A premium ramen restaurant committed to quality, built on a Farm to Bowl concept. This is the Los Angeles flagship of the award-winning Mensho Group, recognized both in Japan and internationally. MENSHO TOKYO is located only in San Francisco and Culver City. Contact: [email protected]
Hours
| Saturday | 12–2 PM, 4–10 PM |
| Sunday | 12–2 PM, 4–9 PM |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 12–2 PM, 5–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 12–2 PM, 5–9 PM |
| Thursday | 12–2 PM, 5–9 PM |
| Friday | 12–2 PM, 5–10 PM |
Menu Photos
Related Web Results
mensho
Creative ramen specialty store MENSHO official website. We send out franchise information and menus.
Mensho Tokyo – Review – Culver City – Los Angeles – The Infatuation
Mensho is a Tokyo ramen import in Culver City with long waits and full-glam bowls of ramen with intensely rich broth.
One of Tokyo’s Best Ramen Spots Is Opening in Culver City – Eater LA
One of Japan’s most popular ramen bars, Mensho Tokyo, is expanding to Los Angeles with a location in Culver City. Founded in 2005 by ramen …
Reviews
Sabs A
I had a great experience at Mensho Tokyo. The Signature Ramen was the highlight for me – creamy and flavorful without feeling overly heavy or overworked. Everything felt well-balanced, and I especially enjoyed the bamboo shoots, which added great texture and a nice contrast to the broth.
We also tried the Chashu Trio Plate. The duck and chicken were light, clean, and enjoyable, but the A5 wagyu was sliced so thin that all you could taste was fat – no flavor. At $17 for seven very thin slices, that part felt a bit overpriced compared to the rest of the meal.
The restaurant itself is nice and thoughtfully laid out, with a mix of bar seating, individual tables, and a community table (personally not my favorite, but some people may enjoy it). Service was attentive and relaxed – we ended up sitting for 30–40 minutes after finishing our food and never felt rushed, which I really appreciated.
Overall, great ramen, comfortable space, and friendly service. I’d definitely come back, though I’d probably skip the wagyu next time and focus on the ramen instead.
… moreWe also tried the Chashu Trio Plate. The duck and chicken were light, clean, and enjoyable, but the A5 wagyu was sliced so thin that all you could taste was fat – no flavor. At $17 for seven very thin slices, that part felt a bit overpriced compared to the rest of the meal.
The restaurant itself is nice and thoughtfully laid out, with a mix of bar seating, individual tables, and a community table (personally not my favorite, but some people may enjoy it). Service was attentive and relaxed – we ended up sitting for 30–40 minutes after finishing our food and never felt rushed, which I really appreciated.
Overall, great ramen, comfortable space, and friendly service. I’d definitely come back, though I’d probably skip the wagyu next time and focus on the ramen instead.
Carolyn Dyer
First off, environment is very warm and hospitable. The manager Frank introduced himself, he was so nice and gave all the right recommendations. My date and I both had the signature ramen, very hearty. Started with a bunch an apps. All equally great, will return!
… moreTejas Joshi
Tried their vegan garlic broth and it honestly knocked it out of the park. One of the best vegetarian broths I’ve had. You can tell the vegetables are cooked slowly, everything is deeply flavorful and well balanced, not rushed or flat. Service was warm and attentive too.
Corn wings (3/5): Decent, but nothing particularly new or memorable. Not bad, just average.
Enoki chips (4/5): Surprisingly good. You’d barely guess it’s mushroom, super crispy and addictive.
Overall, the garlic broth completely stole the show. Definitely an underrated spot, especially if you’re vegetarian/ Vegan or looking for great Ramen spot.
… moreCorn wings (3/5): Decent, but nothing particularly new or memorable. Not bad, just average.
Enoki chips (4/5): Surprisingly good. You’d barely guess it’s mushroom, super crispy and addictive.
Overall, the garlic broth completely stole the show. Definitely an underrated spot, especially if you’re vegetarian/ Vegan or looking for great Ramen spot.
Ethan Stone
I got the W Ramen, the W stands for Wagyu. It was absolutely incredible. The egg was one of the best I’ve ever had, just look at that yolk color! I also added their house chili sauce which added a nice kick.
That being said, I have a message for management: hire more severs. There was only one guy responsible for the entire restaurant. Definitely need at least one more person in there to help out. Amazing ramen though!
