I can't believe I never wrote a review for this place. This is our ramen spot. We have been loving it for years. It's simple, delicious, and authentic. This place is truly the best ramen among the south bay and LA and it stand the test in time. It's on par with what we had in Japan. We come here whenever we have a chance and never disappointed. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

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Jidai in this case refers to a past era. In this case Jidaiya may reference Japan from the late 1950's to around the mid 1960's. Commercial signs, red pay telephones, even a replica of a Tabakoya smoke shop, which is merely a window where a salesperson sits selling other limited goods like gum, candy, etc., are on display. Total nostalgia to babyboomers, and probably curious antiquated artifacts to millennials. Plenty of tables & chairs as well as bar seating. Waitresses are friendly, responsive, quick, and the Ra-men came out in fast order at least on an unbusy Monday night around 9:30pm. There are other foods such as Gyo-za/ground pork dumplings, rice bowls, mini combo's if you're not in the mood for noodle soup. Ordered the To-kyo- Yatai/night stall Ra-men which may be closest to traditional, old school Charamera Ra-men in L.A. It seems to be clear chicken broth based w/ an infusion of Sho-yu/soy sauce. There is no sign of a thick layer of pork fat floating unctuously. The key Japanese word is Assari: simple, refreshing, not overly contrived. The Ra-men noodles are standard thickness, slightly wavy, Koshi/al dente firmness that didn't get mushy even sitting in the broth a while. Slice of roasted pork Cha-shu-, Nice chewy slightly gamey, fermented bamboo shoots that reminded me of the ones used in the Charamera style. Half soft boiled egg to add richness when stirred into the broth if desired. Chopped green onion, scattering of Kaiwarè Daikon sprouts, Naruto/slice of steamed fish terrine that has a pink swirl depicting the whirlpool between Awaji Island & Shikoku. Jet back Nori/seaweed paper. I'm not the biggest fan of Low Density Lipids abundant in TonkOtsu Ra-men. To-kyo- Yatai Ra-men hit positive sensory nerve receptors. If you're into fatty TonkOtsu, don't bother w/ the To-kyo- Yatai so the Yokohama style Ra-men w/ pork broth may a good alternative. But for those who want a more healthful Ra-men, Jidaiya has the answer. read more

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Unfortunately this is the last time, my friends and I will ever have to visit here. Don't order the Tonkotsu ramen because it is highway robbery! It's one sliver of meat and it didn't satisfy my cravings at all. I don't know but I guess the quality has gone down. I can prepare better soft boiled eggs as well. I was expecting a read deal "ramen egg". Unfortunately, this is like just some boiled egg that you can buy from Ralphs. What's wrong with you? I would have just made instant ramen from home. Lastly, the service. It is Alzheimerly sooo slow! They got my name and usually when you order fro pick up they tell you that's it will be available in 15 minutes. I arrived the restaurant in about 15 minutes after the phone order. I waited for another 20 minutes by the door. If I didn't call the girl's (the one who took my name) attention, God only knows when I'll get my order. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Minuscule Tonkatsu piece in a ramen - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

most amazing ramen restaurant in LA out of everything ive been to, delicious hole in the wall and cute decoration

Ordered take-out. They give a hearty portion of noodles and broth and appreciated how they packaged everything so nicely. I also appreciated that the lady on the phone told me that they didn't use any nuts in their food! I got the Tokyo Yatai ramen with Combo C (kaarage, fried rice and cabbage salad). The broth was good- not too salty. Loved all the toppings (bamboo, half a marinated soft boiled egg, char siu, kamaboko, onion, nori)! The noodles were thin and cooked a bit too soft for my taste- they didn't have a spring or bounce to them. I sampled my hubby's tonkotsu that had the thicker noodles and preferred those. Would order again, but would see if I could request the thicker noodles. The combo was good! Kaarage was crunchy and hot, the dressing for the cabbage salad was flavorful and the fried rice was decent. I hadn't been here in years, but would definitely order from here again! read more

Hidden gem is an understatement. I almost stopped mid-meal to capture my thoughts in real time, but I chose to finish this incredible meal in peace. The staff mirrors the wonderful hospitality and swiftness of what you'd expect at a classic ramen shop in Japan. Brava. My first taste of shio tonkatsu ramen was so delectable, and it kept getting better. The most authentic bowl of ramen I've had in the states so far. The cold, pungent, and chewy texture of takowasa added a dimension that offset the savoriness of the pork, rich broth, and fried rice. Shockingly, the fried rice only cost $2.50 as an combo add-on to my ramen. Even a la carte, it was just $4! The pure joy of eating great Japanese food at cheap prices will have you walking on sunshine. read more

