The first time I ate at Ramen Nippon, or rather, "Ramen House," I didn't like it. There was very little on the menu that suited my palate when I was less than ten years old. It's been around fifteen years since that first visit, and after at least a hundred more, Ramen House is the only restaurant I would think to write up for my 1000th review.* The place is small and fills up fast at peak times, but I've never had to wait more than ten minutes for a table. Once you go in through the big canvas curtain, there are chairs to sit in as you wait your turn. Most of the seating is at small tables, and there are a few seats at a two-sided counter. The vibe is casual and homey, and I've often taken advantage of a bookshelf filled with worn manga and children's books while waiting for my food. Service is personable, but even after dozens of visits, I'm not best friends with anyone. Waitresses do, however, recognize me and ask casual questions about where I was for the last few months, or where my brothers are. If you're a one-time customer, expect quick, casual, and courteous service. I've tried a handful of things on the menu, fewer than you might think because I have a regular order. I get the spicy shoyu ramen with extra bamboo and a side of fried rice. I have yet to find a bowl of noodles that I like more, no matter how far I go. I realize that the spicy shoyu is not traditional, but it's truly delicious, with a dark shoyu flavor and a spice that's built deep into the broth. I crave that flavor. The noodles are fantastic, springy and satisfying, and I love every topping. The spinach is great and the hard-boiled egg lovely, especially when hollowed of yolk and filled with soup. Two fatty, succulent slices of pork beat out any other pork I've seen on ramen that isn't labeled chashu. My favorite, of course, is the bamboo, which offers a beautiful bite that was made to complement ramen noodles. The side of fried rice is also crucial - Ramen House makes the best fried rice I've ever had at a ramen shop, dry in a good way and seasoned to perfection. With a dash of broth, it's sublime. Of course, I've tried other types of ramen over the years, mostly filched from other bowls. Michael K. and I are long-standing ramen co-adventurers, and he favors the minzan men. This bowl comes in a thicker broth with more of a Chinese flavor that's quite delicious. What you get it for, though, are the four fat pieces of gyoza soaking up flavor in the bowl. You can get gyoza on the side as well, but it isn't the place's strength outside the bowl. I've also had the spicy miso ramen, which is similar to the spicy shoyu but with a thicker, more muddled broth. I love the spicy miso but prefer the shoyu by a couple of hairs. The nira moyashi ramen is another winner, with a huge pile of bean sprouts, leeks, and green onions on top. I've also had a cold ramen dish without broth, and while it was not as good as the hot ramen, it was well done. The fact is, Ramen House does everything well. It's home to the best tofu salad I've ever come across, with an ample amount of cubed tofu of ideal firmness over fresh greens with fresh tomato and an excellent sesame dressing. As I've mentioned, the gyoza is not my favorite, but the steamed or sui gyoza is nice. A yasai itame with tons of bean sprouts and cabbage is available as an appetizer and as an entree over rice. It's inconceivably good - I rarely attack vegetables with such vigor. There must be a lot of fat involved, and an optimal amount of seasoning. You can add pork or chicken to the yasai itame appetizer for a light meal - I've done it when dieting. I've also sampled the mabo-don, curry rice, and Chinese broccoli with pork and oyster sauce. All great. I've been to some of the top ramen places in L.A. and elsewhere, and none have beat out Ramen House. I know I'm biased, but I also know food, and I recommend Ramen Nippon with my 1000th review and all of my heart. So what happens now, Yelp? Can I be Super-Elite? Do I check into Yelp rehab? Well, in any case, onto my next thousand. *I deleted my original. Cheating, I know, but here it is, from 7/8/2008: This is my favorite spot to eat, maybe ever. I live in Encino and I've been coming here for about 10 years. When we were considering moving out of the valley, my second thought (after yes! shorter commute!) was "Oh NO I can't eat ramen every week!" My standby is the spicy shoyu ramen with small fried rice and extra bamboo. Just can't go wrong there. I also enjoy the spicy miso, but I really don't stray from my spicy shoyu very often. The fried rice is some of the best around, and goes very well with a little broth and ramen and a few bamboo shoots on top. The tofu salad is also delicious. Remember to bring cash when you come here, and if you read a little Japanese, check out the comic book collection. Seriously, I'm obsessed with this place. Been hundreds of times and just don't get sick of it. read more

