Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya Reviews

Lunch time in Kukai Ramen was good, restaurant was busy at that moment, so we must wait for a while. did not take long time, we go the table, and the staff was nice and good. we love to place and the food, taste good and love to come back.

I am a big fan of ramen, and Kukai provide a nice range of choices - well past the pot noodles you might associate with ramen. The food is good and reasonably priced. The restaurant can get busy and loud, especially on weekends before movies at the cinema across the street. Plenty of parking in the Park and Ride lot a half block away.

I'm very picky about what I like. That's a given. I am originally from the Portland, OR area and most of the asian food up here in the Seattle area does not appeal to my palate. Kukai is one of those gems that I found on accident. My honey and I were at Thornton in between two movies, he wanted go to the Thai place in the complex. I didn't want Thai and noticed Kukai. I persuaded him to try it and we were blown away. We've been addicted ever since. Kukai is my first official "real ramen" experience and I must say I love it here. I get the spicy ramen and it is truly amazing. Turns out Kukai had only been open in Northgate for just a couple of weeks so it was no wonder we had not seen it before. In addition, it is only one of four US locations and the rest of the chain is in Japan. I have also been to the one in Bellevue and will hit up the one in Portland soon enough. I don't think you'll find anything on the menu you don't like. I will say that the service can be iffy. Sometimes your food is out almost as soon as you order it and your water is refilled regularly, sometimes you have five servers wandering by your table asking you if you've ordered or if they can get you anything and sometimes service will be completely lax. This place has gotten very busy and noisy as can be expected by the only real ramen place in the area. I only wish the locations were larger and had more sound dampening properties but you know, you can only ask for so much I guess. Perhaps one day I’ll be lucky enough to own a franchise.

Visited Kukai with friends 2 days in a row. One of the best one I had in US. Nice decorations and atmosphere. Both times, there were lots of Asian customers around, a good sign the ramen is authentic. Would definitely visit again if in the neighborhood.

This second location for Kukai is spacious, brand new and wonderful! I dined there on August 7th, 2014. If you love garlic and a creamy broth, I suggest ordering the garlic tonkotsu ramen and you will not be disappointed! Service was prompt, prices are affordable, the food is tasty and location cannot be beat. It is a nice addition to the family of restaurants opening up in the Northgate area. They can accomodate big groups, good for families and small meetings too.

Went in during the peak time for dinner, and we were able to get seated pretty quickly, even with a line. Our server was really nice and took our order pretty quickly. Our ramen came out about 10 minutes after we ordered, so that is pretty reasonable. I had the Garlic Tonkatsu Ramen (not sure if that's how it's spelled) with extra greens. The flavor was amazing and the egg was cooked just the way I like it-the noodles were a little more on the chewy side, but I still enjoyed it. I would recommend this place if you are craving for some yummy ramen.

My oldest son wanted to go here for his birthday. He had been here several times and really liked it. The place was busy but not full, they seated the 5 of us quickly. Our server was great and friendly. The food was excellent, especially the pork belly. This was my first time in a Ramen restaurant and we were not disappointed. We will definitely return.

After my man and I went and seen a decent movie we decided a meal was in order....Thornton has a few options and this one looked good, busy and something different for us. Make sure you sign in when you get there or you won't get seated. We had a yummy chicken app with spicey mayo...delish! Then ordered ramen... so good. The garlic one is REALLY garlicy, but oh so delicious!

I like the ramen especially the garlic tonkatsyu. But the pork buns and there style of edamame is fantastic. Four stars only because the service can be a bit slow not just the food taking time but to get drinks to table and wait staff checking in.

I had the spicy ramen which you can get mild, medium or spicy. Totally enjoyed it. We also had appetizers (veg. tempura) was a hit.

We love ramen and we're glade finally there is a good ramen restaurant here in the Eastside but last 2 visits we were very disappointed. It looks like it has changed ownership and management. The noodle doesn't taste good, went back a second time and is still bad. Will not go back again.

We went to Kizuki on a Friday night and it was really busy. There was a 50 minute wait time for the two of us. We decided to go the mall while we waited. When we came back, it was still very crowded and busy but we were seated pretty soon after that. I liked the texture of my shoyu ramen noodles. The broth was tasty but it was a bit too oily and I picked out the hot peppers. My husband had the garlic tonkotsu ramen which he said was pretty good. It has been hard to find good ramen in North America because of broth and noodle issues but this was quite good!

