bring your own water bottle here since they don't have tap water. Super friendly servers and a cool clean space inside. Great ramen. I had the spicy tonkotsu pork broth ramen. Perfect amount of spice, chewy textured noodles, rich pork broth! My friend got the chicken ramen and swapped the chicken broth for the pork broth... AMAZING! Also, the don't take Mastercard! read more

Sama Zama - Tonkotsu Ramen Pork Topping Spicy - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

This was so perfect! I got the chicken ramen and it was delicious. The service was very polite and it's a quite cute vibe! read more

Sama Zama - Spicy Chicken Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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Not only is the food AMAZING but they also had vegan options/accommodations and the service was great. I've grown up with Asian food and haven't had the best luck in this area, but I was pleasantly surprised!!! I will definitely be back!! And I can't wait for Momo sweets next door to be open I had the kaarage bento and my boyfriend had the udon. The chicken was perfectly crispy but next time I'm definitely gonna give the udon a try! Wish I snapped a pic to show, but the food was too delicious and appetizing for me to stop and take a picture. read more

First time customer and very happy! Ordered ramen and edamame for take out. It was ready fairly quickly and the owner (I assume) met me at the door with my order which I loved. When I got home I was taken aback by how neatly everything was packed and presented. On top of it all it tastes amazing! I will definitely be returning and telling my friends. read more

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My first impression was a bit skeptical, because the size of the restaurant was incredibly small, with one server, and no iced drinks (only bottled). They had a sign saying you are welcome to bring in your own drinks. However, the atmosphere was nice and cozy, with a very attentive server and quick service. The ramen was the shining star of our dinner, definitely one of the best in KC. My friend who is very experienced in traditional Japanese cuisine said the Takoyaki is also one of the best you can find in KC. My Yaki Udon was bland and not the best I've had. I'd recommend coming here if you're looking for good ramen. read more

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Awesome authentic ramen and okonomiyaki. Would totally come again. Good service great food.

Sama Zama is a great little Japanese restaurant tucked in the middle of Westport. It's easy to miss is you aren't looking for it, so I'm glad I finally came. I had never had takoyaki before, and I was told Sama Zama had the best in KC. It was so good! The takoyaki was soft and flavorful, with delicious chunks of octopus throughout. If that sounds yummy, I'd absolutely give them a try. I was a little wary of the pork ramen, only since I've had some pretty unimpressive pork ramen (especially broth) in KC. I'm glad to say my fears were needless, and the only thing that could stop me from eating more is how filling it all was. Sama Zama is definitely some of the better ramen in KC. Overall, I really enjoyed Sama Zaman and plan to be back when I'm craving Japanese. If you like ramen, takoyaki, or think that something on the menu looks tasty, I'd recommend stopping by! read more

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My second visit, but I think this a new address. I remember them in the middle of Westport. After the disappointing finding of takeout only, and going back to the hotel. I throughly enjoyed a bowl tonkotsu ramen. The quality is outstanding and a nice server. The flavors of the broth are excellent, better than any place in Omaha. Parking out front. I will definitely return. read more

No onigiri for you! (dated Seinfeld reference, forgive me, I'm an old.) It's really a shame that the people running the restaurant are so terrible. First clue: The locked door (during business hours, which I'm pretty sure is against fire code) and the note that says they won't serve "DRAMATIC PEOPLE." When everyone around you is "DRAMATIC," maybe the problem is you, Blanche. The food is excellent. There's no question about that. Onigiri is outstanding, and likely the best ramen in town. And it's a small, pretty, local restaurant, I want to give them my business! But when I knock on the door and it's opened with a "We have no tables" and the door is shut in my face, woof. No thanks. read more

I absolutely love Japanese food, so how can I ever say no to Sama Zama? The food is good and the location is super cute. I'm mainly giving it 4 stars and not 5 due to price of food and the current shortage circumstances (they just started dine-in again and are charging for water and take-out containers). I usually order the vegetable yaki udon, but this time I decided to try something new. I got the Spicy Vegetarian Ramen with Miso Tofu; I was bummed I had to choose between vegetables and tofu (why not both?), especially considering it was around $15. The egg was overcooked; that being said, the dish was still very good. I can't justify going to Sama Zama all the time, but when I do it's always flavorful. Despite my nit-picky criticism, I truly think everyone should try Sama Zama. The staff are helpful and the food is really good. The menu has items you don't often see in Japanese restaurants in the Midwest, which is awesome. read more