… moreThat being said, I have a message for management: hire more severs. There was only one guy responsible for the entire restaurant. Definitely need at least one more person in there to help out. Amazing ramen though!
johndhchoi
Think i found the best ramen in LA. Although different than Tsujita, i think for me this is the champ. I will always crave Tsujita however. The regular toripaitan is fantastic. Rich chicken flavor and if you like ajitama egg def get that. The egg, broth, toppings everything is top notch. Very gourmet and wonderful. Personally i loved the spicy toripaitan more. The regular one got a tiny bit more one note by the end. The spice made it great all the way through. The only tiny complaint i would have is that the bowl of ramen is a little smaller than a normal bowl of ramen. I could probably comfortably eat two bowls but i do have a big appetite. My wife and daughter had plenty with one bowl. Cant wait to come and try everything on their menu.
… moreSakol Mongkolkasetarin
Here’s another recently opened restaurant in downtown Culver City, offering some unique Japanese ramen experience. Mensho Tokyo is a small, cozy dining venue with indoor and outdoor seating. The atmosphere is loud and lively. Our server Nike, was very welcoming and greeted us with energy and smiles. He provided great information about the menu and I settled on the Signature Toripaitan, along with a bottle of Oolong tea Lychee. I can’t say enough about how original and unique this ramen bowl was presented to me. The broth is rich and thick unlike other places. The mochi noodles had wonderful texture and when paired with the ajitama egg and the three types of chashu, the incredible umami hit all taste buds. That deep, savory “fifth taste” that provides a rich and satisfying mouthfeel. Simply amazing. I look forward to coming back to order their ultimate ramen dish, confidently named, The G.O.A.T.
… moreAimee Arreygue
A friend recommended this Michelin star ramen shop in Culver City. With family in town sightseeing this summer, we met up there for dinner.
Rather unassuming ramen shop exterior along a little strip mall, but wow, I was surprised by the presentation of the dishes and the flavor! My family visitors were suitably impressed.
I really liked the enoki chips, and the Old School Toripaitan.
Located in downtown Culver City, walkable to other shops and dessert spots. We saw a commercial filming while there.
… moreRather unassuming ramen shop exterior along a little strip mall, but wow, I was surprised by the presentation of the dishes and the flavor! My family visitors were suitably impressed.
I really liked the enoki chips, and the Old School Toripaitan.
Located in downtown Culver City, walkable to other shops and dessert spots. We saw a commercial filming while there.
Richard Wehmeyer
One of the best Ramen I’ve ever had. Worth the hype. The broth was soooo rich and flavorful, I added extra smoked egg to my Classic Ramen. Good Portion. Will come back very soon.
… moreAnna
I found a bug in my soup but they were very gracious about it! They offered to remake it for me but I was already pretty full at that point, so they instead comped my meal. This review is about the food regardless of this experience.
Toripaitan is like tonkotsu but made with chicken bones instead of pork bones. Despite generally preferring chicken over pork, I find that the chicken flavor is a little overpoweringly strong — but that might just be my general indifference to the taste of meat.
The soup wasn’t hot enough on the top so it felt heavy, contrary to a lot of other reviews who felt this was light. It definitely tasted better when it was hot at the bottom (which was probably hotter from the noodles). I was expecting the noodles to be more chewy given their “mochi” name, but they weren’t particularly memorable. I was also a little taken aback by the spinach, which conflicted a little with the soup.
I liked how the different types of chashu were distinctive in taste and texture, reminiscent of the original kind of meat they came from. Chicken was lighter in color and tasted … chicken-y, for lack of a better term; duck was a little darker and slightly drier; pork was fattier and the most traditional. I also liked the mushrooms in the soup, which replaced the typical bamboo shoots.
The wagyu nigiri was fantastic, though. I’d characterize it as halfway between toro and salmon in terms of butteriness.
Overall, the price point was quite high and the food was quite heavy, so I’m not sure I’ll be back.
… moreToripaitan is like tonkotsu but made with chicken bones instead of pork bones. Despite generally preferring chicken over pork, I find that the chicken flavor is a little overpoweringly strong — but that might just be my general indifference to the taste of meat.
The soup wasn’t hot enough on the top so it felt heavy, contrary to a lot of other reviews who felt this was light. It definitely tasted better when it was hot at the bottom (which was probably hotter from the noodles). I was expecting the noodles to be more chewy given their “mochi” name, but they weren’t particularly memorable. I was also a little taken aback by the spinach, which conflicted a little with the soup.
I liked how the different types of chashu were distinctive in taste and texture, reminiscent of the original kind of meat they came from. Chicken was lighter in color and tasted … chicken-y, for lack of a better term; duck was a little darker and slightly drier; pork was fattier and the most traditional. I also liked the mushrooms in the soup, which replaced the typical bamboo shoots.
The wagyu nigiri was fantastic, though. I’d characterize it as halfway between toro and salmon in terms of butteriness.
Overall, the price point was quite high and the food was quite heavy, so I’m not sure I’ll be back.
