Aoyama Ramen

Aoyama Ramen is a family-run Japanese ramen shop in the Blackbob Corners shopping center at 14960 W. 119th St. in Olathe, Kansas, widely cited as one of the Kansas City metro’s most-recommended noodle houses.¹²

Description

Aoyama Ramen is an understated ramen restaurant specializing in classic ramen soups alongside dumplings and bao-bun bites.³ The menu centers on bowls such as tonkotsu and spicy tonkotsu ramen, with sides including gyoza, pork buns, and rice bowls (don) like pork chashu don.¹ The kitchen prepares its soup daily and assembles dishes to order to maintain freshness.² The Olathe location sits in the Blackbob Corners shopping center and is frequently described as a cozy, family-friendly spot.⁴

Ownership and history

Aoyama Ramen is co-owned by Edward Liu and a business partner who is also his best friend. Both had worked in restaurants for years before deciding to open their own. As Liu told Kansas City Homes & Style: “My partner and I worked in restaurants for years, and we just thought ‘Why are we working for other people? We have the experience. Let’s do it on our own and open our own restaurant.’ My partner… called me and said he had a great location for a Japanese restaurant in Olathe, so I moved from Texas, and here we are.”² Liu is originally from northern China and has cited a lifelong love of noodles as his motivation.²

The exact founding year is uncertain: the May 2023 Homes & Style profile reports the restaurant opened “five years” earlier (≈2018), while a January 2024 Johnson County Post report states it had “operated at its Olathe digs for roughly four years” (≈2020).²⁴ In January 2024, Aoyama Ramen opened its first expansion location at 13225 Shawnee Mission Parkway in Shawnee.⁴

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-28 · Source: Aoyama Ramen official online-ordering menu (aoyamaramenolathe.com/order, Menufy/HungerRush platform; Olathe storefront) · URL(s): https://www.aoyamaramenolathe.com/order · Confidence: High (first-party Olathe storefront; descriptions transcribed from operator copy). + after a price is Menufy’s option-upcharge marker; modifier prices were not expanded.

Olathe-only. The Menufy storefront is addressed to 14960 W. 119th St., Olathe, KS 66062, phone (913) 499-6082. The Shawnee shop at 13225 Shawnee Mission Parkway has its own Menufy at https://www.aoyamaramenshawnee.com/ and is not mixed into the prices below.⁵

Ramen

• Classic Tonkostu Ramen — thick, rich, creamy, 15-hour pork broth, topped with chashu, seasoned egg, bean sprouts, scallions, and nori — $12.50+⁵
• Sho-Yu Ramen — pork bone broth flavored with house soy mix, topped with chashu, seasoned egg, bean sprouts, and scallions — $11.95+⁵
• Shio Ramen — pork bone broth flavored with mixed sea salt, topped with chashu, seasoned egg, bean sprouts, and scallions — $11.95+⁵
• Aoyama Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen — pork bone broth seasoned with soy and house spicy paste, topped with chashu, egg, bean sprouts, and scallions — $12.50+⁵
• Miso Hot Ramen — pork bone broth seasoned with red miso mix topped with seasoned ground pork, egg, bean sprouts, and scallions — $11.95+⁵
• Curry Ramen — pork bone broth seasoned Japanese curry paste topped with ground pork, bean sprouts, and scallions — $11.95+⁵
• Veggie — seaweed, shiitake mushroom broth flavored with soy mix, topped with cabbage, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, and scallions — $11.95+⁵
• Rich Garlic Ramen — mix of seafood and pork bone broth with fresh ground garlic, topped with bean sprouts, egg, chashu, and scallions — $12.50+⁵
• Plain Noodles — choice of any broth — $7.00+⁵

