Kokeshi

Way too much seaweed in the ramen, i got the Colonel Sanders Ramen a nd the chicken was phenomenal but the whole experience was ruined by there being basically a much bitter wakame in the broth as noodles, and the appetizers feel like a prank when it's just like... a plate of olives or a bowl of feta cheese The service was incredible however, our server was excellent and very helpful

TLDR; Not your average ramen shop. Great flavors, unique dishes in the heart of Salem. Kokeshi, you had me at Colonel Sanders ramen with Vermont butter. And you did not disappoint. Yes, this ramen house has traditional recipes you know and love, but it also has delicious new takes on the classics. We loved the fried dumplings, steam buns, and - of course - noodles. The atmosphere is very laid back, and the staff is very friendly. A great place to curb your hunger with lunch or dinner while on the witchy trail.

Had the Vietnamese noodles & green tea, both were so delicious! I even googled the tea to buy when I get home. Our server was also super friendly! Thanks for the great food & service! :)

Came with small kids and everyone was happy, which almost never happens. Back alley bacon ramen with spicy broth was fantastic, regular pizzas were excellent as was the gluten free pizza. Top-notch service to boot. You almost never see a place with multiple cuisines get it right—this is the exception. Add it to your list.

We walked in at 530, no wait. Ordered appetizers and sodas then dinner. Everything was delicious but the service was slow, I think our waiter was one of two for the entire restaurant. Table water was hydrating and the ramen was done right.

Love it while visiting Salem from Florida with the family we encountered this fusion of wood fire pizza and Korean Ramen oh lord we all had something different I had the pasta 🍝 good lord it was great we had a chicken wings and the dumplings To die for. We also ordered a Ramen noodle with pork belly galore. Amazing flavors. Also try the margarita. Pizza Awesome the Service Lakia although she was new was excellent The ambience and surroundings were great. I truly recommend this place by the way, the portions are very large. 😆

The spicy white kimchi ramen was like a warm hug on a chilly windy night. The creamy chili sauce was super tasty and packed with flavor. Recommend skipping an appetizer so you can have more room for the ramen and broth, definitely come with an empty stomach because this is a packed bowl of deliciousness you aren’t going to want to waste. After driving 7hrs this is exactly what I needed!

Dude, bro. This ramen was AMAZING! I had the spicy white kimchi & it was perfection. The creamy broth had the most flavor. The spice was flavorful but not overwhelming. 20/10, highly recommend.

I ask you... what's even better than Hot Ramen on a cold rainy day? I answer... nothing!! Gotta love Salem & not just for October or Halloween. Salem definitely never falls short for a good time with lots of great local eats. Very intriguingly setup casual eatery offering a menu of wood-fired pizza, ramen noodles and small plates in comfy digs. Certainly did not disappoint & we left feeling very warm & comfortable.

I personally have never gone to Kokeshi but my friend was craving ramen (and I was excited to look at both menus)and it's always a hotspot that's recommended by family and friends. Service was great DJ was super friendly. I still don't take flash pics cos I'm so nervous but I took some of my poke bowl which I liked more than I thought I would! Loved the cucumber and edamame starters. My lychee/sake based sangria was delicious I would go back for a pitcher with friends!

Since I haven't hung out with my cousin in a long time, I let him choose where to eat. Kokeshi shares the space with Bambolina's, which is pizza. Then menu for either restaurant is on a double-sided sheet, so you can order from either one. I went with the Colonel Sanders ramen. Took me awhile to realize that after adding more chili to the broth, (it was spicier than my cousin's dishes (different type of ramen)), my broth was already spicy by default. The 3 pieces of chicken in the ramen was nice and crispy. Wished it came with an egg. Tried a spurma for the first time, was expecting the chocolate to be softer, so it took me awhile to finish.

We were there yesterday. Food (ramen) was lacking in depth and flavor but full of oil. Currently one of our party is throwing up. Never again. Ruined a trip and a night.

Was a different experience. I like trying new places and this was on a whim but was not dissatisfied enjoying my meal. Service was great and people really nice

Tried this place for lunch takeout last week for an office. It is priced kind of high for lunch so I had higher expectations given the price. The wings had very little meat and were hard to bite off the bone and the flavor wasn't great. The pizza looked tasty and well cooked but I didn't get a chance to try it. I also tried the chicken lettuce wraps and they were really salty and a strange texture on the chicken. Overall maybe I just had two of the wrong items on the menu but thought the wings and lettuce wraps left a lot to be desired.

