Katsubō

Katsubo is a good neighborhood asian spot in Park Circle. Took the place of the old Jackrabbit Philly, Katsubo presents a laid back, casual, and very K-Pop Gundam culture vibe which is extremely apparent with the Japanese / K-pop music. Started with Gyoza and spicy cucumbers. Gyoza was pretty par for the course, cucumbers were extremely flavorful and packed a kick! Not too hot, but if you eat the bowl you will feel it. Lots of nice nuttiness and crunch. The pork ramen was decent, nothing to rave about. The 3 peice chicken in soy was very flavorful and super tender, but not as crunchy as id like. Breading was kinda mushy. Tasty, but again, not raving about it. All in all, Katsubo is a great neighborhood addition but not something id travel far/wide for. Good value for the money and brings ethnicity to the local cuisine.

Only gave atmosphere a 4 out of 5 stars because it’s pretty loud inside but I’m in my 40s so maybe it’s just me. 😂 After living in Japan for 5 years, we are always looking for good Japanese food in America. We had gyoza, spicy red miso ramen and okonomiyaki style waffle fries — everything is fantastic! It was exciting to see more Japanese style ramen (hello, shio!) and even okonomiyaki on the menu! The ramen broth was fantastically spicy and flavorful, noodles are a little large and chewy— somewhat like udon (we like them more on the thin side) but that’s not a complaint just an observation. The okonomiyaki waffle fries are a brilliant and tasty combination. Definitely give them a try. My gyoza loving daughter devoured the gyoza and loved every bite. The service reminded us of the service in Japan — so attentive and caring. That’s a rare thing in America these days! What a beautiful and rare treat to be served by people that really care. Thanks for making us feel like we stepped into a ramen shop in Okinawa for a bit today. We will definitely return and recommend everyone give it a try!

I had really high hopes for this restaurant. Their fried chicken did not disappoint, it’s definitely worth trying and instantly brought back memories of my time in Seoul. However, the ramen fell short of expectations. The noodles were undercooked, leaving them unpleasantly chewy and sticky. I barely ate any of it, which is why I asked to take it to go. The service was just okay. Instead of taking my bowl to the back to pack it properly, the waitress brought a plastic container to the table and left us to transfer everything ourselves. It turned into a messy situation with broth spilling everywhere, definitely not ideal and easily avoidable. Also, be prepared for how loud it is inside. Between the crowd noise and the music blasting, it’s hard to hear yourself think. If you’re hoping for a quiet dinner or a place to enjoy your ramen in peace, this might not be the right spot.

Katsubō delivers an experience that feels both authentic and refreshingly modern. From the moment you sit down, it’s clear that every detail has been considered — from the thoughtful cocktail program to the curated selection of Japanese and locally brewed beers. The cocktails, in particular, struck a perfect balance between creativity and accessibility, offering refined flavor combinations without pretension or inflated prices. (Try the negroni) The appetizer offerings stay beautifully on brand, capturing the spirit of a true ramen shop while still feeling distinct and without sacrifice to shareability (or eat yourself if you’re hungry!) The wagyu ramen was nothing short of outstanding — a deeply flavorful broth, tender beef that nearly dissolved on contact, and noodles with just the right spring. A rare find that combines authenticity, value, and excellence — I’ll absolutely be returning. As for photos of food, I wasn’t able to get one. That bowl never knew what hit it

So. Much. Flavor. We will be coming back asap! You can’t go wrong with any item on the menu, but two highlights for us were the start and finish - cucumbers and strawberry ice cream sandwich. Unbelievably good. We also got the dumplings, cabbage salad, edamame, chicken sando, and noodles (special at the time). The drinks were delicious with great range and ingredients. We highly recommend katsubo!!

Great food at a fair price. The atmosphere is very fun with lots of anime and Japanese pop culture decor. Very friendly staff. Wasn't crowded for lunch during the week so that might be a good time to stop by.

Oh my god this place is amazing! The bao buns special was out of this world good. My yuzu margarita was nice and strong without being too much. Our server, Emma, was very friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, and made sure we were taken care of throughout our meal. The ramen itself was unbelievable. I'm a big fan of miso and the miso ramen was seriously the best I've ever had. The broth was seasoned so well, so savory and delicious! My boyfriend got the spicy sesame ramen which he also loved. We tried the "demon slayer" sake juicebox and it was so fun (and tasty). I'm so happy to have found this place, we will definitely be back!

Very few vegetarian options. The only soup they had was extremely salty. We will not return because the one soup was the only non-meat main dish option. Or maybe return get a meat ramen and ask them to not put meat in it? The mushroom bao bun (seasonal appetizer) was the best! Service was seriously great.

