Kawa Ramen and Sushi
Kawa Ramen and Sushi Specializes in Authenticity [REVIEW]
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Kawa Ramen and Sushi, an East Side Milwaukee Restaurant That Specializes in Authentic Japanese Cuisine [REVIEW]
Posted on May 5, 2019 May 5, 2019
by Amanda Maniscalco
Restaurant: Kawa Ramen and Sushi
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 11:30 AM-10:00 PM, Friday:
11:30 AM-10:30 PM, Saturday: 11:30 AM-9:30 PM, Sunday: 12:30 PM-9:00 PM
Location: 2321 North Murray Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53211
Phone: (414) 800-7979
Cuisine Type: Japanese
Price Range: Appetizers: $4-$14; Rolls: $4-$14; Entrees:
$11-$32, with two sharing plates priced at $54 and $76
It was one of Milwaukee’s
finer seasonal nights around dinner time when my boyfriend and I decided to go
for a walk toward North Avenue to find a place to eat. We discussed what we
were in the mood for and came to an agreement that something light and healthy
would be nice – but also rich and flavorful. Suddenly, Kawa Ramen and Sushi caught
our eye.
Located at 2321 N Murray
Avenue, on Milwaukee’s East Side, Kawa Ramen and Sushi is a restaurant that
specializes in Japanese cuisine; you can dine in, carry out or have it
delivered. We chose to dine in that night.
The interior was very
similar to how restaurants serving authentic cuisine in Japan are styled.
Typically Japanese restaurants in Japan have a very modern, simple and clean
feel to the inside. The walls aren’t usually decorated with much and the tables
and chairs are typically either black or white and also portray very modern
architecture. Kawa had this down to a “t”.
As we were greeted by the
host, he asked if we would prefer a table or to sit at the bar. After looking
around and seeing it was quite busy, we decided to choose the more low-key bar
seating because it’s slightly sectioned off from the rest of the restaurant.
Think of a nice candle
light dinner with you and your significant other, relaxing and enjoying the
evening out. It’s been proven that most higher-end, elegant restaurants have
dimmer lighting to portray that low candle light ambiance ( TGAM ). This
is true with Kawa where the light was quite dim. I’m not usually a fan of dim
light because it actually makes it really hard to read the menu. It didn’t help
that the type on the menu is extremely small – they have so many options and
variations; I guess they didn’t want a four page menu.
We were kindly greeted by
the bartender who asked if we wanted something to drink. Justin ordered a beer
and I ordered a large House Hot Sake. The Sake was as strong and delicious as
ever and my nose could sense the hint of pear notes. After serving the beer,
pouring a shot of sake and leaving the bottle, the bartender was very nice by
advising me that the bottle was still very hot and to be careful.
The Sake Don
After what seemed like 20
minutes of looking over the menu, we finally decided on what we wanted for
dinner. Justin ordered the Sake Don ($17) and I ordered the Maki Platter ($20).
All of the entrées from the Sushi bar come with a small salad and a cup of miso
soup both served before your meal.
Salad and Miso Soup
It is very common for almost all U.S. restaurants to serve either a soup or salad before your main course. However, in Japan this will never be the case . Instead, the miso soup is served after the sushi as a way of helping to digest your meal. This is common in other cultures too, like the French who typically eat their salad after the main course. So that was one difference I noticed, and next time, I’ll ask for my miso soup to be served after my sushi.
The service was very
prompt, especially for it being so busy – I was impressed. The hostess seated
us immediately, we were greeted within minutes by the bartender, and the food
came out within 10, maybe 15 minutes. Not only was the service prompt, but the bartender
was friendly and was always there to
check on us, to see if everything was tasting alright or if we needed anything
else.
The Shrimp Tempura
After receiving our
dishes, we were in awe of the presentation; they were like little works of art.
My Maki Platter, option B (because Kawa offers two Maki Platters) consisted of three
rolls: the California (crab, avocado, cucumber and tobiko), the Godzilla
(tempura spicy tuna and avocado, topped with scallions, tobiko, spicy mayo and
a sweet chili sauce), and the Shrimp Tempura (fried shrimp, avocado, cucumber,
caviar, and eel sauce).
The Godzilla
My absolute favorite was
the Godzilla; it had everything I like in a sushi roll. I loved how the sushi
roll was fried once put together and I loved how spicy it was. I didn’t even
need the wasabi that came with the platter. I also liked that, because it was
fried, the roll was still warm when served. The combination of the smooth spicy
tuna and avocado worked great with the crunch of the fried coating and tobiko.
Each roll was sliced so
that I could pick up a silver dollar sized portion and pop it in to my mouth. The
ease and convenience were nice since I don’t know how to use chop sticks. Each
sushi entrée is served with chopsticks, not silverware – unless you ask. I
simply used my fingers. This does though stick with the traditional Japanese
restaurants which serve chopsticks with sushi and offers forks and knives for
other types of dishes.
Many people don’t realize
that not all sushi is the
same. For instance, my platter came with Uramaki. Uramaki is a type of sushi made
by rolling seaweed around raw seafood and fresh ingredients, then surrounding the
roll with rice. In Maki sushi, the rice and seaweed switch places; the rice is
on the inside and is wrapped by the seaweed. Maybe they should have called my
dish the Uramaki Platter instead.
Overall, the atmosphere,
service and food were a pleasant delight. This is a restaurant that truly tries
to align with the tradition of Japanese culture through the food they serve and
the experience they hope to offer you at Kawa Ramen and Sushi.
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Amanda Maniscalco
Posted in Opinion , Top Stories
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YouTube
Menu as captured Sep 1, 2026 · source ↗
We hold 209 venues in Milwaukee, WI and could score 30 of them. This one is not among them, so it has no position — not a low one.
There is no score breakdown to show: nothing we read about this venue earned points in any of the four categories, so a bar chart of zeroes would look like a verdict on the kitchen rather than on what it publishes. What we did read is below.
v1.7.4 0.0/100 = sourcing 0.0/50 (named-farm 0 distinct, named-region 0 distinct, attribute 0 distinct, buzzword 0 distinct) + farm partners 0.0/20 (none scored) + registry 0.0/12 (none listed) + press 0.0/18 (capped at 35% of the 0.0-point evidence base).
Buzzwords only. This venue uses sourcing language ("farm-fresh", "locally sourced") but names no farms, regions, or verifiable attributes.
See the week▾
| Sunday | 12:30pm – 9pm |
|---|---|
| Monday | 11:30am – 10pm |
| Tuesday | 11:30am – 10pm |
| Wednesday | 11:30am – 10pm |
| Thursday | 11:30am – 10pm |
| Friday | 11:30am – 10:30pm |
| Saturday | 11:30am – 9:30pm |
Hours checked Aug 30, 2026 · source ↗ · these hours were read from the page text rather than published schedule data, so we show the week instead of calling it open or closed · Always worth confirming with the restaurant.
Coverage
- Shepherd Express restaurant guide entry: Kawa Ramen and Sushi ↗
Shepherd Express
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