We went on a Sunday afternoon, and there was a decent line outside the restaurant. However, the…read moreline moved quickly. They handed out menus and took your order when you were close to the front. Once seated inside, they welcomed you with their signature banchan dishes: the nutty boribap (보리밥), which tastes great on its own but even better with their yeolmu kimchi (radish water kimchi). There's also their tasty radish kimchi and napa kimchi. Throughout the meal, they replenished our banchan multiple times without us asking. We tried two of the new items: Galbi Kalguksu: A delicious, deep-flavored bone broth with knife-cut noodles, shredded fried egg, sliced radish, and scallions. The meat fell off the bone, and I loved the broth, though my husband thought it was a little on the saltier side. Perilla Oil Makguksu: Cold buckwheat noodles in perilla oil. Mixed with sliced shiitake mushrooms, shredded perilla leaf, gim (seaweed), sesame seeds, and scallions. It's a deliciously light refreshing dish if you don't want the heavy knife-cut noodle dishes. Last, I ordered the Non-spicy Seafood Kalguksu. It comes with a anchovy broth with a lot of seafood flavors. It's a lighter broth than the galbi but still rich in flavor. It came with clams, mussels, shrimps and 1/2 crab. There was also sliced pumpkin and zucchini. Everything tasted great. Their servers were very attentive and generous with replenishing the side dishes, and overall it was a wonderful experience. If you see a line and don't mind waiting 15-30 minutes, it moves pretty quickly, so don't be deterred by it.

I had always heard about this place from my food research and it was further reinforced by a friend…read morewho recommended this to us. We came as a group of 9 and thankfully, they allow for reservations if you are a group of 8 or bigger. Take note! Especially in this LA peak heat. We checked in with the valet and they gave us menus as we waited about 15/20 minutes for the table to be ready. You will need to order before you are seated and you cannot order anymore food once you are seated, given how popular they are, this makes plenty sense. We were seated inside with cooling AC and the restaurant is quite large inside! It could certainly have several parties in there. Soon, our galbi kalguksu, XL chicken kalguksu, tteokbeokki and XL pork jowl and pork belly bossam showed up. Everything was extra delicious and fresh. The soups in both the galbi and chicken kalguksus were amazing and the hand pulled noodles were divine. We drank and ate everything up quickly. The tteokbeokki was delicious, but too spicy so the rest of the party was able to enjoy it. The bossam was all so tender and had just enough napa and garlic to go with it along with the many unique sauces we could dip all the meats in. Everyone left feeling happy and it satisfied everyone's palates.

I love yuzu shoyu ramen. It's hard to find a place that serves yuzu flavored ramen, so I was…read moreexcited to see that Afuri is known for it. I had it in Japan before and it was delicious! They offer Yuzu Shio (salt broth) and Yuzu Shoyu (soy sauce broth) Ramen. I went with Yuzu Shio ($19.50). The yuzu gives it a refreshing/bright taste that really cuts through the fatty broth and pork. Yuzu Limeade ($7) and although I liked the drink because it had a strong yuzu and lime taste, I wouldn't recommend getting it with a yuzu flavored ramen because it takes away the yuzu flavor in the ramen. Service was friendly and attentive. The space is open and bright. We paid for parking just to the side of the restaurant so that we didn't have to deal with street parking.

Good ambiance, definitely. Good service, yes. Good food, yes. Good value.. no, not really…read more Came for their 6th anniversary where it was 50% all ramen. Got their signature Yuzu Shio which was about $10 (normally $19.50!!), as well as their Afuri Roll which the server recommended ($23). The ramen rather had a small portion, but was balanced and pretty good - and the broth was definitely on the lighter tasting side, good for people who wants a cleaner taste. I ended up using chili oil on the side to spice things up. The Afuri Roll wasn't anything special, and a bit on the dry side but it had a nice variety of different fish inside. Overall, considering all the other competitive ramen joints in the area that have a more competitive price/portion/variety, I'm not sure if I'd give this place another go given the price. Great vibes though!

