Specializes in serving ramen, curry, bowls and sushi rolls.
*CASH ONLY* If you forget your cash, they ask you to leave your ID with them. Pretty nice service, patient and quick!
Small restaurant, but quality food! My friend and I came here about 10 minutes after it opened and a good amount of tables were filled. There’s a lot of ramen and udon options throughout the menu, but what stuck out to me was the Popcorn Chicken ramen and the Kuro ramen (black sesame in this case).
I ended up getting the Popcorn chicken option and my friend got the latter, so we got to try each other’s ramen! I chose mild for the spice level and it wasn’t too spicy so I was happy that I wouldn’t cough the whole way through my meal. The popcorn chicken is sooo flavorful and even though it got soggy from the soup, it definitely helped build the flavor. The pork broth was milky and it wasn’t too thick as it looked. The ramen was nice and tender, soft enough that I can still bite down.
The Kuro ramen was also really good! I liked the flavor since it wasn’t an overpowering sesame taste, and the black broth has a pretty cool appearance.
Satisfied my ramen craving and I honestly think this is one of the best ramen places I’ve had in awhile!
-Erica
Lunch for 3!
Food: one of the best ramen places I’ve been too! I absolutely am a fan! Broth is great, popcorn chicken is tasty (on the saltier side), and pork is so good too!
Service: great service, friendly staff!
Parking: they have parking right behind the restaurant. Don’t miss it, it’s right after you see the restaurant and doesn’t look like you can turn in because of the brick wall. There’s about 12 or spots here. I don’t recommend trucks parking in here, and I’ve seen vans park in here though.
FYI: cash only and they have forks if you can’t use chopsticks
-Mila
This is one of my favorite ramen spots in the San Gabriel Valley (626) area.
To start off, parking can be a hassle. It is located off of Main St. in Alhambra (where all the restaurants are located) near the corner of Atlantic and Main. The parking lot may be a little difficult to spot as its a small driveway leading to the back so be on the lookout for it or else you might pass it. Parking is terrible in that the spaces are small and there’s not much room to maneuver. If you don’t want to risk your car being hit, I would park elsewhere and walk it.
The ramen itself is amazing. I ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen (a little under $9) and order the same thing every time. I love the denseness/firmness of the ramen noodles and the lightness of the broth. The broth isn’t too oily but still holds a lot of flavor.
Being reasonably priced and not too oily, Kosuke is a winner in my books. Something you need to take note of though is that it is CASH ONLY. Also, the actual restaurant is fairly small and can only accommodate small groups.
-Brittany
Kosuke is definitely a hidden gem that deserves some appreciation! At first, I was a little unsure about trying this place since there are so many options for Japanese food in SoCal. However, after my experience here, I definitely didn’t regret trying it out! The food is delicious, reasonably priced, and they give you large portions as well. The service was also friendly and efficient!
My boyfriend and I ordered the tonkotsu ramen, popcorn chicken, and chicken katsu with curry. The popcorn chicken was full of flavor, crispy on the outside and so juicy and tender on the inside. It was delicious and I literally couldn’t stop eating it. The chicken katsu was also crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside! The curry had a strong, interesting flavor and tasted so good with the chicken and rice. It was the ultimate comfort food! The ramen noodles had the perfect texture and chewiness and the broth wasn’t too salty like most ramen places.
Overall, I had such an enjoyable experience here! Definitely one of the Japanese restaurants I’ve had in a while!
-Tina
Well, this place is legit. I’ve been here several times and brought different people whom all loved the place. My husband, whom is not a fan of ramen, tried the Popcorn Chicken Ramen and said, “Wow, this is really good.” That made me so happy to hear. My eldest son, whom LOVES ramen, was beyond satisfied. He thought it was the best he had ever had.
I’m upping this to a five-star review from my original four because my Tonkatsu Ramen was everything it needed to be. Last time my pork tasted dry but this time it was so fatty and juicy that I realized that it’s really the luck of the draw. Sometimes you get a good cut of the pork and other times you don’t. There’s no control over it and there really isn’t anything that can be done about that. You get what you get and just hope that it’s the better parts.
-Kera
My wife and I have been to so many good ramen around L.A. and beyond to search for a good bowl of ramen and the search still on going for a bowl ramen. After shopping at Target I told my wife,I’m hungry for Ramen I remembered a friend of mine told me there’s a ramen restaurant just across the street from the Alhambra car wash.
The restaurant called Kosuke.its a small restaurant just next to the Dog Groomer but always get pack and a long line to get in. We arrive at the restaurant just on time before they open their doors for the dinner crowed,we were the second group in line while more people were getting in line. This place is CASH ONLY no debit or credit card just being cash don’t forget.
We look at the menu for appetizer we order the popcorn chicken then we place our order the ramen. My wife order the pork cutlet ramen and I order the Tonkotsu ramen. First they brought our appetizer the popcorn chicken,we took a bite the chicken was tender,crunchy and spice flavor but it needed a sauce to match it that would be perfect.
Final they brought us our ramen,our bowl were hot and the aroma was good I couldn’t wait to took a taste of my Tonkotsu. My Tonkotsu was really good full of flavor,the broth was delicious with a good clear taste,I was surprise with sesame seeds in bowl it add flavor.
My wife enjoy her ramen bowl,we both the popcorn chicken and ramen,we will probably go back again.
-Sergio
This is my usual ramen joint in the area. If you come during peak hours, there’s usually a wait – around 30 mins. Cash only!!
My favorite is the Kuro ramen. The broth is rich and flavorful. The black sesame oil adds that extra kick of umami. Noodles are medium sized and perfectly chewy. You can get your ramen with chashu or popcorn chicken. They actually give a good amount of popcorn chicken.
Tonkostu and corn butter ramen are also good. The corn butter is really creamy. The spicy ramen is actually spicy, so watch out if you order it medium spice level or above.
I’ve been going here for years since it opened. But lately I feel like it can be a hit or miss experience here. There was a time where my noodles and egg were overcooked, but were normal on my next visit. The food here is great, but I wish for more consistency.
-Evelyn
is probably the best kept secret in the 626. Ramen, Katsu and Curry’s most precious hidden gem in the SGV.
This is a Japanese owned and operated business. MamaSan works the night shift with son and daughter hosting the daily lunch crowd. And I mean, “crowd”. Come early or come late, but plan to wait.
The food is genuine and carefully well selected. I won’t say organic, but well chosen to the point of flavor bliss. The subtle style of good Japanese is found here with their select few dishes.
The only weakness is that this place is small and could be better kept. It’s an old school Japanese restaurant management and the traditional mentality of, “If it’s not broken, then it stays.” So come casually and relax with a small group of 4 or less. Anything larger will have trouble being seated.
Parking is in the back. Tell your family and friends. I’m coming back!
-Michael
