Daikokuya
327 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 626-1680
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat 11:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.
Sun 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
31 reviews
Neighborhood: Downtown
"This is the place to go for some good shabu shabu. The environment, variety, taste, and prices are all pretty damn stellar. My last visit…" read more »
493 Reviews for Daikokuya
Daikokuya has a good (although rather small) selection of Japanese dishes. I liked the setting and the decorations alot though! The waiters were very nice and quick. I came here with 2 friends and ordered tendon (very good), my friend ordered the special ramen (I forgot what it's called DX) and my other friend got the chahan. All were very good ^^ I will check out other restaurants when I go back to Little Tokyo, but I will be back here too :)
I came here again over Labor Day weekend and found a crowd outside. There were about 10 groups ahead of us so we had a bit of a wait. Started thinking about ditching the line and going down the street to another ramen joint but decided to tough it out...the Daikokuya experience is sorta like Pink's you gotta be more patient than usual.
I tried the Kotteri broth for the ramen this time. It was OK, fattier and richer than regular. The fried rice was awesome like I remembered. We also tried the sliced pork appetizer which filled the meat craving in our hearts.
I am surprised this place received a "C" from the health dept. It's still a downtown institution but they should get that fixed
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
03/08/2008
I came here last night since I wasn't sure I'd be able to make the Ramen tour tonight.
From the… Read more »
I realized I never had real ramen before until I came to this ramen establishment located in Little Tokyo. This area in itself brings back fond college memories, especially at the Japanese Garden Parking Structure. But I digress. I always get the ramen with the Kotteri broth. Also, a side of gyoza which is to die for. They give you a generous sprinkling of scallions over the gyoza, and I happen to give myself generous sprinklings of scallions all over my salads, chicken, fish, etc. when I cook so this was great. Always a wait. The ramen and the broth itself is to die for. Rich and full of flavor in every spoonful. MMMMMM my mouth is watering...
Ramen was great. Delicious broth. But I like their tonkatsu even more! The combo portion is big enough for 2 people. Be expect for a wait around lunch time though.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Unlike reviewer Winnie below me, I've never been to Japan, or an "upscale" ramen place whatever that means (I don't know upscale you want a bowl of salty water and noodles). I try not to be snob about service. What do you expect for a meal for less than $10? Would you complain about the decor at Denny's? There are only 2 or 3 waiters, all working there because they can't get proper jobs for whatever reason. Don't say management is cheap for the small staff, you think it's fun splitting tips among more than 3 people + the cooks?
Ignore the snob below me, the ramen is pretty fucking good and that's all you should care about. The bottom line is that if you come, come for the food, not to be waited on hand and foot as you were at Patina.
The broth is what makes this place great. Very thick, very rich. The pork is great too. Very fatty. The other items on the menu are average Japanese foods, pretty good, nothing special. Don't be the asshole who takes up a seat just to order Chicken Teriyaki. White people can be so annoying sometimes.
That being said, service is average but never rude or unpleasant (they are just busy dude). Parking is a bitch, the wait can be extremely long on weekends, and during dinner & lunch rushes.
Pretty good ramen, but I'm docking a star because the broth was only lukewarm which didn't help the cold egg in the ramen. Despite the C warning, I couldn't see anything outwardly dirty at the place. The broth was smooth and creamy, but nothing amazing (perhaps I am biased towards more powerful-tasting broths like those in Thai noodles). The ramen was just the right texture and the shredded pork bowl was very tasty, as was my companion's chicken teriyaki. However, where so many people rave about the pork, I only found it to be filled with fat and very little actual meat. Of course, all that fat makes the pork tender, but when I get some pork ramen, I expect meat and not only artery-clogging fat. Service was very friendly, but the wait , lukewarm broth, and very fatty pork didn't do it for me.
Daikokuya Ramen is a place for fans only. The food is extremely fatty and is literaly made from pig fat, so if you eat healthy this place isn't for you. If you come here only come for the ramen with added koterri flavor. The rest of the food is pretty average. I simply love the food, but the restuarant is quite hot and stuffy. FYI on a Friday Night you may have to wait about 1-2 hours to get in, because they don't take reservations and you do have to wait.
Daikokuya is good but I don't think it's great. I think Santouka is much better.
I usually only go here when I'm eating alone because there's almost always a place on the counter that opens up for one person and I don't think this place is worth the long wait time for parties of 2 or more.
