KC Craft Ramen

KC Craft Ramen is a from-scratch Japanese ramen shop near 119th & Metcalf in Overland Park, Kansas, opened in June 2023 by Kenichi and Akiko Ota with longtime friend Hiroyuki Kawashima. The trio makes its noodles and bone broth in house, and the small storefront has drawn near-constant lines since opening.¹²

Description

KC Craft Ramen serves traditional Japanese ramen alongside handmade dumplings and Japanese-style fried chicken (karaage). Everything is made from scratch, including the noodles and the broth, the latter achieving its rich umami depth through hours of simmering pork and chicken bones.¹² Menu staples reviewers single out include tonkotsu, spicy miso, and black garlic ramen.³ The shop does not take reservations and almost always has a line, which moves quickly; a small retail nook at the front sells Japanese candy and merchandise.¹ The room leans into a cozy, anime-friendly atmosphere with live plants and string lights.³

Ownership and history

KC Craft Ramen was opened in June 2023 by married couple Kenichi and Akiko Ota together with their longtime friend Hiroyuki Kawashima.¹² The three had previously helped launch and operate ramen restaurants across the country before relocating to Kansas City to open a place of their own.² Owner Kenichi Ota has described his motivation as showing local diners the breadth of the dish: “Ramen is very unique food, unlimited style with the ramen flavor, more than 100, more than 1,000 styles of ramen.”² The restaurant occupies a storefront near 119th Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park and has become a gathering hub for the local Asian community, hosting popup events with ramen chefs flown in from Japan.²

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-17 · Source: Official site (ourmenu / dinner + lunch PDFs dated May 6, 2026) and current delivery listing · URL(s): https://kccraftramen.com/ourmenu/ · https://postmates.com/store/kc-craft-ramen-leawood/wU_6z7COWtyrzTfOUsXQEQ · Confidence: High (item roster) / Medium (prices — sourced from delivery platform, which may carry markup over in-store)

Everything is made from scratch — noodles and bone broth simmered in house.¹² The shop frames its lineup around three named “signature” bowls on its own menu page, with a broader roster of classic styles plus vegan options on the full menu.⁴

Ramen (signature)

• KC Black — black-garlic-oil broth with pork chashu, vegetables, and seasoned egg; the shop’s flagship dark-oil bowl.⁴
• KC Red — spicy-oil broth with pork chashu, vegetables, and seasoned egg.⁴
• Creamy Chicken — rich chicken-paitan-style broth with chicken chashu, chicken mince, vegetables, and seasoned egg.⁴
• Tonkotsu — long-simmered pork-and-chicken-bone broth; the classic rich bowl reviewers most often single out.³⁵
• Spicy Miso — miso-based broth with a chili kick, another reviewer-favorite signature.³⁵

Ramen (full roster)

• Miso Ramen — classic miso broth — $16.98.⁵
• Spicy Creamy Chicken — spicy version of the creamy chicken bowl — $16.98.⁵
• Vegan Ramen — plant-based broth and toppings — $16.98.⁵
• Sesame Spicy Vegan — spicy sesame vegan bowl — $16.98.⁵
• Kids Ramen — smaller portion for children — $13.98.⁵

(Signature bowls KC Black / KC Red / Miso / Spicy Miso / Tonkotsu / Creamy Chicken each listed at $16.98 on the delivery menu — prices against in-store.⁵)

Appetizers / small plates

• Handmade Pork Gyoza — pan-fried scratch dumplings; 8 pc $9.98 / 16 pc $18.98.⁴⁵
• Chicken Karaage — Japanese-style fried chicken — $9.98.⁴⁵
• KC Bun — pork-cutlet (katsu) bun/sandwich; 2 pc $13.00.⁴⁵
• Takoyaki — octopus batter balls — $8.98.⁵
• Calamari Karaage — fried calamari — $12.00.⁵
• Fried Brussels Sprouts — $7.98.⁵
• Edamame — $6.98.⁵
• Chicken Karaage Curry Rice — karaage over Japanese curry rice — $15.98.⁵

Links

• Official site: https://kccraftramen.com/
• Visit Overland Park listing: https://www.visitoverlandpark.com/listing/kc-craft-ramen/1893/

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Yelp — KC Craft Ramen (Updated June 2026, 344 reviews) (accessed 2026-06-23). Open and actively hosting 2026 ramen-chef popup events.

Disputes

None.

Footnotes

1. Visit Overland Park — KC Craft Ramen listing. https://www.visitoverlandpark.com/listing/kc-craft-ramen/1893/ — asserts: name, address (6830 W 119th St, Overland Park, KS 66209), scratch noodles/broth, gyoza/karaage menu, no reservations, retail merchandise, operating hours, currently open. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. KCUR / Up To Date — “KC Craft Ramen in Overland Park, Kansas, already has lines out the door” (March 10, 2024). https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2024-03-10/kc-craft-ramen-brings-a-taste-of-japan-to-overland-park-kansas-and-kansas-city-metro — asserts: owners Kenichi & Akiko Ota with Hiroyuki Kawashima, opened June 2023, prior ramen experience nationally, relocated to KC, scratch pork-and-chicken-bone broth, 119th & Metcalf location, owner quote, Japan-chef popups. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Yelp — KC Craft Ramen, Overland Park (updated May 2026, 340+ reviews). https://www.yelp.com/biz/kc-craft-ramen-overland-park — asserts: currently open with 2026 reviews, signature ramen styles (tonkotsu/spicy miso/black garlic), atmosphere details, active dine-in service. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. KC Craft Ramen — official menu page (accessed 2026-06-17; full menu PDFs dated May 6, 2026). https://kccraftramen.com/ourmenu/ — asserts: named signature bowls KC Black (black garlic oil), KC Red (spicy oil), Creamy Chicken; appetizers handmade pork gyoza, KC Bun (pork cutlet), chicken karaage; from-scratch noodles and broth. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

5. Postmates / Uber Eats — KC Craft Ramen (Leawood/119th St) delivery menu (accessed 2026-06-17). https://postmates.com/store/kc-craft-ramen-leawood/wU_6z7COWtyrzTfOUsXQEQ — asserts: full ramen roster (KC Black, KC Red, Miso, Spicy Miso, Tonkotsu, Creamy Chicken, Spicy Creamy Chicken, Vegan Ramen, Sesame Spicy Vegan, Kids Ramen) and appetizers (gyoza 8/16 pc, chicken karaage, KC Bun, takoyaki, calamari karaage, fried brussels sprouts, edamame, chicken karaage curry rice) with delivery-platform prices. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