Fellow Yelper Ailyne H. has recommended Ramen Nippon on several occasions since I'm not a F.O.P (fan of pork). I can't claim the slogan, I heard it on an episode of "DDD". If you didn't catch all the other Yelpers and the small sign on the door, it's CASH ONLY. Yes, that green paper that is almost extinct thanks to ATM cards. I love noodles + soup, but I rarely get to have ramen because my husband doesn't like deviate from Vietnamese chicken pho. The menu is pretty lengthy in comparison to other ramen joints, by that I mean the 3 other locations I have tried. Customer service: fast, friendly......4*'s, I would give a 5 if they were attentive to refills. The place wasn't packed and almost every customer had to keep calling the waitresses over for more water. Tofu salad: it's actually big enough to split with another person. Ample amounts of tofu, crispy lettuce, sliced tomato, and the yummy peanut dressing....4*'s #6 spicy chicken ramen: - broth: flavorful, great taste, nice consistency. Nice kick, not too spicy.....5*'s - noodles: perfectly cooked, I could eat these noodles everyday...5*'s - egg: 1/2 a hard boiled egg. Really?! Would it cost too much to put the whole egg in a bowl?!....3*'s (only because I liked how they flavored the egg) - chicken, what chicken?! There was barely any in there... -1* - portion: it was big, by big I mean lots of broth and noodles....4*'s Why the 4 *'s overall? Well, I would rather give this place a 3.75, so I guess I'd have to round up. read more

This place is fine. Even if you don't like their take on ramen, you have to admit they do a great job. Mention the movie "Tampopo" here and you will get knowing smiles. Drink from the bowl, if you like, because you are family here. My favorites are the miso chashu ramen and the minzanmen ramen, both hearty meals. If you are lucky, the owner, the lovely Akiko, is in attendance and will make sure your every need is met. I donated the 50s comix reprints. This is a true ramen house: grab a rag and read! Cash only. read more

Very lowkey , which I like , parking is not very good. Inside is out-dated , but customer service was excellent. The food was simply below average , I've heard good reviews so I see decided to try and I must say I can name at least 5 better ramen spots than this one. I do wanna highlight , that the service was great but the food just wasn't for me. Don't let this review stop you from trying it's not all that bad. read more

100th Review. So why Ramen Nippon for this prestigious review? Well, it was the first Yelp review I ever wrote. If you scroll through the reviews you can find me as my alter self, a big fat furry white cat. That was the first review I ever wrote for Yelp back in 2006. That was then and this is now (hat tip: SE Hinton). In 2006 I knew how to use Yelp, but now I know how to be Yelp. (deep, huh?) My family has been coming to Nippon Ramen for about 20 years. Previous to moving to the valley I lived near the Sawtelle area where they serve some nice ramen. Little did I know that I would find a great place out in the vast wasteland known as the valley. Great items I have had here: 1) Tan Tan Men: Spicy borth with loads of ground pork, veggies including bok choy and scallions. PLus beautiful tasting noodles. 2) Mabo Ramen: Also spicy with tofu and pork and extra yumminess added for good flavor. 3) Hot summer days call for Mabo Tofu or Curry Rice. Perfection Gyoza: Has that excellent almost burnt bottom yet soft noodle top with the delicious pork filling. Cha Shu: I still my son's when he is not looking, but he has grewn big so I better be careful. Fried Rice: Number 2 son loves it. The fresh ingredients make it great with that japanese rice and the salted pork. Shio Ramen: Chicken Ramen with a healthy bent. The lovely wife gets this. loves love loves it. Kids like the red bean and green tea ice cream. Bonus points for the nice Persian bakery next door. Service has been consistently good over the twenty years. I am sure if you go to Little Tokyo or somewhere you can get better, but for close to home this is our goto spot for our family. Many a birthday has been celebrated here. read more

