So this will have been my 3rd ramen joint that I've been to so I at least have something to compare it to. I ordered the Salt Ramen because I heard it was good and added a boiled egg because boiled eggs in ramen is my shizz. First off, the noodles are al dente which I'm not a fan of, I personally don't like them chewy in any meal ramen or otherwise. The broth was flavorless BUT my friends pork based ramen broth was super good and very flavorful as was my moms soy sauce based ramen. You have the option to add toppings (that's where the egg came in) but I didn't feel there was enough options like Hakata ramen shin sen gumi that I've had previously. The chashu in the ramen I will say was on point and I wish there was more. I also orders the garlic butter soy scallops and man I could eat those all day every day. They were so damn good and that buttery goodness made me feel warm and fuzzy. They serve it with a little salad with dressing and some snap peas which were also delightful. Only con here was that for $6.50 the portion was hella small and they must have been mini scallops because I had to double take to make sure that's what I was looking at. Service was great, the water refill was on point my glass never got to empty and they were very attentive. Overall the place was good but not my favorite although there were a few highlights to our meal. read more

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As they are open until 1 a.m., I come here if I haven't eaten until very late or am just craving ramen for my second dinner! The Kotteri ramen seems like a pretty standard tonkatsu/pork broth. It was good, but not particulary interesting - sort of tastes like the soup base you get with the refrigerated ramen at Nijiya market down the road (I know they make it fresh, but it does remind me of that). The Assari ramen is a soy based broth - it's pretty good, though there is a fishy aftertaste that I'm not a fan of. I do really like the noodles they use. Not too thin (like Shin Sen Gumi) and not too thick. They do have a great lunch special and a good "happy hour" special. For lunch, $9 ramen, gyoza, fried rice combo. I don't remember the fried rice to be honest, but I do really like their gyoza. It is pretty unique, thick skin, and slightly sweet filling. The happy hour special is $4.75 for a small ramen. read more

Asa Ramen - Lunch Special $9, Assari Ramen, Gyoza, and Fried Rice. - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

Great place, whole the wall. Underprice honestly, owner is always there. Must try, PORK RAMEN IS BOMB!

Asa Ramen used to be 5 star but ever since the ownership changed, unfortunately their ramen quality went down. :( Although I've never tried Daikokuya, my ramen connoisseur friend said she liked Asa Ramen better than Daikokuya. I agreed with her deeply that Asa made top notch ramen. Their kotteri broth was rich and flavorful and their ramen noodles were made just right. I did like the assari shoyu's chijire men (squigly noodles) better though so often times I asked the waitress for kotteri shoyu and replace the noodle with chijire men. But now that the ownership has changed, the soup taste a bit watery and a little bit off. I cannot exactly pinpoint what it is but it seems like the new owner isn't using the right ingredients or he's not taking his time cooking the broth. Sadly my friend and I will never set our foot again in Asa Ramen unless the old owner will be back. :T read more

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Definitely the best ramen broth I've ever had. The fish cake and cheese appetizer was also pretty good.

Ordered the assari ramen, taste is decent, but the meat is dry, hard and tasteless. Only came with a literal 1 piece of narutomaki and a dash of dry scallions and called it ramen. I was served with a cup that already has a straw in it that's similar to what you use to stir/sip coffee. Geso karaage was fair. A bit overcooked(dark brown) but at least it's crispy. Several staff is just smoking pot outside, nothing against but ‍ read more

This is one of those hole in the wall place you probably will never find if you didn't know where it was. Since they LITERALLY have no sign at the door unless you're looking very carefully. It's located next door to the bar with a random door entrance and a blank chalk board at the door. Look for the green chalkboard with black hand writing for the ASA sign. This place is usually pretty packed during peak hours but we came on an off night surprisingly on a Friday night so got seated immediately to an almost empty restaurant. But i guess we were the early crowd since this place does open from 6pm to 2am! The menu pretty much has 2 items, Ramen and Yakitori. The Kotteri ramen and the lighter Assari Ramen. Sadly they no longer give you that yummy hard boil egg with the soft yoke as a complimentary topping?!?! So we had to order them for $0.50 for half or $1 for a whole egg. :( The soup base is definitely tasty full of miso flavor! But if you want a lighter (less salty) definitely go with the assari ramen. Or if you want something without miso see if they have the Salty ramen as a daily special on the white board in the back. Overall it's definitely one of the top 5 ramen places in LA. So if you're in the area or feeling up for a drive definitely check this place out! read more

Om nom nom nom - spicy ramen get in mah belly. PARKING: Shared lot FOOD: -Spicy ramen: This was a level 8 out of 10. I was so disappointed that they don't offer corn as a side, but the ramen kind of made up for it. The spiciness is more of a slow burn that builds. Aside from this spice factor, the ramen itself is not bad but definitely not the best I've had. They add dried chili on top that my coworkers ate..crazies. TIP: -Credit card minimum payment of $20 read more