Lovely staff, unfortunately both husband and I had I both got sick. We had the shoyu and the tonkatsu ramen, the flavor seemed off on the shoyu one. Edit - we also had the gyoza so it's possible could've been what made us sick. (To address owner comments) read more

Absolutely delicious and delightful to found this place. Everything is delicious and there's no wait. So interesting to try their special of shellfish with chicken. What an interesting broth! All the ingredients in everything in all the ramens are wholesome and great. The staff are extremely nice and the vibes are like you are in Japan ramen house. I will absolutely will come back! read more

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This was highly recommended and suggested by a friend and did not disappoint Super delicious! The service was lovely with friend staff, quick but not rushed service, and attentive servers. I ordered the spicy miso and my friend had their dip ramen, both hit the spot! We'll be coming back. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Spicy Miso - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

Came here on a weekend with my boyfriend. I tried the Spicy Miso Chashu. Heard great reviews on Yelp, and I'm sure it's truly yummy. It's probably just me, but I've had better ramen. Average. Taste was alright. Broth was bit bland for me. I like a thinner, firmer noodle. The corn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and snap peas were a plus. I loved their abundance of veggies. Chashu was flavorful. However, the ramen didn't wow me. My boyfriend liked it though. We ordered a side of spam musubi (thicker than normal and comes with fluffy egg) and fried chicken. The chicken came with a side salad with dressing I really enjoyed. The spam musubi was yummy, but nothing out of the ordinary. Wouldn't go out of my way to come back, but I'm glad I tried some hidden places in Gardena. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Spicy Miso - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

Decent Ramen in Gardena . Great service and no complaints. Always good place stop to LAX read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

Friendly staff, but smallish if you are bringing "the group". We like the small feel and personal attention, but when the diners before you don't get the hint and want to gab another 45minutes after paying their bill, its time to give them stink eye through the window. I wouldn't say it's the "BEST RAMEN!", but it is definitely a go-to place for us. Gardena and Torrance have too many great ramen houses, each doing their own thing to label one as THE best. At Jidaiya, it's Tokyo-yatai Ramen or Tonkotsu Chashu Ramen & the TanTan Mein with garlic for me and the wife. Our youngest son prefers the curry, so make our ramen orders a "combo" which adds a curry plate to both for $2.50 each, saving about a buck or so off a regular curry order. If you get a spam musubi, the Spam is cut thicker than normal, comes with egg, and is a little too dry. **Pro tip: When done, walk next door to The Local Place for dessert. ***Pro warning: If you think "we'll just go to Shin-sen-gumi if Jidaiya's line is too long", the SSG in the same plaza is a ramen-free zone serving yakitori (skewers) and chanko (hot pot/soup). read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

As always the food was awesome!! We loved the flavors of the ramen, gyoza, and Takoyaki. Always my go to spot when I used to go school in LB. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

The ramen broth here is delicious. We ordered off the Summer menu Cold Tsukimi Yatai Noodle and the Cold Salad Noodle - both were outstanding! Booked marked for when I'm in town again! read more

Solid but unspectacular ramen spot in Gardena. We were excited to try a new place. The menu offers four types of ramen bases. We ordered the spicy ramen (forget the proper name) and then the Tokyo Tonkatsu. Both were unremarkable. Flavorful but not unique; good quality ingredients but nothing standout. The team at Jidaiya was very friendly and nice. Great service. Good packaging which is not always the case with take away ramen. Not sure if I'd go back. read more

I love ramen. All the ramens. But this ramen was different. Unlike the rich porkey goodness of a tonkatsu broth, the kai-shio broth is something quite different. Lighter, briney, with a familiar sweetness only found in shellfish, the first sip just made sense. A seafood broth for ramen, why hadn't I had this before. The noodles were good and the toppings in the ramen were all above average. The 5 may be a bit generous but the broth just had a depth of flavor I wasn't expecting or, more so, didn't know I was missing. read more