I think the broth is ok but it feels kind of watered down and lacking in flavor to me. The pork is ok and the egg is just boring. The shredded pork bowl is delicious though. It's super greasy but i think that's what makes it good and it's good as left overs too..
I love this place so much I think I'm going to marry it.
I had the Daikoku Ramen for $8.50 and a order of their gyoza.
The gyoza was deliciously fried to perfection and the Ramen...ohh...the ramen was SO SO good. The perfect amount of savory goodness, not too salty, not too bland. The pork belly just melted in your mouth. I can eat and entire meal out of pork belly here.
My friend got the shredded pork bowl and I nearly squealed in delight when I tasted this. That will be my next dish I order all to myself. No Sharing.
I highly recommend and I will be going back during my lunch hour FOR SURE. The wait is a little long but I say it is well worth it.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (3)
Cool (3)
So good, so delicious. It is kinda of a small place so expect a small wait for a table or if you are super hungry just eat at the bar. Both times I have been here I've never been disappointed by the service or the food. The gyoza is amazing and the Tsukemen is perfect for a hot day and everything is super tasty reasonable. I wish I lived closer!
Some friends were on a ramen craze and were talking up this place like it was the second coming of the ramen gods, raving about how authentic and piping hot and awesome the house ramen is here. After that kind of an intro, how could I not go and order the daikoku ramen.
First the good... the tonkotsu broth was absolutely delicious. It was rich, creamy, excellent flavors. Loved the whole boiled egg and you could tell that the sprouts and scallions were cut fresh, the ramen was made fresh, those pork belly cuts were tender, sweet, and just amazing.
Now... after that kind of raving review, why only three stars? I may have hit them on an off night, but the violated the cardinal sin of noodles in broth - the broth was lukewarm and unacceptably so. They were busy and I was really hungry so I opted to stick with what I had versus sending it back. They've definitely earned a repeat visit, want to try it with the kotteri flavor and want to try the Tsukemen given how much was absolutely awesome with the ramen bowl. However, lukewarm broth, no matter how delicious, is huge.
I literally have dreams about Daikokuya. The ramen to be more precise. It is absurdly good. Excellent broth, noodles..everything. The eggs are cold so give em a little prodding with the chopsticks and your fine. Great service. Be mindful of sitting at the bar only for the fact that you may get overwhelmed by the heat and scorching hot grease flying at you. Other than that, believe me, you will get hooked on this place.
Warning, there can be up to an hour wait at times..
So me and my friends went down to Little Tokyo for ramen and karaoke to celebrate the end of second term. My friend was talking about this GREAT ramen place (it was apparently so good, that he only could eat pork from this place).
So we get down to Daikokuya by way of train and feet. We're all really hungry and so we put our name in. The wait turns out to be something like 20-30 minutes for a party of 7, but I didn't mind...as hungry as I know I was.
I order the ramen, some sake, and iced green tea. This ramen so far is pretty hyped up and I haven't even tasted it yet! So the wait wasn't bad for our food to come by even though the place was pretty packed, which is awesome.
Finally, our food is here! I just dig in. The pork...absolutely lives up to the hype! It was tender, full of flavor, and a beautiful cut. Sadly, it only came with 2 slices! The noodles were pretty hard and really not that great in terms of texture and flavor (I'm just a huge fan of soft noodles). The broth was ok...I've had better. It just wasn't strong enough...the broth and noodles should have been the star of the bowl, not the pork (as great as the pork was). I really wasn't impressed, and it quite honestly didn't live up to the hype. Even hype aside, it just wasn't a great bowl of ramen.
Daikokuya needs to get its priority strait when it comes to ramen. The noodles and the broth should be kicking ass, not just the pork.
*there are nearly 500 reviews on this place so i'll keep it concise.
*One of the best "pork-bone soup" ramen in LA, beats Shinsengumi - San Gabriel, in par with Shisengumi - Torrance.
*"Open Kitchen" maybe a hot design trend for residential properties, but it does NOT work for a ramen shop. the place is freaking HOT as hell, since you are literally sitting next to giant pots of boiling soup and deep fryer. etc.
*shredded Pork Bowl tasted a lot like the Taiwanese Minced Meat Rice. Very heavy flavor, I ran out of rice before the meat.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
As usual...there was still a wait. Ugh.