A great spot in Salem to enjoy some Japanese inspired cuisine in a place that also serves Italian inspired brick oven pizza. Right on a heavily trafficked road, this place is great for summer wandering or the stressful Halloween-time visit to Salem. Focusing on Kokeshi - the Japanese Menu - we tried the pickles and ramen. The Tamari Cucumber pickles are a refreshing opener to some hot and umami soup (or a pizza since they have that option. The big bowl of Pork Belly ramen featured some decent broth with some great chewy noodles. The toppings were amazing as well! A fantastic spot despite the dining room being split between two different cuisines!

The Vietnamese noodle dish was extremely salty and as a result lacked any flavor. The worst soup I've had actually. Had high hopes but was disappointed. Service was good overall. Good staff.

The best ramen I've ever had, it felt like a crime not to be able to finish it. Portions were huge. We got the chicken and lemongrass fried dumplings, back alley bacon ramen, the white sake sangria, and ahi tuna poke. Our server Jorge/the service in general was also excellent. Highly recommend!

Comfortable and cute atmosphere, friendly service, and good food. We tried the pizza dough as an appetizer and will definitely be trying the pizza in the future.

We're visiting Salem today for spring break vacation with the kids. We ordered the prosciutto and Gorgonzola pizza and the spicy white kimchi pork ramen. The pizza was amazing and the crust was crispy and flavorful. The ramen broth was surprisingly delicious! Creamy, spicy, and super flavorful. Our server, Nicole, was super friendly. Great spot with great service and food!

Excellent. Cant wait to go back. They have a sister restaurant attached with a brick oven. That's excellent too. You can order from either menu

WARNING: they share a space with Bambolina! Save yourself the hassle of looking for their name from the street. After finally finding them, we got seated at the bar and handed the split menu. My sister and I ordered the Colonel sanders and back alley bacon ramen. I found the ramen to be undercooked and salty which seems to be the case with many ramen shops. Besides that, the pork belly was delicious but the bacon pieces seemed very Americanized. Soft boiled egg had the jelly-like center and was lightly marinated in soy sauce. I added a whole glass of water to off set the saltiness. It did still have well developed flavors which is why I was also able to add so much water. Fried chicken in the colonel sanders was crispy and moist. Overall, I had a moderate experience. Our waiter was friendly but did not come to check on us very often. I would prefer to check out other ramen spots by Malden before coming back here personally.

Tried the bacon ramen, the viet noodles and the Dan Dan noodles. They're mehhhh if you're Asian noodle connoisseurs. It's even weird as a fusion concept. Yall should just flip the menu and go for the pizza instead. Service is also below average. Tourist trap for sure.

some of the best ramen I've ever had! location is very walkable from Salem tourist sites as well

The spicy pork broth is so salty it is inedible. It tastes like it's 50% soy sauce.

The back alley bacon ramen (18$) was pretty satisfying with a nice flavorful broth. The noodles are somewhat Americanized in their texture, but I find that acceptable. The bacon did get weird and soggy though. Decent place to grab a bite, wouldn't go out of your way for it.

Interesting that the one location has two restaurant names. Turns out Kokeshi and Bambolina used to be in different locations but had the same owner. Walking down the street, the Bambolina sign is easier to see than the Kokeshi sign. That made me a bit confused at first, but the address was correct so we went in. The menus for the two were on opposite sides of the menu sheet. After looking over both sides we decided to order from the Bambolina side. The mushroom pizza was fantastic! It was Italian-style thin crust, light and crispy. Also ordered the garden salad. The vinaigrette dressing was not too tangy and the red onion was not too spicy. Perfectly executed!

Love it while visiting Salem with the family we encountered this fusion of wood fire pizza and Korean Ramen oh lord we all had something different I had the pasta good lord it was great we had a chicken wings and the dumplings To die for. We also ordered a Ramen noodle with pork belly galore. Amazing flavors. Also try the margarita. Pizza Awesome the Service Lakia although she was new was excellent The ambience and surroundings were great. I truly recommend this place by the way, the portions are very large.