Located in a 'trendy' food court next to the cinemaplex in Northgate Mall area. Long wait of 30 minutes for dinner on a Sunday evening. Service- wait staff were attentive and prompt Food- Ramen noodles were to my liking, being firm and chewy. We had 3 different orders (shoyu, miso, and mild tonkotsu). Of the 3, the tonkotsu was the best followed closely by the shoyu. The miso missed the mark. Not sure why but it just did not meld well. Portion size was good but a bit pricey for value. Location - easy parking, underground and free. Easy to get to from I5.

First time here and it will definitely not be my last. Great Ramen is tough to find in Seattle but this was a revelation. Great atmosphere, friendly efficient service, super clean and the Ramen, oh man was that good. The consistency of the noodles were spot on and the broth had just the right amount of fat, and boldness that melded perfectly with the noodles. The pork, egg and other elements were done perfectly as well. As a bonus I have never found here in the US, the watch for you to be about 80% done and then come and ask if you would like another small bowl of noodles to go with your remaining broth. The only thing left that could have made it better was a pillow and a nap afterwards! Very happy to find this restaurant.

The spicy Ramen is the bomb! I'm soft core so I had the mildest spicy and I perspired lots in the cool a.c., regardless, it was so damned good! So good we went 2 nights in a row and brought more guests with us on the second night during our visit to Seattle. They were equivently impressed. I had it once with regular size Ramen and once with thin Ramen. Doesn't matter both are outstanding. They offer gluten free Ramen too. The atmosphere is very nice japanese modern artistic ambiance and the restaurant is very clean. Employees are so so friendly but they work fast and do there job. The ample parking structure has lots of parking and is free. The delicous Ramen alone deserves the 5 stars

Fantastic Ramen! The Garlic Tonkotsu is rich and delicious. Noodles are cooked to perfection. The ramen is a full meal, but worth starting with the pork bun. Quick service. Small, casual dining with big flavor. Excellent selection of sake and beer. Parking at movie theater and across the street at park & ride.

It says something about the quality and flavor of the food that I am willing to eat a hot bowl of ramen during this heat wave and before walking around the mall area. We drove all the way from Mercer Island just to eat here on a hot Saturday afternoon. The broth is rich and flavorful, the noodles and veggies are cooked to perfection. Couldn't make myself stop, even though I was already full. Must come with an empty tummy! This is enough to last me the whole day and I have no regrets.

Nothing like a nice bowl of hot spicy noodles on a cold autumn day. We enjoyed our quick meal and it just hit the spot. Very popular; we even had to wait 15 or 20 minutes just to get a table. Good meal worth waiting for though.

I sat at the counter and enjoyed gyoza and the garlic tonkotsu shoyu ramen. Both were delicious -- the gyoza had a very soft interior texture and crunchy shell where they where fried on the bottom, and the ramen was rich and delicious, with the garlic and pork working very well together. I also had some of the house sake, which was good as well. Service was friendly and fast. My soft-boiled egg was accidentally left out of the ramen, and when I asked for one, my server was prompt and apologetic. The one problem with my visit was that there was a short ledge/lip above the counter at about my eye level when sitting down. It ran the entire length of the bar, and was covered in dust. In addition, the backsplash had spatter from who knows how many ramen meals caked on it. Perhaps it was just because I was eating very heavy soup, but having to stare at it my whole meal was a little unappetizing.

I came here after seeing many posts and photos on yelp, plus they have a low sodium option which I had to try! I got the garlic tonkatsu ramen that was low sodium. It came already with the toppings and the marinated soft boiled egg. I loved the garlic flavor! We even got chicken wings that had a sweet citrus glaze on them, which kinda reminded me of McDonalds sweet and sour sauce on the chicken. I thought the chicken was ok and wasn't as crispy as I was hoping it would be.