Came here to get take-out because I was really craving some ramen! I ended up ordering the tonkatsu ramen (I made it spicy) with the UFO gyoza. I really appreciated the service (the women who took my order was patient and friendly) and covid measures as you simply pay and pick up your food when ready. My order took only 10 minutes, just like they said they would take! The UFO Gyoza was super tasty! Perfect little appetizer to start off the meal. I wasn't too impressed with the ramen noodles as they clumped towards the bottom and they were still a little hard. Other than that the favor of the soup was still tasty. Everything was also packaged securely in the takeout bag. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

I was really impressed with this place when I visited. First off, I showed up and luckily there was no wait which was perfect because we were starving. Their decor is pretty nice and they have tons of seating. They have a list you write your name down for waiting which in this case we did not use. The staff here was really friendly as well and were helpful too. I got their Tonkutsu ramen but switched out the pork for chicken which is great (I don't do pork). They have parking available and food came out hot and fresh so definitely a spot I will be visiting again soon. I will be back! read more

It was definitely a random stop. Went to my go to place but unfortunately they didn't have ramen that day. So they recommended Jidaiya which was two minutes down the road. Small little spot. Such excellent service and the food was very yummy. The prices were very reasonable. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Karaage Fried Chicken and fried rice - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

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They are open for take-out & have delicious food you guys! Please, please support this amazing restaurant.

Our favorite ramen place. Highly recommend adding the spice bomb to your order. We've had a few issues with online ordering, call in your order and they are super speedy. read more

I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. It is a hidden gem. The food was great and the service was wonderful I will be back when I am in the area! read more

Whenever I'm in the area, coming here for lunch is always a priority haha. Spicy Miso Ramen with the gyoza is my order every time. The restaurant is clean and the staff is always friendly and courteous. If you're looking for ramen in the Torrance area, Jidaiya should always be on the shortlist. read more

The best ramen and service I've had in SoCal. I absolutely love everything on the menu, and if you opt for dine-in, the atmosphere is hard to beat. A must-try is the spicy miso ramen! read more

Me and a group of friends sit down and asks what type of ramen is good and proceed to asks what someone who doesn't really get ramen should get and yells "they're both ramen" which was very rude and not very good costumer service (the waiter had a gap) and when I asked if they had dr pepper and responded with "no" with a negative tone. The ramen juice was kinda too salty and wasn't very pleasing with the noodles. And the fry chicken was raw on the inside when we took a bite out of it and our waiter didn't even know if it is was supposed to be pink or not, it's chicken of course not. Our stomachs started feeling off and we all got food poisoning, this is a real big food safety concern. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - raw chicken - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

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I had high-ish hopes for this place coming in but unfortunately it didn't quite meet my expectations. Lots of Japanese people eating here and speaking Japanese with their families so that's always a good sign though and may speak to its authenticity. I got the Yokohama Tonkatsu with chashu. The broth did not look or taste like a tonkatsu broth at all! It actually looked more like a shoyu based broth and was pretty light to what I was expecting. Further, although the menu said it comes with thick noodles, mine came with thin noodles which I was very displeased about (thin noodle hater in ramen here). I didn't want to cause a fuss at the time and I also needed to get to LAX so I didn't ask the waiter to redo my order but looking back, I really wish I had. My boyfriend who got the Tonkatsu miso which actually came with thick noodles was super sweet and gave me all his thick noodles and took my thin noodles. Mine was MUCH better with thick noodles. We were actually going to switch ramen bowls completely but then I tasted his miso tonkatsu broth and it didn't taste that good to me either. Asides from that, the chashu was pretty good, standard but done well with the usual softness, tenderness, and fattiness. Parking: small lot out in front. We came pretty early for dinner so it was easy to find a spot but by the time we left, all the parking spaces were taken. Overall Jidaiya Ramen wasn't terrible but wasn't spectacular either. I probably wouldn't come back here. I think there are plenty of other good ramen choices to try next time. read more

Came here since my family and i wanted to experience japanese food after coming back from our Japan trip. Ordered tonkotsu ramen and the broth was very tasty! Felt very similar to the ramen ive had in japan, the interior was really japanesey. Ordered fried rice and gyoza on the side. I want to come back with my girlfriend next time. read more

So technically I got lost on my way to my favorite Japanese grocery store. But as the saying goes something about life being the journey and not the destination I got a hankering for noodles and TA LA DI DA, I sat there marveling this bowl of spicy tonkotsu ramen. Lip smacking pork broth, sprouts, spinach, bamboo shoots, tender noodles, huge pieces of pork and the all important delicately boiled egg. I just had the cake equivalent of ramen. I'm coming back with my soup loving sweetheart in tow. :) read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

