March is National Noodle Month, a celebration of one of the world’s most popular foods. And if you’re craving a bounteous bowl of ramen, there’s no question that DTLA is a noodle lovers paradise. While Little Tokyo is the obvious downtown destination for authentic Japanese ramen, don’t overlook Grand Central Market, Chinatown, and other local neighborhoods offering everything from Vietnamese Pho and Taiwanese dishes to spicy Chinese noodles and eclectic East-West fusion. And catering to the health-conscious crowd, a number of restaurants offer vegan and gluten-free options. Check websites for details.
Pine & Crane DTLA 1120 S Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90015
Pine & Crane DTLA is a casual Taiwanese restaurant situated in South Park, not far from Circa. This location follows up their original restaurant in Silver Lake, aiming to bring you delicious Taiwanese fare in a comfortable, modern setting. In addition to familiar favorites from the Silver Lake location, they also feature dishes specific to DTLA, offering a variety of small plates, traditional cold appetizers, dumplings, noodles, and rice dishes. Along with an extensive tea menu, they also feature beer, wine, whiskies, and specialty cocktails.
DTLA Ramen 952 S Broadway, Los Angeles CA 90015
DTLA Ramen offers Japanese ramen with a modern California spin. You have a choice of broth for your ramen, including pork, chicken, vegetarian, soy milk, and no broth at all, with a selection of add ons, such as ground spicy chicken, spicy miso paste, injected egg or hard boiled egg, and chashu belly. In true DTLA spirit, the restaurant offers interesting craft beers, with an emphasis on Japanese brews.
Ramen Hood Grand Central Market 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Ramen Hood is a chef-driven destination vegan ramen shop located in Downtown LA’s historic Grand Central Market. Developed by Chefs Ilan Hall and Rahul Khopkar, Ramen Hood features an array of soups and noodle bowls topped with faux eggs (made with soy), sprouts, black garlic and sunflower seed broth, plus fusion dishes like banh mi poutine and tofu al pastor tacos.
Downtown LA Pho City National Plaza 505 S Flower St. Los Angeles, CA 90071
Downtown LA Pho specializes in providing an authentic Vietnamese dining experience using only the freshest ingredients and ethically raised protein sources. They do not cut corners with ingredients and strongly believe that food should not only taste good, but also be good for your body. Vietnamese cuisine in general is known to be chock-full of nutrition due to most dishes containing lots of healthy greens, fats, and nutritious bone broths. Downtown LA Pho continually strives to provide customers with delicious and flavorful food that is also guilt-free.
JINYA Ramen Bar 700 Wilshire Blvd. Suite B, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Anyone from Japan can tell you the two key ingredients in ramen are the broth and the noodles. JINYA Ramen Bar works hard to ensure that both take center stage. Slowly simmered for more than twenty hours, each of their six signature broths balances flavors from whole pork bones, chicken and vegetables with just the right amount of bonito, dashi, miso, kombu, and other classic Japanese ingredients. The result is a rich broth that is thick and full-flavored.
Ochoron Ramen 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Ste 303, Los Angeles, CA 90012
One of the oldest running ramen shops in LA, Orochon is famous for their incredibly spicy ramen competition that gives a special designation for people who can finish it within 30 minutes. Not-so-spicy menu items are offered as well, including appetizers, dumplings and teriyaki dishes.
Yang Chow 819 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The very first Yang Chow opened its doors in 1977 in the heart of Chinatown, founded by a family of five brothers who named the restaurant was after their hometown in China. Specializing in Mandarin and Szechuan cuisine, the menu offers an array of hot and cold noodle dishes, along with Yang Chow favorites such as Szechuan orange chicken, Moo Shu Pork, and a variety of seafood dishes.
Rakkan Ramen 359 E 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Rakkan Ramen began in 2011 as a tiny, four seated ramen bar in Tokyo. With a passion for the world to taste their authentic Japanese ramen, in 2017 they opened their first overseas location in Los Angeles. Rakkan Ramen’s 100 percent plant-based broth is made with Dashi, a traditional Japanese soup stock full of umami, bringing out the best in each ingredient. Then they slowly simmer the carefully chosen vegetables and kombu (kelp) to extract the best flavor and lock in the umami. The marriage between the Oishii Japanese broth and silky slim noodles will help you discover the existence of another level of pleasure for your palate.
Daikokuya Little Tokyo 327 E 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Featured on ABC News, LA Eater, Thrillist, LA Times, ZAGAT, LA Weekly, Sunset magazine, and more, Daikokuya is known for their original soup made from soy sauce and pork bones, which are simmered for a full day. The signature Daikokuya Ramen consists of noodles, boiled egg, seasoned bamboo shoots, and green onions, with tender slices of homemade pork belly chashu. Eggs are soaked in a special sauce all through the night before serving. Be sure to try their premium brand sake, handmade by Daikokuya/Bishamon Group.
Little Sister 523 W 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90017
Little Sister offers East-Meets-West dishes inspired by the rich collisions of food and culture that was borne out of the European colonization of Southeast Asia. The dishes blend and balance the spices and flavors of Southeast Asia with French techniques and Dutch and British colonial influences. The menu is continually evolving, reflecting both new inspiration and changing of the seasons. Pho favorites include Pho banh cuon (Pho with beef, tendon, herbs, lettuce, and pickled onion) and Chicken pho (a delicious pho option served in large portions). The restaurant carefully curates spirits, wines, and beverages focusing on interesting flavors and pairings.
AFURI Ramen LA 688 Mateo St. Los Angeles, CA 90021
Tokyo’s famous AFURI opened in DTLA in 2021, with a menu that centers around their signature bowl of Yuzu Shio ramen – a light, delicate broth built upon a reduction made from local chicken, dry fish”niboshi” “katsuobushi”, dry konbu seaweed, and vegetables to produce a layer of umami flavors, and hints of refreshing yuzu citrus. The kitchen uses the same techniques employed in their central kitchen at the foot of Afuri mountain in Japan.
Photo credits:
Photo #1: Ramen Hood
Photo #2: Pine & Crane DTLA
Photo #3: DTLA Ramen
Photo #4: Ramen Hood
Photo #5: Downtown LA Pho
Photo #6: JINYA Ramen Bar
Photo #7: Ochoron Ramen
Photo #8: Yang Chow
Photo #9: Rakkan Ramen
Photo #10: Daikokuya Little Tokyo
Photo #11: Little Sister
Photo #12: AFURI Ramen