But the food was much better than the last time I went. The broth was more flavorful and served piping hot. I love that. The Kurobuta sausage was really good too.
The food is good but the restaurant itself needs a major cleaning and some damn A/C.
I can't give this place five stars...cuz ya know what? It ain't no Santouka. :)
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (4)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
06/06/2007
Alrite...it was more like 3.5 stars...but I have to round down cuz I almost got killed here. My… Read more »
I love the ramen and the pork culet bowl! Very delicious. The only downside is that the restaurant is so small, get there early or you will be waiting for awhile.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
What a great bowl of noodles!
I ordered the Daikoku Ramen with the fried rice. Next time, I'm starving for three days before I go so I can eat more food. As the other reviews stated, get there early or else you'll end up waiting.
But the wait is definitely worth it.
Noooooo.....!!! Not my favorite Ramen shop. I came here for the last four years and I went yesterday and they changed their premium pork. They use to have the most flavorful tender pork ever, now they substituted it with a dry gamey meat. I don't know what part of the cow it is, but its a completely different part. Now, I don't know if I can still justify the crazy parking and the 1 and a half hour wait. Speaking of parking office depot is monitoring their parking lot a lot more carefully now. I really hope they bring it back, please let me know if they do.
They also now do not serve to go anymore and the to go salad dressing. :( So the only way to get Ramen, be ready to wait.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Man, this place has a C and the wait to eat here is STILL long! Oh well. This place is the bomb as we all know already, but we don't get to eat here as much as we'd like to, too many people are in the know about this place! Oh well. Still worth it (sometimes), although the C grade made me a little nervous.
My cousin has been talking about this place for awhile and this past Saturday I went with him. The parking structure across the street was $4 flat rate on Saturday after 4pm. So Parking was not too bad, but be careful, my cousin said sometimes they charge you something else instead of what's written on the sign.
We arrived some time before 8, dropped my aunt off to put our names in first. We were finally seated just before 9. We could probably be seated earlier if the girl who seat everyone is alittle smarter. There were a booth and 2 bar stools open and she sat a couple before us at the booth. Then later on, when another two stools open up on the other side of the bar, she tried to sat three of us separately. Uh,how about NO?! So we told her we will wait for another table.
I had their specialty Ramen and I have to agree, it is GOOD! The soup is very flavorful and the Ramen is perfectly cooked. However, the egg was COLD in the center! The staff are really friendly and polite (afterall, they ARE Japanese :) ) The Ramen is only $8.50 and would fill you up since you would eat up the soup as well. They also have combination to go with the Ramen if you want more food, which are also under $15.
Is it worth more than an hour wait? Some people said it is, but I dont think so. I would willing to wait for about half hour or so.
And since we were sitting at the counter, I could peek into the Kitchen/cooking area and I understand why it got a C grade and not higher. But the seating area was actually pretty clean from what I could see. The curtain at the entrance needs to be washed!!! BTW, you might want to bring a backpack or go without a purse, since there would be nowhere for you to put a purse if you were sitting at the counter. I ended up putting mine on top of my feet.
They are not offering take out anymore, but if you dine with them, you could order food to go.
The crowd of people as you drive down 1st street can only mean one thing: dinner rush at Daikokuya.
Environment:
The wait is inevitable, unless you go at 9:30pm at night or right when it opens. Parking is street or the Japanese Village Plaza structure. The place is small! About 4 tables and the rest is counter space. Once seated, they do take your order right away and your food is served fairly quickly.
Food:
Good ramen. The broth is killer! Sweet and salty and not too oily. The depth of the broth is rich and tastes meaty/hearty. The noodles are soft and chewy, cooked perfectly every time. I like these noodles better than Shin Sen Gumi's because SSG's tend to be too thin, too doughy, and not chewy enough (undercooked?). They load your bowl with green onions, so beware. My bf likes the kotteri broth, which is a richer, meatier, fattier broth that he orders every time without fail. The iced green tea is good too!
Why four stars?
