Their chashu is flavorful and tender. Koku Tonkatsu has more body in the broth compared to Spicy Tonkatsu. Efficient and friendly service. We always see a line outside this place, so we planned to be there early for dinner. Arrived at 5:45pm but they were still "closed". Went back at 5:58pm, and we were seated immediately. (They "open" at 6pm.) The restaurant quickly filled up. We left around 6:30pm, picked up boba at 85', and were walking back around 6:40pm and there was already a line outside. read more

Authentic taste and quality of Japanese ramen, very straightforward. The downside- quite pricy! Although I empathize due to the location (Old Town Pas) I imagine what a rip off the rent prices could be! read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - Tonkotsu Ramen, fair amount of serving. You have to extra order the softboiled egg though - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California

This is, hands down, the best Ramen in Southern California. There isn't much more to say. My most recent visit, there wasn't even a wait to get in. I am truly jaded. read more

Before this place I wouldn't even eat ramen! I now love it! Especially because this place makes the best ramen I have ever tasted. And the service is fast and friendly here! read more

The tastiest ramen around the area. Ramen is my comfort food. I discovered this place when my mom took me here in 2019 after an exam that really drained everything out of me. I've been coming here since then when I wanted ramen that tasted full and rich. read more

We arrived and were seated by a rude host but continued to make our way to the seats and ask for menus. We asked if they had any vegetarian options or broth that wasn't made from pork and the waitress rudely said no and walked away. My friend and I were in shock because we had never had such rude waiters and waitresses before. We left and decided to eat elsewhere. read more

Hands down the BEST tonkotsu ramen I've ever had in California so far. Many places can't compete with this place in my opinion. You can tell it's great tonkotsu when they bring it to you piping hot and that delicious pork fat is already congealing on the surface. I always order the koku extra chashu for that extra tonkotsu flavor. read more

I actually enjoy the loud busy ambiance of this place, but my only major issue is that there is no steady vegan option. I really only eat here about once a year during October, when I know their vegan pumpkin ramen is on special. I'm not a pumpkin lover, but I tried it once on a whim and it is A+, 10/10, would recommend. read more

So disappointed, worst experience ever! I walked into this place and was greeted. I asked for a seat for one and was given a seat at the counter. I told the waitress that I was going to use the restroom real quick before I sat on my seat that she had given me. When I walked out of the restroom not even two minutes, she had given my seat away. Are you kidding me? With no notifications, my seat was given away. What kind of restaurant does that? I thought this place was overpriced for ramen, there are plenty of other shops that I'd rather go to where the service and food are better. read more

I had walked by this place a few times while in Old Town, but hadn't stopped by until last Friday night. I was in need of something hot and delicious and so I called em' up. The girl on the phone couldn't have been nicer and my order was taken and was told to come by in 10 minutes or so. The place outside looking in is very cool. Huge windows allow you to see everyone inside and the place doesn't disappoint after entering inside. The kitchen is to the right, and the layout of the restaurant is very attractive with a huge rectangular table right smack in the middle. If you want to come by yourself this is the table for ya. When I picked up the food the girls there (while very busy) were very nice and prompt with charging me and giving me my food. When I got home my food was still hot and the food was easy to put together. I ordered the egg and it was a good thing I did. Perfectly cooked. The broth was good, but a little to creamy for my taste. I don't know if it's always this way, but I hope next time around I like it more. The noodles were nice, and the pork was delicious. The mushrooms were also delicious. Since this is my first time ordering from here, and I have tried a few other ramen locations nearby I will definitely try and come back. Parking is easy if you park in the structure on Green Street. Just be careful because it's a one way street. There is also a few spots for 15 minutes. Very convenient. read more