MDK Noodles completely caught me by surprise. There are a lot of noodle spots around, but this one…read moreabsolutely deserves to be in the conversation. From the very first bite, you could tell everything was made with care. The broth was rich, flavorful, and had that slow-cooked taste that keeps you coming back for another spoonful. The noodles had the perfect texture--not too soft, not too firm--and soaked up every bit of flavor. Every bite was comforting and packed with quality. What really stood out was how well everything came together. The meat was incredibly tender and full of flavor, while the fresh herbs and toppings added the perfect balance to every bowl. Nothing felt like an afterthought. You could taste the freshness in every ingredient, and the portions were generous enough to leave you completely satisfied. It was one of those meals where you don't want to stop eating because every bite is just as good as the last. The service made the experience even better. The staff was welcoming, attentive, and made us feel appreciated from the moment we walked in. Great hospitality always elevates a meal, and MDK Noodles delivered on every level. I already know I'll be coming back because there are so many more dishes I want to try. If you're looking for a noodle spot with incredible flavors, fresh ingredients, and an all-around great experience, MDK Noodles is a place you don't want to miss.

the cold noodles at this place are chewy, refreshing, and just the right amount of spicy!…read more my favorite cold noodle dish from MDK is their bibim kalguksu, by far. the portion they give is large, being enough for two people (or one very hungry individual lol). their water kimchi side is also very nice. the service is polite and the inside seating area is very large - reminding me a bit of a cozy cafeteria. there are multiple types of parking near this location - most notably a parking structure across the street where parking can be validated by the restaurant.

This is a review only of their happy hour specifically, not of their ramen, which I have not tried…read moreand can't speak to the quality of. I actually became aware of the existence of this restaurant *because* they had a happy hour sign out in front, advertising, among other things, $4 salmon poke "tacos" (which was definitely actually a tostada, but still), and $3 nigori sake to go with it, which sounded pretty bomb - when I passed by the sign on my way to an event at Death & Co nearby, I took note of it but wasn't interested in food. However, when I left that event, an event I thought was going to provide a lot more food than it actually did, I absolutely *was* interested in food, and remembered that the sign advertised not only a traditional happy hour (open until 6 weekdays, 2:30-5:30 Saturday/Sunday), but also the same prices during a reverse happy hour (8 to close weekdays, 9 to close on the weekend). Given it was, at that moment, just after 8 on a Wednesday, I knew exactly where I was going to get the second half of my dinner from. Funny enough, I will say, the salmon poke that drew me in, was just... good. Don't get me wrong, if I were offered them for free, I'd eat at *least* a dozen. They were quite tasty - also like 2 bites worth of food (so eating a dozen of them would not be remotely difficult to do.) Salmon poke is wonderful, but if I wanted poke, I'd go find a poke place - even $4 felt a bit pricey for the size (they're $6 when it isn't happy hour), so I'm glad I decided to also try their karaage. Their karaage is BOMB - some of the best I've had, honestly. $7 for a 4-piece order of their karaage, by contrast, feels like a very reasonable price, and $5 (during happy hour) an absolute steal. Great karaage, great sauce, super fulfilling. The happy hour on karaage would be enough of a draw by itself - but separate from that, so would the $3 happy hour on sake, including both a regular house cold sake and a nigori. As you can see from the picture, they also intentionally overpour their sake, which is not only a very pretty presentation, but also an impressive amount of sake for $3 (heck, for DTLA, a pretty impressive amount of sake even at their normal $5 price). They also have $6 happy hour shochu/sake/juice cocktails that looked pretty good, though I didn't try one. Service was great, too - sometimes you can tell a restaurant is less excited to serve someone who clearly just came in for a drink and a snack, but that was not my experience here. Verdict is, I definitely want to come back and try their ramen sometime, but I would definitely make sure to do it either before or after their prime dinner hour, to take advantage of happy hour pricing. (And I would definitely get more of that karaage as a side. I will probably also make a point to do so as a snack, subsequent to any future events I go to in the area that end around 8 on a weekday, as well, for as long as that happy hour remains such a draw, price-wise.)

