It was okay ramen flavor wise but what they must not understand is don't put the pork belly in half frozen still Noodles were cold as well and broth was Luke warm like it wasn't to order Ramen is meant to be hot is all read more

Great first experience!! Friendly staff, cozy setting. Their spicy sesame vegan ramen is amazing!! The tofu nuggets were delicious too. I'll definitely be back. read more

Daikokuya has been one of my favorite ramen spots ever since they started with the first restaurant in Little Tokyo. I was most unimpressed with these 4 major call outs: 1. The fried rice- an item that I have always Loved, did not have the same consistency as even the location at Monterey Park. It was dry versus moist. I don't know if they were missing the butter portion or if the rice was just not cooked properly to begin with, who knows. When we had notified the waitress, she took partner with the kitchen manager then later came back to my table to apologize and told us this is just how their location makes the fried rice. (The trainer should really take a trip back for consistency with such a great restaurant) I was disappointed at the fact that they did not even attempt to remake the rice or just remove it from my table. 2. The salad- another favorite item of mine. They were kind enough to give us a little more dressing as the portion of dressing was less than usual. The cabbage was extremely bitter, and the salad dressing was unable to mask the bitterness. I've never experienced that before ever, to be honest. 3. The Chashu- what I love most about Daikokuya is their meat that almost melts in your mouth with each bite. The chashu looked pre-sliced and straight from the fridge; which is fine, but at least soak it into the soup. It might even be that the meat was so dry and cold and it affected the fried rice. 4. The boiled egg- the egg was almost boiled through! I had anticipated on the runny yolk/clear yellow yolk, however, it was just not boiled Daikokuya-style. All in all, I was extremely disappointed with the quality of food. I felt almost embarrassed to ask my boyfriend to go with me to try the El Monte location because he never even liked ramen until he ate at Daikokuya. We left pretty dissatisfied. Waitresses were nice and there was no wait, however, it's only obvious to me why there was no wait. read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

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Simply Amazing! Service Taste Price All Great! My gf and I had the Spicy Miso Ramen! Bowls are huge! read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - Spicy Miso Ramen! - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

I've been coming to Daikokuya for many years, starting when I accidentally stumbled upon the Little Tokyo location years back and have been hooked since. Everywhere my wife and I travel, we find a ramen shop and found ourselves comparing them all to Daikokuya. As far as the chain goes, this location is by far our favorite and has always delivered, starting with fantastic service, amazing food, and a stellar vibe. Max has been our server countless times and he's always been fantastic, from kindness to knowledge, we always leave happy, full, and looking forward to the next bowl of ramen! read more

The ramen is pretty good. It's my 3rd time here. I think the broth is kind of too salty the 3rd time. I hope it's just this time.

Bomb ass ramen! Great service and great food!! The lunch specials are great! It's a good place to go if you don't have time to go to LA..

Very clean and spacious. Staff was very helpful and attentive, waters stayed full and that's a plus. The menu is a bit more full than at Monterey Park IMO, but maybe I'm tripping. Nonetheless, the consistency in ramen at each location stood the same, and this time I tried the gyoza. Very tasty, fully filled and cooked to perfection. My number 1 ramen place! read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - The original. Try this first of you have never been here and are new to the ramen scene. The next time, get spicy miso paste and add slowly - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

We wanted to try this location, after reading about its opening at their original Little Tokyo restaurant. It's nice that's it is closer to Alhambra/Temple City/Arcadia/San Gabriel Asian food hub. It was still in the soft opening phase and will not have the full menu until January 2017. Here's an overall breakdown. Location - good. Easy access on Garvey; parking in the back Atmosphere - very good; more room than the Little Tokyo and Monterey Park locations. Decor is much more like some ramen places in Japan. Service - very good; our waitress was courteous and attentive. Food - fair; better than some other local ramen places but not as good as the Little Tokyo site, Shinsengumi, or Tsujita LA. Noodles - seemed softer than the Little Tokyo style. I prefer more "al dente" Cha siu - good Broth - a bit saltier than I like; saltier than the other two Daikokuya sites. House salad - cabbage was shredded a bit thicker; I prefer the thinner shaved cabbage; the salad dressing is delicious (one of the reasons to go to Daikokuya). Shredded pork and fried rice - very good; same as downtown LA I would add another star, if they could match the noodle and broth quality of the Little Tokyo site. I hope this location does well. read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

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please don't come go waste your money somewhere else the ramen was horrible the chicken was grey and sad the rice was okay but still not worth it read more

