Kokage Ramen and Sushi

Melissa, I'll call Mike for the places the definition of a hidden gem. Great food and service. Amazing big sushi rolls for a fair price. I live in Orange County and when I'm down here I always go.

This is the best ramen I have had. The tonkotsu broth has so much flavor in it! I typically do not enjoy going out for ramen because the broths I have had are, well, flavorless. So I was nervous when my friend asked to take me here, but I went. Best decision because I was blown away by how much flavor there was, the noodles, the accommodations, and the service of the waiter. The chicken karaage was a classic fried chicken and overall very good too. I will definitely be back to try more of the menu!

5 out 5, this is a highly recommended spot to go to, ideal for all situations with family, friends, or a date. The Environment is amazing the staff is very friendly but the most important part is the food. It is top-of-the-line Japanese food it tastes amazing. If you ever wanted to go try Japanese food this is the place for you and the price is great. Honestly a small family of 4 could eat for 60 to 70 because of the portion of food it was well worth it and easy. On my favorite spots to eat at.

Quiet area of San Marcos across the way from Target and right next to Ding Tea and Joyee's Dumpling House. Nice mom and pop shop was decorative and quaint. Pricing is moderate, $$. We loved the Maze Soba. It came with a tray of chili oil, vinegar, black pepper and fried garlic chips to make it to your liking, but was savory as is. Chicken karaage was made fresh and came out piping hot and crispy. Came with the sweet mayo and wedge of lemon. Also had their spider roll and that was delicious - you can taste the soft shell crab in every bite. Our hostess was very attentive and kind, even came out to ask if we dropped a sunglass cover (which our friend did drop). Recommended to stop by here if you're in the area!

My husband and I visited this place for dinner. I had the Ramen with seafood and lime broth. The best ever so YUMMY!😋🍜 My husband had two excellent sushi rolls! 🍣.. service is really good, and nice environment.. Come stop by for dinner! And don't forget, ask for Ramen with seafood and lime broth. Highly recommended. It's so good!

This place is fantastic! Authentic Japanese. Such a wonderful staff, wonderful food, great pricing!

This place has amazing food, very outstanding. Also I’m not much of a small talk person but the small talk with the waitress is amazing and I feel very comfortable and welcome here. I definitely recommend coming here!

The broth didn’t have enough flavor, the noodles stuck together for some strange reason, the spicy miso that my mother got was awful, the shrimp tempura wasn’t that great some parts of it felt a little mushy, don’t come here instead go to Menya Ultra by far the best ramen I’ve had it has long lines but it’s worth it for the food. Do not come here👎

Was looking for a late night dinner option and Kokage came up. Sushi rolls were tasty and service was great. Glad to have another go to sushi spot.

A little gem of north county! Had the Spicy Miso Tonkatsu and my sibling had the Tsunami Ramen. Added the spicy bomb (barely a touch it) and it added a great kick! This place knows they're spicy very well! Enjoyed their broth and noodles. Staff is very friendly! Cute little place! Definitely up there as one of my favorite north county ramen spots.

Super cool that this place is open late! Thanks for being open past 9 pm! We wanted soup and came here for the ramen, even though they have sushi. A young lady greeted us and she served us. She was attentive and helpful in answering our questions and letting us know about the late happy hour deals (alcohol only). I really enjoyed the vegan broth - so creamy! Even my bf wanted more of mine! I wish there was more broth though - I like some broth in every bite. If you like a spicy kick, I recommend their xxxhot paste, but be careful. Haha! I couldn't tell it was spicy so I kept adding more before my taste buds were able to catch up. My bf ordered the spicy misp ramen and he liked his. He added a bit of the spicy paste too. We also very much enjoyed the edamame with a squirt of lemon. It reminded my bf of Diablo shrimp. This spot is very intimate, small spot, but a cool little spot. We'll be back!

i think I've maybe written two reviews in my life; but this ramen was so good I felt compelled to write one. as a military brat, I grew up eating Japanese food; I've been spoiled by NYC ramen and now as a resident of LA's Japan Town (Sawtelle), I have had my fair share of top notch ramen. I was visiting my parents in Oceanside and after a Target run, my mom and I decided to try Kokage. The veggie tempura was perfection - fresh veggies with light crispy batter...the spicy tonkatsu miso ramen creamy, savory, and beyond satisfying. I see Kokage quickly becoming a fav ramen spot.