So. Much. Flavor. We will be coming back asap! You can't go wrong with any item on the menu, but two highlights for us were the start and finish - cucumbers and strawberry ice cream sandwich. Unbelievably good. We also got the dumplings, edamame, chicken sando, and noodles (special at the time). The drinks were delicious with great range and ingredients. We highly recommend katsubo!!

I've dined in and picked up takeout at Katsubo and have to say I'm obsessed with their crispy fried chicken. That comes as no surprise since Katsubo has roots going back to the folks that owned Kinfolk in Johns Island (which I miss dearly). So far I've only had the soy garlic flavor which is excellent, but I would like to try the others. I just heard they're doing $1 wings on Wednesdays now so that would be the perfect time to try them all. When dining in, we also shared an order of okonomiyaki and a ramen as well. The okonomiyaki was different compared to others I've had in the past, but tasty in its own right. I would like it a little crispier on the grill I think. The ramen broth had deep flavor and the noodles had a nice bouncy texture. Don't forget to check out the cocktails too... the Katsubō Fashioned was my favorite.

Perfect place to visit on a rainy evening. What could be better than a huge (HUGE) bowl of Ramen?! Service was great, immediately seated and greeted. Waiter was helpful in the questions we had. Settled on the potsticker style appetizer (amazing) and we each ordered different types of ramen. Arrived quickly. Missing a star bc I ordered additional mushrooms and an egg to be added to my ramen and neither were, sadly. Will be back again. Please note the venue is small and cozy!!

Ramen is a must! Pack with so much flavors! Whatever you decide to get, ask for the togarashi. It will bring the broth to the next level . Savory, salty, and spicy. Heck yeah! The gyoza was a letdown. I didn't like the seasoning in the fillings and the dipping sauce. And that made me sad. I'm going go back to try other ramen. Looking forward to my next visit.

Usually when I pay this much for ramen I'm annoyed because the ramen itself is OK but not so great to justify this kind of price. The ramen here was really good. I had the Yuzu Shio and everything had a nice fresh taste and the noodles were springy not mushy. The pork gyoza and pickled daikon starters were outstanding. The kids had chicken tenders and fries and the Haikkaido Miso and liked them. They also had ice cream sandwiches which were MASSIVE and they loved but it was just too much for them. My server Eris was friendly and quick. Good place all around! Only knock on it is the somewhat limited menu. J.Ja

Katsubo is a gem in Park Circle. I ordered the Tantanmen Pork Ramen - the broth was rich, creamy, and perfectly spicy, layered with chili heat that didn't overpower but lingered just right. The pork was tender with crispy edges and the noodles had a perfect bite. The vibe inside is cool, clean, with fun Japanese pop culture touches that make it feel vibrant but not overdone. The service is quick and friendly with the whole menu being affordable. Definitely need to come back to try their fried chicken!

Cute little spot close to Park Circle. They have a great happy hour menu from 4-6p. You can grab a table or sit at the bar. Lara is a great bartender and very friendly. The ramen is pretty chewy with more noodles than broth and no spicy options except the miso. I got the spicy miso and would NOT call it spicy. When I asked for chili oil to give it a little kick, I was given sesame oil and chili powder. None of the ramen comes with a soft boiled egg in it but you can add it for additional $. I got the pot stickers which were good but the sauce was too sweet. There is no parking lot so you must find street parking or down the road. Make sure not to park in the lot Nextdoor as it's for the barber. There is a covered patio out front but I wouldn't bring a large party here as it's pretty cozy inside.

The food here was flavorful and hearty. I was impressed by the variety and quality of the vegetarian options. The interior was cute and the service was as-expected. Overall, no complaints at all here. If I lived in the area, I would definitely be back for the veggie ramen.

I've never had ramen at a restaurant before so I had no expectations, but absolutely loved it! The ramen was so flavorful and filling and customizable. I got the spicy red miso ramen and am already looking forward to having it again. My husband and I each had 2 cocktails and they were all great - they went so well with the ramen. Our service was very attentive and helpful. It's a small restaurant but definitly gives a cozy vibe. Plus they have a cute logo!

Fun new ramen spot in park circle! I'm so so glad Charleston is getting more diverse food options. Ramen is one of my favorites so I was really excited to try this place. The inside is a little dark, but in a good way. There's booths, tables and a bar (which I love). There's lots of Japanese inspired decor with fun anime prints on the wall. We ordered the tantanmen spicy ramen with chicken and 8 piece pork gyoza. The ramen was pretty good, but the sesame broth brought it down a bit for me. I like spicy and the sesame just hit me with too much sweetness for a broth that's supposed to be spicy. But the noodles were good and the portion was nice. They charge extra for a soft boiled egg which I find odd since it's so common in most ramens. The pork gyoza was very good. They had a crispy outside shell, tasty filling and a thick, rich dipping sauce. It was plenty of food to share between my husband and I. The bartender was awesome. He took great care of us and continuously checked in on us. The draft beer was nice and cold and very reasonably priced! We will definitely come back for happy hour to try more of their dishes. The wings kept coming out and they looked amazing! Will absolutely try next time!!

