What if I told you that on any given weekend in Overland Park, people are outdoors waiting in line to eat at KC Craft Ramen. Would that surprise you? It sure surprised me. That was until I ate there, then it all became clear.
I’ll happily stand in any line or drive great distances for food anytime, anywhere. In fact, that night, I had just driven from downtown Kansas City to 157th Street to collect my precious box of crème-filled, round croissants from KuKiss Bakery (see more about those in this month’s IN Culinary News). With my viral pastries packed in the backseat, I planned to stop for dinner at KC Craft Ramen.
It was raining hard, so we dashed into the restaurant, not surprised to find it empty on a Friday night at 4:45 p.m. We were prepared to eat dinner with Ma and Pa at that hour. We were kindly but quickly shooed out of the restaurant and back outside to join a line that had already formed and was waiting to enter when they opened at 5 p.m. KC Craft Ramen does not open until 5 p.m., and it does not take reservations.
It looked like we might be third or fourth in line, and I pulled my hood up over my head as the rain assaulted from all sides. As I read the laminated menu in my hand, I listened to the young couple behind me discussing in hushed tones how excited they were to be in line in time to get in and eat. Realizing I had found my people, I turned to face them, rain dripping off the end of my nose and said, “Can you help me understand why we are standing in line in the pouring rain to eat ramen in Johnson County?”
The ”why” is because the food is that good, in fact the entire experience was quite unlike anything I had ever experienced, especially in the suburbs where reliable chain restaurants tend to dominate the culinary landscape. Eating here is like getting dropped inside a Japanese culture bubble in the burbs. KC Craft Ramen indulges and encourages all of that in the most delicious and fun pop-culture way.
Much like traveling to Japan, you really need to go with the flow to fully enjoy it, as you are not in control of the dining experience, they are. Let go and you will be rewarded with a playful meal that feels almost like a game with clues you must figure out to successfully dine here. Couple that with a small dining room, a scarcity mindset that makes dining here so desirable that it has people standing in line, mix in some darn good ramen, and you have yourself a viral experience happening in the suburbs.
KC Craft Ramen opened in the space of former Which Wich sandwich shop at 119th and Metcalf in May of last year. It’s locally owned and operated by two friends who moved from California to Kansas City to open their first ramen restaurant together. Kenichi Ota and Hiroyuki Kawashima opened ramen shops in California for other owners, but they chose to come to KC to open their first, and hopefully not last, one here.
The footprint they chose for their first location is tiny, but most ramen shops in Japan are tiny. The aisle starts at the front door and runs up to the host stand, which is full of Japanese toys, action figures, candies, and sweet treats, along with Asian sodas, soju, and Japanese beer, which you can purchase at the host stand before being seated at your table for dinner. The restaurant is whimsically decorated on a budget, with plenty of Japanese cooking videos and anime movies playing on the walls surrounding you. It’s controlled chaos, and it almost feels like you are dining inside of a video game.
The tables are packed close together, and if you have a bag or backpack with you, they’ll bring you a basket to hold your personal belongings off the floor. There are also signs posted around the dining room that explain that you are given one hour to eat your meal before they expect you to free up a table. In Japan, diners know that ramen is best when eaten hot and fresh.
By the time we were seated and knew the rules of engagement, the restaurant was already at capacity. We placed our order with our waitress and before we could decide to order drinks with dinner, our food arrived. Everything arrived all at once, so we got right to it. The clock was ticking.
We ordered the KC Red ramen bowl—perfectly cooked noodles with a tender chew and a creamy tonkotsu-style broth—the result of long-simmered pork bones and aromatic onion, garlic, and ginger—with a slick of red-hot chili oil floating on top that packed a punch. Two generous slices of tender chashu pork bathed in the broth. For freshness and texture, the bowl was finished with a sprinkling of crisp, fresh bean sprouts, toothful wood-ear mushrooms, a seasoned jammy egg, shredded green onions, corn, and bamboo shoots.
Ramen is considered the national dish of Japan, so it’s important to get it right. Required elements include a proper, scratch-made, slow-cooked broth traditionally seasoned with salt, miso, or shoyu; a variety of toppings; and noodles that almost bounce in your mouth. That’s been hard to find in Kansas City since the first wave of chef-driven ramen shops closed.
A bowl of crunchy chicken karaage, or Japanese-style fried-chicken bites, was meant to be an appetizer, but we devoured the crispy, flavorful chicken thigh pieces alongside our entrée.
The deeply flavored, sweet, thick tomato curry served with white steamed rice is a beloved dish considered by many in Japan to be the ultimate comfort food, ubiquitous in the country’s small snack bars and noodle shops.
My experience at KC Craft Ramen was enchanting. So many diners enjoying ramen, curry rice, gyoza, and Takoyaki, or octopus balls, all of us enjoying the experience together. Just by standing in the rain together to share this meal we had all bonded.
Now that I know this exists, I’ll be looking forward to the next time I am lucky enough to be in Overland Park at 4:45 p.m. craving a hearty bowl of ramen and that insanely delicious curry rice.
Save me a spot in line, would you?