Asa Ramen - Spicy ramen - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

I typically judge a ramen place not only by the taste, but also by the ramen cook. This place did not have a Japanese ramen cook. In fact, none of the workers were Japanese except for the waitress. The broth was nothing to write home about and the noodles were forgettable. I ordered a side of kimchi and that was probably the best thing. Other irritating things - the parking lot is always overly crowded. I had to park on the street. They also take cash only. I had to walk across the street to the bank to get cash. There are definitely better ramen places in Gardena. read more

Have tried a few of the menu items here and they were great. It's always my first choice for ramen.

My boyfriend and I decided to try this place last night. We arrived at 10:40 pm and it wasn't crowded, roughly 6 people inside already eating. Got seated right away received a menu within 5 minutes. We ordered a large shoyu ramen with a soft boiled egg, to share. It took 20 minutes to arrive. The broth was delicious and the noodles were cooked perfectly, the issue we had was the service. After eating we waited 30+ minutes to get our check. We kept trying to get the waiters attention, but nothing. He passed by our table 6 times and every time we would politely call to him he would ignore us and just zoom past us (reminder, it wasn't crowded). My boyfriend decided to get up and ask kindly for our check. When we did get our check we were told there is a $20 limit to pay with card. Our large shoyu ramen and soft boiled egg all together cost $11.99. Right after we were told about the $20 card limit, while the waiter was in front of us, I got out my wallet. It took me 6 seconds to pull out my wallet from my bag plus get the money and place it on the tray. He walked off a bit annoyed leaving the tray with the cash on our table. We waited 10 minutes to try to get his attention again, and once again passing by and ignoring us. I wanted to make sure he got the money, but at this point it got a little frustrating. We just got up and left, leaving the money on our table. read more

I had the lunch combo, ramen, fried rice and gyoza. You get a good amount of food. The ramen broth is flavorful and the noodles are made in house. Gyozas also tasted homemade. The service was quick and friendly. No fuzz, no mess. I can recommend it for lunch or dinner. The atmosphere is cozy/small. I'd recommend for 4 people or less, due to size. read more

Asa Ramen is one of several ramen places open late night in the South Bay area. I went after 10pm with three other people. When we were seated, I couldn't help but notice a pervasive scent of cigarettes from where we sat. There was no one smoking in front of the restaurant, so maybe in the back? Either way, it was unpleasant. My friends talked about how Asa Ramen had a good variety of Takoyaki, and I was surprised to see so many flavors available. I ordered Kimchi Takoyaki, as well as a dashi omelette and an order of ume rice balls. The kimchi takoyaki didn't really taste much like kimchi at all, honestly. The cooks were heavy-handed with the brown sauce, which I personally did not like. The dashi omelette is served cold, but it tasted good! Served with shredded daikon and sliced scallions to cut through the savory-sweet omelette. The ume (pickled plum) rice balls were nothing special. One of the people I was dining with ordered the Mochi Cheese Takoyaki, which I got to try. THAT is one you should get. The mochi is inside the Takoyaki, giving it a wonderful chewy, melty texture. Overall, this isn't a spot I'd really go back to unless I'm in the mood for Takoyaki with a side of secondhand smoke. Seriously, cigarettes have no place near a food establishment. Otherwise I would've given Asa Ramen a 3/5. read more

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Open till midnight and we got here at 11pm and the locals were still coming in. One server worked the room but he was fast and efficient. Ordered regular size Kotteri ramen which was just right for me. The chasu pork was well done and a little hard, the soft boiled egg was also harder than I'm used to. Soup base and noodles were good, inexpensive prices, simple menu, clean restrooms, easy parking. read more

Happy Friday hope all is well, my first time coming here was last night with my friend. It was late at night not crowded which was a great thing, we were greeted immediately, it was clean and very authentic original keeping the culture, the items were the goza, chicken karrauge, fried calamari, The Saparro beer, and the kotteri ramen, my friend had a regular bow, and I had a large bowl, everything was so good, my friend made love to his ramen bowl and kept raving about the broth, he was like I don't know what it was about that broth but it was so sexy compliments to chef he did that, we both had an amazing, and enjoyed it the items we ordered, and it wasn't that expensive, we will be coming back, Eating Asian food is like poetry n motion read more

Really nice ppl but would I ever eat there again no way the food was horrible the ramen tasted like cup of noodles super soggy & the pork was very dry.. very nice ppl but god damm read more

Terrible customer service, took over an hour to get my order. Tried to charge for a ramen we NEVER received. The bowls were half way filled up. We weren't the only ones that weren't pleased with the service as well. Also, the noodles were undercooked and my ramen only had 2 potato pieces and 3 carrots. Smh never again. read more