I lived in Japan for 5 years and this place feels so nostalgic every single time! I love their tonkotsu ramen and the UFO gyoza are delicious as well. This place is a gem! read more

Ambiance: this ramen store is old-fashioned, and the inside decor and atmosphere brings you back to years ago Service: very fast and friendly, though a bit forgetful and made mistakes, like bringing the wrong drink to us and delivered our dish to other tables twice Food: in general great, very tiny and thin pork though Fish shaped waffle with sweet red bean - *** crispy and sweet Jidaiya Ramen - **** chashu pork meat, egg, bamboo, seaweed, spinach, creamy broth, chewy noodles, recommend Spicy Miso Ramen - *** chashu pork, bamboo, onion, corn, bean sprouts, snow pea, black sesame, bold taste Deep Fried Chicken - **** crispy outside, tender and juicy inside, recommend Price: moderate portions and prices, expect $20 per person read more

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We're regulars here the staff are nice and the food are great. They don't sell alcohol but you're welcome to bring your own if not There's a liquor store a block from the restaurant u can go before going to the restaurant. read more

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I was looking for a really good ramen spot that had outdoor seating, had a variety of broth options not just pork and is open through out the day without the open/close break in between. My friend has never had real ramen before only packaged noodles so I decided to introduce him to something new. We arrive in the plaza an hour and a 1/2 before close with free parking, it was easy to locate with tables for 4 on the sidewalk and another couple of tables underneath the tent in the parking lot. They have a sign in sheet when you first walk in, we were seated right away. The tables were used from the previous guests, they never wiped down our tables because you could see all the debris and water marks. First no no, because that's something you do before covid was even around, wipe in between table usage. I start off with green tea while my friend takes forever deciding what he wants, which was another pot of green tea. I always prefer it this way because you can pour it yourself and it's not just the tea bag tied around a cup, speaking of cups they brought us water cups with no straws, so remember to ask for straws because Cali laws said so. We order the fried Gyoza 12 piece, Tonkotsu Miso ramen which comes w ( thick noodles, pork broth, miso sauce, corn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, green onion, saya peas, black sesame seeds and chashu.) I was disappointed with the toppings however there wasn't much I wanted to choose from so I ordered Naruto and Flavored egg. The Naruto pieces were huge, much bigger than what I'm use to so I didn't even eat it all, and the flavored egg was missing flavor but the inside was nice and creamy. Another problem the overwhelming amount of bean sprouts there were more sprouts than noodles and it made it unpleasant I had to remove about 75% of them just to taste something else. The best thing was the Chashu, it was so tender, I wanted to order more. My friend ordered the Tokyo Yatai ( thin noodles, chicken broth, soy sauce, chashu, egg, bamboo shoots, seaweed, onion & naruto.) I wouldn't necessarily recommend chicken broths because they aren't usually as good or umami as its competitors. The gyoza was hard enough to be double fried, and definitely required some type of sauce other than soy sauce to set it off. My friend ended up soaking them in his ramen which I'm sure a lot of other people do. He also complained about there soy sauce being more salty than other Asian restaurants. Overall the ramens fell flat, I even added soy sauce, seasoning, and chili oil. He was unimpressed with it, being his first time so now I'll have to take him somewhere else to redeem myself. The ramen broth just wasn't good enough, I didn't even want extra noodles even though I was still hungry but they started rushing us because the place was closing In 20 minutes. I hurried and placed our last orders 2 Taiyaki which is a fried fish shaped dessert usually containing red bean paste or custard and 2 Mochi (green tea, vanilla) which is usually a Japanese rice cake but these are better because they have ice cream inside, one of my favorites. The Taiyaki was perfect to me, thick, crispy, fresh and hot and sweet. My friend thought it was okay he said there was way to much of the red bean so that's definitely a personal problem. The mochi was yummy too, my only issue was the vanilla got stuck to our plates so when we tried to lift them up they kept getting stuck to the plate and that made the rice cakes rip open and the ice cream was no longer inside. Super messy, I'm use to being able to pick up mochi with my hands, this one required utensils. Last but not least customer service was good, they checked consistently, and didn't rush us after close so we left them a nice tip and thanked them for their service everything including tip came to $60. After all of this I know we will not be back to this restaurant , and I was trying to provide an entire experience and instead fell short. Next time I'll have to get our ramens for takeout but at least I know it'll be from somewhere with better quality. read more