Food (3/5): Pretty ok ramen! You come to Tsujita Artisan Noodle in Arts District for the Tsukemen…read more Their tsukemen is creamy with deep umami flavor. Their noodles have a bounciness and chewiness that hold the broth you dip your noodles in. I do wish the broth was hotter because the noodles are traditionally served cold. I've come here for their Naruto collaboration and to try their traditional ramen where their noodles come with the broth and it tastes significantly different than their tsukemen which I didn't have a liking to. It was missing some oomph that not only differentiates this ramen from others I've tasted before but also gets people to keep coming. Service (5/5): Quick service! Every time I've been there hasn't been a wait. Price (4/5): To compensate for taste I do think the price needs to be lowered a bit. The tsukemen to me was definitely worth it. Ambiance (4/5): Cute little modern shop. It won't fit many big parties but it is perfect for duos.

Daikokuya is a long time staple of Little Tokyo, whenever I'm in town on business or vacation I…read moremake a point to visit. Their ramen noodles are always cooked perfectly (I like them a little firm) and their broths are super flavorful, their eggs cooked perfectly. I usually enjoy their spicy or black garlic broths which add extra kicks. Daikokuya can be busy throughout the day, but there servers and kitchen staff work hard to turn around orders and tables relatively quickly. Anytime is a good time for ramen from Daikokuya.

Lucked out with not a huge wait and got to come here with a group of friends. Daikokuya is located…read moreon the perimeter of the Little Tokyo plaza and on a busy strip against other very popular ramen places. To be clear, you really can't go wrong with any of the restaurants on this street and I recommend just going with whichever one has the shortest wait when you show up. Thankfully we only had to wait about 20 minutes and got a table inside. There were 6 of us and they made us squeeze into a booth built for 4 which was a little annoying but we made it work. I ordered their signature Daikoku Ramen which was very flavorful and filling, just wish there had been more meat! My husband got the poke bowl with salmon and tuna which is a great dish for those on the protein grind. Service was mixed, they brought some dishes out immediately and then others in our group had to wait longer to get their food. Overall food was tasty and I would go back.

Great food! One of my go to places in LA…read more I go there every other week. Fast service and easy going staff!

We were craving some Taiwanese food and decided to stop by Saturday morning. There was a short line…read moreas we arrived, because they were transitioning from their breakfast to lunch menu. We were greeted by a friendly hostess who took our order and told us to look for any spot we'd like. The Dan Dan noodles came out quick and was delicious. The noodles had a nice chewy texture and the thick peanut sauce and chili oil that coated it made it super scrumptious. The freshness of the cucumber and herbs cutting through the rich sauce balanced it out. The pan fried pork buns however were rather forgettable. The meat was juicy but I was left wanting more flavour in both the meat and the buns. I also wish the bottoms were a bit crispier. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back to try their breakfast menu and other items though. Because peeking at the other tables they offerings looked delicious.

Great noodle spot! Though I do want to point out a moisture package was in one of the dishes…read more.. Overall, can't argue about the flavors of the food. It's always busy with pick up orders As typical with Chinatown restaurants, parking is limited and you'll need to find street parking

My mom and I had lunch special shrimp noodle soup and kung pao chicken. The shrimp noodle soup was…read moresuper bland, basically water. Kung pao chicken was made of chicken breast pieces sauteed with cucumber and peanuts. Weird taste and texture. The dining area seemed dirty and had no AC. Maybe the pork dishes taste better but I didn't really enjoy what I ordered.

So shocked I hadn't heard about this place sooner but if you love pasta and don't want to spend $30…read moreon every dish this is the place to go! Loved that it had some classic dishes and some fusion ones as well. Came on a Friday night and joined the waitlist but only had to wait about 10 minutes! There was complimentary bread and a side salad that came with the entrees, and the bread was warm and delicious... We ordered the two Allegro specials on the menu-- Uni pasta and Bolognese. For appetizers we went with the server's recommendation; chicken gizzard confit. Chicken gizzard confit was mind blowing. As someone who enjoys things like gizzard, these were cooked in a way I had never had before and it was delicious. The uni pasta was sooo rich, creamy, and flavorful. 10/10 I would recommend it. The bolognese was good too it was super complex compared to the ordinary bolognese and had eggplants as well. Overall, the ambience was great and experience was amazing. Service was also very good and attentive. Super great spot for a date night or just a casual dinner with friends!

Great pasta dishes with very generous portions. Expect a…read morewait but take advantage of yelp check-in! Highly suggest smaller groups as it is a very small restaurant.