Sama Zama - Spicy Vegetarian Ramen w/ Miso Tofu - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

When my son and I got there the door was locked. But, instantly were let in by the friendliest server I've ever had. Simon got the honey marinated ribs and I had the Pork Tonanatsu. WHOA, both were fantastic!!!!! Both were tender, flavorful and satisfying. The sides were a great mix of East and West. I highly recommend it. read more

Sama Zama - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Solid Japanese food. Very limited seating but it has its own parking lot. I had the tonkatsu ramen. The pork was delicious and broth was nice and rich. The owner is very nice. We also had takoyaki which was fresh. Could use more octopus though. read more

I'm sorry to give a bad review but I don't see this place staying in business for much longer. The owner turned away a party of 5 while we were there because short staffed and it was just two of us. Looked like they did okay in to go orders but I could hear her talking about an order that was messed up. Our "Bentobox" was served on a plate. No drink order taken, had to ask. Had to ask for soy sauce. Got one packet. Charge $1 for to go box. Owner kept door locked. No dipping sauce for pot stickers. read more

Sama Zama - Tongatsu and chicken "bento box" - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

Ok. We tried you out. Question: are you trying to go out of business?? We arrived for lunch and a lady stood at the door, unlocked it, and cracked it open as if we needed to be apart of a special club. We showed up with two of our kids, hungry and excited to try your "authentic Japanese" food, but felt very unwelcome as she snapped at us about being small and not having a high chair or seating for kids, yet there were only three people dining in at that point. Mind you, the sign on the door said they reserve the right to not serve rude people, but that lady was definitely rude... I wonder why that sign was placed there. You breed what you portray and I'm not surprised you get rude people because you are rude yourself! The food was ok. I was also taken back that you don't serve water, yet half your items require water to cook them, so what gives?! Are you too cheap to buy glasses at the dollar store or do you want us to choke on our food? We will likely not be back nor will we recommend you to any of our friends. Waiting until you go out of business so a nice establishment can take over! Sorry.... Was that rude? Morons! read more

First, menu is overpriced and they charged for water as well. Second, food quality was so so. Pork cutlet was too thin but with thick coating. Ramen soup was so plain, can't tell they were bone soup. Overall, not recommended, main reason is they use lots of MSG. read more

Sama Zama - Cutlet was so thin. - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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This is my favorite place to get ramen in KC--I order the spicy tonkatsu. Their new space is a little smaller than their old Westport location, so I'd say it's more of a date night option. It's the same (2-person?) team that's operated it for years. The service is always fast and friendly! read more

Went here for date night on a Friday. Loved it! We went around 7pm, no wait and a mellow crowd. We were quickly greeted and sat near the window. The server was kind and efficient. She laughed at us when we "forgot" how to open the cute sodas. We ordered a few items to share: tonkatsu, edamame and tofu appetizer and the chicken gyoza. All of them were AMAZING. The tonkatsu had just the right amount of sauce and made great use of the cabbage to avoid sogginess. The only negative comment I had about the food was that the other two items lacked more flavorful dipping sauces. Parking is easy and the location is great. Overall we had a great time. FYI, they do not serve alcohol. But this is more of an eat-and-go place anyway, so you most likely wouldn't be drinking anyway. I will definitely be back here - I need to try the ramen and the greens beans! read more

This was a total bummer. My husband and I have never been so we went to try it and brought our 1year old daughter. The server saw us get our daughter out of the car seat and as we walked up to the door she walked out to stop us and said "just so you know we don't have high chairs" it caught us off guard because she literally stopped us from going in so as we were saying "that's okay" We didn't mind if we had to hold her she said "and people with kids need to call for reservation so we can be prepared. Sorry!" and then SHUT the door on us! We could have gotten an order to go, and we didn't mind holding her but she didn't even give us the option or let us even speak. So, I guess we'll never know how the food is. read more

