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    Tenkaippin

    4.2 (145 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

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    TENKAIPPIN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Hipster
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Tenkaippin

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    Is that Einstein eating ramen?? Wild. Not AI.
    David A.

    Steep competition on this block from other ramen shops! I think this T H I C C ramen is worth trying. I judge a ramen restaurant by how well they serve their Diet Coke - and TENKAIPPIN LA 本店 did not fail by serving me an ice cold can with a glass of ice. If a ramen restaurant has time to buy a machine and track inventory and order syrups or whatever, they're not focusing on their menu. Kotteri Signature combo is what I went for, because I was afraid of MAX. The menu said that once you go MAX, you never go back. I'm not ready to take that ride. My server swore it's not curry, and I trust him because he gave me Diet Coke in a can. What I ordered: * DIET COKE- $3.00 * Combo B Signature (Kotteri ramen and Salmon Avocado bowl) $25.00 * Seasoned Egg - $2.50 Plus tip = expect to pay around $40 if you aren't a tipping tightwad. That's what it costs to go out and get a good bowl of soup these days. Sorry the truth hurts. A slice of chashu pork, green onions, add a seasoned egg, plus a bowl of salmon avocado rice? You'll be so full. The noodles hold the broth well. When you finish your noodles and only the broth remains, not only does your spoon stand up in the broth as advertised- you can eat the broth with chopsticks. Parking is... downtown LA. Be prepared to park somewhere in a garage or the street and hoof it a few blocks.

    Signature ramen bowls + added egg & salmon + dumpling combo
    Cat N.

    My bf & I went to little toyko village where this place is facing the street. There's limited street parking but parking structure around the block! We were sat within 5 mins given nighttime on a Sunday wasn't that busy. Theres a bar on the left side & cool led lights on ceiling. We mention'd it's our 1st time here so usually server explains the menu but she didn't & I felt like more questions I asked confused me more so I just went with combo since easier lol plus her voice was so low I couldn't hear her over the background music. The menu was a bit confusing to figure out as one page showed various ideal bowls & prices but our server asked if I still wanted everything inside like it was a la cart which having set photos threw me off. I figured out those weren't set bowls to order just ideal bowl pictures if you ordered those extra toppings. We both got the signature ramen combo w/ dumplings while he got the signature ramen + egg combo w/ salmon poke bowl! Combos were cheaper than bowls itself making it more worth it honestly. Signature broth was good but texture was like gravy which fills you up fast & we couldn't finish soup. Pork was bland flavor, not great. All bowls have pork & green onions but you have to add every other topping on! The salmon bowl was our favorite menu item & would come back for that.

    Silky Ramen
    Sarah L.

    Some Sundays ago, my friend & I had an early dinner at Tenkaippin. We chose this place because we knew it opened recently, and we wanted a warm meal. The restaurant wasn't busy at 5:30pm, so we were seated promptly. The indoor dining room was bright and quite spacious with a mix of traditional & modern decor, and the service was attentive and fast. I ordered the Silky Ramen ($19.50), which had a rich & smooth broth. There was good ratio of broth to noodles & toppings. The only con was that the bamboo shoots were cold in the hot ramen; it felt like the topping was an afterthought. Also, I ordered a side of Salmon Onigiri ($6.95). It had a fun contrast of textures with the rice being crispy outside and soft inside. However, the salmon topping tasted plain and very mayo-forward; I would've liked a little more spice. We'd come back to Tenkaippin, if we were in the area and craving this special kind of ramen.

    Diana C.

    Slurp history in every bite Tenkaippin Little Tokyo just dropped its first-ever U.S. location and it's bringing 55 years of kotteri culture straight from Japan "Kotteri" = thick, rich, deeply flavorful... and trust, they MEAN it. This broth isn't just ramen--it's a whole identity. Founded by Tsutomu Kimura in 1971 from a humble Kyoto yatai, this cult-favorite now has 200+ locations across Japan... and LA just got the most aesthetic one in the world Think imported wood interiors, Kyoto-inspired chandelier, fusuma sliding doors, and tiles straight from Japan--every detail feels like a Tokyo night tucked into Little Tokyo Must try: Cocktails + mocktails crafted to balance that ultra-rich kotteri broth = game changer What we ordered: Kotteri Signature + Kotteri Max (next-level THICK) Spam Katsu Bomb Creamy Egg Potato Salad Sour Love + Old Fashioned If you love rich ramen, this is your spot. If you've never had kotteri... prepare to be obsessed.

    Julia H.

