Daikokuya El Monte — Restaurant in El Monte

Ultimately, the kotteri spicy miso broth is still worth the trip.

Service was acceptable, not great. I was not greeted upon entry, stood around a while until seated, and had to hail the server to place my food order. The place was about less than half full. There were plenty of empty tables and I was the sole person at the sit-down counter. I'm not sure if only one person was on staff waiting tables or what. The final refill on my iced green tea was only filled halfway.

Since default toppings are used sparingly, I added corn and wakame per the menu's suggestion for the spicy miso broth. Each of these additions did not add to the experience at all. The wakame had no flavor whatsoever and the corn wasn't even sweet. Don't bother with add-ons except for extra chashu (the chashu included in the bowl was anemic and disintegrating), and requesting beni shoga and crushed garlic. Beni shoga and crushed garlic used to be available at the table, but this was changed around covid. These two items are still available and there was no extra charge for them, but they are not noted on the menu and must be requested.

Eel bowl and cabbage salad were great. No complaints there. Egg was scarcely overcooked, could have been my fault for polishing off my side dishes first and letting it sit around in the broth.

If I hadn't ordered the wakame and corn, food would be 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

The cost for 1 came out to $50 with tip after including the combination meal, my drink,...

These are the best gyoza I have ever had hands down. I could eat multiple plates of these. The dumplings were tender and crunchy at the same time. Most places deep fry them and therefore ruin the flavor of the pork inside. The sauce was nice and tangy. I also had a california roll that was good. Nothing too extraordinary about it. My son had the ramen and I sampled it. The pork belly was tender, the soup was yummy, and the noodles were perfectly cooked. It was not as hot as I was expecting. He ordered a combo so he also asked for the sashimi bowl. It was bigger than he expected. He was impressed with the tenderness of the salmon. My son and I also had some shrimp pops. They were different and good. The sauce that it came with was delicious. My son also got a salad to go with his food. The dressing on that salad was different but yummy. At first it looked overdressed but after mixing it with the cabbage it was just right. I also sampled some teriyaki. It was different from most teriyaki I've had. The chicken was fried and the sauce was not salty at all. It was really good. I most definitely will...

Pro: Excellent customer service, clean and cozy setting. Fair prices for good food. Con: Broth was a bit salty for taste.

Friday night, I walked into the local Daikokuya ramen shoppe and was immediately greeted and seated. I ordered the Chicken Karaage, Geso Age, and Spicy Miso Ramen. My partner has an egg allergy, so I asked them to remove the egg after the order was already taken. They immediately went to the kitchen and removed the egg before serving, which proves to show how much they care for their customers. This was what brought me to leave a tip for them, they deserve it.

We had no issues with the food served. Everything was delicious and served hot. I did feel like the broth was salty for my taste, but ramen broth does need to boil overnight for the rich umami.

I'd also like to note that I love the retro Japan decor. The center bar was fashioned into a street vendor bar and the booths looked like a rustic shack. On the walls, they have plastered on some retro Japanese films and drama cover art. The place is well...