I had been refusing to go to a restaurant for ramen but gave in because two of my husband's co-workers recommended this ramen place independently of each other. They all have culinary backgrounds so we figured it must be worth checking out. Also, I thought it would be worth while to see what "real" ramen is compared to the packaged stuff with which I am accustomed. Service: It was a super busy Friday evening and the host did a good job of keeping everything organized. We had two servers and both were very knowledgeable and upbeat. They were also very patient with our many questions despite having a full, busy restaurant. Food: My husband had the most popular bowl of ramen and I had a chicken-based one. Both were very flavorful. I would probably opt for the low salt/oil one next time. I loved the half-boiled egg! Our sons had some appetizers because they didn't want ramen. They also didn't have a kids' menu. Value: The least expensive bowl is $8. That's doable. Most are double-digits which for a bowl of ramen soup is steep for a family of four. Atmosphere: This is a newer restaurant in the theatre/condo/apt complex. It's a bigger space than it looks like because the bigger tables are in the back. It has a trendy but not pretentious vibe. Sidenote: The restroom has a mouthwash dispenser with little cups. I'm not sure if that's a common thing in Japan? The sink and mirror are across from the toilet which was interesting. We'd probably try this again when we want authentic flavorful ramen. Maybe for a date night.

The restaurant is very busy even after 2:00pm, but service is good. All foods has photos in the manual and server could explain very well so it is easy to order. I had ordered a popular noodle with low sodium. The noodle is really delicious even it is low sodium for my health.

Very delectable food 👍🏻😊 My Partner and I had a great stay in Seattle and a very good food experience. One of the best Japanese Ramen in the US plus a very attentive & friendly staff 👏Highly recommended!

Shio ramen tasted like a fast food wonton noodle and the ramen was mediocre. All other food tasted so bad I'd rather go to a fast food chain.

Had takoyaki as a recommendation from a Japanese coworker, amazing!!! Asked Caroline my server questions about the different ramen and broth suggestions. Had yuzu shio and it was amazing! Small place and it fills up fast so come on off hours or be ready to wait!! Service is fast and everyone is friendly Parking garage and open lot adjacent to Northgate. Nice courtyard and outside patio area as well.

Quite a large chain in Japan and Washington state. Simply excellent. We had the Octopus takoyaki, pork gyoza, yuzu shiro and chicken rich ramen. Wonderful flavors and perfectly cooked ramen. Great friendly service. It was a busy restaurant when we arrived at 1pm on long weekend but the wait was only 20 minutes. Add your own name to the waitlist. Modern decor. Free 3 hour parking in Thornton place.

I'm not a ramen junky, but this place is now a new favorite! Incredible flavor. Perfect comfort food on a cold day! I recommend getting an extra egg or 2. They are the best I have ever had!

We had a bit of a wait for lunch. We’d actually asked to sit outside. The tables were set and ready for customers but they ended up seating us inside, I’m assuming because the staff didn’t want to serve only one table outside. This meant we had to wait about 15 minutes until a space opened up. The ramen was good but the piece of pork served with it was deceptively thin. My hubby said his soup was still a little salty despite ordering the low sodium version. My vegetable tempura was fine. The veggies weren’t so fresh that I could really tell what I was eating but it tasted alright. Service was fine. Prices were slightly higher than what the website listed. You’ll find a free mouthwash station in the restroom, something I’ve never seen before.

We have eaten here several times, when we are in Seattle. This place is now renamed "Kizuki". On our last visit, we had several appetizers. All were delicious - chicken karaage, gyoza, and pork bun. I have the same ramen I always order - miso because I always enjoy it. You can order additional toppings on your ramen - I had the egg, which was very good. I also ordered extra noodles, which I believe was only $2, which I took home with the remaining miso ramen broth (great snack). Our party members ordered the garlic tonkatsu ramen and shoyu ramen, which they enjoyed, along with other toppings, e.g. spinach. This place is always crowded when we dine - we have had to wait 15-20 minutes the last two times we were here. Despite being very busy, service has been good.

Had a work meeting nearby so popped in here for lunch hoping they'd have a table. It's a popular spot, and now I know why- the ramen options on the menu alone are mouth-watering. I had the vegetarian ramen but added fish cake and a half-cooked egg (which was perfect). Next time I want to try the dipping noodles which is what my lunch companion had. The broth options are numerous and I love how many add-ons are offered, from veggies to pork belly, tempura and more. I'll definitely be back.

We ordered three bowls of ramen and 2 appetizers for the three of us. Excellent food and service! Ramen is good on a cold and rainy day. We waited for 15-20 minutes for our table. It's worth the wait.