SERVICE: We walked in at 9pm to dine in and Tomó I believe her name was helped us out immediately. I almost want to cry because she was and has been the most kindest, humble, sweetest person to ever attend us in any restaurant. She was absolutely kind and going above and beyond for my 3 and 1 year old. She made my kids so happy. She cleaned our table right away, sat us down and took our orders as soon as we were ready. The atmosphere is so peaceful. FOOD: Absolutely freaking delicious. I have ordered here so many times to go and never dine in and dine in is by far the best option to eat here. Absolutely recommend 10/10

Been here a couple times now, and do enjoy it here quite a bit. It's a smaller restaurant but they do have a good amount of seating and the service here has been fast and friendly. I've tried the Umami Tonkotsu and Spicy Miso ramen, as well as the chicken karaage and a Dancing Salmon roll. So I'll say that I'd mostly get the ramen here as far as main dishes for sure. The sushi roll I had was decent, but would probably go elsewhere. The karaage was also really tasty and juicy; not quite as crunchy/crispy on the outside but I liked how juicy it was. Sometimes other places dry it out in their frying process. I also liked that they served it with kewpie Mayo. Would definitely come here again!

Cozy inside and great service. We were greeted right away, friendly and attentive server, kept our waters filled throughout the meal. Sushi was fantastic, quality and freshness 10/10. I went out of my usual comfort zone and got the yellowtail roll and it was so good. None of tried the Ramen but another customer was raveing about it. So we will be coming back here again. They were very polite to tell us the kitchen closed at 10 but didn't pressure us to leave.

Our server was one of the most attentive and helpful I have encountered! Cute place with warm and welcoming atmosphere, great parking, easy to find, and steady-busy; not crazy busy so we could enjoy our meal at a decent noise level. We both got ramen and were completely satisfied- DELICIOUS!!!

Came here on a whim and I found the food to be amazing. Had the ramen and feel in love with it. The waitress was friendly and gave great service.

Staff, music and ambiance was amazing! Food was just okay but I'd go again. They have a great happy hour menu! Overall a good experience!

Absolute cinema. Me and my girlfriend just got done with dinner on a Friday night, we ordered 2 rolls (Philly, crunchy) and a ramen bowl. Everything was prepared perfectly, Ramon was hot and lightly salted (some places have too much salt, the brine was delicious with the pork) Waiter and owner were very nice and accommodating. The place is very small but packs a punch, well worth the wait. Highly recommend!

Great customer service and the server (Michael) really knows his food ! no issues here just a great vibe and relaxing lunch with kiddo. Thank you for your excellent service !

Food was delicious but the service was horrible!! We felt as though we were an inconvenience as we were placed outside in the cold. Asked for assistance and were brushed off, party next to us was checked in on and we were not. No children's menu anymore and not family friendly. My last visit!

Food was delicious! Got both sushi and ramen. We got a sushi roll recommended by the waiter and it was delicious and the flavor combo went perfectly with the rest of the meal. The waiter also provided great service! we will definitely be coming back here soon.

A lovely non-assuming small business in a Target shopping center. I might have completely missed it had I not been specifically looking for sushi in the area. Very mom & pop type place...the service was great. Food was delicious. Price was good. I don't live in the area but I would come back next time I was around. Very cute decor, clean, spacious. However not the place for a large party.

Tomo deserves a raise! I came in closer to 10pm and somehow the restaurant got super busy, she handled everyone with so much kindness and smile on her face. My son ordered a custom roll, Liam approved 10/10. I ordered the Spicy ramen, could have been more spicy but still good. We enjoyed the music and welcoming ambiance. My 10 year old claims this to be his new fav sushi spot To finish our night we ordered mango mochi, to our surprise Tomo was said it was in the house!

After writing a review for this place, I realized I really should give it another go since all I had had to go on previously were a few rolls brought home in haste. So, with my son in tow and a hankering for Ramen, we finally came back to give it a fair shake. And honestly, I was pretty spot on before. First off, if you do come here, the Ramen is the real star of the show. We split a bowl of Tomkotsu and the flavors were pretty immaculate. With a broth made of pigs feet and apples, the collagen come out very nicely, with a hint of acid that gives it a richness that almost tricks the senses into thinking they boiled a few pounds of lobster and crab shells in there for added depth. The noodles were top notch, the eggs was perfectly soft boiled, and the chashu, while it could have been a bit saltier and crispier on the edges, was still a nice addition. We had another round of California Rolls, which tasted alright, but were a bit dry, making them crumbly as a result. The Rainbow Roll that followed helped make up for that by adding sweet and oily fish on top, making for a better all around roll. Last, we split another Abre la Boca Mucho Roll and I have to say that this was the one that makes me feel that Kokage is pretty average. The size of the roll was fine, helping it to live up to its title, but the fry on it made the whole of it a bit unappetizing. From the staleness of the tempura making it taste like the oil hadn't been changed in a while, to the warm cook through of the crab meat that almost reminds one of cat food on the tongue; it's nowhere near the worst rendition of similarly fried fare I've ever had at a sushi spot, but it's definitely reminiscent of those bad dishes from the past and it really drags down what could almost be an alright, but still very filling, dish. Anyway, second time around and Kokage impressed greatly with their ramen, but their fresh sushi didn't fare any better compared to similar orders chilling for 30+ minutes in a box. With better places closer to home, this may just be a spot for some take home the occasional bowl and not much else.