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I literally just made a Yelp account to rate this restaurant because this place absolutely sucked as in: customer service. We literally brought our special friend here for a late birthday gift for him as making up for the lost time on his own day. We placed three large bowls of ramen and asked egg on two of the soups and none on the other. So went on. He came back with two large and one regular and as we pointed this out to the employer, he disregarded the mistake and flipped the table on us saying we were wrong and he was right. (This was the manager I think) And he just told us blandly that we should just order more noodles on the side, we did and he never brought them until we finished and had been waiting for the check at this point. Despicable and mostly... fuck this place. It was the definition of shit. read more

Arrived in at 10pm. Made order for party of 3. By 1050pm 2 Orders arrived and were eaten. My order Of fried rice still hadn't arrived and we had 3 very drunk UPS Gardena station drivers still were waiting for food and on their 3rd pitcher of beer. I asked for mine to go and left. My son paid and said they were asking to pay for their drinks and cancel their food orders since they had to go back to the UPS Station and Work. read more

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My favorite hole in the wall spot! All these liberals complaining about this place obviously don't know what good food is I mean they probably voted for Biden so they're prone to making wrong judgement. not only is this place affordable but the food is great. Yes, the health department did shut it down but they're back and better than ever. I've been coming here for years and I'm the healthiest I've ever been and I used to drink the water from flint michagan so that should say a lot. So don't let a silly negative review scare you away from this wonderful experience. read more

Very great customer service. Some of the most authentic food around. Me and my partner have driven here from Long Beach for the past couple of years and we're sad that the pandemic closed them. If you get a chance to try the spicy ramen, fried gyoza, and calamari you will not be disappointed!!! I assure you you will return if not for the great food, for the at home feel!!!!! read more

This is the place to be if you're trying to get a bite to eat late night as it's small, cozy, and never gets overly crowded! Interior could use some work but I think it's all part of the charm the place has. The menu is decent and has variety so you're not just stuck with only tonkotsu ramen! The only downside I would say is that the broth itself can be extremely heavy compared to others and there's no option to customize it like some other places I've been to read more

This place is closed for health inspection reasons starting 5/25th. Went there with high expectations. Left disappointed. Went to Ramen Yamadaya near crenshaw and 182. read more

I discovered ASA RAMEN when I was heading home from Disneyland one late night. They are open up until 1 am some nights. I believe they don't accept cards unless it's over $20. So bring cash if you're paying for yourself! I really miss their curry ramen. It was delicious and I still think about it. read more

Found a little ramen joint close to my place. It was located in a nice quaint corner of town. I ordered the Kotteri ramen pork base. Food is Cheap! 6 bucks a bowl. But don't expect yourself to be drooling over the ramen like at some other joints. It'll feed you, but it's not the most enjoyable. read more

Asa Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

I felt like was temporarily transported to Kabukicho. The takoyaki was excellent. The ramen broth was rich and complex. This place definitely made me feel like immediately booking another trip to Tokyo read more

It has been a long wait to try this place since they do not open until 6 pm! The anticipation was the longest drum roll I have ever experienced for a restaurant... So... Ryan just loves this place and overlooks the thin white noodles, I did not know that until after I arrived and texted him... Am I that forgiving? I miss the "irashaimase" being yelled at me... The decor is nice, warm with wood. Nice warm dark woods used for the tables and chairs. We were the first people to walk in at 6 pm and was seated immediately. Menus were given and we waited approximately 10 minutes for her to come back and check on us. Started with the Karaage geso - fried calamari. Very good and the mayonnaise was tasty. ok... so I ordered the LARGE Kotteri shoyu ramen http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/x3gJLihjcfHXi5-NgC9KoQ?select=FUuBirUAHWFuzW207pDtaw. Yes, swimming in the lovely, delicious broth were the thin white noodles... I can normally overlook this, but the noodles were over cooked. Interesting since we were the first customers of the night. The broth was exquisite with the shoyu flavor coming through and the kotteri adding the umph. Chashu was thin and very flavorful, the three small slices I received in my LARGE bowl, Menma (bamboo), hmm... very tough and chewy... A little too tough for me. Mom had the special which was the shio (salt) ramen http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/x3gJLihjcfHXi5-NgC9KoQ?select=Bu-DzazEEqcI4rRX-_ishg. She loved it! Ate every bit of it and drank the broth! She even mentioned it several times after she was done! And was quiet during the meal, must have been good! Hubby had the Assari Shoyu ramen. Hmmm... he showed me the noodles that were clumped together. Made a comment that this was a first, especially from a Ramenya! Didn't think too much about the broth either. My Kotteri shoyu ramen - 4 Stars - the broth was awesome and quite unique Shio ramen - 4 Stars Assari Shoyu ramen - 2 Stars, big meh! Really? the noodles were stuck together! Service - 2 Stars, meh Ambiance - 2 Stars I do not think I will make the drive again to specifically eat here, but if I happen to be in the area, I may stop by, maybe to try the takoyaki. read more