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Soo good one of favorite ramen can go wrong authentic Japanese food service is great !! Great atmosphere

Typically don't leave reviews but this place was really good. I ordered the spicy Tonkotsu with level 3 spicy. Nice generous size bowl, with ample toppings and sesame seeds. The kicker was the broth. One of the most flavorful broths I've had in a long time. Hard to describe but it was full of pork flavor and not watery but not too thick. The spice level was perfect. I will make this a regular stop for lunch. read more

Ok Jidaiya is on the west side of western going south across from southbay toyota and near Kansha creamery and 7 leaves. It's right before you get to Kings hawaiian so if you pass that, you passed it lol. Jidaiya in japanese means like a certain era in japanese time. In Japan they go by the who the current emperor is, like the current era there now is Reiwa which started 2019 to present. I think i read there was 4 more previous era's, Meiji, Taisho (1912-1926), Showa (1926-1989), Heisei (1989 - 2019). So when they say Jidai means some era in time, basically this looks like a showa era interior, like after the war reconstruction period. The restaurants back in the day have this dark wood looking interior which japanese restaurant did look like back in the day. Anyways, why i'm giving them a great right now is it's freaking hot. What do i crave on hot days??? I love me some cold soba noodles, which is called hiyashi (cold) soba (noodles). There are various ways to make it, some make it with a more sesame dressing, some make it with a more soy vinegary sauce that helps from recovery of the heat. This one is maybe a blend between the two, a sesame/vinegary sauce which is good. I like both sauces so it's not a problem for me. The vibe i get here is a very mom/pops like diner i'd go to in japan. When i'm walking around some country town, I'd stop in to eat and talk story with the owners if they're not busy. But the food is like that, nothing flashy more like something you'd get at a small japanese eating place which are everywhere in Japan. The hiyashi here, has a little bit of seaweed salad, fish cake, the slivered egg omelette, and this one uses the pork like (japanese style charsiu) cut into strips, cucumber, fake crab meat, and the red ginger. Overall it hits the spot because not too many places make this anymore. I did get this with a UFO, lol, they call gyoza japanese potsticker UFO when they steam them with a little extra cornstarch to connect them together. It's usually crispy on bottom but i found this one cooled down to go and gets it a little soft, but you see how it' all connected into a round UFO shape. Gyoza is normally served with a shoyu/vinegar sauce and of course layu which is a spicy sesame oil. take a look at my pics. Definitely give them a try, please support the local establishments because variety is always better! read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - hiyashi soba, has the yellow mustard which is a must. Sesame vinegar sauce hasn't been poured on yet. - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

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The UFO gyoza is my favorite it reminds me of Japan, the sauce is also so good! I love the spicy miso ramen, the broth is rich & savory. The thick curly noodles are so bouncy. I add a soft boiled egg. Ok my mouth is watering thinking about it now! Just go! read more

I've been coming here for a couple years now and the food is so solid. The service is usually polite and on point but there is an older lady server that's passive aggressively rude. She'll go out of her way to serve the Japanese speaking customers first and begrudging serve the English speakers. I'm not abt to spend my money to be treated like a nuisance. read more

If this place were in any other city, then I'd give it an extra star. But in the Torrance/Gardena area there are just too many good ramen restaurants. Jidaiya is not bad at all, but it just doesn't stand out. In particular the noodles are a little soft, and the fried rice and fried chicken could stand to be more flavorful. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Tonkotsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California

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a little too thick on the tonkotsu broth ramen. less qq on the noodle and sides just ok. gyoza should be done crispier

Pretty good casual ramen place. We arrived to an empty restaurant which was nice considering it was a Sunday. They have a bunch of tables and a bar eating area as well. I ordered the Takoyaki Octopus Flitters (must have!) and the mini rice curry (which was pretty decently sized and DELICIOUS!). My only complaint is that they charge extra to make the ramen spicy which is annoying. I opted for the Tokyo-Yayai which was good but I definitely want to try their other broth because the chicken broth threw me off. Note: they don't sell alcohol but you can bring in your own. read more

Jidaiya Ramen Dining - Pho (chicken broth) - Ramen Near Me - Gardena, California