Chigau deshou?! Chigau deshou?! p(x.x)q Okay, so I went to SOCES down the street for high school just as I was addicted to Japanese culture. So this was one of my local digs. I took all my friends here and raved about Japanese ramen. This is what I thought it was, especially compared to the instant stuff I ate as a little kid. Then I started to go to Little Tokyo in college. I tried Hanaichimome. Then I was like, "Whoa, this is way better. This is what ramen really is!" Then I moved to Japan after college. I literally traveled the country and tasted the best of the best. And so, after moving back to America, my wife and I went back to my old flame, Ramen Nippon... And you know what. It really, really, really sucked. Neither of us could even finish our respective ramen bowls. And so the circle was closed. I had completed my journey and am no longer a ramen n00b. I appreciate you help, Ramen Nippon, but I think we should see other people. ;) read more

This place is awesome, the customer service is great, and the food is delicious!!, I got the spicy miso ramen, and it did not disappoint, it was just the right amount of spice and also good portion, definitely a must try if in the area! read more

This place reminds me of my ex BF who took me there for the first time. I still go there when I'm in the area from time to time. That's how good is the ramen here. The place is small and fills up fast at peak times. The ramen is comparable to some of the "better than good" ramen places in Torrance and Little Tokyo. I usually have the spicy shoyu ramen or chasu ramen. The spicy shoyu ramen is really not spicy though it has a spicy look and flavor. The broth is the best part, very flavorful and not too salty. The noodles are not too hard or soft and are springy. Each bowl comes with half egg, which is well cooked and tastes more like Chinese stewed egg. The vegetable ingredients are fresh. I also love the Gyoza here, which is smaller size than the Gyoza at other places. I'd not order Mabo tofu rice or curry rice here. The service is what bumped my rating from four to three stars. The waitresses usually are busy serving food and ignore requests for water or special items from time to time. But, when reminded, they usually get them to you fast. BTW, I also don't like the Japanese curtain at the front entrance. It mess up your hair each time you go through it. read more

Yay, Ramen Nippon! I'm a Japanese American girl originally from Torrance and have recently moved to this side of the valley. I heard from another Japanese American friend that this place is pretty tasty so my husband and I decided to check it out. We love this place!! It's so refreshing to just be offered a ramen menu with a lot of variety in soup broth and toppings versus the very popular, Tonkotsu pork broth style that is so prominent everywhere in LA. To get a sense of the restaurant we ordered a very basic meal- Shoyu ramen, Miso ramen, half fried rice and gyoza. Excellent!! Let's face it- you're never going to get ramen in LA anything close to what you would have in Japan but you can still appreciate what makes you feel good inside, and this is it! Next time I want to try the Mabo ramen hehe! read more

OMG IT'S DRIZZLING OUTSIDE!! You know what this means...time for... SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STORM WATCH!!!! Citizens of SoCal! Put down your sandbags, you need to seriously cool down right now! Or heat up. Put some ramen in that uptight belly! This intimate restaurant is actually home to some of the most authentic ramen I have ever tried. Now that I have been here, gone are the days of Cup O Noodles, though I can't say that I will completely part w/ Maruchan Ramen. Have u ever had the Oriental flavor?? Or Creamy Chicken??? But I digress... One thing I can tell you is that you will not leave hungry! The bowls are GINORMOUS and filled to the brim with all sorts of ingredients that balance the omnipresence of sodium and carbs, from assorted vegetables to boiled egg and various types of meat. It all depends on what you order. To aid with the confusion of pronouncing the Asian names of the dishes, the menu includes numbers. Using this brilliant system to my advantage, I can tell you that I ordered the #16, which had seaweed, chopped chicken and cucumber soaking in a flavorful chicken broth, the long ramen noodles a golden treasure buried beneath it all until you dig it up with your amazing chopstick skills! Sometimes my sister says random things out of the blue, like "15 miles per hour" or "George Clooney." No apparent purpose, but she is 10. But I am perplexed every time she does it. Almost as bewildered as I was when I looked around at the walls of Ramen Nippon and noticed the paintings. In front of me, Humphrey Bogart, Elvis Presley, James Dean, and Marilyn Monroe were strutting their famous selves down Abbey Road. Behind me, Audrey Hepburn was giving the kitchen her wide-eyed smolder. If this doesn't slightly confuse you, then you definitely confuse me. In summary, I leave you now with a haiku: At Ramen Nippon You will eat some tasty soup. No credit cards though. No charge for the quick tip at the end. Stay dry, SoCal. Totally not the end of the world if you feel water on your head and you're not at the beach. read more