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I've been a bad, bad girl. Cheating on first true love not once, not twice, but countless times for the past three years. Yes, I am a card carrying member of the 'Cheater's Guild'. A shameless organization true to the phrase "once a cheater, always a cheater". And you know what? I don't feel an ounce of guilt. Cause while I'll always keep my numero uno close at heart, there's plenty of love to go around. The name's Pris, and I'm a certified ramen whore. I first began my romantic affair with Café Ahsah about a year ago. Ah yes, I remember how elusive she was, hiding from me inside a strip mall full of places labeled in foreign script. Sneaky, sneaky. But my advances eventually paid off (the pictures on Yelp were helpful too) and she allowed me to sample her ample treasures one steamy night. Everything was laid out for me to taste, sprawled effortlessly at my request. Simple gyoza to my right, a ground pork and octopus fried dish to my left and the sinful delight of twice fried takoyaki (breaded octopus balls) right smack in the middle for my viewing pleasure. But then came the pièce de résistance nestled in a pool of rich, sepia-toned broth which I lasciviously sampled first, burning my tongue in the process (a little S&M foreplay never hurt anyway). I nibbled, I drank, I slurped until I cried out- spent and reeling due to the various textures and flavors I'd experienced. The gyoza and pork/octopus dish were good, albeit forgettable mentions. Ramen comes in two flavors which I've sampled to my heart's content. Kotteri shoyu: a rich, flavorful broth with a primarily shoyu base but deep hints of tonkotsu due to added pork fat (primarily from the chashu). http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/vgCZ6jpGiNjQhaU_n9horg/l Assari shoyu: a lighter, though also shoyu based broth that has been flavored or paired with chicken stock. http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/i2Vx2-CbGhYnUYXBb4_S-Q/l Either one's a winner. The broths don't disappoint, however I felt the noodles were slightly more 'al dente' than I would've liked and the toppings are somewhat scarce unless you're willing to shell out a couple extra bucks for a marinated egg, kimchi or cod roe. Regular bowls are rather small so go for the large, kaedama style (extra noodles) if you're really hungry. BEST TAKOYAKI EVER. Period. http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/L35xmM1Ytez8RjqcpCmJtQ/l Twice fried, twice the goodness. I could eat three orders of these bad boys- solo, if I wasn't worried about clogging up my arteries. They just melt in your mouth, covered in a Kewpie/takoyaki sauce mix and topped with flavorful bonito shavings. Piping hot n' fresh off the grill. UN-believable. With a presentation like that, there's no question about it. Café Ahsah is my No. 2 sidekick- always willing to please even during late night hours. Rub her the right way and she'll knock your socks off. Type: restaurant; Japanese; ramen; takoyaki read more

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This resto was supposed to be listed on the Ramen Crawl, however, due to their night hours ONLY, it was removed, so I decided to come here with a friend instead. I just have to try this place since I saw plenty of good reviews and I'm just a noodle freak. Kotteri Shoyu ramen that I ordered was great. It made my drive to this joint so worth it. The garlic and the shoyu flavor created an awesome broth. I love garlic and let me tell you, this broth has plenty of it. Although it's a bit oily, the bowl seemed to have all around flavor to it. The bowl came with 2 slices of fatty pork, a bit on the chewy side and the noodle was those straight ones, which I like, just like Shinsengumi. One of the best part about this joint that guaranteed my return was the fact you can have "kaedama" a.k.a extra noodles for $1. Not so many places offer that, so yeah this ramen joint definitely had me at that. I also ordered the takotsukune basically squid fried with chicken crumbs and then smothered it with brown sauce and green onions. This was a good appetizer, I really liked it and the fact they put a lot of green onions, I just simply dig this dish. So different than the regular takoyaki. The place is pretty small, so never come here with a crowd larger than 4 peeps. Also, the only star deduction I gave was because when I got out from there I kinda smelled like greasy from the cooking at the kitchen. Poor ventilation, otherwise, this ramen joint got my full 5 stars and hearts on it. Totally luv it. Serive was great and all in all, if this place is located in Sawtelle, I would have come here everyday. read more