Never a bad choice for ramen the broth is so flavorful. You know it's good when you see the line outside

ramen tatsunoya. here, the service was excellent, and somehow the ramen was even better. at first glance, the line looks long as many are dying for a taste, but don't be fooled, the wait is worth it. upon entering, my significant other and i are seated at a cozy table, with a server offering us a basket for our bags! how nice! we pondered over the menu, and multiple servers came to check to see if we were ready to order. now that's quality service. i ordered the light ramen which was cooked perfectly. the broth was rich and had a complex flavor that was complimented by tender noodles. the food was delicious and aesthetically pleasing, making it the perfect instagram or snapchat post! would visit again! read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California

Accepts UNION PAY credit cards. I have friends and relatives from China. Best time to go is when they open at 6pm for dinner. Stand in line at 5:30 pm. The restaurant holds 49 people. You will get in, otherwise stand in line, especially Thursday, Friday, Saturday. The Spicy Tonkotsu and Koku Tonkotsu are my favorites here, but you can indulge in the extras: hard boiled egg, extra pork, extra noodles. The extras will cost you. read more

This ramen is delicious! I was a bit apprehensive when I saw the prices and that there were not many toppings that come on the ramen without extra charge. (I go to Ajisan normally and they are a bit cheaper with more toppings.) But after eating this ramen, I get it! It is so worth the extra couple of dollars and you don't miss extra toppings at all because the broth tastes INCREDIBLE! As does the pork! I normally dislike fatty meats, but the fat on this pork just melts like butter and adds so much flavor. The overall flavor here is so on point, you have to try it! I know I'll be back next time I'm in the area. read more

The place may be small, but the flavor of their Ramen is just mouth watering... one of the best tasting Ramen i've had compare to others around SoCal... try their chef recommended house Special Ramen and you won't be disappointed. read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California

Loved sitting on the big outside patio. We were discussing a future production with the team and this table sat about 16 of us perfectly. Not only was every order perfect but it all came out at the same time and piping hot. The staff got it right when we were there, we have had two events here since and we love this place. read more

By far the best ramen I've ever had. Meat was juicy . Establishment was very clean. Employees very friendly. I was fortunate enough to not have to wait in line. Table for 2 opened up very quickly. Food was cooked in perfect time. Didn't wait that long. Definitely coming here again! read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - Always go with spicy!! - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California

We ordered the spicy tonkotsu and the jun tonkotsu it's delicious! I like the ramen here definitely coming back.

Welcome to Pasadena, Tatsunoya! I was excited when I heard that a very popular ramen chain from Japan was moving into my area, since we really didn't have a good ramen joint. Yesterday was the grand opening, so I grabbed some friends and we headed over for dinner. The line wrapped around the building well before the 6 pm opening time. We were lucky enough to make the first round of seating and we ended up at the communal height top table in the center of the restaurant. The place is pretty small, so lines will probably be a constant for some time. It's well lit and comfortable though. I ordered the basic Koku Tonkotsu ramen that they are known for (plus a seasoned egg), and I wanted to try an app so I ordered the Tatsunoya Roll. Service was very chaotic, with multiple servers checking on us, orders heading to the wrong people, and dishes coming out in the wrong order. They didn't have any seasoned eggs! Sads. My ramen was good, but after comparing it to my friend's Jun Tonkotsu (lighter broth), I would probably switch to that next time; the Koku was very heavy with fat and oil, and the flavor and saltiness were the same as the Jun. my Tatsunoya Roll came out much later than everything else. It is "pink rice" (mixed with fish roe I believe?) rolled around nori, avocado, and crispy char siu, and topped with Kewpie mayo. It was pretty good! Maybe a tad sweet, but I still enjoyed it. I took home leftovers of both the ramen and roll. Quick note for vegetarians: there are really no options for you here, unless you want plain noodles. One friend ordered that, so he gave me his broth and I got extra noodles (Kaedama) to go: second ramen meal for $1.50! So, besides all the opening night hiccups and kinks (no eggs, ran out of rice, cash only), I'd say the ramen here is solid, maybe a tad overpriced. The staff should work on communication, or perhaps try a (written) order checklist system like Shinsengumi uses. I'm glad I tried it and I'll probably be back when the crowds die down a bit. read more

