M Kokko

Limited menu, but everything is SO good! The Ramen is by far my favorite, the best in Durham. The house made peach tea is another winner. The only downside is the place is really small not really aesthetically pleasing, and there may be a long wait on a busy day. Service is OK. Our waitresses have been pleasant, but when the place is busy you really notice it with the service. Highly recommend if you're in Durham- a hidden gem for sure.

***FOOD: everything has a zip. Limited menu. Everything on their menu is good. Wanted to try it all. VEGAN CURRY - very very good, hot spicy with udon noodles tofu and various vegetables BIANG BIANG NOODLES - not exactly like the ones in China or Taiwan, but it was good, I wish I had added some sort of protein would've been better didn't realize it didn't come with any protein, be careful because it is spicy hot; PORK BUN BAO - delicious, soft pillow buns enveloping one thick slice pork belly with some greens***COST (OUT OF 4$) $$ very reasonable almost cheap. Pretty much everything is under $20***DÉCOR: super small place, bare minimum, minimalistic to extreme. it may have 20 to 25 seats, really looks like they converted the small lobby of the building into a restaurant. Nevertheless, very cool.***SERVICE: service was good food came out quick and hot. water glasses filled regularly; Limited parking and I would imagine since it beside the theater parking maybe an an issue if there is an event or movie going on at the theater, cool that it's on the backside of the building***RECOMMEND: yes would RECOMMEND & would definitely come back if in the area

This used to be my favorite ramen place in the triangle. I went back for the first time in years and was devastated to find the ramen less flavorful than how I remembered it being. We got the cha shiu pork, which wasn't marinated very well. There was a little bamboo, but not substantially enough to add flavor to the ramen. The pork buns we got at the start of the meal were wonderful, though! I'm just disappointed by the quality of ramen.Service was a little slow getting us seated and they didn't check in frequently. But my boyfriend requested some chili oil for his ramen (maybe found it too bland without), and they brought it over fast.I think I had such glowing praise for this place in the past, but I'm really disappointed this time around.

I give M Kokko a solid four stars. My wife and I really enjoyed the food, drink, and service here. M Kokko's Korean fried chicken is the best we've had to date in the Triangle. It was exceptional. And it looked much better than the versions we saw pictures of on Yelp that were posted in 2021. So if it was good then, then it's probably even better now (2024).M Restaurants is our favorite restaurant group in the area. They've set a standard of excellence in Durham. The M stands for Michael as in the founder, owner, and chef, Michael Lee. His wife brushed the "M" logo that represents their brand. M Kokko opened on September 27, 2016 as a Korean fried chicken joint. It's next door to M Sushi, the best sushi restaurant in the Triangle (in my opinion).M Kokko and M Sushi are hidden on the back corner of a brick building in downtown Durham. There's a small city-owned-and-operated parking lot next to the restaurants (Lot 32), but it only has 10 spaces and is often full. Alternatively, you can park on the street or in the nearby Durham Centre Parking Garage at 300 W Morgan St. For all of these options, hourly rates are enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm.M Kokko is first come, first served. Unlike the other M Restaurants, M Kokko doesn't take reservations. There's a touchpad at the entrance where you can sign your party up for the waitlist. My wife and I got lucky and were seated right away around 5:30pm on a Saturday. We got the second-to-last two-top. When we arrived, the dining room and uncovered makeshift patio were almost completely full.The restaurant is very small and the space is simple. I counted exactly 22 seats inside. I didn't count the outside seats, but if I had to guess, maybe 8-10. The patio was string-lit. Inside, the tables were small and placed closely together. The vibe was casual and the place was bustling.The restrooms are shared between M Kokko and M Sushi.The main food menu was limited to eight dishes plus four desserts. Beverage-wise, they offered cocktails, sake, beer, and wine. M Kokko and M Sushi share alcohol. One of the cocktails we got here was the same as what we got at M Sushi.Here's what we had:Cocktails* Ginger Peach Mule ($17) - Tito's Handmade Vodka, ginger, peach, lime, Fever-Tree Ginger Beer* Blueberry Ginger Smash ($18) - 1792 Bourbon, rosemary, lime, simple syrupFood* KFC Wings ($17) - Garlic Soy* Ramen ($17) - pork chashu, black garlic oil, bamboo shoots, soft-boiled egg* Hainan Chicken ($17) - poached chicken, cucumber salad, chili, and soy sauce; Singapore's national dish* Biang Biang Noodle ($15) - smoked tofu, yu choy, cilantro, crispy shallots, pickled mustard, black vinegar, and chili oilDessert* Coconut Sorbet ($11) - served in a coconut shell with "tropical fruit"The Ginger Peach Mule was excellent. That's the cocktail we had before at M Sushi, except it was $14 there about a year-and-a-half ago and $17 here. The price difference wasn't too surprising given recent high inflation. This is one of those sneaky strong drinks. It was cold and refreshing.The Blueberry Ginger Smash immediately reminded me of another cocktail I had at M Sushi and didn't like, the Purple Haze Hot Sake & Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur. While fundamentally different ingredient-wise, both cocktails reminded me of Dimetapp cough medicine. My wife liked the Blueberry Ginger Smash though, so it wasn't all bad.One of the dishes we wanted to try here was the Jia Jiang Mian (zhajiangmian), Chinese noodles with fermented black bean sauce. Unfortunately, they were out. Since we were one of the first seatings of the day, I think they had been out of Jia Jiang Mian for multiple days. That was disappointing.The KFC Wings were outstanding and I have to admit, better than I expected. This was among the best Korean fried chicken I've had anywhere, that I can recall, and this includes a lot of the tried-and-true Korean fried chicken chains. Everything about them was perfect. They got the extra crispy and crunchy texture just right. The wings were nice and meaty *and* juicy. Overall, the wings were incredibly flavorful and well balanced. If I had to nitpick, there could've been a bit more sauce. Along with the Garlic Soy flavor we got, other KFC flavors here included Spicy and Nashville Hot.The Ramen was solid. In Durham, we still prefer the ramen at Rose's because the noodle quality and texture was better there (from our experience). Also, M Kokko's ramen broth isn't the richest nor the most complex. That said, I do think it's tasty and worth ordering. The Hainan Chicken was yummy as well. This is a staple, straightforward, comforting rice and chicken dish and M Kokko did a fine job with it. My wife liked the Biang Biang Noodle more than the Ramen, but I thought the opposite. The noodles were wide, appetizing, and had nice texture.The Coconut Sorbet was light and delicious. Recommended.Service was fantastic. Kailey was our server. Everyone we interacted with was great.

