大黒家 Daikokuya Ramen

Daikokuya has the reputation as having the best ramen in LA and I have been dying to try it but there was always such an obscene wait that I never got to until this summer. Orochon ramen is also thought of by some as having the best ramen but I have been to both and I definitely prefer Daikokuya over Orochon. The depth of flavor and quality in Daikokuya's ramen is just far superior to that of Orochon. This time I was determined to eat at Daikokuya and my friend and I stayed strong and finally got a seat. It was definitely worth the wait and I was so glad I finally got to slurp on that glorious bowl of goodness.

Homemade Pork and Vegetable Gyoza 
The gyoza was super crispy and I loved how there were scallions scattered all over the top. Simple, well made, and delicious 

Salmon Roe Bowl The menu had a clever combination option where you could pair the famous Daikokuya ramen with a small rice bowl with choices such as pork cutlet, chicken teri, and tuna sashimi mini rice bowl. I chose the salmon roe rice bowl and it was very fresh and delicious. The rice was flavored with just the right amount of vinegar and cooked to the right texture. The salmon roe was savory and fresh. 

Daikokuya Ramen 
Finally!!! The infamous ramen is before me, ready to be consumed. The original soup already sounded incredibly rich and flavorful but my friend and I decided to be disgusting and go for the extra fatty "kotteri" flavor in which extra soup extracted from the pork back fat is used. Oh yes. The aroma was amazing and the noodles were chewy and had great texture. The soup was a dream come true and was everything I had wanted and more. The extra "kotteri" flavor definitely lived up to its promise and it was liquified pork glory. It was so rich that we could see globules of fat immersed in the soup. A tad disgusting but delicious none the less... just not a daily thing unless you want to become an actual pig. All the condiments in the ramen were also delicious. The bamboo shoots were crunchy and fresh, the cha siu melted in our mouths, and the egg was... also yummy. Overall it was a ramen dream in a bowl. 

Daikokuya Ramen

327 E 2st Street 

Little Tokyo

Los Angeles 

CA 90012