THE RAMEN GUIDE
Your guide to the best ramen and food experiences all across California!
What is The Ramen Guide?
The ramen guide is a collection of sassy, in depth, and comparative ramen reviews written by me, a ramen enthusiast. My goal is to visit every restaurant in Orange County and Los Angeles that makes and serves tonkotsu ramen. In each review, I rate the main components and then give a final overall rating for the bowl of ramen. After each review, I let you know if I would recommend a restaurant or would not recommend a restaurant.
The Freshest Reviews, Hot Off The Grill
Men-Bei Ramen
A mediocre bowl of ramen tucked away in its own location, offering a wide selection of choices.
Le Shrimp Ramen
Advertising themself as the first shrimp based ramen in the United States, Le Shrimp offers an interesting shrimp themed alternative to the classic pork Tonkotsu ramen.
Silverlake Ramen
As the first major Tonkotsu ramen offering at the Irvine Spectrum, does Silverlake ramen match up against the other ramen competition in Orange County? Let’s give it a taste to see if it’s worth the hassle of wading through the Irvine Spectrum crowd.
Kashiwa Ramen
A good place for ramen, but a better place for variety. Tonkotsu ramen may not be their headline specialty, but they offer a wide selection of variations on the classic bowl of noodles, including some very non traditional options.
Ramen Nagi
Ramen Nagi, the big hit from the Bay Area opens a new location at the popular Century City mall in Los Angeles.
Chew Noodle Bar
Sadly I would not recommend this location. Every ingredient and component tasted stock or sub par.
JINYA Ramen Bar
A bowl with a strange combination of ingredients, that while good on their own, don’t go well with each other.
Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai - Buena Park
My favorite ramen noodles, now in a new location, Buena Park.
Tatsu Ramen
“Tatsu” means dragon and opened its doors in 2012, the year of the dragon. There is a reason why Tatsu has the longest lines on Sawtelle. A killer bowl with lots of variety and great ingredients. They are doing a lot of things right here, and it’s a must visit for any ramen fan.
Kopan Ramen - Westwood
My favorite ramen shop, Kopan Ramen, opens up a new location in Westwood. How does it compare to the original location?
Menya Musashi Ramen
A bowl so big, there are multiple meals within this meal. Menya Musashi serves one of the largest and most special bowls of ramen that I have encountered, featuring way more than the traditional broth and noodles.
Fukusuke Japanese Ramen
Fukusuke offers a variety of ramen options on their menu, as well as other Japanese small dishes and sushi options.
Gu Ramen Taps & Tapas
Gu Ramen has a great noodle and broth combination that seems to harmonize together.
Huntington Ramen & Sushi
A bowl with excessive sweetness and unique taste, partnered with an abysmal parking situation.
Hakata Ikkousha
Hakata Ikkousha offers a “global standard” jack of all trades ramen at a fast casual, fast paced ramen joint.
HiroNori Craft Ramen
Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, HiriNori serves a rich and smokey bowl of ramen at their busy Irvine location.
Ajisen Ramen
While the bowl was okay to eat, there is absolutely nothing special about this bowl. There are multiple places in the area that are better in all areas and are equal in price.
A taste of something new
Get Obsessive.
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Ramen
Ramen is my obsession. Any bowl of tonkotsu ramen must have three main ingredients that I call the “Holy Trinity”.
The Broth. The Noodles. The Chashu.
Each ingredient may be simple on its own, but the real magic is when they harmonize.
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Sushi
Sushi is a craft that dances between food and art. My favorite style is “omakase” where I leave the decision to the chef, who then prepares a multi-course selection of sushi or other small dishes.
Discover some of the finest omakase restaurants in Orange County and Los Angeles.
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Tea
The perfect stay-at-home obsession.
Follow along my tea tasting journey as I go from zero to hero after having picked up brewing tea as a hobby during the lockdown.
Tea is so much more than just black and white.
These ones are something special
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