3.5 stars.This was a small restaurant where the wait time could be one hour long Iike our wait time for a part of four. When you add your name to the wait list on the tablet inside, make sure you add your number and check that they will text you. The inside was cozy and might be enough to hold like 30 or less people.Their menu had food that sounded good. We ordered the Pork Buns, Biang Biang Noodles, Vegan Curry Udon Kokko, Jia Jiang, Ramen, and a Yukikage Shadow Snow bottle. We were going to share the food so it wasn't bad for all four of us. The Pork Buns were good and maybe we were hungry too. The Biang Biang Noodles was tasty, the Jia Jiang was good, and the Ramen was just okay (broth wasn't what I was expecting). I didn't try any of the Vegan Curry Udon Kokko. The portion for everything was just right for us and we were full after we finished everything.This restaurant was okay and might be worth checking out if you're in the area and don't mind the wait time.

Excellent restaurant!! Went out to try this place and it exceeded by expectations. It's located in downtown Durham so there street parking go plan for. And it's not too far from the Carolina Theater. The inside of the restaurant is pretty small. There are about 10 tables. So definitely plan to come within the first hour of opening to avoid a wait. The service was great! We opted for the chilled raspberry tea. It was very good and refreshing but way too much ice. We barely got two glasses from the carafe. We both chose noodle dishes and they were delicious. Lots of freshness and flavor and a bit of heat for both. No food was left untouched. I look forward to visiting again and trying something new!

Went back two days in a row while in Durham for a conference. First time had the biang biang noodles which were absolutely delicious- the sauce was savory and so flavorful and I respected how much cilantro was on it. The noodles were also super tasty and just the right texture. during this dinner I tried my coworkers vegan curry and was so impressed I had to sneak out to get it the next day instead of the conference food. If you're in downtown Durham looking for vegan options - look no further. The curry noodles might be my favorite noodle dish I've had. The combination of all the different elements of tastes and textures was perfection! Staff is super kind.

Quality: 5/5Price: 5/5Ambiance: 4/5Service: 5/5To this day, BEST ramen I've had. Their spicy pork ramen is my go to. The menu is relatively small such that all their options are amazing. One note, the restaurant fits 20-25 people max, so the line is long, and I suggest you show up before opening or early. You can only get on the waitlist when you show up at the restaurant. Because the restaurant is small, service is really fast. Usually, food comes out within 10-15 mins. Definitely a necessary spot in durham to visit!

The food is fine. The drinks are not worth the price. Went here for lunch today. We had the Korean Fried Chicken and the Biang Biang noodles. The KFC was probably the least flavorful I've ever had. They were beautiful but didn't taste as good as they looked. We got the spicy flavor. The Biang Biang noodles were good. I got the pear mule drink. It was horrible. It tasted like syrup and ginger. Even if the drink were great I wouldn't say it's worth the $18 they charge for a cocktail. Overall I've heard a lot of great things about M Kokko, so I was a little disappointed. The service was great!

Thai vegetable curry is delicious. the staff is very kind and welcoming. we will return