Las mejores tiendas de ramen de Los Ángeles

Venice Ramen

Pork-based tonkotsu is everywhere, and this small-yet-mighty Marina del Rey spot does it right. It’s rich and coats your palate with porky goodness, each slurp better than the last. But the sleeper hit is the Tokyo Classic Ramen, which is the opposite of tonkotsu. It’s clear rather than milky, and it doesn’t sacrifice on flavor. Don’t skip the jumbo gyoza, which live up to its name, with crispy bottoms that pass the ASMR chopstick test after being delivered.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

The food court at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Mar Vista can be overwhelming with so many delightful options, so ordering from Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a safe bet to save me from myself. It’s my personal favorite of the many available soup vendors there, mostly because of the Toroniku ramen. Instead of the usual chashu — or braised pork belly — Toroniku uses pork cheek that’s beyond melt-in-your-mouth tender. Sometimes ordering ramen and a rice bowl (highly rec the Sake Akura bowl with grilled salmon and roe) is a nice way to feed yourself for a few days with one delivery, especially if you add some soy-sauce-marinated eggs with jammy yolks.

Kotoya Ramen

This Palms ramen-ya is made for garlic lovers. It has white garlic and black garlic broths, both well-rounded and surprisingly mellow as far as garlic goes. You can choose between pork, chicken, or tofu, plus two additional toppings to make the bowl your own, with other broth choices like miso, spicy, and the signature tonkotsu. As someone who has a weird thing against bamboo shoots (it’s a texture thing!), I like knowing that I can go heavy on scallions and wood ear mushrooms.

Moto Ramen

If you haven’t had tantanmen, make your first this one from Culver City. It’s one of the best-selling bowls for a reason: Sesame seeds add a layered richness to the bold, spicy pork broth, and there are a myriad of textures with caramelized ground pork, crunchy-refreshing bok choy and bean sprouts, and a soft boiled egg with my platonic ideal of a jammy yolk. Want some extra oomph? Add marinated garlic — for free! — to this or any bowl, or select as high of a spice level as you want from the very customizable menu, which includes a fully vegan ramen. There’s also a spectacular sake selection to DIY a pairing at home.

Kazan

This upscale, Michelin-recommended Beverly Hills ramen shop is known for classy noods. Surprisingly, the signature bowl uses soba instead of ramen and comes in a clear, soy-and-truffle-infused broth with homemade wontons, chashu, and scallions. Note: It has a $39 price tag, but it’s worth its weight in liquid gold (THAT BROTH!). Another splurge-worthy dish is the Lamb in Lava, four lamb chops with a mix of thick and thin noodles in a fiery broth for $100. Kazan isn’t for everyone every day but for whenever you want to celebrate, impress a date, or treat yo’ self. Just remember to slurp with your pinkies out.

Laki Ramen

This Mid-City ramen joint is chicken soup for the soul. It specializes in rich chicken baitang, the Chinese cousin to paitan-style ramen. It’s as unctuous and satisfyingly creamy as tonkotsu, but feels less heavy. So go wild on the toppings. Ultra-crispy chicken karaage is honestly a must-order for a double-chicken situation, or you can do classic chashu. Tsukemen, or dipping ramen, options are also available, as well as a vegan broth and a spicy broth, if those are more your speed.

La Brea Ramen

Do you want ramen or sushi? When you order from this Miracle Mile restaurant, you don’t have to choose. Although it isn’t out of the ordinary for Japanese spots to have both, it’s rarer to exceed at both. I was tipped off about this place from a plant-based pal who loves La Brea Ramen’s vegan bowls, and although I’m fully a carnivore, sometimes the light creaminess of the soy-milk-based ramen paired with spicy tuna crispy rice or a big katsu sandwich just hits. (The latter is on a bun, not milk bread, but still worth trying!)

Burosa Ramen

Searching for ramen in the Valley is not as easy as other neighborhoods, but lucky for us, this Studio City spot exists. It slings a handful of broth styles that aren’t as prominent in other parts of L.A., such as the Reddo broth which uses rayu, a Japanese chili oil, for color and a punch of spice. There’s also the soy-sauce-based and beautifully clear Burraku, and Yuzu with a much-needed herby counterpart (lots of cilantro!) to complement the chicken and citrus. There are also poke bowls and generously sized, affordably priced lunch specials to round out your order — and probably make you a regular.