    Pretty busy at noon on weekend. The food cans out fairly quickly. A bit noisy to hear people talk 1. Signature with extra Chashu and seasoned egg 2. Signature with extra Chashu, chives and garlic 3. Karaage 4. Citrus breeze 5. Cactus kiss The soup was thick but didn't have a lot of flavor. The bamboo, meat and chives topping had more flavor than the soup. The karaage was fine. The drinks were okay. Not something to get again. Overall 3.5

    Spicy Kotteri Ramen
    Maleerat P.

    This place specializes in a thick type of broth ramen. However there are thickness broth levels you can choose from if you don't like the thick one. The signature is the normal thickness for this type but the "silky" is thinner and more like standard ramen. For my first time dining, the server recommended us to get the signature and I got the Spicy Kotteri Ramen. It is very flavorful. I got medium spicy and it is perfect for my pallet. Not super spicy but a good amount. You can still taste all flavors. Our server is so knowledgeable about their menu. He explained well and was fun to talk to. Good service. Food came out promptly. The interior is really nice. Huge! There is a lot of wood. The lighting is in a wave shape and is cool. The place is very clean. Price is average but can be high if you get deluxe combos with extra toppings.

    Interior
    Tom M.

    Happened upon Tenkaippin after catching a play nearby. Their hours are amazing for a late night bite post arts district crawl or bar hopping nearby. Service was a bit of a mixed bag - though maybe we caught someone at the end of their shift. Our actual server was great though! Got the signature ramen while my gf got the silk and the seasoned egg (which we split haha). They're not joking when they say their broth is thicc haha - not tsukemen thick but def up there! Price wasn't too bad either but the broth just wasn't for me! The slices of chashu were thin which was concerning at first but actually was kind of nice. Interior was really nice and modern and the Einstein mural in the back was cool! Solid late night option!

    Cute chicken mascot on merch
    Ann T.

    Gonna start off with an aside. My boyfriend is super excited that this franchise is coming all the way from Japan to the US. When he was studying abroad in Japan, as a non rice eater, he became so constipated that he didn't release for like a month and eating Tenakippin in Japan made him unleash a month's worth of bowels back up. So it saved his life technically and he holds it fondly in his heart. Will definitely come back here with him so he can see if it compares with what he had in Japan. It's really fancy looking on the inside. Looks like one of those nicer restaurants attached to hotels or something. Lots of seating and tables. There's also merchandise that you can purchase too. The chicken is pretty cute. It's opened until 2 AM on certain nights because of the bar, which is nice. I'll keep this in mind if I'm ever hungry and barely hanging onto life after an event in LA or a concert. Service is super friendly and attentive. Got my water immediately and was checked up on multiple times. I got the Signature Kotteri. You just have to get the classics sometime to gauge what a place is known for. The signature is a 3/5 kotteri level and comes with simple toppings of bamboo shoots, 1 slice of shashu (a bit large, but thinly sliced), and green onions. This emphasizes the rich thickness of the broth and even though the bowl isn't ginormous like other ramen places, the heaviness of the broth really did fill me up. I also got a side of seasoned soft boiled egg, you always need this with ramen. This was normal and I also got the crispy onigiri which was recommended to pour some of the kotteri on top of. I liked the crisp edges but even after dousing it with the kotteri (maybe since I had this at the end of my meal), it was a bit bland. I'd skip this next time and try some of their other recommended toppings that go with the kotteri. Now back to my ramen. Noodles are thin with a slight chewy texture to them, making you chew the noodles and absorb the flavor of the kotteri much more. It is thick and when you move the spoon through it, you can see how heavy it is. It's a chicken based ramen, which is a bit rare than the pork counterparts. Doesn't taste overly "chicken-y" if that makes any sense and I did enjoy it. I'm usually ugh if a place only gives one slice of chashu, but it was decently sized one, sliced thin, a bit chewy and went great with the thick broth. I was full after my meal. And I was even given a free soup spoon after. Thank you so much for the neat surprise! I definitely want to go try the super kotteri broth where the spoon stands on the soup, but I have to do this with my boyfriend since I fear how heavy it's going to be for a solo eater. Will be back!

    Kotteri Ramen
    Joe G.