Very kind server and paid good attention! Food was great size portions and tasted great! Good prices and quiet as well.

This used to be our favorite sushi spot but our order has not been what we expect or ordered in the beginning. The last time they forgot a whole sushi roll in our order, this time we ordered two spicy ramen and we got the regular. Just upsetting as it used to be such a great spot to come into and never worry about our order being wrong.

Kokage is a super cute ramen and sushi spot in San Marcos. The outside is unassuming but also welcoming. Located in a shopping center we found there to be plenty of parking and this spot was easy to find. The interior is super cute and cozy. Definitely gives off Japanese sushi vibes and aesthetics. The service here was fantastic! Our waiter was super kind and on top of things. I was impressed with his ability to multi task. He was the only one manning the floor, from taking orders to ringing up people for to go and pickups. I don't know how he did it all while delivery fantastic service. I'm only sorry I didn't get his name as I'd give him mad kudos. The food would be brought out to us from someone in the back, he was also friendly with a smile on his face. Service here was hands down 5 stars the night we came. Don't get me wrong, the food here is good. But good in an average "know what to expect kind of way" so like a solid 4 stars. There is nothing here we had that will blow your socks off but sometimes that's okay. When your ordering simple sushi rolls you know what to expect. Our table had an array of the basics, California rolls, spicy tuna rolls, and Philadelphia rolls. All rolls tasted fresh but presentation was just a little sloppy (rolls cut quickly and not as uniform as a traditional sushi house standard would be). The ramen here was also tasty but not the best I've ever had. I ordered the tonkotsu ramen which traditionally is a little creamier and rich. Based on the picture you can see that it's not giving that coloring per say that you'd traditionally see. However, it was a tasty bowl of ramen. The noodles were cooked to perfection, a nice egg, and the pork on top was melt in your mouth delicious. Happy that I could indulge in both sushi and ramen at this spot. They have a large menu here so your bound to find something tasty for anyone in your party.

The food here is AMAZING. SUPER CLEAN and so delicious. We have become forever loyal customers. More people need to know about this place.

Recently tried Kokage and I thought it was just ok. We had the Spicy ramen, shrimp tempura, California roll, crispy rice with spicy tuna, and Agadashi tofu. Everything was fine except the crispy rice was not the best texture. The rice got stuck in your teeth really bad and the tuna comes in a ball. I wasn't a fan of the spicy mayo that came with it either. Might be back for ramen but not sushi for me.

Tried this place for the first time today and I loved it. I love how cute it is inside. I recently went to Japan and it reminded me of the restaurants there. The ramen was delicious and so was the sushi. The fish tastes fresh which is awesome. I got to interact with I believe it was the owner? Very nice people. I definitely will go back:)

Coming from someone who has been to Japan, this place was very authentic. I had the tonkatsu, seaweed salad, and a sapporo for their happy hour. My girlfriend had the chicken karage bowl. Everything was delicious and the service was great!

The food was interesting. The service was great. Our waitress took the time to explain the menu items. We ate in the restaurant...tables were comfortable and we had enough room.

I've ordered food here frequently for about the last year and 3 months, since I live about 5 mins away from it. I usually order online for pickup and the food is always pretty good. I ordered two sushi rolls and unfortunately as I was eating the second roll which was the "Aurora Roll" I saw a piece of black hair that was about two inches long sticking out from the next roll that I was about to bite into. Hair in my food grosses me out beyond measure. I was also pretty bummed too because the sushi here isn't the cheapest. I also ordered the garlic edamame which is usually super yummy as well but it seemed like there was barely any garlic butter on the Edamame which was super disappointing. I'm not sure if today was a bad day for them? Or what. But I draw the line at finding hair in my food. It's disgusting. Although this is the first time it's happened, it's a major turn off for me.

