We passed this place during a food excursion and decided to try their hand rolled udon. One of the…read morebest decisions we made during our trip! We only tried the carbonara udon, but it was truly memorable. The sauce was creamy although a little split, but not overly salty which allowed the subtle umami and miso flavors to shine. The noodles were cooked well and had a gentle chew. The bacon was juicy with lots of fatty bits. Next time I would add an ontama to it to make it even better. The service was great and quick. We sat at the counter so could watch the noodles being made. This is definitely among the top 3 places I ate in JTown during this visit!

Aight, I eat pretty plain food most of the time and occasionally get Instagram baited into trying…read moreviral stuff, including Menchirashi's carbonara udon in Tokyo, which I enjoyed despite the sauce being fairly light. Marugame Monzo's sauce, however, is the opposite of Menchirashi's. The sauce is SUPER flavorful with a rich, creamy mouthfeel and a strong umami flavor from the bacon and miso. I added mentaiko since I did the same at Menchirashi and honestly, everything was fantastic. The udon itself is pretty much exactly like fresh udon in Japan. Perfectly bouncy, chewy, and satisfying. Staff were also wonderful and service was insanely fast. We probably waited less than 10 minutes for both our udon and tempura, and they consistently checked in to make sure everything was good. I can't wait to come back and try more of their menu, especially the uni cream udon. The only thing I didn't like was the shrimp tempura since it had a lot of batter and not a ton of shrimp, so it was on the greasy side. I did enjoy the soft boiled egg tempura though. The yolk exploded into the udon and somehow made the whole bowl even better hehe. There are plenty of tables inside with limited bar seating. If you're a 2 top you might be sharing a table real close with some neighbors (they put a divider). If there's a wait, write your name down on the clipboard outside!

Visited Hangari on Saturday evening to try their renown Kalguksu with some friends. I've known that…read morespecific parking lot/strip mall to be a nightmare parking wise, so I bit the bullet and used the on-site valet. There is sometimes street parking but the availability is rough, it's tough to park, and even one of the meters we ended up at just didn't work. They only charge a $5 cash service charge though, which isn't bad. We were lucky to be seated right away, even in a packed restaurant. The restaurant has a surprisingly modern design, and is comfortable for as small as it is. We were quickly served their signature kimchis and barley rice. The kimchi, particularly the yeolmu (young summer radish) kimchi, has a unique flavor profile well suited to their food. We ordered 2 bowls of their plain kalgooksu, 1 bibim milmyun, and 1 tteokbokki. The food came out fairly quickly. The kalgooksu was as expected the star of the show. The anchovy broth brings a savory complexity that seems impossible for a soup made from just dried fish and a few other ingredients. It even has a rich, almost thick, quality to it that is surprising for a fish broth. Their noodles, the titular kalgooksu, have the signature irregularity and chew of knife cut noodles. I appreciate the vegetables that always come in kalgooksu, like potato, pumpkin, and zucchini, which offer an earthy heartiness to the light soup. My only complaint is that the potato is in huge irregular chunks, and is barely cooked, though I feel like I have had this issue with many of the kalgooksu bowls I've had over the years. The bibim milmyun was solid. I think that I prefer the texture and flavor of naengmyeon buckwheat noodles, but the milmyun, which are made with mostly wheat flour, still provide a satisfying chew. The sauce tasted bright and fresh, especially with a splash of added vinegar. It also came with a small side portion of spicy pork and some rice paper to wrap. The tteokbokki was the one let down of the meal. To be fair, I wasn't expecting much out of tteokbokki at all restaurant like this whose specialty is essentially the opposite. I ordered the tteokbokki as a "safe pick" for a picky eater in the group. It turned out to be a bit mediocre in our opinion, and that friend ended up enjoying their kalgooksu anyways. If you're looking to try this dish, it's definitely one of if not the best I've had in Southern California, so I'd totally recommend it. I'll also warn to steer clear of the Garden Grove restaurant of the same name and specialty. I think it's a disappointing mimicry of this place.