This is not fast food. Expect to spend some time waiting for your food to arrive. Believe me, your tummy will be very happy that you did. The bbq pork rolls are absolutely Heavenly!!!! The chicken ramen and the noodles with dipping broth were Outstanding. A great place for fresh and wonderful food.

If you are a serious devotee of Japanese ramen, be wary of this location. A recent visit yielded one completely inedible bowl of ramen & mediocre execution on our other items. First, the worst: a bowl of Vegetable Ramen with broth that was inedible. I couldn't understand why one dining partner took one bite of his soup and pushed it away. When the rest of our table tried it, we understood. First - an off-putting amount of maple aroma. Then, the bite - super heavy imo (yam) flavour. Not good - it tasted like imo that had gone bad, "a regurgitated maple bar taste" as one companion put it. Then - egg shell in one bowl of Shio Ramen - and the soft-boiled eggs - made in advance - had not been brought to proper temp. In all our dishes, the egg was cold. That's poor execution. Further, the Shio Ramen was off-puttingly sweet....and the Goma-Ae (spinach with sesame) was overly sweet as well. Like Jif pb thinned with sesame oil. Not very good. 3 of the 4 in our party had stomach aches all night. Too pricey (about $15 per person) to be this mediocre, with a very weird vibe in the dining room - the servers are not properly trained in Japanese restaurant etiquette - we won't be returning soon.

There was quite a long line when we got to the restaurant at 7:45pm. So we were pretty sure we picked the 'right' one. But I was a bit disappointed when I took a first bit of the pork from my spicy miso ramen, it tasted old! almost stale! I was surprised! Even though the soup base and noodle were good. I asked my husband to taste it as well. He did say it tasted sour but he said the stale taste went away once the pork soaked in soup for a while. I loss my appetite after that. We liked the agedashi tofu though.

It was a long day, but I really wanted to stop in for some "comfort food"--- Kukai was on my mind. Normally, I just stop in and eat at the restaurant, but this time I got take out. They do a really good job with their takeout. First, they keep the miso soup in a separate container so the ramen does not get soggy. It's a full size bowl just like eating in the restaurant. Really good!

I am not an expert on fresh ramen (as opposed to instant), mostly because northern-ish Seattle has limited offerings for this kind of Japanese food. However, I've worked in the food industry for most of my life and have some good and not so good things to say about Kukai. Good: -Food is great, tasty (sometimes a bit salty, but a lot of ramen I've had is) -The atmosphere is hip, modern and suits the character of the restaurant and menu -The menu is diverse enough to support non-ramen lovers. The izakaya items can stand alone in quality. Bad: -Service is poor. I only place the "poor service" stamp on places I've visited multiple times and have had a bad experience at multiple times. Kukai is now one of those places. I'll write the story out later in the review I suppose since there are multiple facets to their poor service. -Food delivery is terrible. By that I mean this place has some serious inefficiencies with how they are prepping/making the food. It's ramen. Even with a full house, it can't be taking 20+ minutes to heat this stuff up. -Prices are high - for ramen, but also just for dinner in general. For a date, with a non-water beverages and one app to share (along with ramen) it's like $30+. -Waiting can be a pain. There is a small wait area and the staff has to constantly navigate through there. In short, I'm going to keep going here because I'm not able to get tasty ramen like this elsewhere, but I'm wary of the service even though they've had multiple chances to try and get it right. Last visit's story: We arrived around 5pm, had to wait maybe 10 minutes which we thought wasn't too bad. We were seated and the host/manager let us know that they were out of the Shiyo Tonkonstsu ramen and some other irrelevant thing that I can't remember. Server came to greet within a reasonable amount of time and asked us if they let us know about what was 86'd and took drink orders. So far so good. Later the server returned to take the dinner order; my wife and I ordered a large house salad and a friend ordered gyoza - that was it for the apps. We all (6 of us) ordered ramens with an egg (a must do). Someone tried to order a different tonkontsu ramen, but the server said apparently all tonkontsu items were out. A slight confusion, but whatever. The gyoza came out probably after 8-10 minutes. Since we were all pretty hungry, the friend inhaled it and we all watching longingly wondering where our salad was. I realize some people tend to exaggerate how long it takes to get there food (not specifically with Kukai reviews), but I am not stretching the truth when I'm saying it took about 27 minutes to get our food. I sent a text when we first sat down and checked the timestamp. We were about ready to start eating the table. The salad was delivered with the ramen which I found quite disappointing. We also noticed that 4 of the 6 ramen dishes were missing their egg. I asked about it and the expediter informed me that they had run out of eggs awhile ago. This is probably where most of the frustration mounted because as a courtesy, we would have expected some acknowledgement that they had run out of what we ordered at some point. I get that the server might not have known at the time, but someone in the kitchen at some point read the ticket and I don't know if he was hoping we wouldn't notice or what. We ordered the additional topping because we were hungry and anticipating the dish in a certain way. The expo got our server and he offered to order for us some other topping, but we weren't going to wait another 20 minutes or something for the replacement topping. We quietly ate our food (make no mistake, super delicious) as the server dropped our bill (I was fine with it, but other people in our party thought it was rude). Bill was $68 - 2 apps, no beverages, 6 people. All in all, I realize it was some eggs, but I have this negative perception of this place due to repeated bad experiences.

