I had a pleasant experience eating here at this sushi spot. We put our name on the list and our table was ready after 10 minutes. We were promptly seated and the waiter brought us our water and took our order. The service was very quick because the waiter was so efficient. He cleared all the trash quickly and our food came right away. All the rolls we ordered were pretty good. Our favorite was the rainbow rolls. The sushi tasted fresh without a fishy smell. I'm glad we stopped to try this place despite the 3 star rating. Give this place a try since it's so hard a find a restaurant where you don't have to wait too long in Tokyo village. read more

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This was really good, the service was quick and easy. The little shop is so cute and just fits the anime theme any fan would love. The food was warm, I wish there had been soy sauce or salt on the side. My bowl was pretty bland but this one is good. The food is well worth it. Definitely a must visit! read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Yamadaya Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Ramen Yamadaya is the perhaps the best ramen in LA, and maybe all of America? Tucked in away in charming and cutesy Japan town, Ramen Yamadaya is clean, modern, and casual. Friendly staff, and the food comes up pretty fast! $9 Karaage...traditional Japanese fried chicken, yamadaya's is perfect with a nice thin crispy batter keeping that juicy succlent chicken meat. Nicely portioned nuggets for sharing. $17 The signature Yamdaay ramen bowl is bowl of joy. The rich, thick, creamy pork broth is so warming and enriching. the meaty, salty, kakuni braised pork belly slices melt in your mouth. The noodles are thin, firm, and chewy, perfectly absorbing that that savory delicious ramen broth. The soy soaked seasoned egg is a delight. There used to be a location in my hometown of San Diego...sad it didn't survive! :( read more

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Been here a few times and I really do enjoy the experience the ambience the food service. What else can I say? It's little Tokyo... so we ordered some Ramen and sushi and it was good like it always is... We ordered a couple of beers and just chilled and enjoyed the environment. The vibe... it's unlike anything in Los Angeles. I always enjoy my time in little Tokyo... read more

We started with the garlic edamame and the Yamadaya Kakuni buns, both recommended by our server, and they were a great call. The edamame was full of flavor, and the Kakuni buns were easily the highlight, soft, fluffy buns paired with rich, tender pork that was cooked perfectly. A solid appetizer combo that sets the tone right away. For the main dish, I went with the Yamadaya Ramen. I added an extra serving of protein, but even without it, the bowl already comes with a generous amount. As someone who pays attention to protein intake, it was refreshing to see a ramen spot that does not hold back on the protein while still delivering a rich, satisfying broth and well balanced noodles. Everything felt hearty without being overly heavy, comforting, filling, and well portioned.it was a great experience and definitely a spot I'd come back to when I'm in Little Tokyo. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Yamadaya kakuni buns - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Maybe LA diners have a higher standard than outsiders, I thought food here is pretty solid. Menu is standard but dishes are well executed and sizes are relatively on the bigger end. Overall it was a good lunch and we enjoyed all we ordered. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The food was really affordable and good here. I had the eel bowl which came with a soup and salad for $15 which I thought was a great price. There were 17 of us so we sat at 3 tables but it was great. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Salad and miso soup - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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At 2pm on a weekend, we found seating rather quickly. We were given water and menus as soon as we were sat! Impressive. I loved our server. He was speedy Gonzalez. Their menus are pretty straightforward, so it wasn't hard to figure out that we wanted to try their yamadaya tonkotsu, priced at $20. The ramen came within ten minutes, piping hot and attractive as hell. However, after a few spoonfuls, I realized that our food contained so much fat/oil. Don't get me wrong, it tasted good, as ramen is supposed to, but I usually can detect whether there's an inordinate amount of fat in my meal. It tends to do a number on my tummy. And no, it wasn't the collagen - after I refrigerated my leftovers, two layers formed: the fat/lard and the collagen. I had to scoop out the lard and throw it away. When I did, it tasted so much better. I'm sure this restaurant has its recipes down pat and has been in the ramen business forever. They have repeat customers and die-hard fans (and I love the Ramen Yamadaya in Little Tokyo SFO - not sure if it's part of the franchise), judging by the sheer number of diners at the time I visited. But for those like me who have a keen sensitivity to lard/excess fat, it would be good to note this issue. Maybe try their other items. I saw that they offer sushi and gyoza, among other things. I'll probably give them another whirl on my next visit and order a buttload of appetizers. :o) read more