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Have you ever dated someone and you just thought you were in LOVE? Then as you were just settling down to your honeymoon after your perfect marriage, you begin to find out things that bugged you about the significant other. Then all hell break loose and things unraveled for no good reasons. Is it the plot for the movie "The Heartbreak Kid"? Nope....it's my reaction about Asa Ramen after a perfect beginning only to unravel at the end. This place has gotten huge buzz from not just Yelpers in Southern California, but apparently some of the bloggers who are ramen lovers started to jump in on the bandwagon. Pretty soon, a little media love was thrown its way to the place. So I got the itching to see if this place lived up to the huge...I really mean it...HUGE hype of the best ramen in town. Well, let's kick some haystack out of the way. This place is actually very easy to find if you know where it is. The place has replaced Bistro Laramie (which did not do very well). It is located a few doors down from the ever popular Sanuki No Sato and Senari Sushi. The big gulp was that it is across the street from ghetto plaza that housed the under appreciated Gardena Ramen. Yeah, it doesn't have a strong sign in English to let people know the place, so you have to jot down the number for the place. Just remembered it's on the Southeast side of 182nd St and Western Avenue. Walking inside, the place was uber small as it will only house about 22 seats for the whole entire joint. It reminds of a bohemian seafood Cajun shack house with a few reminders it can be a dive bar joint if a right music play in the house. The menu itself is hand drawn. I don't know if it is trying to add the mystique of the place or just trying to be unique to be different. Hey, if they can photocopy for all of their menu, I would say go for it. The service I got was actually pretty good and very attentive. The waitress felt bad for me because I found out there were no iced tea on the menu (yeah shoot me), so she suggested ooglang tea instead. Pretty good replacement, not too sweetened and was looking for something cool other than a soda. I tried out their deep fried oyster. It was cooked in a nicely coated batter, breaded in a golden taste only a fried shrimp would envy. If I had to pick anything else, it would be that item over takoyaki (deep fried octopus ball). The fried oyster was the highlight of the whole night (yeah, wait for it). I decided to try out the famous shroyu kotteri ramen. You know I liked the thickness of their soy sauce based soup. The broth was rich in flavor and extremely enriched with some of the ingredients I come to endure in most of shroyu ramen. The soup was well done until..... ... I picked up the noodle. It's razor thin like a dandan mein in Chinese noodle. Almost reminds me of glass noodle in some of the Thai or Vietnamese noodle except in white enriched color. If it was a pulled noodle with distinct taste like a dandan mein, I would have let it go. But it was such a miss having a noodle with no real taste and letting the broth hide the flavor was really a huge disappointment. I'm not trying to say that ramen should be thin or thick. Or should it be egg flour based or any such, but it was just a weird combination having a real dull thin noodle that did not struck that cord. The portions of the sliced pork was as razor thin as the noodle themselves. It was not very generous on the toppings for the soup and noodles. It's almost like you are going through the motions of having a fabulous soup with little to be topped off. Weird, but I just couldn't let it go. For $6.95 for the bowl of shroyu kotteri ramen, it was not bad of a pricing compares to Santouka ($7.95). I just wished a little higher quality in the noodle to go along with the flavorable broth of soup in that bowl. A little better portions in toppings could have helped the matter too. With that disappointment and with the appetizer costing more than the ramen, I decided I couldn't just let this sit and continuing my own personal ramen crawl by hitting across the street at Gardena Ramen (which redeemed my sense of ramen). Would I go back for a second shot? Maybe, but there are so many other places to try, it just doesn't register as a must stop place for me next time around. It was going so well, only to be crashing down at the end. Pardon me Charles Grodin and Ben Stiller....I think I was "The Heartbreak Kid" at the end. This place has so much potential, but doesn't live up to its huge hype. --------- BTW, it opens for dinner at 6pm to 2am. read more

Disenchanted was the first word that came to mind leaving Asa Ramen Saturday night. After living in Japan, ramen has been a favorite comfort food of mine. Amazingly, my wife is even more hooked on the stuff than I am, so, it was pretty easy for us to get excited with anticipation when Yelpers I respected had praise for Asa Ramen. The verdict? Asa isn't Awesome. Asa is ... Mediocre. I went with the house specialty: a large Kotteri Shoyu with Egg. The Soy Pork Broth was pretty flavorless compared to most ramen joints although the Kotteri Ramen was cooked perfectly. It comes with Cha-Shu Pork, Green Onion, and Bamboo Sprouts. Both small pieces of pork weren't very soft or adding much to the dish. The best part might have been the $1 Marinated Shoyu Egg. The Kotteri Shoyu was average. My wife chose the Assari Shoyu (regular size) served in a Soy Broth with Cha Shu Pork, Green Onion, Bamboo Sprouts, and topped with Seaweed. The ramen was reminiscent of Instant Ramen. It actually may have been one of the most disappointing ramens I've tried at a respected Japanese ramen place in some time. The Assari Shoyu was regrettable. For appetizer, we went with the Geso Kara (Deep Fried Calamari). The calamari is served with a side of green leaf salad and mayonnaise for dipping. We both really liked the geso kara for its freshness and just right amount of breading. The service was fast and efficient. There weren't many customers so everything was quick. We were in and out within 35 minutes. Parking was available right in front in the shared lot. The red sign above the entrance has no English, so check out the pictures before coming if you don't read Japanese Kanji. Despite the good service, it is impossible to bring the rating over 3 stars for Asa Ramen. There just are too many other better places (and worse places) in So Cal to go any higher or lower. read more