We loved the atmosphere and the friendly fast service. We had ramen for our main course and tried a pork bun for an appetizer. Both were very yummy with rich, gold flavors!

We stumbled upon this restaurant during a recent trip to Seattle and loved it. My husband lived in Japan for 2 years and I fell in love with Japanese food when I visited with him. We were super impressed by Kukai. The menu focuses on Japanese soul food - multiple varieties of ramen. I had the Miso Ramen and my husband had a spicy Ramen. We loved that you could customize any of your choices with extra noodles, or a wide variety of extra ingredients in your bowl. Servings were plentiful and delicious. I tried the Japanese pork bun and loved it, it was like a char shu bao, but better and the gyoza and house sake both rocked. We were also super impressed by service. This is clearly a trendy restaurant, but when we arrived with a double stroller (with a collapsed child in the bottom), they found us a great, out of the way spot and did everything possible to make our 13 month old more comfortable. Our only disappointment was that we didn't get to make a return visit during our trip.

We went when, I believe, this location has just opened as there seemed to be lots of mis-delivered orders and they did not have their liquor license still. Overall, I enjoyed the food and the staff was nice so I would assume the service would improve.

This is my second commercial ramen experience and I must say, it was amazing! The noodles are the best! They are very elastic! The low sodium was plenty salty enough and the portions are just right. Not too much, not too little. If you are a big eater, it may not be enough, but it is the right portion size. Will definitely come back the next time I am in town!

The ramen soup is delicious, they offer the low sodium version for shio ramen which is very nice for people who don't get used to have heavy and traditional ramen soup. Besides, we loved the snacks, must try the takoyaki !!

Yum! On a cold night in Bellevue, WA, this place rocks! Great ramen and classic Japanese items like onigiri (rice ball). Ramen noodles are fresh. Nice array of add-ons to the bowl with generous helpings (and you can add extra noodles!) I love this place! Couple of other locations in the Seattle metro area.

It's nice to know that the restaurant offers a low-sodium broth as an alternative to their rich pork or chicken options. The soup was very flavorful and the ramen noodles just a bit al dente which I liked. However, I wished that the temperature of the broth was much hotter. The bowl came to the table a bit above room temperature which on a cold day, wasn't what I expected. Overall, this spot is definitely worth a visit. However, be aware of the 'hidden' costs. For example, the server will ask you if you'd like to have an egg in your ramen when you order. I didn't realize that there was a $1 additional charge which wasn't mentioned when we ordered.

Came here on our last visit to Seattle and have not found a place like it. It was our first food stop this trip! Highly recommend if you like noodles (if you don't this place might change your mind!) Recommend getting the egg with your dish. Not much parking right in front but the mall parking is right across the street so that was not much of an issue.

My wife usually gets the garlic tonkotsu ramen bowl with pork, while I try different things. Recently I enjoyed the Hakata ramen with pork belly. We agreed that it's delicious. My wife lived in Hong Kong for 20 years, so she is really an expert. I like the dipping noodles dish served chilled, Tsukemen dipping noodles and for a hearty meal, the Pork Chashu Don, pork chopped over a bowl of rice in large or small sizes. I've eaten this one many times, you can't go wrong! We like a number of the Izakaya, small plates -- the Karaage salad, fried chicken over romaine with sliced cucumber strips and a delicious Japanese dressing being out Go To starter. It's like a meal for one, but we share it. Potato croquettes are my wife's favorite, while I also love the house salad. The pork buns and the octopus dumplings are delicious. Are you getting hungry? The Kizuki at Thornton Place is the best of the bunch, with fast friendly service and free parking. There is often a wait, but not as long as Kizuki Southcenter, which is also great. My wife doesn't care for the West Seattle shop, saying that the ramen soup isn't up to the others. That's hearsay. I'm not such an expert as that. We have tried other noodle shops all over the city. Many are really good. Kizuki Ramen at Thornton Place is the best.

