Silver Lake Ramen

Reviews 4

AV

Ava Braud

My trip here was motivated by Bryan R.s Yelpeview. Bryans review was so tempting I had to go. And did I ever. Ive visited a few times. Silverlake Ramen is located on Sunset in the neighborhood of Echo Park/SilverLake land. Everybody talks about hipsters coming here. Its almost like its a reason not to come here. LA is one big hip city. LOL. It is unlike any other ramen place I have visited here and in Japan. Its truly different, so different ramen freaks are loving the difference. Here are some components of the tonkotsu bowls here that are standouts: 1) The broth-- SR claims the broth is simmered for 16 hours. Yes, you can tell, deliciousness ensues in any preparation that makes its primary component, the broth, low and slow. There is milky unctuousness to the broth, something most people are not accustomed to in a tonkotsu preparation-- Ive never even had this quality of broth even in Japan. But I like it, its got umami. 2) The pork belly is no sliver of chashu that we are all accustomed it, its 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch, piece of belly, grilled to brown on one side. When you bite into it, I totally agree with Bryan this pork belly is out of this world, crazy good. Its sooo scrummy, Ive witnessed diners ordering a second piece. This one towering giant guy ordered 4 pork bellies.... Woweth! 3) The noodles are supple, thick(er) than most ramen joints. Its not curly like some hard core ramen freaks would prefer; its not smooth and thin like Hakata Shin Sen Gumi; its not like the noodles at Umemura or Mr. Ramen, and certainly , not like Daikokuyas, or TOTs. A bowl of this ramen in tonkotsu broth, a side of garlic oil gives it a teasingly flavorful accent to this ramen experience that makes for good slurping. Add a side of chile paste to taste and that sends this bowl of ramen to the level of a 5 star joint. Less 1/2 star: The wait staff is exhausted, so accustomed to the high turnover and high service expectations; they seem to be on autopilot. I think the owners here should give em a vacay and a raise. :) Were I to eat ramen with hipsters again, Ill eat here. But hip or not, SR speaks volumes to the uniqueness of the bowls they serve up: heartier noodles, THAT pork belly and THAT richly bold broth so unctuously bold and different...is an experience no other ramen place can duplicate. Silverlake serves up ramen soul food, 2die4. Thanks for the lead Bryan R. Visits: 5+ Tip: Wait is upwards of 45 min during the dinner hour. Sometimes Ive arrived at 4:30 for an early dinner. Parking is insanely crazy. Parking is free on on the street, Sundays :) But no fret SR is open late, like 3am.

ES

Esther Kim

My gluttony on my birthday ended with a visit to Silverlake Ramen! I came here with Dena O. and it was quite an adventure. She had been here before and knew there is always a long line, so I waited on the street for her to go put her name down on the waiting list since I had been unsuccessful in my first attempt at finding street parking. The lady told her it would be approx. 30 minute wait so we knew we had time to try again to find street parking. After several attempts circling the area I finally got a spot on Sunset about 2 blocks away. This area is challenging to find street parking... if you have no luck, they do offer valet parking in the plaza that Silverlake Ramen is in. Turns out the wait was shorter than anticipated and they had already called her name once while we were parking! Luckily they dont scratch your name out until the second try, so we quickly let them know we were there and waited a bit for another table to open up. We both opted for their Tonkotsu Spicy Ramen: Topping of pork belly or chicken. Pork broth with chili garlic sauce and green onion, spinach, dried seaweed, bean sprouts. Dena got it with chicken while I got the pork belly. There is also a list of additional toppings you can add (for a fee) so we both got Butter (75c) and Garlic (50c). You also choose your spicy level, and we again both opted for the same: between Mild and Medium. The ramen looked so appetising when it came out! They have a dollop of spicy sauce on the side that you can mix with the broth if you wish. I found the broth spicy enough as is so I didnt mix it in, but Dena did. After mixing the butter and garlic in, the broth was so delicious! So warm and buttery and good. And the pork belly melted in my mouth... such fatty goodness! I loved the ramen here and it was the perfect end to a great birthday :)

AY

Ayisha Gabri

Silverlake Ramen is a must-go if you are in the Silver Lake area. Its open pretty late on weekends for your latenight fix, and the service is efficient and admirable. Parking, especially on weekend nights, can be a little bit of an issue, and I many times have had to park pretty far away on Sunset, but its definitely worth the walk (and potentially the wait). They dont take reservations, so Id suggest going in a pretty small group if you want to get served as soon as possible. You put your name down, wait approximately 20 mins (on a busy day), and then they call you up. Make sure youre there for when your name is called! The space is pretty small, loud, and busy, but the service is very efficient, and the waitstaff is very friendly. They have a small seating area outside, but Id definitely try to snag one of the tables inside to enjoy your meal. They also have takeout and are on Postmates! Ive only gotten their classic ramen and the poke, but a bunch of my friends have RAVED about their spicy ramen. There are huge portions for the price, and Ive always been very satisfied with the quality. The only complaint I have is the small space, the long wait, and at times the cleanliness, but you have to expect that from somewhere as busy and successful as Silverlake Ramen.

HA

Hanae K

I like their ramen. Its hard to not have expectations when the yelp ratings are so high. One thing for sure, they have the best fatty chasu Ive had and the soup wasnt as heavy as expected (which is a good thing for me). Its so nice to leave a ramen place with a satisfied belly minus the fatty food coma. We showed up on Sunday for dinner and waited about 20-30minutes and the hostess had us share a table with 2 other strangers. Luckily our table mates were social and I really enjoyed talking to them about burning man :) I GOT: spicy tonkotsu (NOT tonKAtsu) ramen with a side of spicy sauce on the side. I would recommend the tsuke-men (you dip the noodle into the soup) to people who are craving for sweeter broth (Im guessing its bonito base). Gyoza was good, I dont mind ordering it again. PARKING: got lucky and found a spot nearby. Theres also street parking. SERVICE: was great, they were busy but attentive. We got complimentary green tea ice cream for sharing a table (?). As much as I enjoyed the ramen, I wont go out of my way to drive to Silverlake (30min) and wait 20-30minutes for it. If youre in the area then I would def recommend it when its not super busy. BATHROOM: stank