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My Personal Ramen Tour - Chapter 2 For the second stop of my ramen tour, I traveled even further South into Asian Land. Located in a strip mall without a single word in English to be found, lives Asa Ramen. If I hadn't been with a native, I would have never found this place. Inside was full of Japanese families and business men, always a good sign. The servers were all kind of cute and wore slightly slutty clothes, another good sign! I guess there's some sort bar/club next door that's attached to Asa, I think, I can't remember why. We order a bowl of ramen with an egg added, beer and some takoyaki. When the ramen comes, I instantly know I'm in for a treat. The yolk of the egg is runny! Almost always, when I order any kind of egg addition to a meal, I pray for the yolk to be runny and it rarely is. But tonight was my night. The ramen was awesome! Perfect in every way a white man could want. Jam packed with ramenie flavor, yolkie goodness, and just salty enough to make me think I won't instantly get an aneurysm. So good! I really wish I didn't have to share my bowl, but oh well, next time. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/x3gJLihjcfHXi5-NgC9KoQ?select=PpUwWRcKySiOvhKvhEmY2w So far Asa takes the crown for ramen that I love. Oh, and the takoyaki was really good as well. Lots of bonito flakes and Japanese mayo makes anything fried taste great. read more

Asa Ramen - dark ramen with runny egg - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

Ronnie: I want to work at Royal T in Culver City. Me: I don't think you're Japanese enough. *Gets mentally slapped silly* Thanks to Ronnie for bring me to the supposed best ramen in SoCal, or dare I say, in North America especially when it's approved by Yuko Y.? The Kotteri shoyu ramen is the the preferred choice as opposed to the Assari-kei ramen (light flavored) that is not artery clogging enough. Be sure to get it with eggs! The noodles are different from Santouka and more like chick-a men that one would get at a roadside stand in Taiwan. In fact, the setting of Asa with tables and bar area and hours of 6pm to 2am reminds me of eating Kinryu Ramen at Dotonburi in Osaka, Japan with all the businessmen and students coming to eat after work or school. Good place to lick your wounds after being dumped at Clearman's North Wood Inn (see previous review). read more

The best and the most authentic Japanese Ramen I have ever tasted in Los Angeles! Authenticity check: 1. perfect ramen noodle texture that soaks up the soup flavor. 2. "hanjuku tamago" meaning half cooked egg. 3. the "kotteri" flavor of the soup, meaning a little on the heavy side and very flavorful. After coming back from my Japan trip, all the ramen in LA didn't satisfy me anymore. Asa Ramen definitely made my day. I ordered the Shoyu Kotteri Ramen with egg (they also have Shoyu "assari" ramen meaning light flavor) and a side order of takoyaki (comes with 7!) Takoyaki was very crunchy. It lacked a little in the flavor and the octopus inside was small, but it was ok. But the ramen was perfect. They come in regular size and large size. Regular size may seem kind of small at first, but if you order side of takoyaki, its a perfect portion. If you are HUNGRY, go with the large size! The restaurant is fairly small... Probably seat about... 25 people. There's no big sign that says Asa Ramen outside. It's just a sign that says Asa in Japanese "" There's a chalk board on a chair outside that says Asa Ramen in English with an Open sign, but if you look from far away, you might miss it~! there is also an Asa Cafe right next to it so don't get confused~! read more

Read some good reviews, so we decide to give Asa a try. Unfortunately we were disappointed. Asa is next to or part of a "café" and is connected to it. (For those who know about Asian "cafés" you know what this means). The connecting door was opened and Asa reeked of cig smoke. The waitress, while friendly enough, apparently felt that 1 menu between 2 people was sufficient. I would say that would be ok if Asa was packed and they ran out of menus. However, there was only 1 other customers and he was almost finished with his food. There were plenty of side dishes listed on the menu but ramen choices were limited. I had the large. The noodles were good but the broth was too salty and the Cha Shu was too fatty. The price was about $7 and the total for the two of us was about $15. Price was ok but there are too many other ramen shops around that is so much better. Probably a good place to come after clubbing (they open and close late), but since my clubbing days have long past, I don't think I will not be coming back to Asa... read more

