Kanji Ramen Noodle & Izakaya

I came here on a Thursday in between lunch and dinner. I was the only customer there. I ordered the Thai tea, Japanese bun (karaage), and the miso ramen. This review will be long and in depth because the food was phenomenal and I cannot recommend it more. I came because I wanted something warm to clear my sinuses from allergies. Starting with the service; I am giving it 5/5 stars, as soon as I walked in an older woman said welcome in and led me to a table. She was extremely attentive and brought out the ramen the second I finished my bun. There was a younger gentleman in the back in his phone; I was the only person there so I assumed he was on break or there wasn't anything for him to do. Atmosphere- lovely art on the walls, comfy chairs, sensory friendly lighting and noise level (at least when no one is there lol). Enough said; 5/5 stars. Food- best Thai tea in bend I've tried; a sweet and earthy flavor and larger portions than anywhere else in bend 5/5 stars. The karaage Japanese bun had a slightly unexpected presentation; it was more like a sandwich. It consisted of a fresh cucumber slice, a piece of fried chicken, a pickled Daikon slice, and a thick dark sauce (like teriyaki but saltier and not quite as sweet). Holy shit I never knew fried chicken could be so refreshing, it was juicy and delicious, paired with the veggies and sauce it was heavenly. I like the bun but it was a little tough and for that reason it gets a 4.8/5. On to the main dish: miso ramen. The broth was phenomenal, salty and with a very slight spicy kick from the miso. The toppings were fresh and high quality. I'll start by saying I don't normally like eggs or mushrooms but I really enjoyed them in this dish. The egg was heavenly; a slight sweetness and a perfectly jammy yolk. The wood mushroom was a great texture and mostly soaked up the flavor of the broth. Green onion was fresh and gave a nice little kick. The corn was sweet and soft. I'm not a huge fan of pork and the pork in this dish was just okay, not super juicy, the tiniest and I mean tiniest bit chewy. The bamboo shoots soaked up the broth flavor and provided a nice texture. The noodles were soft but not too much so. Overall 4.5/5 for the miso ramen. I left with a full tummy and snot dripping out of my nose lol, 5/5 awesome spot, location kinda sucks but it's worth it to drive there. Prices aren't cheap but aren't too expensive, I'd say pretty normal pricing for bend. I can't drink (underage) but they had a good selection of Japanese beer and sake. Highly recommend.

A Hidden Gem with Heart and Flavor Kanji Ramen Noodle & Izakaya delivered on every level. From the moment I walked in, the ambiance pulled me in—warm, inviting, and rich with culture. You could immediately tell the team here has a true passion for ramen and what they do. The service was incredible—attentive, kind, and knowledgeable. The food? Absolutely delicious. Every bite was devoured, and I already have a list of dishes I want to try next time. The menu has variety without being overwhelming, and the prices were surprisingly affordable for the quality. So glad I stopped in. If you're craving authentic, soul-satisfying ramen in a setting that feels both modern and rooted in tradition, this is the spot.

This place is phenomenal! The service is top knotch giving that Japanese hospitality and it has all of the Izakaya favorites you would expect one to have. THE RAMEN THOUGH!! I got the veggies and my boyfriend got the pork #3 and both were some of the cleanest and flavorful broths I have ever had , in the US or Japan. An unassuming gem in Bend! Definitely coming back and recommending to people.

Amy is the absolute best, the food is fantastic!!! What a hidden gem this place is. So glad I stumbled upon it. I will be back for SURE! We ate till we were stuffed and still have full bowls to pack up and take home. Come hungry! The #4 Black Garlic Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen is phenomenal and the Yakisoba was incredible too!!! This place is a must for any foodie. Pic was taken after we ate like Kings!!!! 🥰

The restaurant has a really nice atmosphere the decor is nicely decorated. The food was excellent. If you like ramen noodles, this is the place to go The waitress was very friendly and pleasant.

Decided to stop at this cute Japanese restaurant after a hike. The food was fresh and hot, the shrimp yakisoba noodles were amazing. My boyfriend had the black pepper ramen, he did mention it didn't have a lot of flavor. We had fried dumplings as an appetizer, they were amazing. The best thing about this restaurant was the service, the couple was so kind and patient with my 5 year old. They checked on us periodically to make sure we had everything we needed. Will definitely be stopping by again.

