A restaurant serving authentic ramen, designed in a traditional Japanese style, featuring three types of traditional ramen (tofu, chicken, and pork), handmade gyoza, soba noodle salad, and trendy Japanese desserts.
Koko neko offers an authentic Japanese dining experience in the cozy Florentin neighborhood of Tel Aviv. It is known for its casual, non-pretentious atmosphere and often has queues, especially on weekends, which customers find worth the wait. The restaurant is managed by a Japanese owner and features authentic cooks.
Customers highly praise the ramen, describing it as creamy, made with fresh ingredients, and having perfect texture. The fluffy pancakes, especially the cherry variant, are a standout and considered a 'pure love' item. While some find the ramen broth a bit simple or the vegetarian ramen plain, the overall consensus is very positive. Service is generally kind and efficient, even during busy times. The chicken gyoza received mixed reviews, with one mentioning it as tasteless.
Additional Details
Located in the vibrant Florentin neighborhood, Koko neko provides a genuine taste of Japan, with flavors that transport diners back to the country.
Vegetarian options available (e.g., Vegetarian Ramen)
Best Times to Visit
Be prepared for a wait of about 20-30 minutes during rush hours, particularly on Saturdays, as the restaurant does not take reservations. It's a popular spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Review Title: Loved Koko Neko, but terrible service experience at Koko Zen.
Review Text:
We visited both locations on the same day, and the experiences were completely opposite.
At Koko Neko, everything was absolutely amazing! The ramen was incredibly delicious, the gyoza was top-notch, and the pink lemonade was a total wow. A well-deserved 5 stars; we left happy and gladly tipped the staff.
However, we then moved to Koko Zen for desserts, and the evening was completely ruined. The service there was incredibly dry and unwelcoming. It felt like the waitress just wanted us to leave as quickly as possible because it was close to the end of her shift. When we asked her to explain a drink with white Japanese peach, she gave a lazy answer: "Just peach," without any proper explanation.
Even though the service was poor and rushed, we still decided to leave her the change from our cash payment (9 NIS). Instead of a simple "thank you," she looked at the money and aggressively demanded more, saying: "10% is not included in the bill, did you leave me 10%? You must pay a 10% tip for the service."
What service? Forcing guests out and being rude is not service. I would like to remind the management that demanding tips, pressuring guests, or claiming that tipping is mandatory is a major breach of restaurant etiquette and a direct violation of Israeli law. Tipping is strictly at the guest's discretion. It is a shame that the aggressive and unlawful behavior of one staff member at Koko Zen completely ruined the great impression left by Koko Neko. I truly hope management takes action.
If you come on Saturday, be ready to wait in line (about 20 minutes on average), but it’s worth it! The ramen is creamy and made with fresh ingredients. The eggs and bok choy have the perfect texture, and you can add as much spice as you want. The pancakes are fluffy-just like in Japan. The atmosphere and flavors really take you back to Japan. I’ll definitely come again and make this my go-to spot.
The best ramen I ate in Tel Aviv. Alright prices and great staff. Also the place is designed like a japanese ramen store which add to the vibes. I will say there is always a long line waiting outside and there’s no booking a seat in advance so be prepared, but the line does advance quickly.
I have come for food, had chicken ramen and it was delicious and fresh! And finally the good amount of chicken in the soup, not to small bites like almost everywhere else!
Thank you, long live and prosperity. Definitely recommend and will be coming back
The most authentic and value for money Japanese food I’ve ever eaten outside of Japan or even the entirety of South East Asia.
Absolutely blown away by how good every single dish was.
Bonus points for unbelievably beautiful packaging for take away also
