Salem's Latest Dining Hot Spot Kokeshi Looks Ahead

SALEM, MA – Kokeshi, Bambolina owners' new restaurant on Lafayette Street, opened last March to much fanfare. Kokeshi serves owners Larry Leibowitz and Tim Haigh's take on Asian street food with dishes like ramen, octopus hot dogs, Korean short ribs, and more.

"The Salem dining community has welcomed Kokeshi with open arms," said Leibowitz and Haigh in an email to Patch. "We ramped up slowly with a series of private events as a way to train the staff and it really helped with our service model."

The Kokeshi owners said they're focusing their menu on fan favorites and customer feedback, and are now open for lunch six days a week.

"We pride ourselves on reading every single comment card and value all feedback. It’s what makes us a better restaurant. We strive to be better today than we were yesterday."

Haigh and Leibowitz said part of the fun of the restaurant is that the menu is constantly evolving, but they're still smitten with the Colonel Sanders Ramen, which combines fried chicken, Tokyo wavy noodles, and spicy pork broth. They said they're also adding to the cocktail menu and sake selection.

"Many of our customers really 'get' what we are doing. They understand the casual and whimsical nature in the theme and the food. We certainly want the food and service to hit on all cylinders but it’s important for us to have fun while doing it."

Image via Kokeshi