Daikokuya

Let’s hear it for the mini chains. Sometimes a dependable bowl that always tastes the same no matter where you are is the best option. Daikokuya is a solid standby, with locations in El Monte, Little Tokyo, and Monterey Park, and has one of the most full-to-the-brim bowls of takeout ramen I’ve experienced in L.A. The tonkotsu is rich and has just the right viscosity so it isn’t too thick. My go-to order is the ramen and half a rice bowl (usually steak) for nextovers that I turn into fried rice.

Menya Tigre

Sawtelle is the Westside Japantown, also known as Little Osaka, and chock-full of fantastic ramen and other Japanese fare. There are so many notable spots here, but Menya Tigre stands out for one key dish: curry ramen! The chicken-based broth is cooked down with a house-blended curry base. It is warming, cozy, and tickles your palate with just enough spice. (There’s also a tsukemen dipping version with thicker broth and noodles; you also can get fried pork katsu or chicken karaage instead of classic chashu.) The curveball that always surprises and delights me with this curry ramen is all the tender-crisp cabbage; it’s a welcome texture and a neutralizing flavor when things get too hot.

Tsujita

When I asked friends about their favorite ramen, half of them said Tsujita, a local noodle legend that has five different locations (the original, Annex, and Killer Noodle in Sawtelle; one in DTLA; and another in the SGV). The springy, housemade noodles were the first I experienced when I moved to L.A. a few years ago, and they’re perfect for dunking into an unctuous tsukemen dipping broth. It comes with succulent chashu and a seasoned egg, so no need to rack up the toppings — each bowl is perfectly balanced as-is, no notes. The lines can get long, especially on weekends, so ordering delivery on a random weekday will guarantee a faster journey for your ramen.

Mogu Mogu

Mazemen is a saucy (as opposed to brothy) ramen, and it is highly underrated. Especially the ones here with CHEESE, which tames the heat of spicy pork. Sink into one of the best from this Sawtelle spot. Order the deluxe, with its spicy pork, soft-boiled egg, and a signature vinegar sauce to balance things out. Double carbs are part of the experience: After you slurp up the noodles, add in a scoop of white rice to leftover sauce. There are also brothy ramens available (including a handful of vegan options), two types of takoyaki, and tons of appetizers to make it a full meal.

Iki Ramen

Burnt garlic. Yuzu shio. A5 Wagyu. Those are three examples of bowls at this popular Koreatown ramen spot that turn up the volume on classic ramen flavors. It also has an inventive sushi bar if you wanna rock ’n’ roll that way, with creative and delicious combos like salmon burrata salad and sushi made with crispy shrimp, blue crab, and spicy tuna all wrapped in soy paper. It’s difficult to go wrong anywhere on this menu.

Slurpin’ Ramen

This Koreatown favorite knows what the people want, and that’s more ramen with fun, contrasting textures. Portions come in small (12 ounces) or large (16 ounces), and you can “go pro” by adding on their “crunch” fried onions, spinach, bean sprouts, and umami oil for a few bucks more. Not enough crunch? They have crunch fried onions, crunch fried garlic, and crunch fried chashu. Be sure to save room for tempura-fried ice cream (cookies-and-cream specifically!) that surprisingly doesn’t melt en route.

Ippudo

The West Hollywood outpost of the popular ramen chain that hails originally from Japan satisfies the same slurpable cravings. As a warm-up app before getting to the main event, you need to pick at least one of the fluffy bao: tender pork belly, crispy chicken or shrimp, or veggies, and they can do a combo of three styles. As for the noods, the Akamaru Modern is my personal favorite, with Ippudo’s signature umami paste and garlic oil infusing the already flavorful pork tonkotsu. Not your vibe? There are nine other options available, including vegetarian, miso, spicy, and more.

Ramen Tatsunoya

A triple threat normally refers to someone who can sing, dance, and act, but this Hollywood ramen-ya deserves that title based on its trio of miso in the spicy ramen broth. Its blend of white, red, and barley miso make for an umami-rich broth that can be adjusted to your spice preference, and if you love it, you can even get a sidecar of extra broth for $7. Bonus: It’s within delivery zone for many neighborhoods, so the signature Koku tonkotsu enriched with pork back fat, umami paste, onion, and garlic oil, can become your easy takeout go-to. Don’t forget to add on vegan options, including the house-made gyoza.

Silverlake Ramen

Silverlake Ramen can actually be found in multiple neighborhoods — Silver Lake, Koreatown, Burbank, DTLA, and Long Beach — and the menu also runs the gamut of Japanese fare. The original tonkotsu broth gets the most (deserved) hype, but you shouldn’t sleep on the unique bowls, like Shoyu on Fire (a clear chicken broth with fried jalapeños) and Cajun Mazemen (a saucy noodle dish loosely inspired by gumbo with shrimp and sausage).