Best ramen in jtown/downtown, just not as good as Santouka.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Awesome!! I am #480 reviewer!! haha. We were piggin' out during Nisei parade last weekend, and while I was mesmerized by the awesome parade, Al was bugging to go get Ramen. haha.. what a pig! But that was actually a really good time to get in there.. 'cause everyone is out watching the parade! ( brownie points for my big guy! haha) We sat at the noodle bar and took up the last two available seats. (which was an awesome experience 'cause we get to watch them make our food)
My dude got their signature ramen, but I just couldn't do it 'cause I was still very full from the Japanese pizza I ate earlier. hehe.. so I just got an order of tempura. (which was so very yummy!) but what I really want to talk about is their Ramen!! My gosh!!! We were seriously in Ramen heaven!! The broth was drizzled with fresh green onions, and the boiled egg was half cooked, so the egg dazzled the broth with that melt in your mouth essence. My gosh...just thinking about it makes me drool for D-Ramen!
well, now I know why i am review-er #480. haha. It's never too late to become a believer right?! hehe..
Service was fast and friendly... that's good enough in my book!
By the time we finished...the wait was out the door!! I gave Al a big Thank you hug! hehe.. and we went to get froyo! hehe... Win win situation!!
Happy eating my yelpers!
For some reason, I just can't really handle hot stuff. We're talking temperature and not spicy. I love spicy.
Anyways, I love to order their Tsukemen. It's basically a cold version of their Daikoku Ramen. Wash that down with an order of spicy tuna roll and Asahi....yum....YUM!
Street parking sux (but that's LA for ya) and if you get there in the lunch rush, expect to wait.
OK, supposedly it's "wheel-chair accessible", but it's SO cramped that no one in will be able to get in, let alone maneuver.
The waiting area only sits about 6 people further enhancing the claustrophobic feel. To alleviate this, there are a rack of mangas (totally neat) on the right after you first enter the doors, but is usually blocked by another person on the waiting list. So, if you decide to pursue the mangas, you'll look like an inconsiderate jerk.
There are extra specials which are only available if seated at the counter, which if in big groups are always beyond your reach. Settling in a booth, I felt the menu to be pretty basic and was even more disenchanted.
That, in fact, turned out to be a hasty thought. The ramen was of generous portions and actually pretty good. The type of flavoring never leaves a stale residue in your mouth, and I actually found myself trying to catch up to my friends whose bowls were considerably emptier than mine.
I also had this bowl of egg-and-who-knows-what. I really don't remember, but I know that I wish I had it with the eel; I managed to snag a piece of it and found it to be flavorful, sweet, a chewy consistency, and of little quantity.
There also is the option of having boiled eggs on the side, which I hoarded from my other friends. It did little to appeal my eel envy, but at least I had extra of something.
Good luck trying to find parking.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
Unique and Authentic. Those are the only two words that I woke up this morning saying about my dinner last night at Daikokuya. I have eaten at a lot of Ramen places in my time but none of them as original as this place. Also I did not have to wait that long to get a seat at the bar. The table were booked and the line in front of me was pretty long. Bar is first come first serve!
First off there is only one choice on the menu. "I will have two bowls of the Ramen please". I sat at the bar and watched as the cooks prepared other exciting Japanese dishes. The broth for the ramen was boiling right in front of me. It was a watered down milky color, not what I was expecting and not what I was used to. I did read how the broth was made and I was happy to see that they take so much time and effort into making their signature dish.
I like spicy and the only way to spice this dish up was adding the Japanese pepper flakes. I was very impressed from first sip and slightly disappointed to find only a few pieces of pork in my soup.
I enjoyed the gyoza and an Asahi prior to my soup.
Everything was perfect and would tell the oldest Japanese person in America to test this place out and reminisce about the old days in Japan while eating the most authentic and original Ramen LA has to offer.
Bobby Cockrill
This place has the best ramen. Granted I havn't had the authentic deal (from Japan), I can only compare it to Chinese-influenced ramen (ie Shin-Sen-Gumi in San Gabriel Valley which definitely loses in this round), but still. The noodles are really chewy and the soup/broth flavorful. They are kinda stingy on the pork, but it's got enough fat to make up for it (fat = flavor in this case). I also like the egg. It's not totally hard-boiled, but it's not runny either. I'd love to come here when winter rolls around to see if the experience is better. We also got the tuna sashimi bowl, which in my opinion was not worth the 10 bucks (even though it *was* tuna sashimi) - it was basically just sashimi + rice. It was good to try since I see it all the time on the Jap soaps, but I wouldn't get it again.
PS: I came here just a little bit after 5 on a Wed night, thus beating the dinner rush. It started at around 520pm.