Danny K (DSKO)
Mensho, the best ramen maker from Japan in the US, in my opinion, recently opened their first SoCal location in Culver City. We’ve had and loved Mensho up north since owner and chef Tomoharu Shono opened the first US location in San Francisco back in 2016. He subsequently opened locations in Oakland and a slightly different concept restaurant, Menya Shono, in San Rafael and Union City. They’re one of the rare ramen restaurants that has received recognition from Michelin in past years. This shop’s menu and vibe most closely follows the original SF location minus the sketchiness of the Tenderloin. They have a broader range of dishes beyond ramen on their menu with more Wagyu nigiri options such as Hokkaido Uni, hotate (scallop) and Kani (crab).
Unfortunately, this location is also packed and requires patience to get seated. Finding parking in the garage is also challenging as it is in a very popular district called Culver Steps right next to Amazon Studios which used to be the historic MGM, RKO and Cecil B. Demille studio lot. We almost left when we saw the line of about 16 people outside but decided to give it a try. I got very lucky someone was leaving just as I arrived, although I had to box out someone who was trying to steal the spot I was waiting for, in typical LA fashion. It took awhile to get from the garage and walk up to Mensho. The line looked hopeless at first with six parties ahead of us. But then a lot of people left around 8pm, so we were seated inside at the bar counter in about 30 minutes.
I wanted to try the Kani Miso or Spiced Lamb but my throat was sore from working at a convention all day so I went with the Mensho Signature ramen. We also ordered fried Hinoki mushrooms, A5 Wagyu Nigiri with Hokkaido Uni and Kani (shredded crab). The nigiri was tender, perfectly seared and not overly seasoned, with some thinly sliced gari and a dab of wasabi.
The Signature ramen is Chef Shono’s own unique recipe that features a thick chicken broth rather than the much more common pork tonkotsu at US ramen restaurants. From there, you’ve got Mochi noodles, fermented pork chashu, duck chashu, smoked custard-like Ajitama (marinated egg), fried Gobo chips, green onion. What really sets Mensho apart from many ramen shops in the US is the attention to detail down to the visual presentation within the bowl. You can really taste the extra preparation that goes into the ingredients such as the smoked and marinated eggs and chashu. There’s also a hint of truffle and mushroom flavor. The chicken broth is really thick and gravy-like. If I had one bone to pick, I wish the broth had been served a bit hotter than it was.
Service was difficult to obtain at the counter, since we had our backs turned and the servers were rushing to get to the many people seated at tables and on the heated patio. There are definitely a lot more seats at this larger location, similar to the Oakland shop. I really enjoyed the ramen and Wagyu nigiri and felt a lot more comfortable in the safer area of the Culver Steps. I’d definitely return when I’m back in LA.
… moreUnfortunately, this location is also packed and requires patience to get seated. Finding parking in the garage is also challenging as it is in a very popular district called Culver Steps right next to Amazon Studios which used to be the historic MGM, RKO and Cecil B. Demille studio lot. We almost left when we saw the line of about 16 people outside but decided to give it a try. I got very lucky someone was leaving just as I arrived, although I had to box out someone who was trying to steal the spot I was waiting for, in typical LA fashion. It took awhile to get from the garage and walk up to Mensho. The line looked hopeless at first with six parties ahead of us. But then a lot of people left around 8pm, so we were seated inside at the bar counter in about 30 minutes.
I wanted to try the Kani Miso or Spiced Lamb but my throat was sore from working at a convention all day so I went with the Mensho Signature ramen. We also ordered fried Hinoki mushrooms, A5 Wagyu Nigiri with Hokkaido Uni and Kani (shredded crab). The nigiri was tender, perfectly seared and not overly seasoned, with some thinly sliced gari and a dab of wasabi.
The Signature ramen is Chef Shono’s own unique recipe that features a thick chicken broth rather than the much more common pork tonkotsu at US ramen restaurants. From there, you’ve got Mochi noodles, fermented pork chashu, duck chashu, smoked custard-like Ajitama (marinated egg), fried Gobo chips, green onion. What really sets Mensho apart from many ramen shops in the US is the attention to detail down to the visual presentation within the bowl. You can really taste the extra preparation that goes into the ingredients such as the smoked and marinated eggs and chashu. There’s also a hint of truffle and mushroom flavor. The chicken broth is really thick and gravy-like. If I had one bone to pick, I wish the broth had been served a bit hotter than it was.
Service was difficult to obtain at the counter, since we had our backs turned and the servers were rushing to get to the many people seated at tables and on the heated patio. There are definitely a lot more seats at this larger location, similar to the Oakland shop. I really enjoyed the ramen and Wagyu nigiri and felt a lot more comfortable in the safer area of the Culver Steps. I’d definitely return when I’m back in LA.