*Heads Up* due to the pandemic, Kokeshi has relocated & has set up shop in their sister pizza restaurant Bamboljna (just around the corner). At Bambolina you can order from either pizza or Asian menu. Rated Kokeshi 2 stars because it was a poor American take on Asian food. From Best to Least Best: * White Kimchi Ramen - had a very American flavor to it with an overwhelming Togarashi spice profile as little to none kimchi flavors. The 3 slices of pork was over cooked and had huge fatty and meat separation. The noodles were thin egg noodles - decent. * Chicken Lemongrass Dumplings (appetizer) - the MaePloy (sweet chili sauce) overpowered the lemongrass flavor (if there were any at all). The fry on the dumpling itself was decent but the filling was a very plain chicken filling and for some reason was speckled with very out of place corn kernels. More of a filler food than a tasty treat * Farmer's Harvest Soup (Vegetatian) - pretty atrocious. The soup was a jarring miso plus heavy sour lime concoction. The noodles were vermicelli, not ramen. Quite hard to eat with such a sour finish. * Poke - The fish was not fresh as you could tell from it's cloudy non tender depiction. The plate looked big at first until you realize it's majorly rice. Description mentioned sticky rice but it was just cold long grain rice. Service was extremely kind but the Western attempt at executing Asian food was quite tragic. Loved the pizza Bambolina restaurant though.

Great Ramen. I have been patiently waiting for a good ramen restaurant north of Boston for 15 years and now I finally have it. Love the Back Alley Bacon ramen. the pork buns used to be awesome but they don't carry them anymore. If you like spicy the Vietnamese noodles are really good and the white Kimchi Ramen won't disappoint either. However, I usually just get the back alley bacon ramen, as it is crave worthy. The vibe is not as good as when it was a dedicated ramen restaurant but the staff is attentive and friendly. I have heard the pizza is good too but I come here for the ramen. This is the go to place north of Boston for great Ramen IMO

Lila, our server, was nice and friendly. The food was good enough. Parking can be sucks at time but free parking around town after 6pm.

This review is for the Kokeshi part of the new Bambolina/Kokeshi combination restaurant. First of all, not easy to find Kokeshi since directions take you to the old location and that is closed up. We happened to walk down the street and decided to eat at Bambolina, only to find out that Kokeshi was inside as well. Besides a pizza, we ordered the potstickers and ramen from Kokeshi. The potstickers were pretty good, just a little on the sweet side. The Back Alley Bacon Ramen was not really very good and we didn't end up eating much of it. I think it might have been the bacon itself, but the broth was strange tasting.

Ramen was okay. Not a huge fan of it being two different restaurants. Maybe I'll come back and try the Italian menu for a full review.

The hubby and I were craving a delicious meal after driving from Central CT to Salem, MA to move our daughter into her new apartment. After a very long day, we decided to stop into Bambolina for Italian, but quickly realized Kokeshi was another restaurant that occupied the same space. We were in luck, because we were starving and were able to partake in two cuisines we love, Italian and Asian! The restaurant has an industrial yet cozy vibe and felt very welcoming. We were seated immediately, despite the place being busy and bustling. Water and drinks were offered when we sat down, which was especially welcomed by the famished duo. We ordered a little bit of everything off of the menu and every last bite was simply delicious: Chicken and Lemongrass Dumplings (tasty, sweet and savory) Caprese Salad (simply divine heirloom tomatoes, the freshest ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and I loved the addition of the crispy garlic!) Sausage Pizza (perfectly wood fired, thin crust pizza with delicious dough and toppings) Back Alley Ramen (as a ramen snob, the noodles were the perfect texture with just right chewiness, all of the meat was so tasty and the broth was full of depth and flavor) Mushroom Fettucine with Chicken (the flavor profile was simply amazing!) Tiramisu (just order it!) We had excellent service from Barbara W. from start to finish and we left with nice full bellies for our two plus hour ride back to CT. Thank you for a delicious and delightful experience! We will definitely be back again!