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Small hole-in-the wall off of Colorado Blvd. Have been going here since 2015 and have yet to be disappointed. If you get takeout/delivery make sure you follow the warming instructions for full flavor :) Highly recommend the spicy tonkotsu! read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California

This ramen place is in a fast food style. They don't need you to sign your name on their waiting list, they just made you wait outside instead, which was confused most of the people. We went on a Saturday evening, it was not very crowded. We were seated in about 15 minutes. -environment: open kitchen for the ramen bar, they also input a tree in the center to create some special phenomenon. But fast food style still makes you feel like it's a fast food ramen place. -service: not bad, but as soon as you finish, they brought you the check which made you feel a lot more like fast food restaurant. -ramen: the broth was not bad, at least not very salty like the other one in west LA. Two pieces of Chasui, some green onions and black fungus, that's it. Then this ramen costed $12. Yup, no egg, no bean sprout, no ginger. It's kinda rip off, when you tried so many ramen places and this one was consider pretty plain and expensive. Maybe the location, that's why. Good to know this pricy ramen place, then we can choose other better one when we crave for ramen. read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - $12 ramen with no egg nor bean sprout - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California

One of the best ramen I've ever had in LA. Go for their signature bowl which is the best. Most of the time I can't tell the differences of many good ramen bowls but their signature ramen really stands out. I asked them to make it spicy and it was delicious! read more

My first time coming here I noted a few things: 1. Broth too salty 2. Expensive compared to other places 3. Wait was fcfs instead of based on party size 1 and 3 are now resolved. Broth is still rich without being too salty, and they now seat you based on both fcfs and party size. It is still more expensive than other ramen restaurants, as not only is it ~12 for the ramen, it's extra $1+ for other stuff (like egg). Granted, I understand not every place will include all sides, but it's something to note. This doesn't take anything away from the ramen itself, which is good, if a bit fatty (for the "rich" ramen). I now definitely recommend coming here often, if you can swing it. 4.5 stars read more

I've been wanting to write this review awhile, as it opened at the beginning of the year. Now that the lines are shorter, I was able to take it all in, and was surprised at how delicious their broth is, which not too karai or salty, but filled with a wonderful pork broth made from the heads of the pig, and rich belly introduced into the soup later on. There is only ramen Tonkatsu served at this one of nine restaurants, originally from Japan, and all three options come in regular and meaty versions. If you enjoy the savory flavor of garlic, there is the Koku ramen, with a delicious and soothing finish. The traditional Jun ramen is miso-based, and is for those purists who enjoy their ramen in the soup based concoction which can easily be had with add-on toppings to make a delicious personal dish. For the spice lovers, there is a spicy ramen, which is not too spicy, but can be upped a notch, with the condiments on the table. A little secret is that you can order more noodles with your broth for $1.50, making another meal to take home, and to completely make use of the wonderful broth. If you're even more resourceful, save any remaining broth at home and mix with brown rice, green onions, eggs and meat of choice to make a wonderfully savory fried rice when you get home late from work. read more

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Definitely my favorite local ramen shop. My go-to dish is the koku ramen with extra chashu. I think the tatsunoya roll could be improved with less mayo, but I've had nothing but good experiences there, great staff, and great service. If the wait is too long, I'll usually opt for the to-go option, which is clutch being local. It'd be nice if they had more of a selection in terms of appetizers, but this is a ramen place, not a izakaya bar, so I totally understand. read more