Stopped in for a quick weekday lunch and tried the ramen- service at the bar was attentive and friendly. We had several questions about spice levels and toppings/garnishes and got helpful direction. The food came out fast and hot - as expected from the menu. The vegetarian broth was flavorful and rich which was great. The space is pretty much the same as JackRabbit left it - less decor and a tv playing anime which was a bit weird but I guess on-brand. Bathroom floors were sticky.

Slurp up! There's a new ramen and katsu spot in town. Welcomed by the cutest welcome mat that is so fitting for the space. There was no way and quickly sat down in an intimate seating. I ordered the chicken tenders with gochujang sweet and spicy flavor, togarashi waffle fries with okonomiyaki style, and the pan fried pork gyoza dumplings. The flavor was devine! The gyoza was my favorite followed by the waffle fries. Service was excellent! The server offered utensils in case I wasn't comfortable using chopsticks. They provided explanations for the new words or foods I was stumped on. A special touch was they provide hand cleansing wipes since the chicken can get a little messy. I'm excited to come back and try more things!

Katsubo Chicken & Ramen in Park Circle has a unique and flavorful menu. I ordered the spicy chicken Hokkaido miso ramen which is a miso based bone broth served with kikurage, corn, scallions, narutomaki and mayu oil. It's quite spicy and helped drain my sinuses. I also love that bone broth is great for gut health. The ramen was flavorfully fierce, thanks to some unexpected pairings that totally redefined what ramen can be! My boyfriend enjoyed his honey garlic jumbo tenders which he said reminded him of a light lemon grass sauce. I tried some of his fries and ranch dipping sauce which both had a kick to them. Our waitress was sweet, helpful and I ended up ordering what she recommended. A cute unassuming place with ample parking. They also accept Blackbird for the win!

I'm so sorry to be this person (I was so hopeful from seeing the good reviews), but this place is not great. I appreciate what they're trying to do and for someone who's never had ramen or Korean fried chicken before, maybe this is a good introduction. For anyone who's had decent quality ramen and KFC before, this place will disappoint. I used to live in Texas and have travelled all over and had a variety of different levels of ramen, but I don't think I've ever not wanted to finish the bowl before coming here. The soft-boiled eggs were not done properly and came out more hard-boiled, you should soak them in room temperature water, boil them for 7 and a half minutes, then soak them in an ice bath. Not to mention I had to pay a $2 up charge to add an egg to my ramen (every single other ramen place I've been to includes an egg already because that's standard...). The pork was burnt and crispy, not fatty in any way. The broth was gross. I would have much rather stayed home and made shin or buldak. For the Korean Fried Chicken, I would say your average bbq chicken (the chain) is worlds better than this. The breading was weird and there was absolutely no spice in the gochujang flavor - tasted more like honey bbq from Chili's but I would say Chili's quality is better. What I will give them points for is the ambiance. I loved seeing anime and video game characters around. Very cool-kawaii. Again, I really appreciate what they're trying to do and hope that feedback can be seen as constructive, but if you have had good ramen or Korean fried chicken before, you will be disappointed here. Hope that they can take some pointers from some other establishments and improve.

Exquisite food and fantastic atmosphere. Katsubo is fun all around for a reasonable price. Check out the Happy Hour!

Little has changed since Katsubo Chicken & Ramen took over the former location of Jackrabbit Filly. The layout of the previous restaurant is the same, but some new posters and decorations help make this place its own. The service is friendly and efficient and willing to help with explanations or suggestions if needed. My wife started with the Jasmine Drop a play on a Lemon drop but with Japanese flavors. It was crisp and not too sweet. I tried the Sub-Zero's sake named for the Mortal Kombat character. A bright blue slushie with Yuzu, Lemonade, Sake, and Blue Curacao. I added the Fatality Floater, which was a choice of any house liquor, I went with tequila since it was a frozen drink. All the flavors blended well. For our starter we tried the Togarashi fries which we ordered okonomiyaki style. These were some of the best waffle fires, if not the best! They were bursting with amazing flavor from the spices and sauces and were perfectly crispy. My wife ordered the six-piece wings with the sweet & spicy gochujang sauce and yuzu ranch for dipping. Our minds were blown by how absolutely huge the wings were! The biggest I have ever seen! The double frying made them super crispy while the sauce gave a delicious, sweet heat that make you come back for more. They were so big my wife couldn't finish them. I ordered the Yuzu Shio ramen; I ordered chicken as my protein. It was a very generous serving with fresh veggies and a broth that reminded me of lemon chicken. I added a Seasoned soft-boiled egg which really paired well with the ramen. The noodles were thin and very tender. This is one of those places that after you eat here you know that this place is going to take off. Get there before they are discovered!