I attempted to go to Sama Zama today for lunch with my family and before we could get our five year old out of his car seat, someone met my partner at the door and said we needed a reservation for kids. This is not explicitly on their website and it was completely empty when we arrived. Reading their Google reviews, this is not a rare occurrence. This place does not want to cater to kids, which is fine, please explicitly put it somewhere so families do not waste their time. read more

Love the chicken katsu curry!! Everything on the menu looks so good I'm most definitely going to have to come back more for new dishes. And the lady who runs the front is so nice you can tell she's working hard to keep the place in order she moves so quickly. Everyone should stop by and try something to show support. read more

When Sama Zama was off of Westport road they were amazing but unfortunately their service has taken a major hit. My husband has been waiting to try their food since we got together but COVID put a dent in that plan and we waiting now years to go back. We stopped by excited today to finally be able to eat here (again for me). We know we have to go early because we have a baby so we got her nice comfy and asleep so we could eat here and she not be fussy to other people who may have been dinning in. When we got there there was no one there at all just the staff so we thought "yay this is great we won't be an inconvenience to anyone" BUT... then... we were turned away because they couldn't "accommodate" a stroller! I couldn't believe it! There was no one absolutely no one in the front room and that is why I will never return. Our stroller is compact and there was plenty of space. I could understand if there were other diners there and it was cramped space limited but NO ONE was there! I've attached photo so you can see. We decided to go to Jerusalem Cafe instead. read more

Sama Zama - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

The onigiri was awesome. we didn't know that reservations were required on the weekend but the owner still rushed out some onigiri for us because we drove from Topeka just to get the rice balls for an 8 year old. read more

Sama Zama serves fantastic Japanese food in a great atmosphere with great servers who like answering questions about the food. The Takoyaki balls are amazing with a great sauce that has an amazing flavor that makes you crave more of them! The Ramen is also to die for! read more

It was amazing. Had to get buzzed in which was odd but then saw the size and it is a small restaurant/seating area. But it was just me, got the fried chicken curry. It was good. I spent 2 years in Okinawa so i am a little bias. They were out of kimchi and as a half Korean I was upset. But probably cause it slaps. I will be going for more and the ramen! read more

Very good food and cute restaurant would for sure recommend the waitress was super nice read more

Just checked this place out on my lunch hour today and found myself disappointed. While the staff was wonderful, the food was average and overpriced. I ordered a bowl of ramen and after tax and tip my bill was $18. They need a lunch price. The ramen was delicious but just average. The same quality of food can be obtained a few blocks away for about half the price. I probably will not be back for seconds. read more

Sama Zama - Pork ramen! - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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This is my absolute favorite in KC for ramen. Having been to Japan with my local friend in Tokyo taking me to all her favorite ramen places, I can say this really reminds me of it. The appetizers are also the reason I keep coming back. read more

Sama Zama - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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Second time trying this place. You HAVE to order online. I've tried calling but no answer. Then call when you get there so they can bring it to the door (which is locked). The shrimp fried rice is really good. The Iron noodles were ok. But my veggie Spring rolls were burnt. read more

Sama Zama - Veggie Spring rolls burnt - Japanese Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

My search for ramen in Kansas City has come to an end but in reality, I'll continue to search around Kansas City because I'm sure there's more than one location that would have ramen. I chose to come here not because of the rating but based on its location. This would be the closest from me and I saw another place in Lenexa that had ramen with more reviews but that'll be for another day. I came on a Saturday afternoon around 1pm and there was only two others eating. It was a very warm/hot day and I wasn't aware of any events the day I went here. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen which came in regular ($13) or spicy ($14). This was a little pricier for ramen than it was in the Bay Area but given the circumstances of only less than a handful around in Kansas City, it made sense to me that it was priced that way. I ordered the regular because it was already a hot day and I didn't want to be too hot for the day. My food came out in a few minutes and I began to eat. Good stuff! It wasn't Kuro Ramen (dark ramen) but still pretty good nonetheless! The Tonkotsu Ramen was a pork-based broth so the broth was lighter in color. Everything tasted and complemented each other well like the pork, seaweed, and even the ramen noodles with the broth. I saw some other stuff on the menu that sounded good and it would have to wait for the next time I come back here. Noodle Wednesday 50% Udon Easy Sunday 50% All Grilled Section Daily Happy Hour from 3pm-6pm read more

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