This is by far the best ramen in Bend! The ramen is flavorful. The portions are large. The staff is so friendly. The atmosphere is great. I have traveled to various places in Japan and can say the food they serve at Kanji is very authentic, with the happy twist that you can get gluten free noodles. There are other places in town, but the quality is 1/2 as good and the noise is twice as loud. Highly recommend.

I am forever on the hunt for the best ramen in America. I try it in every city I travel to. This place has some solid Tonkatsu ramen! The place is unassuming in a strip mall but it’s nice and clean. Menu is on the back of every booth. The service is stellar! Kind lady that served me was just great. Ramen was piping hot and broth was good.

Best Japanese food in Bend. One of the best restaurants honestly. I haven't had this good of Takoyaki anywhere in mainland USA - it compares significantly to the takoyaki I've had in Honolulu. We also ordered the black garlic tonkotsu which was amazing because it actually tasted like garlic (unlike some other ramens I've had lately) and the sesame balls for dessert. The sesame balls are crisped to perfection with gooey red bean inside. We definitely just found our new favorite Bend restaurant and will be back for more soon. 100/100 Interior: Warm and Welcoming - cute characters on the walls too. It's also cool to be in booths with the menu behind you. 100/100 Food: As per above 100/100 Service: Our waitress was so kind and boxed our ramens for us

YUMMMM!! Very unique and fresh sushi. Perfect date with my mom Ryoki roll and tuna tower was our favorite.

This is my second time here and it is just as good as I remember it! The shao long bao is the first thing we got, and the number 3 was my entree. The ramen is so good, the noodle texture is perfect and the marinated egg is my favorite. I am always blown away with the service and how nice and thoughtful the servers are. We felt very well taken care of even on a busy night.

Ramen was amazing, interior is super clean cozy and feels authentic, staff were super friendly, funny and had good recommendations. Wish I lived closer because the menu is really extensive and love to try more things!

Enjoyed the food. The gyoza was good and nicely cooked. The karaage was good too - really large pieces. For both, the dipping sauces seemed mild compared to what I'm used to. We were each happy with our mains: the tonkatsu ramen, black garlic ramen, and the tan tan ramen. The bowls were large and filled to the brim. The noodles were perfectly cooked and very plentiful - so the ramen bowls were very filling. Our server was very attentive. The ambience inside was much nicer than the nondescript exterior, which was a pleasant surprise. The only unfortunate note is that I was too full to attempt dessert. Would go again!

Will return for sure! Ramen, soup dumplings, and barbecue pork buns were delicious! Very friendly and quick service. Highly recommended!

Had the vegetarian ramen and fried rice. So good! 10/10! The hostess was super caring and considerate to our needs.

I love eating here when stopping through Bend! I've ordered most of the ramens by now and they are all outstanding: decadent broth and perfectly textured noodles. The XLB has also been sooo tasty every time. Huge shout out to the staff especially the server who is so sweet and diligent :)

10/10, highly recommend. Soup dumplings were DIVINE, we wish we had thought to order them earlier, as we would have ordered at least one more round. Ramen was some of the best we've had (went with the black garlic and the spicy something, both great). Staff was incredibly kind and service could not have been better. Top of the list for all future visits to the area.

Missing my favorite dishes that we get at the izakaya's in Hawaii, we stopped into this restaurant for dinner while in Bend. The restaurant wasn't too busy on the night we visited and our server was very helpful and prompt in greeting us. We didn't have ramen during this visit but we did order the following: Spring rolls- typical spring rolls you'd find at an Asian restaurant. Crab puffs - tasty but it could use more crab meat Gyoza- delish! Chicken karaage- tasty but it was a bit over cooked. Japanese bun- this wasn't my favorite dish as it the pork belly was over cooked and it lacked flavor. Chicken yakisoba- delicious option if you're not in the mood for ramen. Overall service was good and we liked most of the dishes we ordered here.

Delicious food and excellent service. Had several appetizers along with the spicy ramen. Loved it all

I had high hopes for this ramen place. I ordered take out and it was ready pretty fast. The girl working at the front was very friendly. The food tasted fresh but I feel like the flavors were lacking. There was nothing amazing about it. I ordered the chicken karaage and the spicy miso ramen. I chicken was good but I feel like the pieces needed to be smaller. They were awkwardly large but the flavor and crunch was good. The ramen was so spicy that's all I tasted. I love spicy but it was overpowering the entire dish. The pork tasted off to me. The rest was just plain. Nothing special about it. Also considering the portion size, $24 for a bowl of ramen with 4 small pieces of pork seems very expensive. It was fine. Nothing terrible and nothing amazing.