PPS: Street parking can be a b*tch. Just make sure you read the signs carefully as parking is not allowed in some areas at certain times for who knows what reason. My friend got her car towed within 20 minutes.
i really would like to give this place 3.5 stars. But since that's not possible, i upped them .5 of a star- only because:
1. there was a FIVE MINUTE wait when i went
2. the wait service was great and attentive
3. the pork was tender and flavorful
i was expecting a 1 hour wait as other reviews had suggested. but to my surprise, there was no line and i was seated within 5 mintues of putting my name on the list. The wait service kindly greeted me and took my order and the food was out within 10 mins. i order the daikoku ramen and it was ok. it wasnt mouth watering delicious as i had hoped, just ok. but still better than other pathetic excuses for ramen houses. the broth was flavorful and the noodles were just cooked right but the one component that really sold this dish for me was the pork. it was tender, juicy and oh so heavenly in my mouth. there is a generous amount of pork in every bowl of noodles, not like other places that gives you just one piece of meat.
i'm so glad this place opens late. definitely a better alternative than McD's 24-hour drive through.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Visited Daikokuya on one of my LA adventures. I was staying at a hotel right across the street. I will always remember this place for the best Japanese Pork Ramen I've ever had! I dream about this place.
Unfortunately, I've never been to Japan so I can't compare to the ramen there but I love ramen and I've had it in many places in the US and this place is tops. LA Yelpers may be a little spoiled giving this place a bad review because believe me when I say that you can not find a place with this high caliber of ramen in Boston or NYC because I have looked. In fact, I made it my personal mission when I came back here to the East Coast to find better ramen but could not.
The broth is just delicious in all it's porky glory, noodles tender but not overcooked, ingredients (egg and pork) are marinated to perfection. I believe it says on the menu that they take a whole day to boil their broth.
The interior is pretty small with booths and counter seating sort of like a diner. A lot of japanese posters and trinkets to remind you of the nationality of food you are eating. Some Yelpers do not seem to think very highly of the cleanliness here but I was only here once and I thought it was ok for casual dining.
I will definitely come back if I'm ever in the area again.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
zero stars for the horrible wait plus a negative one point for the far from delicious ramen.
im not a picky eater at all, but dood...this was pretty untasty.
perhaps it's not my style of ramen...i just got their signature ramen...not good.
As long as you can find parking, and wait patiently before finally talking a seat at Daikokuya, you'll get to eat one of the best ramen in Downtown LA. Is it the best ramen in all of LA metro? If you ask me, I don't think it is. I like thinner noodles and a thicker broth. Shinsengumi is somewhat close to my ideal, but that's not Hakata ramen as they claim it to be. The combos end up being a LOT of food, but the combination rice dishes are pretty decent.
Like the decor with the very "Showa" look to it. Very interesting.
Food and service were pretty good, and the price was great.
weak points: Parking (which is usual for Little Tokyo), and wait time, which was not that bad when I visited with friends
"Meh. I've experienced better."
Honestly, I have. I don't understand the hoopla and shebang for Daikokuya. I think it's because there really aren't any other good ramen places in Little Tokyo. I've been to the best ramen places in Japan, and of course, nothing compares. But there are other places in LA that have better ramen than Daikokuya, hands down. Daikokuya's noodles are a bit too hard for ramen noodles. They just don't seem fresh, plain and simple. The soup broth is very average - nothing special. And I have one problem with this place: the fried rice is SO oily! When I got my fried rice, it was literally - no exaggeration here - drenched in oil at the bottom. So folks, try somewhere else when you're looking for a bowl of ramen.
Mmm Mmm
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Ok lets be real here, Daikokuya is the most overated ramen restaurant in WESTERN CIVILIZATION. No way is it worth a ONE HOUR WAIT for some mediocre ramen. Honestly, their broth isnt as crackin as people say it is and I do not see anything spectacular about this place or the food. And yes I do have some ramen street cred as Ive been able to experience Ramen in the Ramen Motherland of Japan. This is just another case of ASIANS over saturating a spot and blowing it up like they just found the Magna Carta. I bet 90% of people that go here go straight to pink berry right after. Better go to Kouraku with that ish and get you some decent ramen suckas.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
i LOVE Japanese ramen houses! If I could get paid for trying every single ramen house I would do it! So prior to leaving for the road trip, I researched for the best ramen houses in LA and Daikokuya had awesome reviews! We got there around 11:30am, they open at 11:00am, and the place was lined up out the door by 11:45am! We got the Daikoku Raumen and gyoza. The fatty pork, known as kurobuta or black pork, was so flavorful! One thing they use excessively was green onions, we loved it!