Not really a fan of Ramen, but my husband wanted to try for his first time. One of our friends recommended this ramen spot, so I yelped it and we came to check it out! Upon arriving to the location, it was a little hard to see where the building was at first and we missed it of course! Lol so we drove around and noticed they had a parking area, but you have to drive slow before you miss it. Entering the building the decor was really nice and cute. There was hardly anyone there maybe a few like 4 - 6 scattered everywhere. We went during lunch time and were seated quickly. We waited a little to order so we can look at the menu. After ordering, our food took a while to come out.. others that came after us got their food before we did.. but nonetheless overall experience was good. Ramen was rich and savory. We ordered the lunch special daikouku ramen, spicy miso ramen, 3 piece chicken karaage, and 3 fried shrimp on a skewer. I forgot what it was called but it was tasty! I would come here again if I ever crave ramen. read more

The service wasn't outstanding, but it wasn't the worst I've ever had. Could have had my water refilled a bit more, but that's just something I expect at all restaurants to be taken care of. Not a wide selection of ramen choices, there were three: 1) daikokuya, 2) spicy miso (cannot make it not spicy because it is the daikokuya ramen with spicy sauce) 3) tsukemen (everything is on the side and the broth is used as a dipping sauce for those who can't handle the heat of all the ingredients in the bowl). I really did enjoy the broth though, so I would definitely return for the soup base. They had other rice bowls as well, but didn't get to try those. I ordered the tempura shiso leaf, not worth the price you pay. You get maybe 5 little pieces and salt for "dipping". read more

Spacious parking and a lot more seating availability compared to the other locations. Came here on a Sunday around 1:00 pm. There was about 4 other tables with customers, so it wasn't too crowded or noisy. We were seated immediately at one of the booths. The service was alright. Not the sharpest, but not terrible. The ramen was up to par with the other locations other than the cha-sew, which was dry and chewy at this location. The noodles were more on the al-dente side, which isn't bad since it's not super soft to the point where it crumples between your chopsticks. Location was a little trickery to find since it's a tall thin building hidden behind trees. We almost drove past it even with the help of Google Maps. It's located right across from CVS, so if you passed CVS, you've went too far. read more

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I've been coming here for years and it's still one of my favorite ramen spots. Always get the Spicy miso ramen & gyoza!!

Delicious ramen! Price is fair... the slaw is yummy!!! The egg in the soup has a creamy yolk and my kids is eating everything! The service was great as well! Definitely returning! 2 thumbs up!!! read more

Love love Love! Best ramen and just as good as Little Tokyo location without the crowds and the wait. You have to get the bbq chashu appetizer and the gyoza! I love getting spicy miso ramen with an extra tamago, boyfriend loves same thing as a combination with the shredded pork bowl. P.s not as much of a fan of Alhambra location. Horrible parking and food was a little different. Either go El Monte or Little Tokyo. read more

Very good new location not as good as the little tokyo location though Have good ramen Some ramen specials / vegetarian/vegan options read more

Like always never disappoints me wether at dtla or El Monte this ramen is delicious!!!!!!! read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - At El Monte trying this place I'm a dtla guy let see if the taste is the same - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

Food was ok, they wouldn't separate the checks for 5 persons as a group. It doesn't make sense to me for them doing that. Would it be ok if we entered one by one and asked for check individually? Then why they can't if we were just sitting next to each other. read more

It just wasn't the same...... The broth for the ramen was too salty but I might have ordered the wrong ramen. Serve was great! Got a bottle of my dressing. read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - Decor - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

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Service is decent but the flavors are not the same. Not really crowded. Probably because getting into their driveway and parking lot is a bit tough. Been here a few times and the AC is always blasting. Don't recommend the fried rice. The pickled ginger in it is way too strong and taints the fried rice. Definitely prefer the Little Tokyo and Monterey Park locations better. read more

Best romen spot in the hood customer service is always A1 especially Cesar homie needs a raise always smiling and ready to serve tip him fat y'all. Highly recommend!!! read more

I know everybody has different taste but this place is just okay. I'm a ramen lover that tasted almost every ramen places in LA. I have been here twice because it's close to the place I work. I ordered tsukemen(dipping ramen) for the first time and daikokuya ramen for the second time. The flavor of the soup base is okay, but the texture for the ramen isn't that good if I compare to the other ramen places in LA, especially Torrance. Also, I think their tsukemen has no point. It seems like they use the broth that is same to their regular ramen. Therefore, the tsukemen is quite tasteless compare to other Tsukemen places like Tsujita. The service is just ok as well, just like their food. Not a lot of smiles on their faces. read more

