Izakaya Kichinto Reviews

This was quite a treat. The menu was refreshingly varied, included not just ramen and udon noodles and sashimi, but original dishes like Lover's poke (fresh fish), panko fried calamari and oysters, jellyfish, Tear Drop, Pork Cheek. Everything we ordered was delightful. However, don't be put off by the food being served in spontaneous order. Apparently as each dish (or dishes) was ready it was delivered immediately by the very attentive waiter.

This was a great find! We found this place wandering the neighborhood while visiting some friends and thought it looked great. We decided to stop in later the next day for a late dinner. Luckily we arrived just in time for late night happy hours. Having lived and traveled extensively in Japan, I was incredibly impressed with the taste and quality of the food and the selection of item I often don't see at other Japanese restaurants in the US. For the quality and portion of food, the prices are very reasonable and the atmosphere was very fun and warm. A great unique experience in Portland.

This is a perfect place for a snack or late night dinner. Most dishes are served on small plates so you can order as many as you like depending on how hungry you are. My faves are the grilled squid, ume boshi, sushi handrolls, homemade gyoza and the best bowl of ramen noodles! Pick the shio style and add more toppings if you like. We added the softboiled egg and shrimp tempura. The broth is the absolutely best ramen broth I have ever had with its full bodies seafood flavor. The servers are friendly and helpful too!

A local priest suggested this place for Raman and sushi and it was everything he claimed. It was rather quiet, which is to be expected since Oregon was just coming out of COVID lockdowns. The service was great, the food was delicious.

Last Friday, we ate dinner at Kichinto Restaurant, and we were not very impressed. It has a lovely decor, and very attentive wait staff, but the food leaves much to be desired, and it didn't help that my wife's order arrived 12 minutes after mine. My Chicken Katsu Curry dish was cold by the time her O.SA.KA.NA salad arrived. Both dishes had beautiful presentation (see photos), but lacked in flavor, quantity and quality, good but not great. It is certainly not worth a second trip in my opinion. Also, the steamed Gyoza appetizer was bland and uninteresting.

I have happy hour lunch here every time I come to Portland. Check hours first if you are coming for happy hours as they are longer on the weekends. The Udon bowls are 1/2 price then and super tasty. Ask for extra tempura crumbs on top! Ramen, udon, sushi bowls and rolls, cold tapas and onigiri are also on the menu. I love the layout of the restaurant---cozy, private booths in the middle and window seats all around. Service is spotty--sometimes very friendly and other times rather brusque. Doesn't stop me from coming however! Make sure and visit the bathroom before leaving-hahaha, as they have Japanese toilet seats with lots of control buttons. Last cold day I was there the toilet seat was heated.

I discovered this restaurant because it was close to the place I was staying in Portland. After having dinner there, I was inspired to go back the following night to try other menu options. Everything wand outstanding.

We went their during their happy hour on a rainy day so the place is very quiet. We liked the environment and atmosphere right away. Food is excellent (we had Raman noodles, hand rolls, seafood salad, and grilled octopus) and we enjoyed the Japanese beer and sake also. Definitely a place to return to and recommend.

Initially went next door to Toro Bravo but they were all full so I came here and was not disappointed. Service was prompt and I enjoyed a nice bowl of beef ramen with some tempura shrimp. Looking forward to returning and trying out other items on the menu.

we returned here for lunch...i had a kirin, and my partner had the shocho whiskey...we shared the fatty maki, ultimate veggie roll, real crab roll, and the veggie udon...excellent...the staff is friendly and quick....football was on too...thx so much

This restaurant was a drive-by decision – so glad we decided to walk in! Our wait was only 15 minutes on a Saturday night and everyone in the neighborhood restaurant was warm and friendly. Kichinto has everything from Japanese "tapas style" light dining to noodles etc. I love the eclectic nature of this restaurant and the atmosphere. There's an upstairs which we were seated, and gave us a birds eye view of the restaurant. The grilled squid was a personal favorite, as were the mushroom skewers. And if you have to go to the loo- why not indulge in the Japanese toilet there. As someone who's lived in Portland for 15 years I have placed this fun, unassuming restaurant in my new top 10.

Service was fantastic. Atmosphere is fantastic. Menu selection is great. Very tasty food. We had planned on eating a few doors down and their wait time was over an hour and a half. Walked right in to this wonderful surprise.

we wanted to try this place for lunch since tavins closed...i had a kirin lager, and my partner had a japanese whiskey....great for after biking....next we had a mixed green salad, garlic poke with scallops, tuna, and salmon, then a calif handmake roll with seaweed wrap, plus the same with a veggie handmake roll, and veggie ramen...the decor, the staff, and coziness is fabulous...the food is excellent...we will come back with friends...thx!

We especially enjoyed the Happy Hour selection of saki varieties that we hadn't tried before. We also enjoyed the high-quality sushi rolls and fried squid fritters on the substantial Happy Hour food menu!

Classic Japanese Noodle style in cute location, kinda fun and different. But not intimidating. Everything was good and served fresh and hot. Enjoyed before the show at Secret Society.

We love this Japanese restaurant! We absolutely loved most everything we had here. We started out with the miso soup, which was fresh and amazing. Then, we had the calamari, shrimp tempura, salmon belly skewer, Yuzu ramen, California roll, Okonomiyaki, spicy tuna roll, green tea mochi, and red bean mochi. For cocktails we had the Bloody Mariko and Cucumber Martini. The only items that were average were the Bloody Mariko and the calamari. Customer service was fantastic! They're always checking on you and very accommodating. I requested a table with privacy, and they sat us at this unique circular booth that was very private. The decor is entertaining. We loved it. Noise level was typical. Parking could be challenging. Street parking only.