Service is always great in this establishment. On top of that the food is great quality, I really enjoy every bite I take, and I am never disappointed with the taste or quality.

Saturday, June 8th. My family and I came in for lunch at 12:45-1pm. It wasn't busy, and we were seated right away. The workers were friendly and served us right away. I ordered the crunch roll and spider roll. They were pretty tasty! My cousins ordered chicken pho soup, tempura, and other sushi. The bathroom was very clean and well supplied. When I'm in town again, I will go there and try other items.

Tsunami Ramen and Vista roll were so good! Also ordered sides of Fried squid and Steamed gyoza that were also amazing! I would highly recommend coming to eat here!

It's a cute place that reminds me of cafes in Tokyo. The food is always delicious, and for regular prices in the area. The staff are quick and very nice, but my favorite part is that they play Japanese music all day. I highly recommend the sushi and the ramen. I'm never patient enough to take a picture of the food before I eat it, but believe me, it looks and tastes great.

The food is okay, the servers are polite enough when talking with you, but this place constantly secretly upcharges. The first time I went with my husband was during happy hour and we ordered from the happy hour menu, I handed my card before looking at the bill which turns out they charged some of our items the regular price instead of happy hour price. Whatever, I still tipped and thought it was a one time error. However, a few months later I stopped by to grab lunch to go and they did the same thing. The price on the printed menu from the restaurant that I grabbed right before ordering said $11.70, and then when I got my receipt they had charged me $12.30 instead and then tax so it was $13.31, and then asked for tips on top of that. I can't support a business with unethical charging practices.

This is a smaller restaurant, very clean, nicely decorated with great service and food, serving sushi and ramen. The staff is very friendly and attentive. We had their specialty, spicy tonkotsu miso ramen bowl. Made with homemade pork broth. Although it was spicy it was just a nice warm feel in the mouth. Savory, not too salty. We'll be back to try more.

Broth is very flavorful, and clean. Perfect portion, you will be satisfied. Dragon roll was very fresh! Great happy hour deals 4-7. Exceptional service, very welcoming and kind.

Nice place...The tonkatsu ramen is my favorite...the taste is great...not to salty as others..good size for a single serving. Wife ordered the spider sushi and it's equally awesome too..Service is fast and very knowledgeable...

4.5 Good spot, food and service! Went for a lunch with friends after church. Mainly they have ramen and sushi but some other things like a chicken bowl or poke salad. My friends got ramen and I got the vista roll and spicy garlic edamame. The only downer was that a group took up the inside seating so there was only a few spots left outside. You can technically use up some of the other stores outside but some of you rule followers, it may stop you! We were able to get a spot outside and the service was great! We were technically a "to-go" but the server totally treated us as dine- in customers. Go support your local business!

I'm not sure if it was an off day, but the spicy tonkatsu miso ramen was absolutely awful. The texture was super oily and there was hardly any flavor to the broth. The pork was mid level and very scarce. Two very thin slices of pork. We also got the dragon roll. It was standard in taste, nothing out of the ordinary. The three stars are for service and for the standard tasting roll. I'm not sure I'll want to give them another chance.

We usually go to Junmai Sushi in Vista (besssttt sushi spot) but we went here because it was after 9pm and Junmai was closed. 5 stars for being open late 4 stars for service. Very sweet and it was quick. Everyone around us seemed to be well taken care of too. 3 stars because their menu was very basic and the sushi wasn't all that great. Also, they didn't have any chicken and my husband wanted the chicken plate so he barely ate :( Sadly wouldn't return and would opt for non-sushi if it were after 9pm instead of settling.

Great food and the waitress was very friendly, making some good suggestions for my next visit.

This is the most authentic ramen in the California compared to Japan. The service is phenomenal, with a welcoming and kind staff. The overall experience was wonderful and the prices were very fair. The ramen was great and the sushi was spectacular!

Maybe their other menu options are better, but as a ramen eatery, this place is no good. The ramen quality is closer to 3 stars, but giving this place 1 star because they charge 5-star ramen prices. We had the tonkotsu and spicy tonkotsu ramen. The ramen comes with two very thin slices of pork, kikurage mushroom, green onion, and a ramen egg for $15.50. Any more than that costs extra. We chose to add corn for $1.80 more. After tax and before tip, it cost $35, which feels like a rip-off for the low quality ramen bowl you get. There wasn't much flavor other than being salty, and the broth was served lukewarm. The noodles were hot, but that wasn't enough to warm up the broth or the other ingredients. Go to Gonzo or Harumama and pay just $1-$2 more for 10 times better ramen.