This is exactly what we needed in Charleston!! The ambiance- amazing, quaint, cool wall decor. The food- stellar. I had the Tantanmen Ramen with a soft boiled egg and it was perfection. Me and my friend also shared the Togarashi Waffle Fries Okonomiyaki style, and that was unexpected, but delicious. What a great new place in Park Circle. Very friendly staff too!

I had the Yuzu Shio ramen... best ramen I've ever had in my life. I can never finish my entire bowl of ramen, but this was too good to waste. The pork was melt in your mouth tender and the broth was so flavorful it was good on its own. Service was great as well. I'll definitely be coming back here and recommending to friends. My only suggestion is that they consider providing guest wifi for their remote work patrons.

Got a table as a party of 6. We all good variations of their fried chicken. You have the option to get 3 or 6 chicken drumsticks glazed with a choice of sauces. I asked if I could do 2 sauces for 6 drumsticks and they said no... so I ended up getting 3 drumsticks and 6 wings so I could try 2 flavors. The food came and 2 of the orders were wrong, mine and my friend's. My fries were also missing. They said they would get new fries out and it took them 15 minutes so we were all done with our food by then. We asked for the check and the waiter brought us 1. We asked if he could split it and he said no, and that the "system was being weird". On top of that we were automatically charged 20% tip because we were a large party. No way that service was worth 20%. As far as the food is concerned, the fried chicken was dry on the inside and the outside batter was crispy but way too thick. They are trying to imitate a Korean fried chicken concept but they're failing. That's not Korean fried chicken just because they're double frying it. Won't be returning.

Super delicious and fun to visit! Love the ramen and the chicken. They have fun specials, too.

We really liked our gyoza, spicy cucumber and cabbage pancake. We looked forward to the chicken tenders but because they use breast meat, they were so dry from the double fry. I am not a wing person so I won't try those but if they offered thighs instead of breast, I'd say they would be a 10/10. The flavors were good. The staff was very friendly. The fly situation was less than optimal inside.

If you liked the feel and scene of Jackrabbit Filly, you'll like Katsubo. The ambiance and scene are the same with the same seating availability. I came for the ramen and tried the pickled starters while I waited. It was ok, one of the things it seems to be hard to get around the Charleston area is HOT broth. Luke warm soup with a very good marinated egg that was worth the dollar upgrade. What wasn't worth the upgrade was the tiny amount of extra mushrooms. The flavors weren't too heavy and the noodles were bouncier than other ramen places around town. Nothing was bad, just underwhelmed by how this place stayed consistently on par with the ramen scene in town.

I don't know if I've ever had Ramen since college in a .29 pack but last night was an awesome experience! The food was all delicious! I highly recommend giving Katsubo a try!

Tiny portions for 16 dollar ramen. Chashu pork wasn't seasoned at all and completely gray in color. Service good for the most part. Also, trying to upsell an egg in ramen at 16 dollars already, isn't typical. Should be included.

Such a unique restaurant and wonderful experience. We had several appetizers and they were all wonderful. Definitely try the wings and cucumbers. Service was top notch!

Delicious and friendly! We loved the suggestions of Ramen, all 3 we had were different and uniquely flavorful. Jess at the bar seating was a delight with the most amazing cocktails and friendly service. She even suggested a Mocktail that was delicious and made me forget it didn't have alcohol but the flavor profile was like that of a drink that did have alcohol. Like what!?! The chef even came out and visited with us to help us make our meal selection. What a place and so excited to have a true bowl of ramen. Thank you chef and staff!! Cheers

Ramen was underwhelming, if you're going to list chicken chashu as a meat, sell chicken chashu, not strips of rotisserie chicken. Also 16$ for a bowl of ramen with just broth, noodles, meat and some scallions and seaweed is kind of ridiculous. Here's hoping the sandos are better. Drumsticks were good.

This place is amazing! I have been here 7 times already and every time I leave I can't wait to come back! Staff is great and the food is outstanding. If you love great food and excellent service do yourself a favor and try this place!

So delicious! Great addition to the community. The space is a vibe and the drinks are just as good as the food. Don't miss the fried chicken sandwich!

I think this is my new favorite ramen in Charleston, and the chicken wings were really good too. Definitely interested in trying everything I saw on the menu.

Do not sleep on this place! the spicy cucumbers are a must have! we had the honey garlic wings and they were perfect it every way. we had the Tantanmen ramen and it had the perfect amount of spice with a rich broth!