Yay new ramen close to home! With a baby there a certain types of restaurants that are more challenging to go to and hot noodles and soup is something you can't eat with baby girl in the ergo! J and I planned a "daytime date" so we could try this out and we weren't disappointed. We arrived at 11:30 on a Thursday and there was a line...understandable since it's the new place to try out, but oddly they didn't have a sign up sheet outside. The sidewalk is small and everyone was pretty courteous about staying in an nice orderly line. It seems they have plenty of seating inside and food was being served at a good pace, but many diners were leisurely enjoying their lunches which I found a bit odd since you typically want to slurp up your noodles hot and uh don't y'all gotta get back to work?! Lol there was even a large group of ladies at the tree bar seats having a gab fest for an hour! Idk seems rude to me, sure you're having fun, but move it along to grab a drink or dessert at that point! You see the line! /off soapbox Anyway, after about 15ish minutes we are next on line and the waitress says, oh are you on the list? ?? It wasn't a problem, but they could improve on service a bit, they never came out and passed out the list or made it clear there was some other process besides just standing in line behind the next person. Ok ok finally food! We were seated at the bar which was fun to watch the cooks interacting and putting together the bowls. I had the jun which is their basic tonkotsu ramen. The broth was flavorful and porky, but not overly fatty. Pretty perfect to me! The chashu slices also stood out with great texture and chew..not dry at all. My husband and I ordered an egg topping on the side which they give you whole and we split it. The egg was ok, yolk could have been a bit creamier. If you add it, just split with a friend so you don't feel as bad paying for it! Ha! J also got a chashu bowl on the side (cuz he always does at ramen places) and that bowl was packed with porky goodness. The typical rice and chopped up pieces, plus slices on top. Overall, tasty ramen and their pork really stands out, but as others have said portions are small compared to other popular ramen shops. read more

This is a solid ramen spot. The servers are always very personable and kind. The ramen is rich and delicious and the noodles have a nice chew. I always leave this restaurant with a happy belly. I believe that this ramen can go to bat with some of the best ramen in the city and is even better than daikokuya. Its a very cozy and clean restaurant. I love adding spice to my ramen and really like that they have chili oil on the side so that you can add heat according to your tolerance. read more

Very authentic Japanese ramen. The menu is simple and easy to understand. Great staff! and most importantly delicious food.

I actually enjoyed the food here. Cute decoration. The ramen is pricey but it is Pasadena so I guess I expect that. Gave this place a 3 star because my husband got food poisoning after eating here. I was fine so it was odd but we did order different types of ramen. read more

The ramen was legit. Great flavor and depth to the broth with out being too overpowering. Good balance of spice and mellow from the fat. However completely loses out with service. In a ramen place, if you order a kaedama (extra noodles) they need to come before the soup gets cold. I needed to order, then ask, then ask again until I got my kaedama. At that point the soup was cold. Just to top it off I had to ask for napkins multiple times before they brought them. Normally I do not complain about service but this actually changes the flavor of the dish and ruined it. read more

3.5 stars. Despite all the hype and promise of long lines, we strolled in on a weekday around 7pm and were seated immediately. I tried the original tonkotsu while my friend tried the spicy version. I guess the problem in LA is that you have so many ramen options so you start comparing all of them. I'm used to Daikokuya portions, Shinsengumi flavors (and prices). The bowls are small and are a bit on the expensive end for the portion sizes. The broth itself was flavorful, although not as deep as I'd expect. But at the same time, it certainly wasn't as heavy as other broths where you end up feeling greasy and slow all day afterwards. You can get extra noodles for $1.50, which is a decent deal. However with the broth already starting at $12 with no extras, it's going to be a pretty pricey bowl of ramen. It's not bad, but value wise, you can do better. In terms of Pasadena offerings, I have no doubt they'll do well in this location. read more

Nope. I eat a lot of ramen. I even like to make my own at home. This place has a long list of not worth it's. And here they are. Not worth: The line. Especially in this cold El Niño weather. The price. $15 bowls and up because you have to pay to add extras that normally just come with a bowl of ramen like egg, seaweed, etc. The parking situation you have to deal with in old town. The cheap wood chopsticks they use. The bland broth and the two thinnest smallest pieces of chashu I have ever seen in a bowl of ramen. No layers of flavor that good ramen should have. The "spoon" they use might as well have been a ladle it was so big. The staff was friendly but they could hustle a tad more to hurry up the rotation of customers. I have to say as a positive it did look pretty in there but never again. read more