A group of 4 of us ventured in, looking for noodles for our first time in Bend on a cold night. We ordered the black garlic tonkotsu, the spicy miso, the kanji, as well as won ton soup and chicken karaage. The kaarage came first and was just lightly salted. It tasted like regular fried chicken. The ramen broth was good, if not a bit salty and lacking tonkotsu depth. The won ton soup was made of a pork broth and not as tasty as it could be (but that's what you get ordering Chinese at a Japanese place). The service was great, especially after a friend found something that shouldn't have been in her bowl. Overall, good ramen place for a small town!

We got takeout from this place. I ordered a couple of tonkotsu ramens and karaage on the phone and gentleman on the phone told me it would take about 20 minutes. What was supposed to be a 10 minute trip took 30 minutes after my cheap GPS took me through the hills of Bend into a private gated community. When I got there, my food was waiting. I picked it up from the cashier who greeted me and drove straight back to the hotel, without the help of the GPS that got me lost. Years ago, it used to be that I would never order Asian food in a small town like Bend. But, the ramen was better than I expected. It had a couple pieces of chasu, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushroom and a perfectly cooked egg. The broth and the noodles were good. It was a great bowl of noodles for Bend. The karaage (fried chicken) was overcooked. None of us liked it. Kanji was a great place to visit if you have a craving for ramen. It might not be as good as ramen from a big city, but, they definitely serve up a decent bowl.

Visited tonight, as a vegetarian not a lot of options. But they do have one veggie ramen. It was very tasty. Food came out very quickly and great portion size. Staff was very friendly and very attentive, kept asking if we needed anything else. Definitely check out if you are a ramen fan in Bend.

This place is honestly so underrated (although great reviews here on yelp). I just don't think many people know about it/go to it due to its location. Ramen is very authentic. Big portions. Great taste. And the staff are very friendly. Every time I've been, it's been pretty empty. Highly suggest!

While a bit pricey (where isn't these days?!), the food is phenomenal. The shao long bao is so tasty as are the sesame balls. The crab puffs were lackluster & wouldn't order those again. However, have tried the ramen & yakisoba and beyond being delicious, we had enough for leftovers, which is always a bonus. The service was excellent - I'm sorry I didn't get her name but our server was so charming & helpful. SE Bend can be a bit of a dining out desert. Kanji is a little jewel in the neighborhood.

Was great food and service - went for lunch and was clean and service was awesome! Had vegetarian ramen and was very flavorful

absolutely more than five stars, the black garlic ramen was one of the most satisfying and complex dishes i've ever had the pleasure of eating. My friend got the yakisoba and loved it as well, and we split the spicy pork dumplings that were to die for. Cute little spot with a nice bar and lots of booths, and the service was impeccable with the sweetest woman helping us out every time i go. She always checks in on us, making sure we're comfortable and happy. This is the best ramen in town by far, and it feels good to support a business that loves what they do.

So happy to have found Kanji in Bend. Unfortunately we don't have a ramen spot in Redmond, but we'll make the drive from Terrebonne to come here any day. I had the Tan Tan Ramen which was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet and my husband had the Spicy Miso Ramen, which had quite the kick. 10/10.

Kanji Ramen is the latest incarnation of an Asian restaurant in this south-side location, the previous two being Tin Tin Taiwanese and Tomo. Menu differences aside, if you visited Tin Tin or Tomo, you'll find Kanji very familiar. Almost identical, in fact. My credit card statement noted that I was billed from Tin Tin, so that tells you something. Although they have other things on the menu (it is an izakaya), as the name suggests, ramen is the main event here: tonkotsu, miso, tan tan and vegetarian are available. Tonkotsu ramen: they have three varieties - regular, shoyu and black garlic shoyu. They do not offer a spicy tonkotsu, something other ramen places (not in Bend) often do and to which I generally gravitate. Kanji does have a spicy miso ramen, also made with pork broth. I opted for the standard tonkotsu. Ramen is all about the broth. Get that right and you have a good bowl. Weak broth makes the bowl not worth eating. The best tonkotsu in my experience is made with broth rich enough that makes me wonder about my coronary health. Kanji's tonkotsu is not that broth. But it's not far off, so I enjoyed the bowl. It could certainly be a bit richer and more heart-attack inducing. Chashu, noodles, woodear mushrooms were all nicely prepared. The egg was too although I prefer it whole and with a runny yolk. I think next time I might ask if they have hot chili oil to add some extra character to the broth. Service was absolutely exemplary. The ambiance is just what I'm looking for in a ramen restaurant. The prices are reasonable. While I thought Tomo's ramen was quite good, prior to the arrival of Miyagi at the Box Factory, Bend was in need of a dedicated ramen joint. Now we have two. Recommended.

