Since opening in January, Downtown Burbank’s Kopan Ramen 2 has been steadily serving its delicious Japanese noodles and plates to a growing clientele of devotees. The Burbank noodle shop offers a simple but satisfying menu of ramen and Japanese sides.
The Burbank location of Kopan Ramen is the second location of the Fullerton-based Izakaya Kopan. Located in the large open-aired space that had previously housed a branch of Little Tokyo’s Orochon, Kopan Ramen offers one basic broth flavor for ramen orders.
To that broth and ramen, one may add Chashu (pork belly), Fatty Pork, Chicken Breast or Vegetables. A host of additional toppings are available for the noodle bowl, including additional portions of the meats, cheese, soft-boiled egg, crunch onion and garlic, bamboo, corn, green onion, red ginger, wood ear or shitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, spinach, seaweed and tofu.
The sides are very tasty as well. The seafood gyoza were light and full of flavor, while the fresh seaweed salad was lightly sweet and tangy. The wafer-thin sliced cucumber salad with a mild dressing was an excellent refresher and palate cleanser.
Our server mentioned the soft shell crab side is very popular – the crab is lightly deep-fried and split in half. Kopan Ramen also serves our favorite breaded and fried octopus treat – takoyaki – a little ball of flavor and crunch that is always a fun complement to a meal and excellent as a snack on its own.
Izakaya generally means a bar that serves some food to go along with its drinks, and Kopan Ramen has plenty of options for those who would like a little something to eat along with their beer or cocktail. The restaurant also stands up excellently for satisfying lunches and dinners.
The ramen bowls are available in two sizes and four spices levels – none, mild, spicy and super spicy. Kopan Ramen also provides sriracha and its own homemade spicy sauce on the table to kick up the heat level as needed.
Our recent dinner at Kopan Ramen was terrific. While our server wasn’t extremely knowledgeable about some of the dish preparations, he was super friendly and helpful. The restaurant was steadily busy but with ample seating available for walk-ins, on a weeknight in Burbank.
Everything we ordered was fresh and extremely flavorful, filling but not too heavy. I found the heat level on the #2 spicy ramen to be perfect, enough to provide some kick but not too overpowering.
Others at the table ordered no spice bowls and then added the amount of Kopan red pepper paste they desired. The soft-boiled eggs were creamy and the ideal complement to the warmth and flavor of the broth. Both the pork and chicken were extremely tender.
While we still hold Totto Ramen in New York City and Daikokyu Ramen in Downtown Los Angeles as our favorite noodle spots, Burbank’s Kopan Ramen is a solid choice for an enjoyable and delicious bite to eat. We look forward to our next bowls of noodles and trying out more side dishes at Kopan Ramen soon.
Restaurant Info: Kopan Ramen 2 is located at 220 N. San Fernando, Burbank, CA 91502 . 818-845-0187. Kopan Ramen 2 is open Sunday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Kopan Ramen 2 receives: On The Marquee
myBurbank Ratings:
Tops In Town (Outstanding)
On The Marquee (Really Good)
Could Use A Rewrite (Average or Slightly Below)
Don’t Quit Your Day Job (Poor)