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This was the worst Japanese food I've ever had. We ordered karaage, miso ramen, pork katsu curry, and an eel bowl, and every dish was disappointing. The karaage tasted like it had been fried over and over again. It was so hard I could barely bite into it. The miso ramen was the worst ramen I've ever had--I took one bite and couldn't eat any more. The pork katsu was undercooked and very fatty, and the eel in the eel bowl was slimy. My entire family took one bite of each dish, and we ended up leaving almost everything on the table. Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience, and we won't be coming back. read more

They are in a prime location in Little Tokyo and sometimes you just don't want to think about where to eat when you're hanging out in that area. We experienced friendly and efficient service. I didn't get the Ramen, but The Huz said his was solid. I had the Unagi combo and I think I'm kinda obsessed with unagi right now. The combo comes with a a simple sesame dressing salad and a simple miso soup. It's a nice compliment to the main dish. Mine was flavorful and tender and white rice balanced it just right. My sons had different combos as well...my youngest loves curry. We were all content with out choices. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - The star of the show, my Unagi. Yum. - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This place is pretty solid spot for a ramen :) My girl, her girlfriend and I went here after an orchestra concert so we're very hungry. Her friend even was strolling as fast as she can to get wherever restaurant we can find in Little Tokyo lol. We found this place since its smack in the middle of Little Tokyo main plaza. I was thinking to myself and a bit skeptical about this place because touristy spot usually are mid. The ambiance when we walked in was spot on anime central and my girl loves it. Our server is very quick and efficient towards our orders, so I really appreciate that. We all ordered their Yamadaya Ramen cause hence the name.. its probably their most famous ramen. The ramen is solid and hearty because they put a lot of chasu pork in it. The soup is ok and the flavor is a little bland, but just a splash of dashi and soy sauce its good. Overall, to be honest I would not crave for this ramen, but I have no complaints and this place. The girls like it, so we had a good experience eating our ramen :) read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Really good food in a tucked away corner of Little Tokyo. Would go back when I'm in the area. read more

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Food was alright, service was good, ambiance is ok for the area. I visited this shop on a whim while at little Tokyo on a Friday evening. Ramen sounded good and it seemed like a good area to try it. The ramen itself was lacking in flavor and the noodles were super chewy. On the bright side, the chashu pork was good and super tender. The service was good, the waiters were respectful and quick to serve us, but we were lucky that there wasn't too many people in the restaurant when we went. Overall, I thought it was okay, wasn't great but also wasn't terrible. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Tonkotsu Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Staff was so rude to me and my partner. Do not come here to eat. I would not recommend this place to anybody save your money and eat at literally any other ramen shop near by. read more

There's a big board facing the door as customers walk in, touting the pork broth being cooked for 20 hours. Naturally, I'm impressed and proceeded to order the Tonkotsu Ramen as that would be a good benchmark. It's average. And for the first time in a long time at a noodle restaurant, I could only eat half of my bowl and had the rest boxed up to-go. read more

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The food was ok. I don't understand why they needed to add such a high gratuity or a gratuity at all? Their service was slow and they never checked up on us, always passing by us but helping other people and other people who came in after got their meals before us and we already order. We were only a party of 4 so I don't think our group was too big to handle? Never again read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Bill - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Like this spot for its speed and efficiency. Food comes out fast. Service in the small shop is very attentive. Worth it as a place to stop by for lunch or a meal before an event. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Yamadaya Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Although the sushi rolls were very unique, I got the Pink Lady Roll, the food was not that good. The seaweed on the sushi was hard to chew past, making it seem old. The rice was also not fresh. It had tons of sauce on top, but it still needed soy sauce for flavor, it felt like a dry roll because of the rice. I love a more sushi rice kind of sushi, but there was something I didn't love. We also got the Chicken Ramen! The atmosphere is cute! There are anime characters on the wall eating ramen. The service was okay, it wasn't the best or the worst. Just very bare minimum service. I think since we were talking, maybe she didn't want to interrupt our conversation. She was very kind though and would answer any questions we had! She really knew the menu and I love that quality in a server! There is no parking, but there is a parking garage I parked in nearby for about $20 for the day. {04/02/2026-2:45pm} read more