Heard great things about this restaurant so I was very excited to try it while I was in town. Came…read moreon Sunday night at 7pm, and was very pleasantly surprised they had plenty of open tables to seat our party of 3 immediately. What we ordered: - Clam Kalguksu (5/5): this was sooo good! The noodle texture and broth favor was amazing. I would definitely order this again if I come back! - Large Bossam (4.5/5): I absolutely love bossam and this was exactly what I expect when I order bossam. Only reason it's not 5/5 is it's not really any different from bossam elsewhere. Overall, this place is definitely worth the hype and I will be come back when I'm in the ktown area again!

I love yuzu shoyu ramen. It's hard to find a place that serves yuzu flavored ramen, so I was…read moreexcited to see that Afuri is known for it. I had it in Japan before and it was delicious! They offer Yuzu Shio (salt broth) and Yuzu Shoyu (soy sauce broth) Ramen. I went with Yuzu Shio ($19.50). The yuzu gives it a refreshing/bright taste that really cuts through the fatty broth and pork. Yuzu Limeade ($7) and although I liked the drink because it had a strong yuzu and lime taste, I wouldn't recommend getting it with a yuzu flavored ramen because it takes away the yuzu flavor in the ramen. Service was friendly and attentive. The space is open and bright. We paid for parking just to the side of the restaurant so that we didn't have to deal with street parking.

This is from an older visit. Have tried Afuri in Japan and it's pretty good there so wanted to try…read morehere as well. 1. Yuzu ship ramen: nice light flavor. Like the chasu but wish there were more pieces. Menma kinda bland though. The noodles could be more Q. 2. Kakuni Buta man: is okay 3. Spicy crispy pork gyoza: good crisp 4. Kaarage: interesting sauce 5. Yuzu limeade: no need to get it again. Glad to here there is another location closer to me. would come back again.

They're known for their knife-cut noodles, but every item on the menu is authentic and delicious…read more The real star of the show, though, is the kimchi. It has an intensely bold garlic flavor, easily the strongest garlic-forward kimchi I've ever had. As soon as you sit down, they bring out a generous dish to the table. Throughout your meal, servers come around with trays piled high with more and ask if you'd like a refill. The answer should always be yes. Honestly, it almost doesn't matter what you order, just pick something and enjoy the endless kimchi. You can't take any to go, so savor it while you're there. Pace the rest of your meal and take your time, making each bite of kimchi last.

If you're looking for something cozy yummy comfort food like we were, this hit the spot! The…read moreportions are generous, my friend and I split the #1 and the dumplings, and had leftovers. The kimchi banchan have a nice kick of spice without it being overpowering. Parking can be tough, but free at meters after 6p.

I love making a stop when I visit LA…read more Stopped by a weekday lunch and it was so easy to park. The restaurant is clean and cozy and service was nice. Quick in and out lunch. Ordered the tonkatsu and tsukemen. Both delicious and the broth and flavor is rich and delicious. Next time I would probably order extra pork on the side.