Just went here again with hubby and friends...man, have their prices gone up! Everything is still under $10...if you don't order fried rice/gyoza/curry/etc. with your bowl of ramen. If you do want an accompanying side dish, you'll have to part with an extra $3-5...putting the total cost for your meal over $10 per person. *sigh* I suppose I shouldn't complain. We HAVE been coming here since college (or shortly after), and it was WAY cheap then. All things considered, the prices have been slowly increasing, not $5 one day and $10 the next. Don't forget the cash...they're still a cash only establishment, no credit cards! read more

really? You couldn't give me another dollars worth of broth? Food is usually delicious for dine in. Ordered take out for home to find soggy noodles and like a spoonful of broth. Way to ruin what could have been a fantastic meal. thanks read more

I had the Spicy Miso Ramen with Pork Chashu and the Pork Fried Rice. So here goes my review. First off, I CANNOT believe that out of a 130 reviews, this place averages out to FOUR STARS. I mean really, if you are comparing this place to itself or simply within a 5 mile radius and you've never had good ramen before, I can see how that's accurate. But Santouka, Daikokuya, and Shinsengumi get 4-5 stars. So to give it the same rating as those faaaaaaaaaaaaaaar better places shows how lacking in credibility these reviews possibly could be... Let me just come out and say it: You eat ramen here if you want to pat yourself on the back and give yourself koudos for simply experiencing the act of eating Japanese ramen. Now if you really truly want good ramen, you can hop yourself onto the 405 and drive 15 minutes to the Mitsuwa Market food court to a hole in the wall place called SANTOUKA. After you've had that, you will never give this place a 4-5 star rating, nor will you come here to eat it unless you just want some oily noodle soup and don't care as much about good taste. Furthermore, if you want even better ramen, you either head over to Daikokuya in Little Tokyo or Shinsengumi in Monterey Park. Your taste buds will become as spoiled as mine and you will thank me for this honest to gawd review. Disclaimer: FYI, I did not have a bad experience here in terms of service, cleanliness, horrible date, etc. I just rely on getting, and thus writing, accurate Yelp reviews to aid me in discovering good food places. Yes, this place has cute spoons with hooks,is clean, and the servers smile at you and speak to you in soft, sweet tones. But seriously, do you really think "Oh, I'm going to go eat at _____ because I love using their cute spoons, be surrounded by smiling servers, and sit in the clean location despite the fact that the food is definitely mediocre?" I don't think so. read more

Would be nice if you honored the hours that is posted on your door and also on the yelp site.

As big as the Valley is, some cuisines are sorely lacking. One of them would be Japanese ramen houses. Sure we have many good sushi spots, but ramen, I agree can be a little sparse. I can recommend only a few. But now I can add to the short list of ramen spots in the Valley. Sure you will have mecca spots in Little Tokyo or SGV and South Bay, but food is about convenience. Just how often do you go to the best places for food when you just want to grub? By chance I stumbled onto this place when a pho spot I was eyeing nearby was closed. Ramen Nippon looked interesting enough to be adventurous. I wouldn't have imagined this spot to be busy but people were waiting for a table while the whole place was full -- on a Sunday. A nice clean spot, it looked promising when I eyed peoples' plates on their tables. The service was pretty fast and efficient. I got my standard mabo tofu ramen and skipped the menu. The big (BIG) bowl of ramen came out suspiciously fast. Cupping the bowl I was surprised how hot it was. The broth was actually very hot! (Some places the broth is just so tepid). The bowl was filled generously with noodles and tofu as well as broth. The broth was deep dark and rich. Full of good umami flavor, I was happy with the broth. The noodles were a little firmer than I liked, but since the broth was very hot I could let it steep. Only after, did I read yelp and see their flagship dish is the spicy miso ramen. I'm curious how that might fare. The mabo was listed as spicy, but it was not spicy at all. Ramen Nippon is a very good ramen spot. Well worth coming to if youre a CSUN student or a Valley local. I'm very glad to add to my list... it saves me trouble driving to Studio City or Sherman Oaks. read more