We've only been there twice, but both times we waited more than 30 minutes for a seat, and one other time we could never find parking so just left. This is okay in the warm months when you can wait outside, but now everyone's crowded in the small entry way, freezing everytime the door opens. Even with open tables around us, there doesn't seem to be a rush to fill the tables efficiently. Then the ramen-it's good, but not spectacular. Both times the soup arrived luke-warm to cool, and although the bowl is large, it's only filled half-way; doesn't seem like a good value for $12. Each time, we left hungry, even when ordering an appetizer along with the soup.The restaurant is lovely and hip, but the ambience feels rushed and crowded so don't expect it as a good date night place to go. Most of the broth is pork-based, and would have loved to have a seafood option. Menu is not large, but each dish we've ordered has been well-made.

This place was about 1/2 mile farther than the closest ramen place that was just couple blocks from my hotel, but I saw that their rating was higher so I decided to give this place a try to satisfy my ramen cravings. Ordered their spicy miso ramen and both the broth and noodles were on spot! Their chashu pork, not so much - it is a cheap pork meat that is pretty tough to chew and ruined my Japanese ramen experience. Such a bummer since both their broth and noodles are at a high level. Their cold tofu appetizer was a-ok, and not the most authentic I have had. Service was pretty decent. It's safe to say I probably won't go out of my way to come back here before my Seattle vacation is over.

Normally I am not a fan of japanse food but tried it anyway. I was surprised by the tasty food. Great value for money too.

Excellent Ramen, one of the best we’ve ever tried in Seattle area. Long line-up for the Saturday dinner, waited 45 mins to get a table at 6pm. ***Tips: Before arriving, make sure to check the waiting time and use Yelp to reserve a spot. It will save you tons of time. For the 1st time diner, the underground parking is free for 3 hours.

I went in today about 4 or 4:15 and was happy they were open and not crowded. I was alone so they attempted to seat me at the counter which I declined because they were not busy and the counter was very tight and cluttered. I was seated and then waited for attention from waitstaff or the person who seated me. There were servers all around talking, drinking beverages and kind of looking lost. The host who greeted me was maybe giving a new employee orientation. Long story short.... a group of four came in and were getting service before I was even aknowledged. At that point I just got up and left. This was my third and last visit because the service was poor on the previous visits as well. I'll do Capitol Hill from now on.

I admit the main reason I go to the Northgate Kizuki is simply because it is the most convenient ramen-ya for me. The Capitol Hill location is literally closer to me but like the other great ramen-yas in Seattle, the parking is formidable. The Northgate location has tons of free parking. And the ramen is very decent. It is not the best in town. But it is very good. So when I need a ramen fix, this Kizuki more than satisfies.

As a huge ramen fanatic, I like to frequent ramen places when I am back home. Although Kukai isn't my favorite in the Seattle area, they still have a lot of options and definitely fulfills my ramen cravings. A bowl of Shoyu or Shio ramen is around $8 and tonkstu and miso ramen can range from $10-12. I highly recommend trying the different ramen broths but I have to say that my last visit with the spicy miso ramen definitely hit the spot. The servings are fairly big too and can fill you up. Kizuki does a good job with getting you in and out, in fact I finished in around 30 minutes which included taking the order, waiting for the food, eating, and receiving the check. Make sure you arrive early or dine late as this place can have a large wait!

I've been here several times with family and friends. The broth is tasty and the noodles are very fresh. The soup always arrives steaming hot. Each type of broth comes with a low sodium option. Go for that if you don't like super-salty broth. You can customize with tasty add-ons, such as tofu, wood ear mushrooms, spinach, chicken, egg, etc. for $1.50 each. Service has been inconsistent: sometimes it's prompt and courteous and other times slow and unresponsive. The restaurant gets extremely crowded at dinner time so go off hours to avoid a wait.