If I had to reduce ramen to the most essential ingredient, it would be the broth. It is what binds together and adds dimensionality to the noodles, pork, and vegetables. The Back Alley Bacon Ramen had the makings of something great, but the broth was lacking. It seemed to be a simple stock, without much savoriness or notable flavors. A little Sriracha helped wake this sleepy liquid up. Then again, required added spice (read: flavor, not heat) suggests missing spice. Noodles are important too, especially considering their sheer quantity. The ones were were fine. While I've not specific complaint, I am convinced I've had better elsewhere. Where it comes to solid ingredients, in the context of the bowl, they did not work as well as I would have hoped. They cook the pork belly before adding it to the ramen, so you don't end up with boiled meat! Tough the broth still plays a role. Not having something flavorful to seek into the meat did it a disservice. As for the bacon, as much as I love it, in here it felt out of place, and like an afterthought. For veggies/fresh elements, the nori, cilantro, and scallion were forgettable. They did not contribute much by way of flavors or, the very-important texture! Then there was the naruto, which was plain weird! Having a fish-based ingredient in an otherwise meat-based soup was very out of place! This place didn't mess up so bad I ought to relegate them to two-star status. Yet, three-stars is on the generous side.

The poke was seriously amazing. My friend, a ramen snob who has eaten ramen everywhere in NY, NJ, and New England, though, so keep that in mind, said the ramen is "good." So to a non-ramen snob it's probably fabulous! Service is friendly and fun and it's a chill vibe. I'll go there again for sure!

Finally got the chance to review this place. I was here Tuesday night for dinner with my family. We asked to be seated outside because it was such a beautiful night out. I really liked this place and food was delicious! BUT it took forever for someone to come to us to get our order, and it didn't seem that busy during that time. Our food didn't come out at least 30 mins I'm not even over exaggerating it but it was long... Our waiter was really nice though, but the service just seem like it took forever... My daughter got the chicken sandwich, she loved it! My husband got the " Back Alley Ramen " he said it was good only probably was the noodles weren't quite cooked well. I got the " Kimchi Ramen " it was delicious! Overall everything was good I gave 3 stars because service wasn't so great...

Visited in thanksgiving weekend. Took a while to find it cause didn't know they combined two restaurants together (pizza and ramen) what a fun combination. My friend ordered pizza while I ordered Ramen. The waiter was nice brought water right away and took our order but my ramen took 20 minutes to be served after I asked. Apparently my ramen had been ready but no one brought it. The wait wasn't fun but the ramen was reallllyyyyyy delicious! I will visit again!

Good was excellent! Thoroughly enjoyed the Vietnamese soup, spicy white miso ramen, and the smoky bacon ramen. So good that we returned a few days later!

Ordered the Farmers Harvest soup and was disappointed-too gingery. My companion ordered the Dan Dan noodles and he liked it. So it's a mixed bag. Waitress was friendly and the place is within walking distance from the Peabody Essex Museum. Restaurant is co-located with Bambolina which serves pizzas and other Italian fare. Because of the co-location, they could serve Italian desserts. The tiramisu was pretty good.

The dan dan noodles did not taste good, nor were they authentic. If this was an attempt at a fusion dish, it completely missed the assignment. Dan dan noodles are not supposed to be a soup. Also, the texture of the noodles are not supposed to be so soggy it tastes like paste. Maybe there's a better chance with the pizza. I only ate my dish because I was starving all day. If I wasn't, I would not have even touched the dish.

Great atmosphere and wonderful flavorful ramen! Service was terrific and very helpful with alternative menu selection. Plenty of choices on the menu!

Stopped by here around 4pm on a Sunday after walking around Salem and the food was so tasty! You should try the Korean style donburri off of the specials menu if you get the chance- that salmon is insanely good.

Personally, I'm a fan of their ramen--although it is not suitable for people who do not enjoy salt. I really like their take on Asian food, but I wish for the menu to expand. The service was good, but I would warn you Kokeshi is combined with Bambolina--another restaurant so do not be confused when you are ordering off of two menus. The decor is cute and I enjoy going there!

We love to get ramen from Kokeshi! Our favorite is the spicy Vietnamese noodles. It's a bonus that you can eat Kokeshi and Bambolina at the same location.

Got my very first ramen bowl here last night, and it was amazing ! Probably the best food I had while in Salem. Our waitress was also sooo sweet and hostess was kind as well.

Food was really good. We had ramen and it was very flavorful. Service was good and attentive. They left the restaurant doors open so it was freezing. Also bugs were flying around our food due to coming in from outside.