It's like having an orgasm, I swear! You know that feeling right after an orgam? That woozy, elated, totally spent, feel-like-a-ragdoll-feeling, and you could just fall asleep? But you also have this huge goofy grin on your face. That's what the spicy miso ramen did to me and my husband, I shit you not. Because of the other drool-inducing reviews Yelpers gave this place we went yesterday. WOW. We're used to the salty dishwater miso you get in most Japanese places. Eh. They put in like a couple tablespoons of miso to a gallon of water it seems. So when they brought out these huge bowls I thought there's no way I can eat all that. The spicy miso ramen reminded me a LOT of Korean jigae-which I love. With that yummy, thick fermented soybean flavor. We got the curry rice with the ramen. Mmmmm. We got to the bottoms of our bowls and thought, holy crap, I can't believe I ate the whole thing! But damn is it GOOD! My husband agrees with other Yelpers: the best ramen in LA. And he's eaten it all over LA. And never mind what us white folks think. When we walk into a Japanese ramen place and see mostly other Japanese people, we know this is gonna be good. One thing-miso is made of soybeans, obviously. And just like regular beans can give you the poots something awful. So if you don't want to be repeating all night, take along the Beano. ;) Not sure when they open, but they close at 9:45. read more

Miso chashu oomori. Really good first impression. Nice dense, slightly firm noodles when first brought to your table, but within the span of eating your soup, the noodles soften to the perfect place. Miso-ey broth and lots of it with green onions, mushrooms, and baby bok choy, all of which were complementary to the base. And their chashu was bomb diggety. I don't get to eat ramen a whole lot, so when I do, I want it to satisfy. And satisfy it did. The place is priced right, it feels cozy enough (with pictures of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean on the wall), and their food is high quality. On the downside, they don't accept credit card. Also, their bathrooms are NOT climate controlled. I found out the hard way by leaving the mild dining room and entered a sweaty jungle to go number one. read more

This place is freaking awesome. It is by far the best ramen I have encountered in Los Angeles--way better than anything I've found in Little Tokyo. They have a very large menu, all of different types of ramen. The wakame (seaweed) was my personal favorite, in the five or so times I've gone here. Read some manga from the bookshelf while you wait. But bring cash, or you'll find yourself walking across the sidestreet to Carl's Jr. to use their stupid ATM. read more

Ramen makes me happy. It's the rays to my sun...the silver lining to my cloud. Takes me back to my childhood of ichiban, shin ramen, and cup o noodles. I've been coming to this small little restaurant with my parents for years, and it never disappoints. The owner and wait staff are always friendly and there to make you comfortable and satisfied. This is cash only, and the prices went up a year ago, but it's still worth it. I always ask for "less salt", as the genuine pork broth soup is naturally pretty fatty (but oh so good). Here are my faves: - Sutamina Noodles: cold noodles served on a plate with a fresh shoyu/ponzu sauce and tons of veggies + boiled egg + pork - Mabo-Don Noodles: steaming hot bowl of noodles w/ tofu, mabu sauce, and gyoza - Side of Gyoza: greasy but so yummy and perfect size - Side of Fried Rice: so good w/ a nice spice to it - Side of Curry: their curry is actually really good. this will fill you UP - Miso Noodles: yummmmy. comes with pork, sprouts, spinach, bamboo, so goood because i love veggies. Everything is always so fresh. The best part about this place is there are always regular customers, and there's a big collection of manga in the back. I love this place :) read more