    First of all, the decor, ambience, and overall friendly service stands out at Tenkaippin, one of the newest ramen joints in Little Tokyo. This Kyoto-born Ramen chain is famous for its thick (and ultra-thick!) gravy-like chicken-based ramen broth called "Kotteri". It's interesting because I am used to either Tonkotsu (pork-based broth) or clear/clear yuzu broth (chicken-based broth), so to have a dense broth that is chicken is certainly intriguing. There are three level of thickness, from the light Silky (pretty similar to your typical tonkotsu broth), Signature (the normal level), and MAX (so thick it's pretty much gravy like). We all ordered the Kotteri Signature Ramen, and I also ordered a small two piece Chicken Karaage. In regards to the thickness, I would say it's similar, but slightly less thick then Tsujita's Dipping Noodle's Tsukemen broth (pork based.) While there is quite a bit of taste, surprisingly the taste is a bit one-note. There's not a lot of distinction between the flavor of the noodle, the Kotteri broth, the green onion garnishes, or the Chashu. The Chashu itself are very thin and to mild with its seasoning, not contributing much to the overall taste. Instead of a variety of different complimentary flavors working together, the Kotteri Ramen is more like the uniformed taste of a smoothie. Pretty good, but blended together. And I could also have a bit more kick in the overall seasoning department. It's just a bit polite. The Chicken Karaage is good, and fairly typical without going too greasy as some places may have them. It can, however, also use a bit more of a kick in its seasoning. Overall, it's a good place for Ramen if you want to try an alternative to the classic Tonkotsu pork-based ramens around Little Tokyo and greater Los Angeles.

    Dan A.

    Five stars for the best ramen and fried chicken I've had in Los Angeles. The chicken karaage was the best I've had anywhere. Beyond the tempting menu, the service is excellent and the space is comfortable and inviting. I truly enjoyed my first lunch visit and will definitely be back. The restaurant is conveniently located in the heart of LA's Little Tokyo and sets a new standard for nearby options. Tenkaippin is worth visiting and revisiting.

    kotteri signature
    Anna H.

    This was comforting but the broth was a little too viscous for my preferred ramen texture. It didn't give me the chicken ick so I count that as a win, and service was incredibly fast. There are other spots I would go to for ramen at this price point, though.

    Rudolph P.

    Extremely impressed with the portion size and creamy chicken/veggie broth. Definitely worth every dollar. Vibes were cozy and staff were very attentive and polite making excellent recommendations. Will be coming back!

    Alma A.

    Some of the yummiest ramen to come to LA! I'd definitely recommend the signature ramen (broth flow is just right) with added garlic kicker. That hit the spot right there! The service was too kind and gave us a little gift for my baby I brought in with me. And they were very attentive. I also really enjoyed the feel of the restaurant overall, very spacious and comfortable. I'd definitely recommend this spot rain or shine!

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    Tenkaippin Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Tenkaippin

    Is there any sub for the noodles?

    We also offer soup without noodles, for the same price. We recommend enjoying our proud soup with bread or takoyaki.… Read more

    Do we need reservations?

    We didn't need reservations either time we went (both weekend visits--one during the soft opening and one during grand opening weekend), but I'm not sure if that's still true now that word is out about how good the ramen is and it's definitely been… Read more

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    Daikokuya Little Tokyo - Daikoku Ramen

    Daikokuya Little Tokyo

    4.1(9.9k reviews)
    0.0 miLittle Tokyo, Downtown
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    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.

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    Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen - Little Tokyo - Shinsengumi ramen hakata style with side egg

    Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen - Little Tokyo

    4.0(3.2k reviews)
    0.1 miLittle Tokyo, Downtown
    $$
    Casual dining
    30 years in business

    The food, service, efficiency and the specials during Dodgers Day and weekend is amazing…read more Pure ramen/izakaya comfort food and even if you don't get the Ramen, the curry donkatsu is delicious. I also love they have small and large size for these rice bowls ("donburi") dishes so you can mix and match. You can eat there by yourself, small group and even big groups. They can split the check 4 ways. Also love that it can be a place you eat when you are short for time (40 minutes) OR can just keep ordering drinks and food for 2 hours. Best value and Efficient. A constant in my Japanese comfort food rotation.