This restaurant just might be too hip for Salem. The funky atmosphere with gorgeous murals, great beats, and a creative menu would be at home in any major city, and it rivals my favorite D.C. ramen shop. That said, I think it is a great addition to Salem. I liked Kokeshi so much that I went for lunch two days in a row. The first day, I had the slow roasted pork belly ramen and my sister had the Kokeshi fresh-y salad. We shared the steam-fried bok choy, and I also had the Midnight Starlet (Privateer Amber, Fernet, Thai basil agave, lime) to drink. The Midnight Starlet was tasty, and I'd order it again. The bok choy was OK, but nothing special. We really just wanted more vegetables. The salad was fantastic, and huge. Super fresh, but an option for protein addition would be nice. I loved my ramen. It is Hakata style and the broth was rich, but not overly so. The pork was tender and delicious, and the bowl was huge. Noodles were perfectly cooked. I couldn't finish it, but I did not see a kaedama option (I didn't ask though either), so I left it (mostly broth anyway). The next day, I ordered the soy-marinated cucumber, steamed pork buns, udon-don noodles, and my favorite local cider (Patch, the strawberry basil one by Far From the Tree). Cucumber was good, and I highly recommend the tasty pork buns. I liked my noodles, as they were fresh, but the broth was a bit bland. I probably should have added some chili oil. The noodles were outstanding though. I sat at the bar both times and had fantastic service. I appreciate the showcasing of local brews and spirits. Whenever I'm home, this will definitely be one my stops.

Tim and his family have always created magical culinary experiences in Salem but the wild game dinner night blew us away. Thank you again for having us. I had to come back for the Norcino!

This Place WAS great..... but sadly I will never go back. The wait staff is horrible and the food Keeps getting worse. I seem to always give this place another chance and go back and hope that it is what it used to be but sadly it's not and I will not be returning. If you're looking for something in Salem go anywhere else

Kokeshi is located inside A restaurant called Bambolina so it was a little difficult to find. All the noodle soups they offer are heavily Americanized and feel wrong. We ordered the Vietnamese soups (Pho) and personally I felt that the soup was really flavorless and needed more seasoning. My partner ordered the Colonel Sanders ramen and wasn't super stoked about it either. Definitely better options in Salem.

The service was so kind and professional. The Ramen was Great! A nice twist on Ramen types. I was apprehensive till I tried the Ramen. I hope to come back soon with some good friends!

The dumplings are absolutely delicious. Beef and blue pizza was awesome as well. This place is the perfect combination for two people that want absolutely different things.

Super fast service food is really good! The torched salmon don is delicious! Everyone should try the orange tofu!! Super good!!

Ordered ramen takeout and was quoted 25mins. IMO that is a really long time to cook some noodles and put broth in a container. Thank god it was really only about 10mins for the food to be ready. Was really disappointed when I opened the bag at home to find the noodle in the container with the broth. The noodle soaked up the broth and expanded, having the consistency of cheap instant ramen. . They should pack like takeout pho places, packing the noodles and broth in separate containers. Broth was decent. What saved this dish was the pork pieces, which were tender and flavorful. I'll give this place another shot with a dine experience as there aren't many ramen options in the north shore.

We landed here on the weekend before Halloween for a quick brunch as we headed out to explore the Essex street and its spooky sights. Right away, we knew we wanted to have the Steamed Pork Buns as they are always the safest *and the coolest* way to start off a pan-Asian meal. The buns had nicely steamed, slightly crunchy Pork laid in with Carrot, Cilantro, Pickled Cucumber, Chili Mayo and Radish. In all, they felt like mighty flavorful shots packed in small delicious buns! I wanted to have something super-filling as the day ahead was filled with long walks around Salem. So, I went for the Colonel Sanders noodle + soup bowl mostly because of its fancy name. Beyond that, I loved the combination of having crispy fried chicken with smooth silky noodles. The bowl had Fried Chicken with Tokyo Wavy Noodle, Spicy Pork Broth, Wakame, Thai Basil and Vermont Butter. In fact, I loved their entire menu. Hats off to Kokeshi for trying out and perfecting such awesome twists to Japanese street food.

Back open and sooooo delicious ! Cocktail is Crown of thorns , Apps are dumplings and edamame, and ramen is Colonel Sanders. So, so good !!

10/10 would come here again. The food is heckin fantastic. We got the pork buns which have an excellent harmony of flavors for my mouth. Then we got some pork belly ramen and green curry. I could die right now and be happy but I'd rather die tomorrow so I can at least finish my take home portion. The service is impeccable. Collins, our bartender, was a gentleman and a bro at the same time. Also the Bs are winning so that's a plus.