After a work out, my friend and I got rather hungry, and she decided that since I have never had real ramen to take me to the best ramen place in the valley. It was quite lovely, I must say. I ordered the #13, but II don't even know what it is called, because a) I am not good with names of anything and b) the names were foreign, so really the odds were against me, but I do know that my ramen had dumplings in it and it was supposedly spicy. I say supposedly, because it wasn't all that spicy, it just had a nice little kick to it but not as spicy as I would have preferred. My friend told me to put in pepper flakes, but I wanted to try it in its most natural state, before I edited anything. The noodles were lovely though, as was the soup. It was really hot when we first got it (as in heat hot and not spicy hot, if anyone was confused) so we kind of had to stare at it for a couple minutes before eating, but it was well worth the wait. It was simply delicious. For the record, the bowl was humongous, but in a good way this time since I happened to be ravenous. My first ever experience with actual ramen was fantastic. Never again will I consider that cheap stuff with chicken seasoning that is 10x too salty ramen. I have seen the light, and I refuse to ever go back again. Remember this if you go though: CASH ONLY. Not sure why, but I guess that's how they roll. read more

Best ramen in the valley, try gomoku ramen...they just accept cash thou...still old school. read more

Ramen Nippon - Gomoku ramen - Ramen Near Me - Reseda, California

First time. Very pleasant place. I Had the curry rice. Best tasting curry I've had at an Asian restaurant, and I know about curry. Flavor is strong much like in India. I will come again to try their noodles. Fast, polite service. read more

Ramen Nippon - First time, had the curry rice for lunch.Very tastey indeed in fact the best tasting curry for an Asian restaurant ever. Fast polite service - Ramen Near Me - Reseda, California

Love this place. Never disappointed. I love the minzan men with added chashu. And the iced green tea is delicious. The curry rice is also good. read more

1. Waitress messed up order. 2. We get our food and its wrong. 3. Waitress give attitude and accuse us that we ordered that. 4. They fix our order and gets it right this time, BUT you know when you get that feeling like you upset the waitress and they did something to your food. 5. Food doesn't taste right or maybe its my paranoia. We barely touch the food, paid, and left. 6. Their rudeness loss a customer. read more

When first driving by, I actually thought from the sign that it was just some ghetto place called "Ramen." Even when I was right outside the doors, it took me a while to notice the unlit neon signs in the shape, "Nippon." The beauty of hole-in-the-walls is having a knack for catching many by surprise. In my case, raised eye brows, naive eyes, and failure to put into motion those two things called legs. Putting comfort in the front seat, spaciousness is incorporated for the customer. Booths set against the walls are branched out by chairs opposite a table, all lined forming an L throughout the room. An off-side counter is available for eaters who prefer themselves an island. Soft spoken pastel walls induce a relaxed theme while framing Marilyn Monroe, James dean, Alice in Wonderland, and so on. I found this to be a pretty neat blend of cultures, although it ends abruptly there. From the looks of it, the entire menu has been seized by some uncontrollable issue of pork mania. Sampling a spoon full of ramen broth, I was won over immediately. The chicken based broth was was a little too strong and would have been better if watered down, letting the insanely balanced spices take the lead. Expecting plain bamboo shoots, I was surprised to find bamboo ROOTS- it's soft, but crunchy at the same time.. if that makes sense. The pork (I ate meat!- Oh, no!) was surprisingly tender, but as pork goes, a little too rich. The service was attentive, polite, and they always made eye contact along with smiles. I love them for that. Not once when strolling by did they fail to do this. I've become a total fan since. read more

Absolutely amazing. It doesn't look like a fancy restaurant on the outside but... wow. They didn't disappoint at all. The spicy Miso Ramen was enjoyably spicy and the broth was beautifully seasoned. The Small Fried Rice And Gyoza was also enjoyable. I now realize that this sounds like a forced review buts its not its just a legitimately amazing place. read more

