RamenKoko: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

RamenKoko is a ramen shop on Palm Avenue in Highland, part of the Inland Empire sprawl just east of San Bernardino. Tonkotsu broths that take meat and bones to make are the whole point here, and a vegetarian isn’t the target customer. The kitchen still built one dish specifically to cover that gap, and it’s a real bowl, not a garnish plate stuck at the bottom of the menu to check a box.

Order the Creamy Vegetarian Ramen. Green onion, white onion, bean sprouts, corn, menma, ginger, nori, a soft-boiled egg, and thick chunks of tofu standing in for the usual chashu pork, loaded the way the regular bowls are. Reviewers single it out as filling, not a thin consolation bowl. The soft egg means this isn’t vegan, just vegetarian. If egg is a dealbreaker, ask the kitchen to leave it off before the bowl goes out, not after.

Pair it with the Vegetable Gyoza, served pan-fried or deep-fried, for a second hot item on the table instead of leaning on the ramen alone. Edamame and Spicy Garlic Edamame round out the vegetarian side as starters, standard at any ramen shop but a fine way to open the meal while the broth comes out.

One ramen, one gyoza, two edamame orders, that’s the extent of it. Tonkotsu and spicy tonkotsu, built the long way, carry the rest of the menu. Nothing on the vegetarian side is marked with a symbol, so you’re relying on dish names alone. A vegetarian can eat a full, satisfying meal here, but the selection is thin enough that this isn’t a destination the way a dedicated vegetarian ramen shop would be.

RamenKoko sits in a small retail strip at 7750 Palm Avenue, Suite N. Hours run Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday noon to 11 p.m., closed Sunday. A split lunch and dinner schedule is standard for a ramen shop running a proper broth, since many kitchens close mid-afternoon to prep the next batch. Call ahead if you’re planning around the gap, (909) 280-3491.

Prices sit in the mid-teens for a full bowl, typical for ramen in Southern California. Walk-in counter-and-table setup, no reservations. The shop has built a steady following in Highland, enough that a weekend dinner slot can mean a short wait. Gluten-free isn’t an option, since ramen noodles are wheat by default and the menu doesn’t address substitutes. Nothing published says whether the vegetarian bowl uses separate pots or shared broth stations, so don’t assume a dedicated setup.

Go in knowing what you’re ordering before you sit down. The Creamy Vegetarian Ramen is a legitimate bowl worth the drive to Highland on its own, just one bowl on a menu built for everyone else.