Is it wrong to have Asa Ramen two nights in a row? Because if it is, I don't wanna be right! Actually went to Asa with Anthony N., Daniel G., and Galen L. before the Yelp Holiday Party because I had never been before. At 6:30 on a Tuesday night, there was no wait. Even when we left a little after 7, it wasn't full. NOTE: They only accept credit cards for meals over $20. I didn't smell any of the cigarette smoke that others had mentioned. I ordered a Kotteri ($7.50) with extra noodle (+$1) and egg (+1) and we all shared one order of gyoza, which was like $4.50 for 5 decent-size pieces. We had asked what the difference was between getting a large order (+$2.50) vs just getting extra noodles (+$1), because of course, I'm always looking for the best deal. The waitress told us the large was just more of everything (char siu, green onion, bamboo shoots, noodles) and was a lot of food, versus just standalone noodles. The place is no frills, with a counter that seats about 7 and about 4 2-tops and a couple of tables that seated four. Ramen looked small, but it was pretty filling. The noodles were thin, but were cooked to the perfect consistency. The broth is really flavorful (I've heard better things about the Kotteri), but I was a little worried I was going to be thirsty the rest of the night, like how I am after eating at Hakata Ramen. I really didn't need the extra noodles.But I think they helped soak up the alcohol I had later that night, because I didn't turn red at all! Maybe Asa is like my antihistamine or something. I went back tonight to meet up with a friend for dinner, still no wait (in fact, at times we were the only ones in there), and ordered the same noodles with egg, minus the extra noodles. It was $17 for two people. Really affordable and I was stuffed afterwards. Tonight, there was a hint of cigarette smoke in the air, but not enough to bother me. The waitress tonight was just as nice and their English on both nights was easy to understand. But then again, I do work at a Japanese company and hear Jinglish all the time. Turns out I wasn't thirsty after all, either night. Good enough for me to bring mom back here and recommend it to others. The difficult thing will be deciding between udon/soba at Sanuki No Sato, or ramen at Asa. But of course always stopping by Bonjour Bakery afterwards. read more

***3.5 STARS*** After hearing a few people talk about Asa Ramen, I finally tried it out with some friends during ramen week. This place was ridiculously crowded during that time. We had to wait over an hour to be seated and then it took another 30+ minutes for the food to come out. It was good, but not that good. // PARKING // Asa Ramen is located in a plaza on Western Ave and 182nd. They have a good amount of parking since they have several businesses in the same plaza. // SERVICE // Since it was ramen week the service was extremely slow. They also forgot an extra portion of ramen and a bowl of rice. We were waiting for another 15 minutes just for those two things. We had to ask our server about the two items and basically they forgot about it... // FOOD // Kotteri ramen: This ramen was very simple. The ramen came with a couple slices of chashu and bamboo shoots. The chashu was tender and flavorful. Overall, I thought the broth could have used a little more flavor. Overall, I thought Asa Ramen was good, but I would never wait that long again... They weren't even selling takoyaki on the night that we went which was disappointing. I would come back though if I was craving some ramen and I'm in the area. read more

A solid four star! If you can't find the restaurant, it's probably because you can't read the red sign. If you're not specifically looking for this restaurant, you won't really know it's even there. From the outside, it looks like a low key hostess bar. When you approach the door, you see a chalk board with the words ASA faintly on it. That's when you've made sure you got the right joint. The entire place holds about 5 tables (3 of them were 2 seaters while the other 2 were 4 seaters). There's a small bar as well. I went on a weekday night around 7 and there was no problem getting a table. The menu is simple and short. Half of it is in Japanese while the other in English. Nothing fancy, just simple ramen and toppings that you can add. There are some appetizers and few other nick nack type dishes available. The price is reasonable here. The waitress was really friendly and even though I knew she preferred to speak in her native language, she understood our orders without any issues. As for the ramen here... It's pretty darn good. The bowls are not gigantic like at Daikokuya but what it lacks in size, they make up in the broth. I opted for the rich flavored one which was the right choice. Added some kimchi, butter, etc which all made it even better. This hole in the wall place sure does know how to serve up a mean bowl of ramen noodles. We had the kimchi pork for appetizer which was mediocre. I think it's safe to say that I'll leave the kimchi to the Koreans to serve. This place was definitely a winner. Nothing fancy, very simple. Quite traditional style and definitely not Americanized. The food and service is really good and I think they stay open until 2am too. I believe they are not open during the day time. At least you know where you can get a legit late night bowl of ramen if you're in the South Bay area. read more

good ramen place. Got the Kotteri-kei ramen..opaque soup, fatty pork, and perfectly firm hakata ramen noodles. I liked the flavor of the broth b/c it had a slight "cooked sesame oil " flavoring that i really enjoyed. Texture of the ramen was perfectly al dente. we had a side of the fried calamari--which was really good. crispy and not too greasy. We also had the karaage, which brings down my review by 1 star. Nothing real special bout the karaage.. maybe a lil bit too much batter, tasted greasy and fatty. It was OK, but again.. nothing real special. I'd def. come back here again if i'm craving ramen. Good stuff. read more

