Address: | 1248 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA |
Phone: | +1 310-474-1600 |
Site: | ramen-yamadaya.com |
Rating: | 3.9 |
Working: | 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11AM–3PM 11:30AM–10PM 12–9PM |
IM
Im Groot
I had the Tonkotsu Ramen with a couple of eggs , extra ramen, and spicy paste, an some edamame as a side; with a water. Pros: The place was empty around 7pm which beckoned my question "Are you open?"; so service was quick as their was just me. The Ramen was really what I expected and the addition of the spicy paste was a good idea, I suggest it; and the layout when it came was aesthetically pleasing; their portions were just right for myself. The interior was modern and clean looking for having a seating capacity of around 40, but space would be cramped past 30 but thats not a bad thing. Cons: The waitress was also the front cashier so if it got ANY busier than say 10 people service would suffer immensely; or should I say noticeably. The waitress wasnt very welcoming or exteriorly pleasant, she was just quiet and meek ; I could barely hear her words. She also took my bowl from me before I said I was finished (or gestured that I was done). I went for my card after she got the ticket for me and as I looked up she was taking the bowl away and my water (which she gave to me without ice, apparently you have to ask for ice?) ; didnt see me gesture to wait up (luckily I was pretty much finished), and walked away without a second glance. This is a no-no to bus their table in front of a guest/customer (its a sign of rudeness for sure). The additions you can add to the ramen are a bit pricey. 7.95 for a bowl of ramen in broth, 1.00 for each egg, 1.95 for 2 (thin slices of seaweed, for that price it needs to be 4-5), 3.95 for edamame (heated husk on immature soybeans with sea salt on them), and 1.25 or so for about 1.5 TSP of spicy paste...Grand total (with a water) 18.00 for one person...From 7.95 to 18.00 theres quite a price gouge there...I was expecting more like 13-14$. To be fair the biggest overpriced item was the 4$ edamame. The rest for a place in west wood was appropriately priced probably... Edamame at my prior place of employment was around 2.00-2.25, Yaki soba with fresh shrimp and Tako ran 10-12$, and a water was barely breaking 13.00 and I had the similar portions (and larger noodles/shrimp/Tako). This was at a nice Japanese Steak-House too (which I also served at), so I know the effort it takes in making all of it!
LI
Lisa Tran
LOVE the location as its within walking distance from my apt. I dont have to drive all the way to sawtelle anymore to satisfy my ramen tasting. However, it didnt wow me. It wasnt HORRIBLE ramen (like cup noodle status) but it wasnt memorable. The noodles werent that of traditional ramen noodles (-1 star). The broth was okay. During the end of the meal, one of the waiters gave me this garlic masher. Took WAY too long to figure out how to use that thing haha. The additional garlic made it taste so much better. Waiter, y u no give me this sooner?! Anyways, bring your student ID to get a free serving of noodles. Broke college student tip: Save your soup and get that free serving of noodles and package them separately to go. You now have an entire meal for lunch/dinner as they give you hella noodles. Service was amazing! My water glass was never empty and I emptied it pretty quickly as I was quite hungover when I came here. Price wise, its $7.95 for the tonkontsu ramen (sp?). And you can add extra things for more $$. They have pork belly as well for $3.50 extra! A bit too salty for me. Free extra scallions come with the extra additions so no need to pay for that extra scallion addition unless you really really love your scallions (bc they give you a WHOLE plate full of it haha). okay this review is getting way too long.
JO
Johnny Wang
My trips down to SoCal always seem to be marked by episodes of ramen binging. This past trip was no different, with Yamadaya being the first of four consecutive ramen meals I was to have, but ultimately, my favorite. The tonkotsu kotteri I ordered (basically tonkotsu ramen sporting some black garlic oil) was fabulous, with deliciously rich, strong tonkotsu broth, well cooked ramen, and great flavor all around. If they dont offer garlic to you, you can request it, which gets you a few cloves of fresh garlic, as well as a garlic press. Dont skimp on this, because it adds some amazing depth to the ramen! My only complaint? Their eggs arent soft-boiled :( A solid 4.5 stars otherwise though. ***Accessibility Info*** Venue - Their parking lot is a bit smaller than most, with perhaps just one or two handicap spaces. The restaurant itself is also on the smaller side, but with fairly accessible otherwise (I think the closeness of some tables may have made a handful of seats inaccessible, but I dont recall entirely). Bathroom - Didnt check them out.
AL
Alice Chang
ultimate tip for ramen yamadaya: request for fresh garlic cloves and a handy garlic press, press some garlics, toss it in your ramen, and i kid you not, your ramen will up a good 100 points in taste. this was the second time i had ramen yamadaya, but this was the first time i was given fresh garlic. after adding the garlic i was in flavorfield heaven. i felt like my ramen tasted THAT much better! i think the ramen tasted a bit plain without the garlic, and the toppings and noodle itself is nothing you havent seen before. the soup is definitely fatty and somewhat arteries clogging looking (or maybe it really is), but 20 hours of brewing does add unique flavor to the soup base. ramen portions are huge, but i always get sucked into getting the rice bowl combo with mabo, which is a bit runny, it could definitely use some thickness like the ramen broth. cant wait until they start serving the chicken/fish broth!
VI
Victor Lopez
The worst service I have ever had. I was sitting down at the farthest unoccupied seat waiting for my take out order. The waiter approached me telling me to get up because another customer was going to sit there mind you I was sitting at the farthest seat near an used computer on the table. There were so many empty seats but they were all dirty so when we asked what we should do he said we should just stand. I felt this was rude and decided to cancel my order. When I asked for my money back the cashier accused me of not paying I had to show him my bank application showing the charge in order for him to return my money. I will never be back here. Now Im waiting to get my money back.
AL
Alexander Cain
This is the best ramen in Culver City. The broth was light and the noodles were thin. Noodles were a bit thinner than most other ramens I have experienced. I would recommend ordering extra noodles. If you are a student you get extra noodles for free and everybody gets extra garlic. I recommend the shoyu ramen with chashu pork. The pork is my favorite part its a huge chunk that is so soft and tastes so good. The actual restaurant is pretty small it can probably hold a max of 30 people, but I came Saturday afternoon and there was only about a 5 minute wait.
SH
Shawn Tang
This place recently rebranded themselves as Ramen Fujiwara. Most of the menu items that remain are still the same from Ramen Yamadaya (some had their prices adjusted), but some menu items have been taken off, like the Tsukemen. Students no longer can get an extra serving of noodles by showing their ID. The taste and quality of the food is good for its price, which the reason I come here often.