I was so disappointed especially because of these reviews. I didn't have a great experience and I eat sushi on the regular.... While the staff was nice, I asked for a side of Eel sauce, they said yes of course, and there wasn't any. Usually that's not a problem and this is a common occurrence at restaurants (forgetting to provide the customer with something extra) however if you look at my picture and see the very little amount of Eel sauce that came on the roll...very disappointing. Not to mention they used literal rice Krispy cereal as their "crunch" that I paid an extra $0.80 for. The roll also didn't taste very good. Super sad over here. You know when you're craving sushi and finally treat yourself after a long day? Imagine that and having this experience. I do not recommend and will not be returning unfortunately.

I got a caterpillar roll through delivery, can you even tell this is a EEL FISH roll??? $16 for a California roll with fingertip amount of eel fish?? this is the place that made me start to like eel fish rolls when i first visited, very disappointing to see this, I legit couldn't taste any eels fish besides the eel sauces. $16 and this is all the eel fish you can offer??? I cant not believe my eyes, I honestly think this place has well made ingredients than most sushi places, but this is just disappointing :(

Been in twice. Good ramen, friendly service. It's a good staple location for a tried-and-true vibe. (Meaning, "old reliable".) They're very consistent! The flavors of the ramen are en pointe. Location is easy off the 78 and parking is vast because it shares a lot with Target. While there are other ramen places I'd recommend over Kokage (see below), this is the best ramen place for a quick ramen dinner in North County. Note: they only have fried gyoza For a date night a little north, hit up 9STYLE in San Clemente. For a lunch/beach vibe, check out Gonzo in Carlsbad. **For a quick bite or a low key catch up with a friend meal, go to Kokage.*** I will definitely be back here for ramen when I'm in the area! Also, my friend got the sushi and LOVED IT.

This place was so great for a late night ramen and sushi craving! I got the Yellowtail roll which had yuzu and a slice of lemon on top and it was perfect! My boyfriend had the umami tonkotsu ramen which had a great balance of flavors and was not too rich which is perfect for my tastebuds. OMG, the fried squid was SO GOOOOOOOD!! I would honestly come back and order two orders of the fried squid alone bc it was THAT GOOD. What brought it over the top for me and earned it a 5 was the service. It was late night and it was popping with people with only one server and maybe a couple back of the house people but the server was great at keeping us updated on our food and just being so nice. At the end, we had left over chicken karaage so we asked for a box. The server came back with a clear container and then he noticed that the box was for the karaage. Without hesitation, he quickly turned around and came back with a white container and explained that it cna be microwaved in that white container, SO NICE!!! He's great! And then they gave us each a little forrero rocher chocolate at the end. 10/10 I will be coming again! Thank you, Kokage!

The best service! Sashimi fresh. Gyoza tasty. Karaage crunch! Rolls excellent. Arigato!

This was a small place in a shopping center. The staff was friendly and helpful. I got the, I forget the name, but it was a chicken ramen. It was absolutely delicious to say the least. The chicken was seasoned perfectly. Everything was cooked perfectly. I'm used to ramen being a soup, and this dish was not. It had a sesame sauce that had a very savory flavor to it, and made me no longer care it wasn't soup. The only reason I couldn't give 5 stars was due to how the dishes were brought out. First they gave my friends dish to them, then I got mine, then we got the, what we thought was, the appetizer. It took about 6 minutes in between each dish coming out.

Best Miso soup ever and food is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!!!!!! Would definitely recommend!!

Great little sushi and ramen place. Had lunch here with my father and was not disappointed. The Orange Lemon Roll had a very refreshing taste and the Umami Tonkotsu Ramen was tasty. Server was attentive and friendly without being overbearing. He made sure we had everything we needed. This place gets extra points for having a nice Japanese City Pop playlist playing inside. That made it easy to relax and enjoy the meal, plus the music makes your soul happy! Completely satisfied our ramen and sushi craving we had while in the area.

What a wonderful lunch/dinner spot! Yes the owner and chef is very warm and welcoming. I wish I could say I've tried more of the menu but the first roll I tried ended up being an instant favourite. Grab an orange lemon roll its amazing! The mochi cakes are also phenomenal, they're made to order so they'll take a moment but definitely worth it and a nice finish after your meal. I also really love the music, it's usually pretty quiet the times I've come which I enjoy but I'm sure weekends are a bit busier. Thank you Yas, looking forward to my next visit!