Alleyway restaurant provides unique experience, delicious food

The next time you’re downtown, I would recommend going to Ika San Ramen. Tucked away in an alley, this hidden gem of a restaurant is something every Omahan should try. Located on 1114 Jones St C, its proximity to Central as well as two locations in the Benson and downtown area make it a prime candidate for the next place to try on your list.

Ika San open their doors at 11am and operates until 10pm. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy some lunch after some downtown shopping, or go to a late dinner with some friends. I chose to try the downtown location, and I was extremely impressed.

The prices are fairly reasonable with appetizer prices ranging from $4 to $10 and ramen prices between $10 and $15. All portions are big, so you can share a plate with someone to balance out the cost. The menu itself has a wide range of different ramen and appetizers to choose from, and they even serve poke, donburi and gyoza as well.

To start I ordered the steam buns and yakitori, and for my main dish I decided to try the spicy miso ramen. My total came out to be $25, but I split my food with a friend and still had leftovers to take home.

The pork belly steam buns were a very tasty bite to start out with. The bun was toasted perfectly, and the pork was tender. They were warm and arrived to the table quickly. Along with them the yakitori came out at the same time. They were described as chicken skewers with a yuzu kosho seasoning. The chicken tasted delicious and was cooked perfectly. The seasoning was different than anything I’m used to, which added to the overall experience.

I have no complaints about the spicy miso ramen. The spice was definitely there, but not too much to be overwhelming. It featured cabbage, an egg, chili oil and a spicy sausage. There was an abundance of noodles, so dinner also became my lunch the next day. Overall the dish was really flavorful, and I will getting it again.

I was overall hesitant for ordering, because I’m not very knowledgeable on all of the ingredients. However, there’s a key on the menu, and the waitresses were readily available to answer any of the questions I had.

If I left out the ambiance of Ika San, I’d be forgetting an important part of the dinning experience. There is a featured graffiti looking mural, along with other incredible art dispersed throughout the restaurant. They have sting lights across the entire ceiling, which makes the lighting perfect. They play music, and have different seating options which make it only the food, but the overall experience of Ika San pleasant.

Ika San is the perfect place to enjoy some authentic ramen, differing from the typical microwaveable ramen most high school students indulge in. If you’re looking for delicious food and a beautiful scenery look no further than Ika San Ramen.