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This review is limited to their buns as I did not have their ramen. The buns were quite generous in terms of quantity but I did not particularly like them. They were overly sauced and didn't appeal to me from a taste standpoint. read more

3.5 STARS. Ramen Yamadaya is a chic ramen restaurant in Little Tokyo with decent ramen and chirashi bowl and sushi options. Plus, there are a lot of cool Dragonball figurines on shelves at the back of the restaurant! I found that very exciting! Here's what I recommend you order: * Yamadaya ramen ($18): ample serving of ramen with chashu, nori, soft boiled egg, fried shallots, and more. I got it with the spicy paste as well. * Chirashi ($32): decent quality chirashi bowl with chef choice of sashimi and tamago over sushi rice. Very filling and easy to share with 2 people. We didn't have to wait to be seated. This was great because on the weekends, all the other places in Little Tokyo had huge waits outside. read more

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This would have been a five star except for the length of time it took for the food. Music s playing, the place is busy, service was decent. It was busy so maybe that is why the length of time for food. Also I received my ramen was almost finished eating it before my sushi showed up. Would have liked them to arrive together. But I must say the ramen is the best I have had in a long time. The broth is as so so good!! Wow. The ramen was perfect. I had ordered spicy tuna and wow! That was amazing also. I really could have given a five. Every time I visit LA I will take the time to eat here. It was that tasty just fix the timing read more

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The food was so good!! I ordered the yaki ramen I believe is what it's called. I got beef in it I can't remember which one but it was amazing!! So good, so filling and so flavorful. It has a sweetish sauce but is bursting with flavor. The beef is shredded so if you're a texture person you may not prefer that meat but overall SO good!! My friend also ordered one of the dumplings for us and they were really good!! Highly recommend if you need a ramen place to eat in Torrance!! I will say that the seating is very limited so if you have a big party I would do an order for takeout instead considering the limited amount of space and seating. But it is perfect for single diners or parties of max 4 people!! read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The food here is great and very filling. I love the service here, they are kind and respectful. I love the option to eat inside or outside the restaurant! read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Chicken Katsu Bowl Takoyaki (6 pcs) Chicken Katsu - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We ate here on a Friday night mainly because we didn't want to wait an hour for a table at our usual go-to restaurant in Little Tokyo, and we were pleasantly surprised! There were a couple other parties dining here already, but tables were still available so we were seated right away. The decor inside is fun, with popular anime characters painted on the walls and some figures on the counters and shelves. The staff was friendly and very attentive. They even came by to refill our waters without us having to ask. The menu has a good variety of food, with lots of ramen options, sushi rolls, rice bowls, curry, and more! Since it was my first time eating here, I wanted to try their signature Yamadaya ramen. The broth was so flavorful, and it came with a great amount of chashu, which was super tender and delicious. I especially loved that it had 3 pieces of nori seaweed because they're one of my favorite ramen toppings, and the soft egg was cooked perfectly. It's definitely a ramen I would order again! read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Yamadaya Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The service is fast and the food is pretty good. Many ramen places usually serve very salty ramen. But this place gets the right amount of saltiness and spiciness. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Spicy Tantanmen - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