Expensive but super yummy and cute environment once you get inside. Located in a little strip mall.

Food was fine ~ honestly not worth an extra trip across town for . Although the service was fantastic

If I could give more stars I would! The staff was THE BEST my husband and I have had and the food was amazing. Best yakisoba. If we didn't live in Portland we'd be here on the regular.

Quiet restaurant, with nice murals, and friendly staff. Ordered the Kanji Ramen to go. Broth and ingredients were good, but there were four, heavily fried, clumps of Kanji chicken that were too similar to gristle to be eatable even after soaking in broth. I might eat here again but I do not recommend this particular dish.

This place is incredible! Been here twice and both times blew my mind. Got the spicy ramen and spring rolls and it was amazing. Can't wait to go back!

This is absolutely amazing! The food was incredible and so flavorful! The ambience was authentic with beautiful Japanese music in the background. The service was wonderful! I can't say enough about the whole experience. Thank you! We are so happy and will be back again soon!

Food ok especially offering veg broth, however, the last time I ate there the amount of veggies were more sparse, which did not please me at all. In the future, will not be eating here. ***However, the waitress was top notch.

Came here at 7 PM and ordered two Tonkotsu Ramens, a fairly generic order. We waited around 40 minutes for our food to get delivered. The waitress was friendly and kept coming by every 15 minutes saying it is almost ready. Coming from Los Angeles, our standard of ramen is pretty high. At $18 a bowl, I expected as such, but unfortunately not. Portions were large. Broth was yummy but definitely can reach a deeper depth if they wanted to. The Charsiu pieces were paper thin and I'm glad I didn't order extra (2 pieces for $4.50 is unreal) Overall, the food itself hit the spot and I'm not sure if it's fair to compare this to places in LA, but I took a star off due to the extremely long wait.

We thought it was an izakaya place but it's more like an Asian fusion place. Decent service and atmosphere but the food was overpriced and not good quality/taste. We ordered a variety of items and most of them are like pre-made style. Wouldn't recommend this place to folks who are looking for authentic Japanese food.

Not worth the money at all! Had to doctor up ever to add flavor. At $26 per bowl I could have doctored up a cup of noodle. I will definitely stick to miagi ramen for now on. Honestly this place was not good at all. If it was $15 a bowl I would have felt differently but for the money it will 100 percent be my last time. We ordered 3 different things and all of them needed sauce that my girl made in order to make them have flavor. Bland bland bland.

Wowwww. By far the best ramen I have had in Bend! The tonkatsu I had was rich and creamy with lots of delicious veggies and pork chashu. The marinated egg was cooked PERFECTLY! Service was friendly, funny and efficient. This was our 4th visit and it's been great each visit. PRO TIP: lunch time during the week is very mellow and quiet. Cmon in for lunch!

I'm on the north side and Kanji is on the south but i will definitely be making the drive again soon. Attractive room offering a variety of ramens plus. Enjoyed them quite a bit. Shout out to Amy who took care of us. Even though she was running the entire room by herself, we didn't really feel abandoned at any time. In fact, she was very entertaining. Can't wait to go back.

I love the ramen but the sides are pretty disappointing especially for the price. You are getting a fried wonton with no crab filling whatsoever

Best ramen in Bend!! Seriously, their broth has depth of flavor. Which honestly outside Japan is tough to find. My favorite is the black garlic, my husband loves the spicy miso. Their pork slices are all pork and they give a generous portion of noodles. Beyond the ramen, the gyoza is fresh and always hot when it arrives at the table. The spring rolls are delicious, my favorite menu item. The ambiance is inviting and the staff is so warm and helpful. They allow our group of friends to linger for hours. I love this place!

Went with a friend and ordered two vegetarian ramens. The server was extremely nice and friendly and the food was good. No wait on a Saturday night which was great!

