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Having tried all of well-known Westside ramen restaurants, I decided to venture out to Little Tokyo to sample what some people on Chowhound consider to be the best ramen in LA.

Daikokya offers a very down-to-earth atmosphere. The open-air kitchen is surrounded by a counter where you can eat and watch the tattooed cooks make your meal. Of course there are booths also, but there’s something about being able to watch your ramen being made that makes it even more appetizing….or perhaps it was the fact that I was starving from underestimating how long the wait would be. Even at 9 on a Monday night, there were 3-4 parties ahead of us. There are no reservations. Rather you write your name down on a list and simply wait. Be warned, there is no realistic accomodation for parties larger than 4-5 unless you don’t mind sitting in a long row at the counter.

(Image from www.daikoku-ten.com)

What separates Daikokya from the other ramen shops I’ve experienced are the ingredients and the method they use in cooking their dishes. First and foremost is the ramen broth. It is cooked for a full day using pork bones as the base. This creates a very subtle yet flavorful miso-type soup that complements the noodles extremely well. I could have drank the broth itself and left happy.

Rather than the usual char-siew pork, they use kurobata pork, which is extraordinarily tender and juicy and it melts in your mouth. The egg is cooked in a special sauce which creates a flavor that is similar to a lighter form of Chinese tea eggs. They also put in a very large amount of green onions, which I personally love. The noodles themselves are pretty typical and not anything specific like what they have at Chabuya.

Even their salad is different than what I’ve had before. The dressing contains shrimp roe and is like a lighter version of thousand island. Their teriyaki chicken is fried, which locks in the juice and is much better than the dried out meat you get when the chicken is grilled. The tempura was average and was somewhat soggy, even though it was cooked in front of you, which I found strange.

Though I don’t travel too far away from the Westside for a meal often, this trip to Daikokuya was well worth it. Is it the best ramen in LA? That’s difficult to say. It really depends on what you are looking for in your ramen. For me, the trip was worth it just for the broth. I love it when after you finish your ramen, you can just enjoy drinking the soup and maybe find some more noodles or pork.

Daikokuya
327 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

By Jeff (see more of his posts).