Went to dinner with my brother and wife and we were discussing business, requested that we could sit in corner away from other people. Young waitress insisted we sit in middle(for large party's) so we were going to leave, older lady said go ahead and sit in corner we will be right with you. Young lady looked angry that we were offered a table in corner as requested, so she walked us to corner and slammed two tables together, a large party of 6 walks in and the young waitress says "this is why I wanted you to sit in the middle cause a large party just walked in(she clearly stated corner was for smaller party's) she didn't offer anything else we got up and said you are ridiculous we will take our business elsewhere. This waitress was a young female I will never be going back to this place. read more

Skeptic at first but was surprised by the food and service. Japanese owned and operated, this hidden gem is our new favorite ramen spot! Kid-friendly as well! Definitely going back to try different kinds of ramen they offer. read more

My favorite local ramen restaurant!! The flavor is amazing, the portion is filling and the staff is always very friendly. I like to come with my friends so they too can experience ramen at this gem of a location. 10/10 read more

I live down the street from this place and drive by it all the time. So one day, when I was fungry I decided to skip the fast food joints that litter the street and try this place out. Pros: Ergonomically shaped spoons (relative to the bowls), fair price, good tasting ramen Cons: Cash only (not a big deal, but inconvenient if you don't have the greenery), limited portions of pork and mushrooms (or was that bamboo). All in all, I would've given this place 3.5 stars, but I round up. I would like my ramen packed with goodies, my appreciation for the broth ends after one spoon, so fill me up! read more

Definitely one of the best ramen-ya! Nippon got the best Spicy Chashu ramen in a 30 mile radius. How to make it even better? Order it with some fried rice and gyoza on the side. What a meal! Awesome food, good service, reasonable prices. I can only think of 2 drawbacks, the crappy parking and the small size dining area meaning there will be waiting involved, especially during peak dining hours. read more

Ramen is one of my favorite foods, and this place is responsible for cultivating that love. I grew up eating at this place, and have yet to find better. Ramen Nippon's biggest draw is that every single ramen I have tried there has been spot on. They don't just have one, amazing bowl that they specialize in. They have lots. My Ramen Nippon partner in crime, Steph C. (we've been going together for about a decade now) swears by the Spicy Shoyu Ramen with Extra Bamboo. My choice for ramenirvana, however, is the Minzan Men, which comes topped with four juicy pieces of gyoza and a pile of spinach. Veggie lovers will appreciate the overflowing Yasai Ramen, while miso munchers will gladly down the Spicy Miso Ramen. For the thicker-skinned, the Curry Ramen and Mapo Ramen will do just fine. The sides here are also a step above their competition. This place has my favorite ramen sidekicking Fried Rice. The rice isn't completely doused in soy sauce, but still retains the flavor. The Gyoza is consistently filling and goes great with vinegar, soy sauce, and shichimi pepper. The Tofu Salad is also spectacular in it's own, simple way. But these days, being away from home means not going quite as often, which basically means every time I go I get the same thing: Minzan Men with Fried Rice. GET: Minzan Men with Fried Rice read more

Was passing by Reseda and my bf was craving ramen so we decided to check this place out because of all the reviews. I was pretty disappointed. We ordered the chashu appetizer and it was so dry. The Spicy ramen was not bad. I ordered the Mabo Tofu over rice. Have to say, I've had better. Another disappointment was that it was cash only. Will continue to go to Orochan in Little Tokyo, but haven't tried Daikokuya yet. read more

Since returning to the Valley after an 8 year hiatus, I've devoted some time to finding local eating gems through citysearch, yelp, chowhound, etc. RN is definitely on a short list of ok-good places (cheap too) that I would eat at again. This is my first Yelp review. FYI - when I rate the score is mostly on food, some service, and little ambiance. I focus on the food. Was this the BEST ramen? No. But it was tasty (I had the spicy miso) and cheap (less than $7). The PORK in the ramen was the highlight of the meal. Soft and flavorful. (Next time I'll get extra meat). The noodles were okay (I've had better ramen noodles) and the veggies were crisp and fresh. Ordered the add-on of fried rice and gyoza. The fried rice was okay (I'll try the curry rice next time) and the gyoza was familiar. (Read: tasted like gyoza I've had in the past. Good, but not earth altering) The service is quick and helpful. The place was clean and bright. No crowd - Friday around 7pm. Strengths = pork, veggies Ramen + add-on (shared) + asahi (shared) + tax/tip = $16 for myself 3.5 stars read more