JINYA Ramen Bar

Another mini chain of ramen royalty, with outposts including Santa Monica, Studio City, and Beverly Grove, is JINYA. The menu is quite expansive, with plenty of pork, chicken, and mixed-protein broths such as pork and fish; different noodle thickness choices (from thin to extra thick); and even a few options with wontons! And while Jinya has good ramen, it really excels on the out-of-the-ordinary appetizer front, with Brussels sprouts tempura, Impossible vegan gyoza (square shaped, at that), corn tempura with broccolini, and caramelized cauliflower with pine nuts and mint.

AFURI Ramen + Dumplings

The second U.S. outpost of the Japanese chain is here in Los Angeles, and it’s really a shame because its twists on classic bowls are impressive — and delicious. AFURI makes a masterful vegan version of the beloved spicy sesame pork ramen, using a hazelnut broth packed with mushrooms, miso, and sesame, and a few zesty yuzu-spiked broths that are brighter and unlike anything I’ve tried before. It also has juicy dumplings complete with a crispy skirt, a giant steamed bun with a whole fried soft shell crab, and housemade drinks like yuzu limeade to add to cart and make your night.

Rakkano

This Little Tokyo spot is a hidden gem, and it’s not just because all of the ramens are named after gemstones. It’s a crown jewel because of the house-made miso blends that infuse dynamite flavor into every bite… and kinda sparkle and glisten because of pork fat. The Amber is made with soy sauce and an umami sauce of bonito and dried sardines; Garnet has a house-blended spicy miso base; Quartz combines miso and sesame for a creamy sauce; and Pearl leans on salt. Rakkan also loads up on the toppings, so you can have a hearty bowl without emptying your wallet.

Hakata Ikkousha

Little Tokyo has endless ramen options, but when I’m looking for a bowl with unexpected flavor combinations and al dente, springy noodles, I hit up Hakata Ikkousha. What makes it stand out is how you can customize the texture of your noodles (soft, regular, hard, very hard, or uncooked if you want to boil ’em yourself) and how you slurp them in broths like Mentai Tonkotsu (spicy black cod roe), God Fire (extra spicy), and Black Devil (spicy with fried garlic and sesame paste).

Ramen Hood

A lot of ramen restaurants in L.A. have vegan options, but this DTLA restaurant is known for being fully vegan. This 100% plant-based spot is run by chef Ilan Hall, the season two winner of Top Chef. The first time I tried the garlic ramen — a garlic-and-sunflower-seed broth filled with king oyster mushrooms, bean sprouts, scallions, baby bok choy, roasted garlic, sesame seeds, chili threads, and nori — I was shook. It had the same velvety smoothness of the tonkotsu bowls I love but with a different type of richness and depth of flavor that lingered on my palate. There is also a vegan “pork” katsu, “ahi tuna” made with beets, and vegan eggs that’ll surprise you too, plus rice noodles if you’re both plant-based and gluten-free.

R101 Ramen

With Glendale’s abundance of culinary options, ramen may not be the first thing you think of, but R101 can change that. The simple ramen shop delivers slurpable bowls in classic flavors like tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, and tantanmen, as well as rice bowls, like the ribeye bulgogi. Go the extra mile with incredible appetizers such as crispy squid legs and takoyaki.

Tatsu Ramen

One of the mainstay ramen joints in L.A. will always be Tatsu, which has locations in Sawtelle and WeHo , and bowls you can customize in many different ways. Think of this as a choose your own adventure in noodles with Tatsu’s cheeky menu as your roadmap. For spice, you can choose from four options: “mild, quite a kick, whoa that’s hot, or are you insane?” And garlickiness goes on a scale of “ got a date, just right, or garlic’s #1 fan.” Look out for rotating specials, like a Wagyu ramen burger or birria ramen.

HiroNori Craft Ramen

HiroNori is one of the handful of ramen restaurants that make the noodles in-house at its Pasadena and Torrance locations, and you can tell by the quality of the bouncy, chewy, original thick noods. And by thick, I mean thiccc, can-never-go-back-to-instant noods. The tonkotsu here is excellent and as rich as a (ramen) queen, but I tend to go for the lighter-bodied shoyu, made with chicken and tare. Upgrade it to a full meal (or two) by adding a green salad and a rice bowl of your choice (chicken, pork, spicy tuna, or salmon poke) for just $7.25.