Ramen - while most of us haven't heard that term since late night college study sessions, it actually gets WAY better than that! And Daikokuya is one of the best spots to sample what professionally prepared ramen tastes like.
Beware: there's often a wait at peak times and while the line goes quickly, the place can get quite steamy in the summer. When this is the case you might want to avoid the hot ramen and opt for one of the cold noodles or even the "deconstructed" ramen, served with hot soup but the other items on the side... excellent, and fun!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (3)
I was going to give this place 2 stars but then I thought it wasn't very fair since I'm not a ramen fan in the first place. I try to like ramen, I really do. Broth, noodles, egg, bamboo shoots, and massive amounts of salt. I love all of those things but for some reason I just can't get into ramen.
So tonight my husband and I go to this place so I can give ramen another shot and so he can have something he rarely gets to eat. After waiting for about 40 minutes, which I hear isn't unheard of for this place, we finally get seated and order our ramen and gyoza.
The gyoza came out quickly and was really great. It was the perfect combination of crispy and juicy. Then the ramen came and I was initially surprised at how tasty the broth was. But after the third or fourth spoonful I felt the dish became monotonous and overly salty. My husband slurped up almost his entire bowl and was happy to look over at mine and realize that he was going to get to have left overs for lunch tomorrow.
Ultimately I decided to give this place three stars based on the fact that I liked the gyoza, the waitress was incredibly nice, and that my husband said it was some of the best ramen that he's had in a long time. As for me, I doubt I will ever be back but that won't stop me from recommending this place to someone who is looking for a bowl of ramen.
Kids, this place still rules, still edges out Santouka. Be sure to get the optional kotteri broth and add a spoonful of the minced garlic. Pork ramen heaven, yo!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
09/11/2007
This is the BEST bowl of ramen in town. The pork broth is so full of flavor it's ridiculous. And… Read more »
I know the secret to this restaurant's success and its pretty simple. Have people wait 40 minutes in line for their turn in slurping up noodles and while they wait, they will grow more desperate and hungry to try their famous noodles making any food as delicious as a 5-star meal.
As customers wait inside and outside the restaurant for their turn in one of their elusive booths, their stomachs in the meantime churn for noodles and rice as other customers slurp away their dishes as slow as possible. Laughing and gleefully looking at customers waiting in line as they eat their food, they make sure that everyone around them can hear the slurping that goes on to make sure everyone knows that their food tastes absolutely delicious.
Not so great for groups 5 or more, this place is divey and very fast paced. Food comes out quickly and sometimes you can catch the action in the kitchen while you wait for your meal prepared in minutes (maybe seconds).
I'm not going to argue about the taste of the noodles as it depends on how you grew up eating noodles as the flavor can be a hit or miss for anyone. This place can be absolutely fabulous or a disgusting rat hole depending on how you handle close encounters and tight spots. In summary, you need to try and give this place a shot since this place is a definite must-try in an increasingly popular place that people love to rave about.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I'm a fan of this place. The ramen out of the bowl thing? Way cool. The guy behind the kitchen counter? Even cooler. He has this deep animated voice that reminds me of crazy anime characters- alright, I know! That's so wrong! But whatever, it's true! Every time he yelled something to the kitchen dude, I imagined "#", "!" and circle swirls popping up followed by a huge tear formation on some cartoon character's forehead... alright, enough anime talk- the food, the food!
Huge lines and small dining area = -1 star. But the food and service makes the wait worth the while. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.
so brought my friend here on a tuesday at 8 and there was a 30 people wait. we were starved, so i reluctantly dragged i myself out of there backwards while staring at the full clipboard in despair as i bumped into the door with my bootay on the way out when my friend gasps! "look behind you" she whispers. that's never good. what could it be? alas, a dreaded "C" grade posted on the back of the door. whaaat??? i heard it's pretty easy to get an "A" and of "B"s you should be weary.. but a "C"? what are they doing in there... to make it taste so good?! :(
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
08/12/2008
this place is totally worth the wait and lives up to the hype. it is the best damn ramen i've had… Read more »
