Shin-Sen-Gumi YAKITORI — Restaurant in Los Angeles

CALLING ALL RAMEN LOVERS

This lovely establishment is a MUST to satisfy your cravings.

After a day of visiting the Getty museum and the UCLA campus we had some serious ramen cravings. A quick Yelp search brought up this gem.

Atmosphere: Now, when you first walk in, it feels like your privately owned mom and pop restaurants. The worn down tables and chairs just shows you that this placed has been absolutely LOVED throughout the years and rightfully so.

Service: Filled with hardworking, diligent, and friendly faces. They make you feel like a regular, even if its your first time.

Food: First course was...alcohol! Kinsachi IPA- If you like IPAs and that really "hoppy" flavor in your beer this is a very smooth beer with a bold taste. Very unique to this establishment as it is not found nearly anywhere else. Also, sporting an ABV of 7%, I always recommend to drink responsibly or bring that reliable friend who will drive you home.

Yuzu Calpico Sour- This was the monthly special and it definitely tantilized my tastebuds. It tasted like an exotic Sprite. However, if you're looking for that alcoholic "kick," this would not have that for you.

Appetizer: Takoyaki- OMG YUM! So, in all honesty, I've never had takoyako before. I just remember seeing it on TV or on youtube and I was always curious about why it is so popular. It is served with green onions, a delicious cream sauce, topped with bonito flakes. When it comes out it is piping hot and fresh! The filling was creamy and the octopus was not overcooked. Definitely should try if you like octopus.

Entrees: Beef Bowl- The one pictures is the small size. The rice was so good and the beef was cooked perfectly. At $6 per bowl for the small, however, you can get a larger size at Yoshinoya.

Ramen - Now, this is the star of the show. There is magic in these bowls. We got the "make your own bowl and shared it." It comes with noodles, broth, chashu. There is something about how they make their broth that makes it so addictive. I suggest adding the pork belly. It is so juicy and the meat just falls apart. Also, I love how they provide you the option of a hard boiled egg or a soft boiled egg for your ramen. Don't be afraid to add the extras to your liking. Yes, I know it can get a little pricey but it is definitely worth it.

Desert: Creme brulee- Fits in the palm of your hand. Delicious and hearing the "crack" when you first go in is so satisfying. The creme is cooked perfectly and not lumpy or loose. They make it with a thick sugar layer to give you that nice delicate crunch with every bite.

So there you have it! Great Food, Awesome Service.

We live over an hour away from this establishment and were making plans in visiting again when we discovered that they have several locations! We are planning to visit each...

My personal favorite Ramen place on Sawtelle. They're open until midnight every night, and if you're wondering that means they close the kitchen then. I've called many times at 11:30 and they've welcomed me and my party in with open arms and fresh noodles.

Parking is metered, and there's a lot nearby that is free after 9. Meters are on a similar schedule but usually taken up by nearby cars. If you don't mind a short walk, Santa Monica has a few lots nearby that close at 2am and should be free around 8 or 9 on most days.

The thing that gets me to say this is my favorite Ramen place on Sawtelle has to be the choices they give you. You can select the firmness of noodle, amount of oil, strength of soup base, and all toppings you order come on the side for you to add at your leisure. Ramen itself starts at just $8.95 and comes with your choice of ginger, green onion, charsu or all of the above. Extra toppings range from $1.00-$2.50 depending on the topping, but I don't think I've ever spent more than $13 on my custom ramen. If you're confused at what to order, they have premade ramen you can order by just writing it in your space on the order sheet.

Tapas/appetizers have all been very good when I've gotten them, but I tend to fill up on just the ramen alone. They offer some dessert options, but with Sawtelle so close and full of dessert places I've usually passed.

Pic attached is my usual order - normal noodles, light oil, strong base with all the free toppings plus poached egg, corn,...

I came back here after loving it a few years ago and was really disappointed in my experience. All of the hearty vegetarian items have been stripped from the menu and they were unwilling to make easy modifications to make items vegetarian. I ended up cobbling together a few grill items that arrived over the course of 45 minutes and were expensive and not filling. I expect better options in a place in LA. My friends who eat meat ordered the mazesoba and were disappointed that the dish did not have the raw egg traditionally in the dish or any flavor.

Our service was horrible. I had to flag down the waiter multiple times until he paid enough attention to us to order. He proceeded to ignore us the entire meal unless he was dropping off a dish. We never got water refills or were checked in on. We had to flag down another waitress to pay the check because he avoided eye contact with us.

Rating two stars because the people who ate meats said the skewers were good, but it’s not worth coming back here. It’s a shame because this place used to...