I didn't know there's a Daikokuya in El Monte! I've eaten at the location in Little Tokyo only. So this is much closer to my place! Service was great. Place is clean. Ramen is good. You don't have to wait in long lines like the other location and they have their own parking lot in the back, which is good. I'll definitely come back since it's closer to home! read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

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The quality and taste is not the same as the one in Little Tokyo. I ate here yesterday for lunch. The broth had no flavor and the meat in my fried rice tasted sour like it was already bad. Super disappointed since this is closer to me than the Little Tokyo location. read more

Yummy yummy yummmmm!! This is my first time ever LIKING ramen. Friendly service + delicious food = one very happy customer. I could have eaten 100 gyoza's ... literally. read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

Good ramen, fast and friendly service! Location is easy to miss though. For all the parents out there... they have a house ramen for children read more

Now this is what you call a HIDDEN GEM!! Daikokuya is great spot for lunch and dinner with family and friends! I came here on a whim with a coworker of mine because she saw it on the way home from work and she wanted to try it out. Yeah, the neighborhood is sketchy but once you walk inside, you feel safe and secure. Staff is great and friendly and the FOOD!! The food was SO GOOD!! I had the pleasure of eating their signature ramen bowl with a chicken egg bowl on the side! Amazing! And don't forget to add the minced garlic and ask for the sesames or oil on the side!! I can't wait to come back for another epic meal! read more

No lines for lunch! I was surprised when I heard it moved from Arcadia. However, I was wondering why it was moved to a less Asian centric location. But it is closer to me at work now, so I can eat it more often. Its close to the freeway, so that is probably a better solution for them. Location location location. The food is good. Same as Monterey parks. Better than the Arcadia. Quality control! I do think the prices increased though. But one thing I keep asking myself, why are they charging $13 on Poke. There are like hundreds of Poke places that charge less than $10. The spicy miso isn't that heavy, which I like. Tip: Add $1 for their awesome minced cabbage and awesome sauce. They have a small entrance to the small parking lot next to the building. There is 2-3 street parking out front. You might miss the place. No large signage or store front. They do accept credit card! My Yelp friend John T is wrong! But he came at grand opening.... Come here for no long lines! read more

If your in the area and in need of some ramen this place isn't bad. Service is good and the food as well. Also the times I've been here the wait hasn't been bad like the other locations. read more

Personally not my favorite type of ramen. The broth was pretty okay. It was very fatty. The only real good part I enjoyed was the meat in the ramen. The ramen noodles here aren't the best. I've also had their California roll and it looks like it came out of a box from the supermarket. The ginger and wasabi looked pretty much expired when I got it. The plus side is the parking situation is easy. The service however was not great. From walking in we waited about 5 minutes for someone to seat us and no one really cared to help us. It wasn't until I called them for help. They never checked up on us through out the whole meal. It even took us 10-15mins to get their attention to be able to pay our bill. Keep in mind throughout this whole time there was only 2 other people eating there. I'd be more understanding if it was a little busy but it was literally empty. So this type of service is unacceptable. Maybe if they got off their phones and keep their conversations at minimum this place would have better reviews. read more

I haven't personally dine-in at this location but there service is still good. I usually just do take out at this location since the one near me doesn't offer that service. Love the ramen, the edamame, and their house dressing!!! read more

Wish I could give this place no stars. My friend and I came in for ramen and the waiter AKA (the manager) that attended us was very disrespectful and a complete jerk. My friend and I placed an order then I briefly asked about the flavor of sodas they had and he was walking away while trying to answer my question in a rude way. I disregarded his attitude and continue to talk to my friend. Another waiter that was next to us saw what he had done so he finished telling my friend and I the sodas they carry. Once he came back he seemed to be upset ( I'm almost certain he over heard me calling him rude). Long story short he then continue to insult us and disrespect us by saying lame remarks. I then stepped up and said what is your problem, can I please talk to your manager. He then when on to say he was the "manager" which I then responded now I see why you have no costumers. My friend and I walked out in disbelief. I also forgot to mention how this guy had told the other waiter a joke regarding Mexicans. Saddest part of all he was of Hispanic descent and was insulting Mexicans in a Hispanic community .!. This guy has no moral values. Avoid this place at all costs! read more