PREMISE: I went to this location on a Wednesday evening at approximately 5PM for a party of two…read more WAIT TIME: We got seated right away! There was not anyone at the restaurant at the time, but people did start trickling in as more time elapsed. We got our food relatively quickly as well. FOOD: I ordered the spicy pork tsukemen ($23.45), which is their dipping noodle. The noodles are thicker than standard ramen, but in a good way! It comes with thick chashu (thick, fatty pork) slices and soft boiled eggs. If you haven't had tsukemen before, you essentially dip your noodles into the broth and then eat it that way. The broth is extremely flavorful and there are also pieces of chashu in it as well. The only critique that I have regarding this is the broth was lukewarm which made the dish taste slightly off. I've tried this dish at another branch and the broth was also lukewarm there, so I'm not sure if this is a location issue or a standard amongst all branches. Also, this dish does not really have any vegetables in this, but I also don't know if traditional tsukemen has veggies included. SERVICE: Service was quick and everyone was nice and doing their job. Didn't seem like the staff was slacking or messing around while there weren't many customers. They were very attentive to us, refilling our water immediately once they saw it was getting low, and being very attentive towards if we had any other concerns or if we needed anything else. PARKING: There technically is street parking but since it's in Little Tokyo, it's going to be very difficult to find it. There's $4-6 valet parking available nearby the location. There are a lot of people walking around though so just be safe. INTERIOR: It's not too big of a place but it's also not too small as well. It looks very well kept and clean. BATHROOM: Two gender neutral bathroom stalls that are both very clean and accessible. No issues here with them. TLDR: Overall, I thought the place was pretty good to eat at! I would definitely come back for the tsukemen (as long as the broth is warmed up until it's hot). A very good dish combined with great music (they have some great Japanese music variety) is definitely a spot worth coming to with friends !! :))

I'm really torn because the food was really good, but the service was seriously lacking. There were…read moresix of us, and all of us felt how rude they were. We ended up being sat next to the grill, I have a shellfish allergy so we asked to sit in their outdoor seating area (which had plenty of tables open) instead just so my allergies don't get triggered by all the vapors. As we walked to our outdoor table, my husband and friend heard three workers talking crap about me and complaining that I shouldn't even be eating there because everything had shellfish. Let's be honest it's not that hard to accommodate, plus we're giving you our business so what's the problem? Rude all the way through table service, then when we were all finished, we had barely just paid and we were finishing our drinks when the same three workers rushed into our table to clear everything out and pushed us out of our table. We're all a pretty chill group of people but every single one of us left saying what the actual f*ck was their problem?

First time visit. I feel like this place always has a wait. Fortunately for us I don't feel like we…read morewaited very long. The service was amazing. It's a well oiled machine. Seating is available inside and out. The restaurant inside is small. Open kitchen. Very cool to see the process. Hands down I highly recommend ordering the Handmade gyoza . They were juicy and flavorful. For ramen I went with the Daikokuya Ramen combination with chashu pork rice bowl. The ramen broth was rich in flavor. I added spicy oil. The noodles were perfectly cooked. The chashu pork was delicious. I would definitely come back and order everything again.

Had a long layover in LA after my flight to San Francisco got canceled, so instead of sitting at…read morethe airport for 6+ hours, I decided to finally check out Pine & Crane in DTLA. It's been sitting on my saved list for a while, and honestly, this turned out to be the perfect opportunity. The space itself is bright, clean, and welcoming with warm woody tones throughout. Casual setup where you order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. I had already looked through the menu beforehand, so the real challenge was narrowing down what to order for one person. I failed at that... and I'm very happy I did. Started with the Pig Ear Salad 滷豬耳朵. Braised thin sliced pig ears dressed with soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, scallion, and cilantro. OMG. So good. Tender, flavorful, perfectly braised, with that satisfying chewy texture done right. Also got the Fried Peanut Salad 五味花生 with garlic, cilantro, scallions, vinegar, and Thai chili. Super crunchy, bright, refreshing, and honestly addicting. I added a cup of the Hot & Sour Soup 酸辣湯 too. Organic tofu, beech mushroom, carrot, bamboo, woodear mushroom, and egg. Super comforting with a really balanced tang and peppery heat. Not overly thick or heavy like a lot of Americanized versions can be. Exactly the kind of soup you want during a long travel day. For noodles, I ordered the Dan Dan Noodles 擔擔麵. Sesame-peanut sauce, cucumber, cilantro, crushed peanuts. Delicious on its own already, but I ended up adding some of the fried peanuts from the salad into the noodles and it became even better. Then the Three Cup Chicken 三杯雞 with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, and Thai basil. I do wish it had a little more wok hei, but overall the flavor was still really comforting and savory. Extremely good with rice. Had a glass of Gewürztraminer alongside everything, which paired surprisingly well with the spice and aromatics. Their wine list leans more organic / natural wine focused, which felt very LA in a good way. Ended up sitting at a high top next to one of the managers and had a great conversation throughout the meal. She ended up hooking me up with the Traditional Shaved Ice 傳統刨冰 with grass jelly, red bean, boba, sweet potato balls, taro balls, brown sugar syrup, and condensed milk. I was already planning to order it anyway, and wow... I finished the entire thing. The brown sugar syrup was incredibly fragrant. Packed the leftovers to-go, and that ended up becoming my dinner after landing in San Francisco later that evening. Flight cancellation somehow turned into a really great food day.