Stopped for lunch while charging our truck across the street. My kids had gyoza, chicken karaage, and black garlic tonkotsu ramen, and all left super full and happy. My husband and I had the tonkotsu ramen and spicy miso ramen and both delivered! My spicy miso ramen was the perfect level of heat and had a bounty of toppings. The server was quick and attentive, and the overall restaurant was comfortable with a Japanese ramen/sushi vibe.

Very few vegetables in any dishes. The ramen was almost all pork with mushrooms corn and bamboo shoots. I would not go there if you are looking for fresh healthy food. Nice owners though.

Best ramen in BEND! We got the black garlic tonkotsu, spicy miso and ended with chicken Karage Ive had chicken karage from other places here and this is by far the only place I would get my karage. Everywhere else would pound the chicken with so much flour that it's more crunch from the flour than the chicken itself. Made me miss ramen I used to eat back in hawaii

Pretty typical and expected menu and food of a ramen place. The service is really good. They take good care of you. Great place to eat when in the mood for ramen.

So i lived in bend for three years, and only discovered kanji a few months before i moved, but those were the best few months of my life; i dream about this ramen. Im vegan, and it is very hard to find vegan ramen and soups that taste good (especially in bend,) but oh my lord, this is the best ramen i've ever had the privilege to eat. The vibe in Kanji is immaculate, and compares to no other, its calm and quiet, and very nicely decorated. The staff... are some of the kindest people i have ever met, they need a raise ngl. They are funny and polite, and don't disturb you every 2 minutes. Wish there was a higher rating I could give and i regret leaving bend for this sole reason, Kanji, i will always miss you.

Finally some legit ramen in Bend. Service was good, ramen is great. We got a couple sides, the Tornado Potato has a sweet and savory season to it that was great, kids loved it. The Gyoza was great also. Ramen in Bend is limited offering, the other main competition in town has the better location and setting, but the food is lackluster, so having a good option in town is refreshing. Will go back again for sure. I hope they don't suffer from the location, and would love to see them relocate.

I hate doing this but the food is grocery store level food at best that just paid $40+ that should have been $7 . I was so hoping this would've been amazing.

I like the food here it yummy and delicious Great staff and service Food take a bit to come though

I'm updating my review because these prices are absolutely outrageous, it used to be 12-18 dollars a bowl for ramen and now it's 25? This used to be my favorite spot, I understand the slight price hikes but 25 dollars a bowl, really? Who's running that circus? Sorry, there's no reason on gods green earth why we should pay over 50 dollars for 2 bowls of ramen, that's actually criminal and whoever is responsible for that should take good look the mirror and really evaluate your life decisions. RIP

Came through here two times while staying in bend, it was just a perfect meal to have after snowboarding all day. We had the takoyaki for an appetizer the first time & we tried the soup dumplings and the Japanese buns with pork the second time. The takoyaki was super yummy! We enjoyed the soup dumplings as well, although they served them in little metal tins and it was hard to get them out of them with chopsticks. The pork bun was just ok, the bun was a little harder than I would've liked. As for ramen I had spicy miso ramen the first time around & it was good, nice and spicy. My friend had the black garlic ramen and said it was some of the best ramen he had ever had, lots of umami flavor. We both had the tan tan ramen the second time around and it was also really good, not overly spicy and not too salty. They also had lots of different sake, we tried the plum sake & the Asian pear sake. I really enjoyed the plum sake. The service was always good, no wait either time we went. Would 100% come back here if I'm ever in bend again & recommend this place to anyone looking for a good cold weather meal.

This place is solid good service the ramen was great the steamed pork buns were amazing

We got the mala spicy miso ramen, the veggie ramen, Japanese pork buns, xiao long bao. The ramen was DELICIOUS. We both lived in China for several years and think it is just as good as what we ate overseas! Very authentic and good quality. They said they make their broth from actual bones, etc instead of a powder like most places. Also recommend the xiao long bao but thought the buns were a little dry. Highly recommend!

A really nice restaurant with a good atmosphere. It really feels like a ramen shop in Japan. There is a large variety of ramen options and the bowls are big. There are also a lot of side dishes to add on. If you miss the potato twisters from Applebee's, they have a Tornado Potato that is even better. I ordered one at last minute and it blew my expectations, it was delicious. They also have a lot of Japanese desserts which are also great. The attendant was polite and was on top of everything. We got there right after opening and everything came out very fast. This is a really cool place to go and I highly recommend it.