A nice Japanese restaurant located more towards the 2nd Street entrance of Japanese Village Plaza . A good selection of Ramen, Sushi Rolls, and Donburi (rice bowls) to choose from along with soft drinks, tea and beer. The decor is modern Japanese with a focal wall of Japanese figurines from Anime. Well lit, clean, and not too noisy. Service is fast and they validate parking if you are using their parking structure on Central. We ordered the Miso Ramem and the Karaage. Both were very tasty but maybe a little too salty for some. Overall a very good value choice. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Miso Ramen and Kara-Age - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Family has been coming here for years since the boys were little, this is our go to place when ever we're in J-town. Started the day in Chinatown with coffee and pastries, went to K-town for snacks and stuff foe meal prep for the week, then lastly came here in J-town for lunch. Felt good to support all the AAPI small businesses that's been impacted by the ICE / Protests past couple of weeks. Gonna try to keep it up the rest of the year....Support local small businesses and skip the corporate chains. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I try to be very fair when writing a review and I have to be honest with this one. I was not happy with the whole experience I had at Ramen Yamadaya. Going into it I was so excited at the 20 hour broth, but quickly disappointed. I forgot what restaurant was there before, but when we walked in it was very confusing. I saw a lot of anime figures on the walk and in the bathroom but it just didn't fit. Now to the food...Bland is the first word that comes to mind. I've eaten at a lot of ramen places around the world and the 20 hours tasted more like 20 minutes. The pork was fatty and tasty, but that was the only highlight of the dish. The noodles were very al dente and not even separated when placed in the bowl. We also got the salmon bento box. Decent, but the salmon was charred on the edges and burnt to a crisp. The service was ok and that's a shame too as good service sometimes makes up for bad food. This was definitely a lesson learned...READ THE REVIEWS FIRST. I thought I knew better and just wanted to taste a good, 20+ hour broth. Ambiance 2/10 Bathrooms 2/10 Cleanliness 2/10 Food 3/10 Service 5/10 Value 5/10 Will I Return? Sorry... read more

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BEWARE OF DELIBERATE OVERCHARGE BY SERVER My child ate here with six school friends, and each student paid separately. My child clearly told the server, Thomas, that the Google Pay charge was only for one meal for herself. The other students paid cash. Even so, my child was charged $86.73 for a single udon. My child says multiple $20 bills from the other students were placed on the tray. After three calls, I finally reached a manager and was told the cash and card payments had apparently been entered in reverse. The restaurant recorded only $15.00 in cash, while charging my child's card $86.73. I understand that mistakes happen, especially during busy service, and I was willing to treat this as an honest error. But although the restaurant said it would verify the issue and call me back, it never did. This review is based on the receipt, my child's account, and my conversation with the manager. If the restaurant claims any part of this is inaccurate, I am fully prepared to stand by what I have stated. The better course would be to correct the payment error, not try to remove this review. read more

Daughter liked her miso ramen. Husband thought his spicy ramen was ok but a little salty. The salmon lover roll was ok.

A spot for when you're craving ramen and other Japanese classic dishes in Little Tokyo. Came here with my family and we were looking for a lunch spot so we stumbled upon Ramen Yamadaya. After a quick look at their menu, we decided to dine here and eat outside. It was good weather so we decided to take advantage of it. The service was pretty swift and friendly. I ordered the Gyudon which is the beef with sweet onion bowl and it was pretty good. My cousins got the ramen and it seemed like this was the way to go. I got a taste and, although I prefer rice bowls, the ramen was better than the dish I got. We also got hot green tea to round out our meal, which is always a good idea. Overall, a cute lil spot to dine at if you're looking for a quick & casual bite in the area. read more

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Not impressed. Tonkotsu broth was good, but not excellent. Noodles were not up to a ramen house quality... definitely not fresh. Miso had good flavor and the bento box was good. Service was good, though it was a Tuesday and not busy. read more

I wanted a bowl of ramen and didn't want to wait in line so decided to give this place a shot. I was able to order my meal fairly quickly. I tried their spicy kukuni ramen which was just alright. Their broth and meat wasn't anything too special and I wished it was spicier. Portion was big though. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Spicy Kakuni Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Good service. Food is pretty standard. A bit pricey but I think it is because of the location. They are located right in Little Tokyo Village. The dress for the green salad is very very salty. read more

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The popular ramen restaurants will have long wait times for a reason, but there was no wait at Ramen Yamadaya when we went which is really telling. Probably a good place to go if you're short on time. The only good thing about the ramen was the pork cuts. The broth was really bland that it makes it very hard to believe that they simmer the pork bones for over 24 hours as they claim to do. They literally have a sign outside the restaurant saying how long the broth is simmered but this honestly feels like a ruse to get more customers, especially because there are a lot of tourists who go to Little Tokyo. Noodles were okay - not chewy but not over cooked. Green onion didn't have much flavor so it makes me question their freshness. read more

