Kouraku Japanese Ramen & Grill

  4.5 – 1,123 reviews   • Japanese restaurant

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Ramen & other Japanese comfort food are served at this basic spot, popular with late-night diners.

Kouraku Japanese Ramen & Grill 90012

Hours

Friday11:30 AM–3 AM
Saturday11:30 AM–3 AM
Sunday11:30 AM–1 AM
Monday11:30 AM–1 AM
Tuesday11:30 AM–1 AM
Wednesday11:30 AM–1 AM
Thursday11:30 AM–1 AM

Address and Contact Information

Address: 314 E 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Phone: (213) 687-4972

Website: https://kouraku.square.site/

Menu Photos

Order and Reservations

Order: Order online

kouraku.square.site

Photo Gallery

Related Web Results

Kouraku Ramen&Grill: Japanese Cuisine Order Online Little Tokyo

Little Tokyo legacy restaurant serving traditional styles of popular Japanese comfort food, ramen, fried rice, mabo don and more.

Kouraku – LA Conservancy

Los Angeles, CA 90012. Phone Number. (213) 687 … Little Tokyo’s Kouraku is known as America’s oldest Japanese ramen noodle restaurant still in operation.

Kouraku こう楽 (@kouraku_littletokyo) · Los Angeles, CA – Instagram

6.9K+ followers · 166 posts · Sun-Thu11:30am-1am Fri & Sat11:30am-3am (213) 687-4972 [email protected].

Reviews

Chelsea
Went here on a Tuesday night so it was kind of empty. The place is small, cozy, and well-decorated with japanese food & culture. Really gives off that old authentic japanese restaurant vibe. Service was good. Food tasted ok, nothing special. I would suggest getting extra sides of meat for your meal because they just give you a little.
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꿈많은늑대
Mixed Feelings About the Food!

The Karaage here was really good – I enjoyed the taste very much!

However, I was quite disappointed with the Gyoza. It felt as though they were serving pre-prepared items, as they weren’t very hot, and the texture was unfortunately soggy. Moreover, they completely lacked the flavorful juiciness that makes gyoza so enjoyable. It was a stark contrast to the tasty karaage.
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Kiu Siu
Kouraku is a good Japanese restaurant with an extensive menu that includes most of the favorite appetizers, rice plates and noodles. We enjoyed the food, the friendly service and comfortable retro vibe of the dining room. If half stars were available, we’d rate it 4.5.
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Dani Vasquez
Went here last night with my daughter after the SC volleyball game and I had the Kouraku ramen and my daughter had the regular tonkotsu ramen and takoyaki. All delicious from the broth to the seafood in my ramen and the pork was delicious in my daughter’s ramen. Prices were reasonable. Staff were friendly and attentive. Will come back.
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Rose Wilcox
Traditional Japanese restaurant with an interior design and staff that immerses you in the cultural experience. Food is delicious and all-around well prepared. Menu heavily gears towards noodle and rice dishes like ramen and curry.
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Angie Salazar
Amazing little store with delicious ramen. It’s a bit small so if you go with babies & strollers it’s a bit difficult but it’s still a nice place to visit!
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Julius Marzuki
Best Japanese comfort food in Little Tokyo. The foods still remain the same after all these years. I have always loved their Mapo Ramen and TanTan Men. I have not been here since 2015, the restaurant still remains the same, great services and foods. Now, they even have a robot server, that’s cool!!!
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Jimmy Palafox
Seriously HANDS DOWN DOPEST RAMEN SHOP IN LA!
It’s true about great service and quality of food. Everything was really clean I witnessed them cleaning and sanitizing every table after customers were done with their food. Staff always came and checked on us if everything was good. Can’t believe this place isn’t busy. Definitely recommend this spot if all the other “hype spots” are busy. They won’t let you down with their food and kind service
KOURAKU FOR THE WIN!
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Lorenzo Warfel
BUSTLING TOURIST CAFE with mid-tier Japanese offerings and robot service. Kouraku touts its long history in Little Tokyo as the oldest ramen shop in America. It’s got a lot of historic vibes inside but it doesn’t quite hit the mark when it comes to their noodle game.

I ordered seaweed Yakisoba, a few of their Japanese meatballs, and a water. The Yakisoba was decent, but I think the sauce was a little too salty, I’m guessing it’s the seaweed’s fault? I also found the meatballs to be too salty, those didn’t have seaweed. I suppose they need to moderate their seasonings and sauces. I paid a pretty penny for just myself, almost $50, I’d expect better quality.

I was seated quickly and beat the massive tourist dinner rush. If you’re looking for something more authentic I’d look elsewhere or else you’re most likely going to have to wait outside and mark your name on the waitlist. There’s NO Yelp reservations or waitlists here. Note, the wait can be long as seating is VERY limited inside. I only spotted a few tables available along the narrow shop.

The staff were decent, but not very personable. Only one younger Japanese waiter was sweet. He was under a lot of pressure but still held it together.

If you’re a major fan of this spot, merch is available at the front of the shop.
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Krystine L
Amazing ramen and delicious katsu. Visited on a weekend so there was a line, but it moves pretty quickly, just be sure to add your name to the list inside. It’s an unassuming place, and the oldest ramen shop still in operation in the US which is pretty cool! Large portions and fair prices, definitely recommend.
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