Came for the hype, left blase. All in all it's okay, Would I come back? No. There are way too many good ramen places in Los Angeles to pay above average prices for average ramen in Pasadena. It's all hype. The wait wasn't TOO bad, about 30 minutes? You just get in line, you don't have to put your name down on a list. Broth Was good during the first couple of bites, but it wasn't clear and clean and it starts to get really salty near the end as well. (Keep it mind I love salty foods). The broth was also lukewarm when it arrived to the table, so that was a bit weird. Noodles Were really hard, I thought it was just cause I had just gotten my braces tightened, but my other friends agreed it was hard as well. No dense, bounce or chew to them so that's a huge no no. Chashu Was good, but you only get two tiny thin slices, but if you order the extra, it's like that give you quadruple the amount, so there's no in between. The server forgot my other two companion's extra egg order, but that can be excusable. Portions are as small as it is taste wise; this place is definitely meant to please the Pasadena and unenlightened crowd. + There have been too many servers on staff (asian places are usually terrible understaffed) or it's just really unorganized as 3 people came by within a span of 5 minutes asking if everything was good. I guess it's a plus that your water won't go lower than 3/4 of the way. ++ Come if you'd like but of course there's always Daikokuya, Santouka, Silverlake Ramen, Ramen Yamadaya, etc.. read more

Love at first slurp! Excellent! Tender Pork melts in your mouth. Loved it! What else can I say. 5 stars!

wow. this is hands down our favorite ramen shop anywhere in Japan (world for that matter), and until they announced it was opening in our backyard of old town Pasadena, I didnt realize it had so much "brand pedigree" with everyone jocking it. To us, it was the "great ramen shop we hit when we're in Tokyo" and nothing more. So when we saw the sign announcing its arrival we were pretty f'ing excited. Came opening weekend, stood in line with the rest of the punters, and it's every bit as good as the Tokyo branch. The kitchen cooks all seem to be imported from Japan as well (and to their credit, dont speak much/any english, only Japanese) and they do import the ingredients as many as possible, so it's going to be as legit as possible for being in USA. The ramen comes in 2 basic forms, the Koku and Jun. Jun is the basic tonkotsu style ramen with pork, green onion, etc. The koku is a stronger soup base version of the Jun, with more of the pork bone boiled into the broth so it is much heartier and flavorful. From there you can opt for miso, spicy, etc options as well as filler options like egg (their bowls do not automatically come with egg), nori, etc. and you can do a normal or extra-pork/chashu option for $2 more which is well worth it, as their chashu pork is very tender, nicely fatty in the right way, and just melts in your mouth. Price-wise def on the higher end of ramen, compared to most places where a bowl is about $10, the bowls here are $11-15 as a starting point. Compare that to Tokyo, where the same bowl is about $7 with the current exchange rate, but even being higher than its competitors, I feel it's well worth the money. The proper japanese etiquette when eating ramen is to get seated, order, eat, and leave in a no nonsense way, to clear space for waiting patrons. You dont sit around the table and linger with your friends discussing the finer points of why Bernie Sanders sucks as a presidential candidate (which he does suck, btw). And with the lines as long as they are now, the Pasadena branch needs to follow suit haha. read more

Honestly, their soup base is of great quality and full of flavors, service is right on the money. I am all in favor of offering up a 5-star rating. However, the soup, as most yelpers have reported in the past, is overly filled with salt. My friend had a small reaction to the overwhelming amount of sodium later that evening. So that was my reasoning of knocking of a shiny one. Their noodle is a slimmer style compare to most reputable ramen places one would expect to find in Los Angeles, which made it more accessible for becoming soggy when not consumed straight away. All the little things a good bowl of ramen would be composed of, i.e. soft boiled egg, corn, bamboo slices, etc are all extra to be ordered on the side. Being located in a prime position in the heart of old town Pasadena does do a number on the rent, but that doesn't make it excusable to take away what a real bowl of ramen should be. The interior is modern and fusion style, and the tables are clean. They offer thoughtful baskets to hold personal belongings, which is a plus. read more

Hands down the best Ramen place in LA. I eat here almost every week either with my family or with my friends.