I understand that it's a busy Sunday evening, but there is no one at the counter to take the order…read morefrom a long line of customers, but there's sufficient time to redirect traffic because the line was getting so long that was blocking the entrance.. It's very poor workflow, not to mention negligent customer service. The management should really take notice before business goes under.

Stopped by for the lunch special. The Zhajiang Noodles came in a very large portion. The Thai Tea…read morewas small.

My mom and I had lunch special shrimp noodle soup and kung pao chicken. The shrimp noodle soup was…read moresuper bland, basically water. Kung pao chicken was made of chicken breast pieces sauteed with cucumber and peanuts. Weird taste and texture. The dining area seemed dirty and had no AC. Maybe the pork dishes taste better but I didn't really enjoy what I ordered.

Can only be seated if everyone in your party is there…read more Salad bomb island dressing I would ask for extra Bread was normal with poppy seed Crab cheese app pretty good with the bread 8/10 Salmon pasta 9/10 really good light taste, doesn't feel heavy Mentai was okay 7/10 I'm not familiar with the taste, but it was very mild Uni pretty light also 8/10 worth a try regardless Good service just flag them down, they are always moving and on their feet. Be patient with them Food comes pretty quick in like 10 mins Fairly loud but a nice family sit down restaurant Big portions would recommend sharing

Parking is pretty straightforward $5 during lunch and $8 for dinner…read more Service, unfortunately, was not very inviting or accommodating when requesting to switch seats so we can sit side by side with an 80% empty restaurant an hour prior to closing for lunch time. It almost made us want to leave and not dine here overall. On the food side, portions are definitely generous, especially for pasta. We ordered the crab gratin, mentai pasta, and the bolognese. My personal favorite was the mentai it had a rich, savory flavor that stood out the most. The bolognese is apparently one of their top-rated dishes, but it had a unique twist that didn't quite hit for me. I'd personally prefer a more traditional version from an authentic Italian spot. One downside for me personally, I ended up with a pretty bad stomach ache afterwards likely because I'm lactose intolerant and many of the dishes are dairy-heavy, so that's something to keep in mind if you're sensitive to that. Overall, big portions and bold flavors, but service and dietary considerations might make or break the experience depending on what you're looking for.

Very unique and fun food with classic Japanese taste! The warm plates on the tables are fun…read more Service was attentive and fast.

It's located in the heart of Little Tokyo in LA. There is…read moreample of paid public parking around the area. Let ms start with "this is my first tome trying an okinomiyaki" and i have been curious prior to trying on. I ordered the Chinchikurin okinomiyaki and my gosh, i dont know how I visited Japan 2x and this is the first time eating it. The Chinchikurin was hella good!!! Like order one and try it!! I ate the whole thing by myself . My hubbs was there just for props so I wont feel too embarrassed eating it all by myself. I also ordered their takoyaki original. And I ate that alone aswell. I just love this. and will definitely be coming back. Service was quick, they were available and always checking if you are ok. i appreciate the hot grill keeping food warm. Warm food is a must. Ambiance was giving Japan vibe where you sit down with friends and enjoy okinomiyaki with friends. Enough space between tables where you dont have to be elbowing the person next table. Overall. I enjoy the food, the service and the places.