Cool vibe. I went when there wasn't much traffic so the servers were chill. I got the lunch special bento box so I have to go back and try something else. Food was good. read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Bento box with California roll, shrimp and vegetable tempura, rice, miso soup, teriyaki salmon and salad. - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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I've walked past this spot in the heart of Little Tokyo many times and always wondered if their claim of a "20-hour broth" was legit--and more importantly, if it tasted good. Unfortunately, today I finally gave it a shot, and it left a lot to be desired. The first red flag? No line. On a busy Sunday in a packed plaza, the place was nearly empty. Still, I decided to give it a fair chance. The staff were friendly and courteous, which I appreciated. I ordered the takoyaki and their signature Yamada Tonkotsu Ramen. The takoyaki was okay. Texture-wise, it was overly mushy, with barely any octopus inside. The flavor was passable, but nothing memorable. Then came the main event--the ramen. The moment I saw the broth, I was skeptical. It didn't look like any tonkotsu broth I've had before. Still, I'm always open to being surprised. I've eaten ramen all over LA, OC, and Japan--good ramen doesn't have to come from Japan as long as it's made with care, time, and quality ingredients. I've had incredible bowls in the States, and some forgettable ones in Japan. It really comes down to heart and technique. Sadly, this bowl had neither. The broth was bland, under-seasoned, and completely lacked the rich, creamy depth you expect from a proper tonkotsu. Every sip fell flat, and the chashu was equally flavorless. Worse, the broth left an odd aftertaste that made it hard to keep going. I couldn't finish it. I left the bowl nearly full. I didn't complain to the staff--they were kind, and I didn't want to be rude--but I do hope this review reaches the kitchen or management. There is no way a broth that simmered for 20 hours ends up tasting like this. It felt like something important was missing: passion. To be honest, it's a little embarrassing for a ramen shop like this to exist in the center of Little Tokyo, where expectations are understandably high. This was, hands down, one of the worst bowls of ramen I've ever had. read more

I was looking for a place to eat in Little Tokyo on a Saturday night. Most of the places to eat were packed! Ramen Yamadaya took us in with our party of 5 within 10-15min. I ordered a rice bowl with chicken curry. It was soooo good! The service was quick, friendly and efficient. Will come back to try more food :) read more

Ramen Yamadaya - Chicken Katsu Curry - Ramen Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The food quality LOOKS great but it honestly has no flavor. I went into the restaurant without looking at any reviews and I was kind of expecting it to taste great. They advertise that the pork or broth has been cooking for "20 hours" which is great--but the taste isn't. The ambiance was nice, and the restaurant was clean but after listening to anime intro music for 40 minutes I just wanted to get out of the place. The sushi was alright, I've had much better around LA. 4/10. I wouldn't go again. Thankfully they did refund my ramen because I hardly touched it. read more

Ramen Yamadaya is always my option in case I can't be seated in Kura at Little Tokyo. It's only several steps away from the famous Kura. Yamadaya is better than Kura from the gourmet view, but Kura is fun and interesting. Don't order the ramen, even if its name has the word ramen. Its bento is really good and worth the price in Little Tokyo. This time I had a Salmon Teriyaki Bento, the portion was a little too big for me. The bento combined with a bowl of miso soup, and a green salad, both on the side. The bento box included tempura, crab stick and avocado roll, pickled daikon, teriyaki salmon, pickled ginger, wasabi, and rice. The tempura had one shrimp and several pieces of a variety of vegetables, the shrimp was fresh and all the tempura was crispy and had good taste. The flavor of the teriyaki salmon was well seasoned and cooked in good condition. The skin of the fish was crispy, the fish meat was juicy and not too dry as in other restaurants. The middle of the fish was not fully well done, which was the style I love. The only issue was that the rice and roll were just too carbon for me. read more

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