Was fairly impressed! This is in south El Monte , not exactly where I'd imagine Japanese food to be but I'm local to the area so I appreciate it for sure. I ordered a kotteri ramen to go. The koterri broth is. very rich and it was super hot and ready when I got home. The nooodles, bean sprouts, egg, chashu , and green onion were packed neatly in a to go container. It was a lot of stuff, the entire to go box was packed and I could only fit about half if it's content inside a standard soup/cereal bowl when I got home. It would have been better if the noodles and topppings were pre arranged in a to go BOWL, so all I had to do was pour the soup over. Taste wise everything was on point. I like being. Generous with the green onion and they definitely loaded it up. The egg was definitely the highlight of the dish. The only thing that I didn't like was the chashu. It was mostly fat instead of a good balance of fat and meat. This normally wouldn't be an issue but in a fatty broth like the kotterri , the contrast would have been nice. The chashu immediately dissolved , due to the hot broth, and I was left with a quarter size piece of meat on the fat spiral of chashu. That is the only part of the dish that I did not like. Well be back to try more for sure read more

A lot of haters are posting reviews about this place and complaining about the food, the service, the price and the location. I highly recommend you don't listen to them The location is not Beverly Hills, it's not trendy Little Tokyo. It's a working class neighborhood in a largely Latino and Asian city. That throws off some people, and that's fine. They can go running back to their hipster shelter caves. If you're looking for a good meal in an area where you won't struggle to find parking, then this is the spot for you. On the restaurant itself: the ramen is delicious. It's tasty, and their bowls full of noodles, egg, pork belly and shallots leaves you very full at the end of the meal. The price of $11 is average for a big bowl of ramen and the service couldn't be better: I had attentive servers at all times making sure I had what I needed. Overall, I definitely recommend you check out this place. I've been to Japan and had some really good ramen. This spot isn't the best I've ever had, but it's definitely up there in the top 4 read more

Some reviewers said its located in the sketchier part of town.. which probably explains why it was about half empty on Saturday night when we walked in.. but honestly, I got no complain whatsoever. We know what "sketchy" is, we come from Inland Empire. Lol. By comparison, this neighborhood is NICE. And no line!!! I mean.. have you seen the smoking crowd outside the Little Tokyo location?? And the fact that you have to stand next to them for the next 60 mins or so, inhaling the secondhand smoke while waiting for your party to be called?? Yeaaaaa no. I think I prefer this location, with its parking lot and less waiting time. And bigger building with moveable seating arrangement that can fit more than 4 people! Yay! Anyways. I got my usual spicy miso ramen, and also karaage since this location has one. I love chicken karaage, and although their version of chicken chunks are too big I think I'd order it again in the future. Not every Daikokuya locations have that on their menus. I'm glad this location does. They also accept cards (except Amex), which is another plus. The Little Tokyo location is cash only, but this one is not. They would accept up to 2 cards for one party, but if everyone in your group pay cash, they're willing to ring up everybody's orders separately. That means saving you from having to calculate everyone's orders+tax+gratuity separately and arrange for Venmo/Quickpay transaction, which could be a pain in the butt, depending on how many people are in your party. Ours was 10. So yay for separate tabs!!! What else? Ah the ramen, of course. It has all the usual stuff: the pork, the egg (whole egg, which by the way, was cooked to perfection every single time), bamboo shoots, beansprouts, green onions, and pickled ginger. The broth is good. But the noodles are what gives me withdrawal symptoms (no seriously). I'm very partial when it comes to ramen's noodles, and only Daikokuya delivers. It's perfectly chewy, softer than al dente but not totally soggy either. The price is also pretty good for that quality and portion. They also have vegan option, which was ordered by some people from our party (and they said it was pretty good as well). Would we be back? Heck yea! read more

This is the first time I tried. Before at little Tokyo there is always a line to wait. But here it's fine! We had one ramen+fried chicken and one mix poke. Portion is just right for us. I think the poke bowl is a little bit too salty for me. But the fish is fresh. read more

Daikokuya - El Monte - Ramen Near Me - El Monte, California

My friend and I were looking for a nearby ramen place and came across this spot so we decided to try it out. Upon entering the restaurant we were hit with a strong rotting sewer smell. We both looked at each other as we were being seated. We then see a sign right in front of the cashier, something about maintenance taking place inside the restaurant. We both immediately thought they were having sewage problems given the horrible smell inside the restaurant. The odor was overpowering and we just couldn't eat there. We gave each other the look, got up and left. read more

I love this location. So open, not crowded like their other locations. The staff is always super friendly and attentive. Parking is easy in the back, but the drive way is really easy to miss (I've passed the drive way a lot,l lol) They also do to-go orders unlike the Little Tokyo location! Their food is on par with every other location they have and it's so nice that i don't need to wait an hour just to be seated. My boyfriend loves their Karage and Daikokuya in general has the best noodles you can get. I always get the vegan tomato ramen and the tofu nuggets! read more

Don't know what haters are complaining about. This place is by far the best ramen place in LA. Taste is most authentic and close to Ramen in Japan. read more