Ika Ramen And Izakaya Omaha

UPDATED 2/23 (4 Stars): Ika seems to be getting back to the quality I know and love. Hoping to have a few more consistently good bowls before giving the 5th star. I would once again recommend stopping here or ordering to go! The last 5 bowls I’ve had have been up to snuff over the last month so I would say whatever was wrong with the kitchen has been remedied! UPDATED 12/22 (2 stars): I added a second star as since the initial 1 star review in 8/22 I have been back to Ika and had an on par delicious bowl of Tonk. I’ll add stars as I have consistent experiences again. Original 8/22 (1 star): I’m so heartbroken to do this. I cannot in good conscious recommend Ika ever again. I’m a former golden ticket holder (to those that don’t know, you buy a golden ticket and can get a free bowl of ramen daily for a year, 2021) and in 2020 used to go every Friday night: I know the Tonkotsu ramen. I know broth quality varies day by day because it’s homemade. But a few weeks ago my ramen was NOT quality in anyway. My small plates were amazing and spot on. The ramen broth held no flavor. I have had Maruchan microwave Tonkotsu broth with more flavor than my Ika bowl. Zach was amazing as always and gave me the same quality service he’s been giving me since mid-2020. This review is in no way a reflection of the waitstaff. Ika always has exceptional people: Zach and Whitney being star veterans of note. To be clear once more: my partner’s Niku Udon that night was good. My two small plates of pork belly steam buns and Tokyo fried chicken were both amazing. Heck, even my toppings on my ramen were great. But we all know the heart of a bowl of ramen is it’s broth. I’m leaving this poor review in a desperate plea to the owner of Ika: FIX IT! This is your most popular ramen and you are going to lose business if this is not remedied. I have made Ika a staple for friends who visit from out of town for hospital visits, conventions, shopping trips, etc. I have sung the praises of this place since my first visit on my 21st birthday in April 2018. I have had bowls of ramen better at Ika San, and I tell people to NEVER go to the downtown location because their quality has always been garbage in comparison to the Benson location. Now I’m not so sure. I’m happy to change this review to the 5 star it was meant to be made as years ago if the broth quality goes back to the Benson standard. Until then: VISITORS BEWARE. If they no longer care about the quality of their most popular bowl of ramen, who knows how long it will take for the quality of the rest of the food to follow?