Today, I had a craving for ramen in a while, so I went to a new ramen restaurant nearby.

The result, it was disappointing.

It wasn’t bad, but at around $19 including tip, it was quite disappointing compared to the satisfaction of eating ramen in Japan.

Actually, it is quite a bit different food sometimes.

I am a little uncomfortable to say to the people who run the ramen shops in the U.S., but it is true that sometimes the taste is not what I expect.

So, in order to avoid making a mistake when choosing Ramen restaurants in Los Angeles, I would like to introduce some of the best Ramen restaurants in LA.

First of all, the price of a bowl of ramen at a ramen shop in LA ranges from $12 to $20 (toppings and specials such as chashu ramen are priced at about $20), which is not the price range of a cheap commoner.

One restaurant had a chashu ramen that was nearly $30 with tip.

Inflation in the U.S. is astounding.

However, Japanese people are always tempted to eat Ramen after drinking alcohol, aren’t they?

So, here we go.

There is a ramen restaurant that can be said to be representative of LA and is certainly delicious.

Here is a brief introduction of five ramen shops that a Japanese’s guy recommended from a local’s point of view.

1.Tsujita

2.Rakkan

3.Silverlake ramen

4.Ramen Tatsunoya

5.Ikkousha

First of all, the most popular local ramen in LA and the one that I think is the best is;

It is called Tsujita.

Tsujita’s official site: https://www.tsujita.com/menu

The address is 2057 Sawtelle Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025

I recommend the ramen, and the tsukemen(dipping style) is extremely popular.

Personally, I think their Tonkotsu Ramen is the best in LA. I like tsukemen as well, but when I come here, I always order Tonkotsu Ramen.

There is no parking around the restaurant, so you can park on the street or in the parking lot in the basement of the Nijiya Market Sawtelle Store and walk there.

My second recommendation.

It is called Rakkan.

Rakkan Ramen’s official site：https://rakkanramen.com/

There is a place called Little Tokyo in downtown LA.

The address is 359 E. 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

There are also other locations in Redondo Beach, Tustin, and Long Beach.

I often order Shio Ramen here.

The salt or soy sauce ramen is quite good. If you prefer soy sauce-based ramen to pork bone broth, this is the ramen shop for you.

There is no parking here either, so you can either park on the street or in the parking lot at the Japanese Village Plaza, which is close to the restaurant.

Thirdly, I recommend;

Silverlake Ramen.

Silverlake Ramen’s official site：https://silverlakeramen.com/

The address is 2927 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026

This ramen shop may not feel like a Japanese ramen shop, but the flavor is excellent. It is Americanized pork bone ramen.

The chashu pork is quite filling and the soup is quite rich. Personally, I go there often. Other locations are currently planning to open many new restaurants (as of 2022). Silver Lake and Highland Park are the first.

Personally, I think the restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, which is also the first location, is the best. I recommend the regular Tonkotsu Ramen (The classic). You can choose a protein from pork, chicken, or tofu. Garlic is also available if you ask for it, so if you want to change the taste a little, you can ask for it.

Parking is also limited here, and although there is a parking lot, it is usually full, so you will have to park on the street.

The fourth place I recommend is;

Tatsunoya.

Ramen Tatsunoya’s official site:https://www.tatsunoyausa.net/

This ramen restaurant is located in downtown Pasadena.

The address is 16 N Fair Oaks Avenue Pasadena, CA 91103

There is another location in Silver Lake.

Tonkotsu Ramen is recommended here as well. It is quite crowded, so if it is lunch time or on weekends, you will have to wait a long time. There is no parking available, so you may want to park at the De Lacey Parking Facility. I think it is about a 5 minute walk from there. That parking lot is the cheapest so far. ($1 for the first 2 hours, as of 2022).

The fifth recommendation is Ikkousha.

Ikkousha’s official site：https://www.ikkoushaca.com/

Ikkousha serves what is called Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen, So I recommend this ramen shop to those who love Hakata style ramen.

Located at 368 E 2nd St Los Angeles, CA 90012

There are three locations in downtown LA, Costa Mesa, and Torrance.

The downtown store I often go to is relatively easy to get into and you don’t have to wait long, but there is no parking here either. You can park on the street or use the parking lot of Japanese Village Plaza, which is the same as that of Rakkan.

This is an extra ramen restaurant’s recommendation.

It is called Benten.

Benten’s official site：https://www.bentenramen.com/

This place is located in the city of San Gabriel.

The address is 821 W Las Tunas Dr San Gabriel, CA 91776

My recommendation is the Tsukemen(dipping ramen style). It is quite tasty with a strong bonito-based flavor. The ajitama (boiled egg, seasoned egg) is also very tasty. I like Tsujita’s tsukemen, but I like this one just as much. There are also tonkotsu ramen and spicy ramen, but I don’t recommend them. Tsukemen is the best choice here.

There is a large parking lot in front of the restaurant, so you should be able to park there if it is not busy. If there is no space available, street parking is easy to find.

Another extra is;

Tatsu.

 Tatsu’s official site：https://tatsuramen.com/

In the middle of the Corona pandemic, I really wanted to try ramen so I went TO GO.

Located at 319 S Arroyo Parkway Pasadena, CA 91105

They also have other restaurants in Sawtelle and Melrose in LA City.

The ramen is Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen with thin noodles, and you can choose the thickness of the noodles.

However, we do not recommend taking the ramen to go. The taste will be reduced by half, and it is better not to do so, so much so that I swore I would never do it again.

That’s all I have to say.

How was it? I introduced some of the best Ramen restaurants in Los Angeles. I am a ramen lover, so I think this information is reliable.

So, I am sure that you will not be disappointed if you dine at any of the restaurants I have listed!

By all means.

I hope you will enjoy LA Ramen when you travel to Los Angeles in the United States.

Thank you for reading.

Zenjin