Ramen Yamadaya
| Address: | 11172 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, USA |
| Phone: | +1 310-815-8776 |
| Site: | ramen-yamadaya.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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Stephanie Han
Ive been here twice now and I must say that overall I find it to be pretty good. The first time it was right around 5:30pm on a weeknight so it wasnt very crowded at all, but the second time was around 6pm on a Sunday night and it was very busy. Apparently the second scenario is the norm, so be prepared. On my first visit I tried their spicy tonkotsu combo with side of salmon roe rice bowl and salad and the second time I got their vegan (yes, vegan) ramen combo, again with the salmon roe rice bowl and salad as sides. As you may have surmised, Im not a vegetarian, but having a veg significant other has made me more conscious about it and I was truly curious about the taste of the vegan option, which you can easily not make vegan by getting it with a side of egg, like I did. The broth was surprisingly rich, with a hearty miso paste base. I was surprised to see that the curly ramen noodles were green, but I could discern no particular difference in flavor and I loved their chewy texture. The cooked spinach and corn they had in the bowl was cold, which was weird, but warmed right up in the hot broth. It also came with two slices of raw tomato, which I did not care for and took right out. There were also mushrooms and bamboo shoots, which I love. Their salmon roe bowl were great both times, with very fresh roe and nicely cooked rice. Their side salad is just ok--just a lot of shredded cabbage and tomato slices in standard ponzu dressing. Their regular tonkotsu ramen was on par with the other Yamadaya location Ive visited, so at least that seems consistent. The atmosphere here can be a bit hectic when its crowded, and their weird cash register counter against one of the walls with its visible clutter of napkins, cups and other supplies contribute to the hectic vibe. So the ambiance isnt all that but I think this is a solid choice for ramen, especially in this area, which isnt exactly bustling with other ramen options.
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STEVEN VONG
Ramen Yamadaya serves a light, refreshing bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Overall, the restaurant is pretty average and fails to stand out from the many renown ramen booths in LA. I went on a Sunday afternoon and the service was not very good. It took 5-10 minutes to be seated despite so many empty tables. I think the business wants to make their waiting list seem longer (similar to Daikokuya). The waitress also got our order wrong, giving us the wrong appetizer instead of takoyaki. I shared a fried chicken appetizer with a friend (good but nothing special) and ordered a tonkotsu kotteri style ramen for myself. The ramen wasnt anything special- nothing stood out about the flavor. The broth was not particularly strong, and the dish concentrated on the flavor from the copious amounts of green onion, which makes the dish seem fresh but lacking in substance. The bowl came with one small piece of pork which was mostly fat, and one egg. The noodles were small and not as tender of a texture that I usually enjoy with my ramen. For kotteri ramen, my dish was very plain and underwhelming. Although this chain is starting to expand (there is one in Westwood that is fairly recent), it lacks the hole-in-the-wall, authentic ramen bar ambiance that for me is integral to eating ramen.
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Larry Lam
Great ramen spot for ramen lovers and casuals. Busy lunch hours, inconvenient parking. When I started to use Yamadayas broth as a measuring stick for trying other similarly priced restaurants, I knew then they had finally made a true fan out of me. 20 hours is the amount of time Yamadaya takes to prepare the broth, as written on the wall (with help from a talking cartoon pig, which was kinda creepy). And unlike others who claim the same (ahem, Ramen Champ), you can actually taste it: a broth that is rich and complex, brimming with flavor. Last time I was here we were seated at an interesting round table of the sorts. I had my regular choice, Tonkotsu Kotteri, my friend had the cheesy variety (I believe its Parmesan). Word of warning: lots of cheese in that one, will leave you really full. You can customize the spicy (always go full spicy), and, pro-tip, ask for complimentary fresh garlic (always go full garlic). Staff is nice and they have no problem splitting checks. Parking is horrible thanks to the busy lunch rushes, and since the city cut off access to the residential street, your best bet is to get here for a really early or really late lunch. Its a far cry from the best of the best, but for a nice lunch on your work hour you really can not go wrong.
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David Chung
With its late night hours and available seating, Yamadaya is one of my favorite ramen spots in LA. While you could go to Sawtelle and stand outside for an hour waiting for ramen, you could just drive south for 10 minutes and get a comparable bowl of delicious noodles and sit down right away at Yamadaya. In addition to the ramen being delicious (spicy being my main pick), the chicken kara age is always on point. When you order your ramen, make sure to ask for some fresh garlic as well. Theyll give you a garlic press, along with some cloves that you can crush directly into your bowl. It gives your ramen a little kick that youll be pretty happy about. The service is always quick, even when theyre open late. Its consistently good and youll always leave satisfied.
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Derek Peacock
The people that run this establishment are very unprofessional and disrespectful. As a neighboring business, its pretty frustrating when their employees repeatedly and callously smoke marijuana and cigarettes right outside the back entrances, so the smoke rolls into our business and reflects very poorly upon us. After asking the same employees over and over and over again, it just doesnt stop. Its very malicious on their part. Multiple emails to their corporate email have yielded no response. Ive even gone as far as bringing management over to address it. No apologies... and the last straw was just drawn as I had to, yet again, be disturbed by the same problematic employee. Im left with no other options, but to vent publicly.
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June Kato
Being a native of Fukuoka, Japan(AKA Hakata), and being raised in one of the ramen capital of the world, I tend to be a picky ramen critic. Yamadaya is a welcome addition to L.A.s expanding ramen scene. My only gripe used to be that their soup was too oily and too heavy, even for Tonkotsu standards(Hakata ramen, although the broth is the white Tonkotsu style, tend to be very light). I dont think they pretend to be a Hakata ramen joint like Shinsengumi, I still tend to like lighter flavor. Well, I tried them for the first time in a few years since they opened around 2012, and I like their broth a lot better. It is lighter, and reminds me of Ippudo from Hakata.
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Lily Yip
When Im craving ramen on the Westside and dont want to search for parking in Sawtelle area, this is where I go. They have lots of tables. Great for couples, families and small groups. Their menu includes appetizers, ramen, and some side dishes. I always get theTonkotsu Kotteri. Its basically a richer, fattier pork broth. Comes with slices of pork and a hardboiled egg. I like the texture of the ramen noodles. Service is pretty quick too. And they have a small parking lot in the back. If thats full, you can park for free on the street too. I want to come back and try their kaarage (fried chicken) and their takoyaki.