It's definitely not the best ramen I've had, I thought it was just OK. I got the Jun ramen, which is one of their lighter dishes for around $12. The rest of the ramen is pretty pricey, going up to as high as $15. It came with two slices of pork, which is pretty bare. The ramen noodles are also not what I'm used to, they're thin and reminded me of spaghetti. The broth was pretty good, though! The workers here are polite, but there definitely is no customer service lol. read more

Yessss. Finally a decent Ramen place in Pasadena! The wait was not super long. They're pretty good at turning their tables over. It was kind of crazy because they open at 6pm but when we pulled up at 5:30p, there was already a line! We all got Jun Tonkotsu Ramen with Extra Chasu. It was a good sized bowl. The Ramen was not really soft but firm. I suppose you could say it would be good if it was more al dente. With the Jun Ramen we got a stronger broth vs. a lighter broth (Koku Tonkotsu). It was quiet thick but not as flavorful as Silverlake Ramen. The Chasu was delicious. It was very tender and actually was a great pair with the broth. Our friend got the Koku tonkotsu and said it was perfect so I think the next time I go, I'll try that or the spicy one! I didn't get spicy thing time around because I didn't want it to mask the flavor of the broth. So we'll see how this goes the next time I visit! The restaurant was small and I would not bring a large group of people. 4 people max! The service was quick and very business like. Not over friendly but I didn't mind because they were available when I needed it. They were not accepting cards when they first opened but we saw many other tables paying with card so I think it's good to go now! Parking is never great in Old Town but there are many structures available. The one that's closest to the restaurant is kind of expensive, but the one that's further down the street on Green Street offers 90mins free. It's that, street parking, or metro! It's just a couple of blocks from the Station! Hopefully, I'll be back soon! This weather has been perfect for some warm soup! read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - Errmehgerdd! Sperkringg water!!!! - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I have been eyeing on this for a while and I am glad I got to visit Ramen Tatsunoya, which is known for its authentic ramen in Japan and is now expanding its first USA location in Old Town Pasadena! Thanks to my friend who was visiting from Sacramento, our group of three decided to come here for dinner on a Saturday night. The hype was real when we arrived at the place and saw the long line hugging around the corner and towards the side of the building across the parking lot. We waited for at least an hour and fifteen minutes in line until they finally let us in. By the way, you cannot call them to reserve a seat or put your name down when you first arrive so they can call your name later. You just have to wait in line like everyone else. But believe me when I say the ramen was worth the wait. Seated for 50 people, Ramen Tatsunoya had an interesting ambiance filled with a beautifully decorated tree situated in the center of the room. We were seated in the corner and ordered our food right away. Unfortunately, some side dishes were already sold out from lunch and the alcohol license wasn't available at the time, which was understandable since this placed opened a few days ago. There were only three ramen options available to choose from - Koku, Jun, and Spicy tonkotsu. The majority of these ramen were priced at $10-$11 without the extra chashu, egg, etc. I understand that while other ramen places in Los Angeles normally set their ramen prices at less than $10, this particular ramen came from Japan so I was not complaining about the price at all. I ordered the Jun tonkotsu, which was not as rich as the Koku, but I loved the flavored broth, the firm noodles, the two soft chashu slices that easily melt in the mouth, and that heavenly, runny egg (which I ordered extra) in a medium-sized bowl. My friends ordered the Koku and said that it was the best they ever had! I have to agree with them considering I visited a tremendous amount of ramen places in Los Angeles throughout 2014 and 2015! Service was okay at best. It was definitely busy on a Saturday night so I understand that our watiress forgot our egg order a few minutes after we asked for them. We ended up getting our eggs after we asked for them a second time. I will definitely have to come back and try their delicious ramen once more! read more

Ramen Tatsunoya - Ramen Near Me - Pasadena, California