Asa Ramen - Kotteri-kei ramen - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

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Asa Ramen is a case study in peeks and valleys. What Asa does right it does exceedingly well and what it does poorly it does so in a spectacularly thorough fashion. As has been mentioned countless times before, Ass Ramen can truly only be found by those with the express intent of finding it. Nestled beneath a red band of the same name, Asa's only entrance is a single wooden door that is yawned out and held in place by a tented chalk board adorned with faded text welcoming patrons and stating their hours of operation. In the waning daylight, the portal into the Ramen-Ya is reduced to a gaping black maw with no discernible details taking shape, save the nasally notes of a J Pop diva polluting the air through a haze of am static. Stepping through the doorway, very little illumination makes itself known, lending a deliciously divey atmosphere to the dining room. Thin bamboo screens separate the kitchen from the seating area, with one or two drawn that give diners a glimpse of the sole cook, lost amid the steam and cast iron of the bustling prep areas. The decor reminded me faintly of Yokohama, little time that I spent there. Netting and rotting wood (or at least what appeared to be rotting wood) cut in strict lines around the main wall of the room and stained yellow latticed bamboo lanterns burn in electric effigy. The tarnished white coat of a Maneki Neko keeps a steady gaze over the patrons as they eat, a familiar and welcome sign for those seeking comfort in the darkened space. I ordered a water, gyoza and the Kotteri Shoyu Ramen with a hanjuku tamago (need to ask for it, mind). My gyoza came out quite quickly, not surprising given my impressions that follow. The gyoza come, five to a plate, on a flower patterned earthenware plate served with shoyu....stuffed to the brim with negi. I imagine it would be asking a great deal of them to be placing the negi perhaps on the side but to be fair the negi actually added flavor to the otherwise bland shoyu sauce. The gyoza however, negi or not, did not fair as well. Obviously flash frozen and then steamed, the dumpling's dough itself was well cooked but the filling, a pleasant mixture of pork and cabbage was still molded to when it had been as solid as ice. Simply put the gyoza at Asa rank with some of the worst I've had the displeasure of consuming. Strange, as the bowl of ramen I had next ranks up there as one of the best I've had in a long while. Kotteri Ramen is not nearly as simple a thing as many seem to think it is. It isn't a matter of just dumping crisco into a bowl of ramen and calling it "extra fatty". I have experienced three "Kotteri Ramen" dishes so far in the Southern Californian Ramen scene, one being at Daikokuya, another at Yamadaya and the third at Asa. While Daikokuya's was disappointing and Yamadaya's variant had a charred garlic like taste, Asa Ramen's Kotteri Shoyu is as close to perfect as I've sampled outside of Japan. The fat wasn't clumped together in unappealing pools, instead it was melted just enough to impart it's richness and marry's itself to the marrow in the base perfectly. The ramen itself was equally as splendid. Being a Shoyu base, not the oft popular and often used with kotteri tonkotsu, the mixture of tastes was both new and comforting. The base, salty with chicken and a slight pinch of shoyu was smooth but layered, hints of saccharine vegetables play through the broth and give both the chashu and tamago a lovely background. The thin Hakata style noodles were expertly cooked and gave just enough to the tooth. Crisp menma and buttery pork completed the bowl, negi free of course. I ordered another bowl of ramen, their only other option, the Assari Ramen. A basic Shoyu base served with wavy noodles and an extremely pungent slab of nori. Sadly this ramen did absolutely nothing for me, both bland and unassuming, a complete opposite of the Kotteri Shoyu. The change in noodles was most definitely not for the better. Next up was the famous Asa Ramen Takoyaki, variant of mochi with cheese. I was able to catch a glimpse of the cook preparing the takoyaki, most definitely a master of his trade. Expertly tending the batter into spheres within the takoyakiki, the seared aroma of tako and beni shoga filled the small dining room, the crisp dough giving a nutty presence to the kitchen. Topped with a smattering of Bonito and a thick shoyu sauce, the takoyaki was masterfully presented and prepared. The cheese, a creamy white mass dolloped to the side on the serving platter was indeed fantastic...but also exceedingly overwhelming. Takoyaki itself is a flavor intensive dish and the cheese doubles it, an interesting addition to be sure. The happy medium of any one situation lies not within the deepest valleys or within the highest peaks. Generally, it lies somewhere within the middle. Asa proves to be closer to the valleys, geographically speaking, but proves itself a worthwhile destination nonetheless. Generally. read more

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