    Always busy, at least the times when my friends and I would go to dine here. It's a staple of…read moreLittle Tokyo and I have some fond memories of going here for almost a decade, especially with friends who are no longer here and those who have moved on. I remember going here during their grand opening ages ago, did their, back then, super cheap deal with unlimited noodle refill (even further discounted due to the special event day) and eating to the point of barely being able to sit up in the car without throwing up. I have a picture of my brother eating here in middle school with us and then later on in his early 20's. Crazy time lapse, and truly shows what a favorite this place is and it's place in the community. As with all businesses in Little Tokyo, parking can suck (not as bad as K-town, but you're either paying or super circling around). Service is super efficient, welcoming and polite, as with their other locations as well. It's not the biggest restaurant, but none of the Shinsengumis I've been to have been particularly large. With this location, from my first visit, and all the subsequent visits, I always get their Hakata ramen, firmer noodles, since the longer I eat and enjoy the food, they'll soften a bit, less soup oil and less saltiness. I get all of the toppings that it comes with and I always add in a poached egg. Love the strong pork flavor since they stew their broth for so long and the tenderness of the chashu (sometimes I order more). Prices have definitely gone up and a slightly altered upgraded version of this ramen is almost $30 if you're not careful enough. Times have changed but how good this place hasn't. There's more ramen options now than there were like 10 years ago, but Shinsengumi is always a classic.

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    Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen - Little Tokyo - Rainbow (salad) ramen: cold noodles & julienned vegetables.

    Rainbow (salad) ramen: cold noodles & julienned vegetables.

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    Hachioji Craft Ramen - Hachioji Shoyu Ramen w/ Duck

    Hachioji Craft Ramen

    4.3(446 reviews)
    0.0 miLittle Tokyo, Downtown
    $$

    This was our first time dining here. After a short wait on a Saturday evening we were seated…read more Tables were very clean and comfortable and the service was really friendly. I ordered the Salmon Ikura Bowl and my guest had the Tonkotsu Yama. My order came with miso soup and a small salad, both of which were delicious. The salad had the perfect dressing - not overwhelming but flavorful. My tuna bowl was great. The tuna was perfectly tender and looked beautiful. My guest really enjoyed his Salmon Ikura Bowl. Many other nearby restaurants had really long lines and wait times. But I doubt their food was any better than what we had here. I highly recommend this restaurant.

    I developed a love of shoyu & shio ramen while in Japan and went to Hachioji on a recommendation…read morespecifically for the shoyu since it seems to be the hardest to find. We ordered a chicken karaage to start and it wasn't bad, nothing to write home about though. Since the pieces were large, it was slightly awkward to eat without any plates, and I was just catching the crumbs with my hand (didn't have the ramens at the time). Also got a yuzu beer to try and it was delicious, nice yuzu flavor with some tanginess. I had the shoyu with duck while my husband had the yama tonkotsu that came with fragrant black garlic oil. The tonkotsu is not one of those rich, milky, creamy ones and I personally like these lighter ones more. I also enjoyed the shoyu which had a pleasant depth of flavor, but it felt like it was relying too heavily on MSG for umami. Noodles came out chewy. Definitely not the best ramens I've had but are some of the better ones in LA. Our server was friendly, as were the rest of the staff. Service was quick. The restaurant decor feels straight out of Japan, an extra bit of fun. There's a $10 paid lot behind this block of buildings that's convenient for anything in this part of Little Tokyo.

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    Hachioji Craft Ramen - Interior

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    Marugame Monzo - Red Dragon Rice -with ground pork

    Marugame Monzo

    4.4(5.1k reviews)
    0.0 miLittle Tokyo, Downtown
    $$

    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!

    I can't believe I have never written a Yelp review for Marugame Monzo before! This is literally…read morewhat I get everytime I visited LA. My friend and I always said we need to try new restaurants but fail every time because we always ended up craving Marugame Monzo. They literally have the best cream udon in my opinion! They got the ratio RIGHHTTTT!! It's creamy but not crazy creamy that all you taste is heavy cream. I can taste the flavor from the protein!! The hand crafted udon noodles always cooked to perfection with the perfect texture. The noodles soaked up the sauce up so well!! I have tried different cream udon dishes here - the famous sea urchin cream udon, the carbonara udon, the mentai cream udon, the butter squid udon, etc... My fav would definitely be the mentai cream udon, as you get lots of yummy seafood (shrimps and scallops) in the sauce. The butter squid cream udon is also really good as well!! I like to pair my cream udon with a side of chicken karage!! I really like the batter that they use for the chicken! It's crunchy and airy and very well seasoned!! Service has always been amazing! You get seated fairly quickly and the staff are super attentive! They always check up on you to see how you are doing. The restaurant is small and they make the best of the space they have. I like the glass window/bar area where you can see the chef make the udon noodles!!

    Photos
    Marugame Monzo - Inside

    Inside

    Marugame Monzo - Agedashi Eggplant ($6)

    Agedashi Eggplant ($6)

    Marugame Monzo - Miso Carbonara ($17)

    See all

    Miso Carbonara ($17)

    Tenkaippin - ramen - Updated May 2026

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