Rice bowls

• Japanese Curry Don — variety of fine chopped vegetables and ground chicken cooked in Japanese curry blocks — $11.00+⁵
• Beef Sukiyaki — thin sliced ribeye and shredded onions cooked in ground ginger, sake, soy, and Japanese sweet wine — $12.95+⁵
• Pork Chashu Don — diced roasted pork belly with seasoned egg and scallions — $11.50+⁵
• Crab Don — mixed spicy crab with sweet corn, edamame, pickled ginger, and scallions — $11.50+⁵
• Unagi Don — barbecue fresh water eel with sweet soy and scallions — $12.50+⁵
• Salmon Don — mixed spicy salmon cubes with sweet corn, edamame, pickled ginger, and scallions — $12.50+⁵
• Tuna Don — mixed spicy tuna cubes with sweet corn, edamame, pickled ginger, and scallions — $12.50+⁵

Small bites

• Japanese Street Corn — sweet corn coated with Japanese mayo, furikake, and shichimi — $4.50⁵
• Edamame — steamed soy bean in the pod seasoned with sea salt — $5.00⁵
• Gyoza — crispy pan fried dumpling stuffed with pork and cabbage — $7.50⁵
• Pork Bun — chashu pork, cucumber, mixed greens sandwiched in a steamed bun with sweet soy — $4.50⁵
• Karrage Chicken — fried chicken marinade with ground ginger, garlic, soy, sake, and Japanese seven spice — $6.95⁵
• Takoyaki — fried batter ball with diced octopus, cabbage, and onions served on Japanese egg salad — $7.50⁵
• Tempura Cauliflower — deep fried cauliflower dipped in light tempura batter seasoned with sea salt — $6.00⁵
• Bang Bang Shrimp — crispy tempura fried shrimp tossed in sweet chili sauce — $7.50⁵
• Salad — finely shredded cabbage served with house creamy ginger dressing — $3.95⁵

Beverages

• Mexican Coke — $3.50 · Rumune — $3.50 · Sprite / Diet Coke / Dr.pepper / Green Tea — $2.50 each⁵

Spellings (Tonkostu, Karrage, Rumune, Dr.pepper) are as published on the Olathe Menufy. Items that appeared only on the former Grubhub listing (spicy edamame, seaweed salad, kimchi, french fries, lemonade) are not on this storefront and are omitted.

Links

• Official site (Olathe): https://www.aoyamaramenolathe.com/
• Online order (Olathe Menufy): https://www.aoyamaramenolathe.com/order
• Legacy Olathe order domain (not used for prices): https://www.aoyamaramenkc.com/[^5]
• Shawnee location (separate storefront; prices not used here): https://www.aoyamaramenshawnee.com/

Sources

Disputes

None on record.

Footnotes

1. Yelp — Aoyama Ramen, 14960 W 119th, Olathe, KS (updated May 2026) — asserts: address, ramen cuisine, signature dishes, currently open with recent reviews. ↩ ↩²

2. “Noodling for Ramen,” Kansas City Homes & Style (May 2023) — asserts: co-owners Edward Liu and partner, owner quote/story, Liu from northern China via Texas, ~2018 opening, daily soup prep. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Aoyama Ramen official website — asserts: address, hours, “understated restaurant specializing in classic ramen soup, plus dumplings & bao bun bites,” active operation. ↩

4. “Olathe ramen restaurant approaches new Shawnee shop opening,” Johnson County Post (Jan. 17, 2024) — asserts: ~2020 Olathe opening, Blackbob Corners location, first expansion to Shawnee at 13225 Shawnee Mission Pkwy. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Aoyama Ramen official online-ordering menu (first-party, Menufy/HungerRush platform; Olathe storefront) — accessed 2026-08-28. Asserts: Olathe address 14960 W. 119th St., Olathe, KS 66062; phone (913) 499-6082; hours Mon closed / Tue–Thu 11 a.m.–8 p.m. / Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m. / Sun 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; 31 priced items across RAMEN, RICE BOWLS, SMALL BITES, and BEVERAGES as transcribed above. Shawnee is a separate Menufy at aoyamaramenshawnee.com and was not used for these prices. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