Silverlake Ramen — Restaurant in Manhattan Beach

The Baseline: For a ramen restaurant the noodles must be fresh, cooked with consistency in firmness, broth must be tasty with good body, accompaniment additions must match with the style, and the plating must work for the ramen presentation/function.

September 18, 2025: Food: The ramen here is really the thing to come for. Tonight I opted on the Chicken Karaage Curry Rice Bowl which was good with a spice level that was enjoyable, but there was no pickled ginger condiment to be added. I had to order a side of pickled onion ($1.75) so I had something to cut the fat of the curry base. All curry dishes need a pickled condiment option. The Classic Tonkotsu Ramen was great as always with good noodle pull and tasty broth and ordered as a combo with a Chicken Karaage appetizer that has a nice mayo based dipping sauce. Very enjoyable. The Rice Pork Bowl was also very good and was a good option for a smaller appetite with a great price ($8.75 for a small). I also had the Spicy Garlic Edamame which was addictive. Love the Edamame!

Service: Efficient service in taking my order and serving the food. Everything was accurate. Didn’t need to ask for water but there was no refill of water without asking which should be a must in a place that has spicy items on the menu. It felt short staffed on the night I went so there is a level of patron understanding given here.

Ambiance: Very hip, modern design for a ramen joint. The tables and seating area was clean. The bathroom was clean for the level of traffic ration this location produces.

Previous Review (February 2025): Part of a chain, the Manhattan Beach Silverlake Ramen serves up a solid meal of Ramen (also saves me from driving to Sawtelle Blvd to eat). The Ramen is well prepared, properly spiced/flavored, and served at a proper temperature. This is the go to dish when you come here. I get the Blaze with pork because I want the extra spice level and it warms me up in the winter. The rice bowl and the appetizers are all tasty and well prepared with good sized portions. Service is good and they will attend to your needs but the wait staff is in between a lot of tables so it can get slightly spotty during service rushes. They will drop water carafes on the table so you do not need to ask for refills. There is a Silverlake Rewards app that is great to use to get free items if you consistently dine here, so I suggest downloading it. The points update quickly after you pay for a meal. The environment is inside but the end of the restaurant is open to the outside of the Manhattan Village outside mall area. There are plenty of heat lamps if you are near the outside so you will stay warm. The bathrooms are clean and well serviced. Definitely will return...

Updated - tried this place again, and the service was the worse. Can't recommend this place until they figure out how to change their service to get people seated and receive their checks/service in a timely manner.

This time yet again we (a line formed) had to wait to be seated, even though two staff members were clearly sitting at one of the tables, maybe on break?

Our server was annoyed, guests were having to get their own napkins/etc. This place needs a serious management update.

Previous review below. Unfortunately the troubles started when I arrived to pick up my online order. Although the restaurant was quiet (only a handful of tables had patrons), the staff seemed unconcerned about the patrons and those waiting.

When you arrive, there is currently a sign stating you need to wait to be seated. Although the staff seemed to be milling around, the person in front of me waiting to be seated had been there for quite some time. When she was finally seated, she was upset and attempted to voice her concerns to the staff who was seating her. Instead of the staff listening and helping, they ignored her, seated the woman, and just walked away.

I still had to wait even longer to get my food, again, I would see and make eye contact with staff, but the staff would just look away. I finally got my food, and when I got home was again disappointed, this time at the food quality. The karaage was cool with a very heavy breading, the ramen also cool and low in flavor.

I know this is a fairly new location, hopefully this is simply growing pains, and the staff and kitchen are getting their feet under them.

The location itself is nice, well situated, clean, and part open air. There is parking very close by, and ample places to...

I’ve been a loyal customer of Silver Lake Ramen for years because my family and I love the food and service. Unfortunately, this last visit was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had here.

The server (I believe his name was Tua) completely ignored us when we arrived, even though he had only two tables. We had to ask the host at the register to seat us. When he finally came over, he dropped three glasses of water and threw the menus on the table without even a greeting.

Throughout the service, he never once asked if we wanted drinks or checked on us. We had to insist to place our order, and instead of responding, he simply walked away. His behavior toward us was rude, dismissive, and felt discriminatory. What confirmed it for me was seeing how quickly and warmly he greeted and served a white family right after treating us so poorly.

This kind of service is unacceptable. Silver Lake Ramen is better than this, and customers deserve respect regardless of their background. The rest of the staff, as always, were professional and kind—but this waiter’s attitude ruined...