definitely satisfying but not all that eventful. I do come here to handle my ramen cravings. The few times I come here I've always felt their ramen is a bit under done and their broths a little salty. Their spicy shio ramen was a definitely spicy which i love and the pork that came with it was good. but the veggies and the bamboo shoots were a little lacking. The spicy miso, funny enough, was not as spicy which was a little disappointing and again i need more veggies. They were pretty packed when we got there and I'm pretty sure it's the only ramen place in the valley. If i don't feel like driving all the way down to west LA this is definitely the place to go. There wasn't much server interaction just the normal order, food, water, check. Parkings a bit of an issue but not a deal breaker. CASH ONLY! read more

This is the first time I give someone 1 star. Also it is the first time that I believe there has to be a Zero star option for some cases. This place has a small sign inside that says "no card". Make sure you prepare sufficient cash for a no-cheep bill, because staff will become as rude as possible and behave like you are a thief once you tell them that you don't have the cash/debit. They wanted to hostage one of us for 31$. I even asked them to write down my phone number but they asked me to leave my cellphone, an asset or one of the family member had to stay there. (9:30 pm and they are closing). By writing this review I hope that they will have the chance to contact me and get their money even in the case that the taste of the food was so much awful and we did not even finish 10% of a portion. My wide and I are not such a type of person. They are ok with getting bad reviews and she even offered us to do so. Her quote:" a lot of people doing that". It is really shameful for a restaurant to be this much ok with getting such a feedbacks in social networks. read more

Love this place. Fresh, clean, nice and delicious. I got the spicy chicken ramen with vegetables and my friend got the spicy Shoyu Ramen YUM!!!!! They are so generous with the portions. We were stuffed! The only thing I can recommend is if you are MSG intolerant, they do offer their meals without MSG so make sure to ask for it. I learned the hard way....and learned after I asked if their food had MSG in it since I got sudden stomach and headache from it. Not a lot of places offer that choice so this is a great accommodation. read more

Ramen was good... Not sure I'm getting the gyoza or fried rice next time. Been here a couple times, pretty consistent read more

I have been going to this place with my wife for about 6 years now. My wife is Japanese and I'm really not sure how long she's been going there, but before she went she swore by this place. My previous experience with Rame was the 6 for a dollar kind at the supermarket - add hot water and get your weekly dose of salt all in one dose. This is NOT that. This is real Japanese ramen, and a very good example of it too. Last summer we went to Japan and hit the Ramen Museum in Yokohama, and a few other placed known to have some of the best Ramen. I would say that Ramen Nippon is up there with the best, even in Japan. When we first went there it was relatively undiscovered. Prices were cheap and you only waited to sit during the very peak time on Friday and Saturday nights. Now, the prices are in line with other decent restaurants, but without the atmosphere. I still highly recommend the place because it is the only great/real Japanese ramen in the valley. There's a couple of other places in the Los Angeles area that can compete - each with its own specialty. Ramen Nippon's is either Tan Tan Men (spicy) or Negi Ramen, or at least those are my faves. That said, all variants of the Shio or Miso ramens are very good and I belive their Gyoza is the best in the county. Go early or on an odd day so you don't have to wait, and this place is CASH ONLY, so stop by the ATM on your way over. read more

i only came here cuz it got 192 reviews, it was the only recommended ramen spot in the Valley...and it was a cooooooold night....aaaaaand so I wouldn't come to eat here again. The noodles were too hard...the mabo ramen lacked flavor...the miso ramen was OK...the fried rice was was OK...but the curry rice was delicious! The best ramen spot reigns in Gardena and Little Tokyo. read more