I've had Daikokuya Ramen once before at the Little Tokyo location. I remember I stood in line before the restaurant was even open and there was already a line being formed. This ramen shop is so popular!
I ordered Tsukemen. That was probably half a decade ago. It was delicious.
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| Signatura Daikokuya Ramen with Kotteri Broth |
Recently, I took Kevin along with me to try Daikokuya Ramen in El Monte. I didn't even know there were other locations! But I am glad that this location was just as good without the wait.
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| We love this brand of tea! |
It was Kevin's very first time trying it. He never had the chance before because of the crazy wait at the Little Tokyo location. So I was excited to see how he would like this place! We both love ramen after all!
We ordered a few things to stuff our empty bellies:
- Famous Daikoku Ramen with all the recommended toppings and Kotteri broth
- Small Pork Cutlet Bowl + Salad
- part of the Daikoku Ramen Combo
- Spicy Miso Ramen with added slices of butter, corn, wakame
- Kotteri broth is already added by default
- Note: Kotteri is a richer flavor that uses added soup extracted from the back fat
- Takoyaki
- gotta order this. WE LOVE THEM OCTOPUS BALLS!
- Gyoza (pork + veggie filling)
- these are homemade everyday in the restaurant
- Hot Green Tea
- Yamamoto Brand Premium Sencha Green Tea
- this is one of our favorite brands so we were excited to just chill and sip tea even after we were done eating LOL
I like how the add-ons all come on the side so you can add the way you want it to your ramen.
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| This is the Pork Cutlet (Katsu) Rice Bowl! |
The ramen here is quite pricy going at around $12 and up for a bowl. And when you add add-ons like extra meat it'll eat up your wallet. But if you're going to go to Daikokuya, which has a very well-known reputation for ramen already, might as well go all out if you're gonna try it. Right?
And that's exactly what we did. We added extra chashu and extra chicken chashu. Also ordered the butter, corn, seaweed, wakame (wet seaweed) and more to make our bowls that dreamy ramen you see in photos and anime.
And that kotteri - you must add the kotteri. It made the broth of the Signature Daikoku Ramen so rich and flavorful and thick but it blended in so well with the nice thick noodles and everything was so melt-in-your-mouth. The chashu was delicious as well, being very soft and tender and dissolved instantly as it touched my tongue. SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN!
I don't recommend getting the chicken chashu add-on though unless you can't eat pork. There wasn't anything particularly special about this. It was basically just chicken meat in the shape of chashu... ?!?
The Spicy Miso Ramen wasn't very spicy to me. Was there even spice? Okay, yes there was. It was more to add flavor and a nice red color to the broth. But I have very high spice tolerance so it didn't phase me. The broth itself was rich. It already comes with Kotteri flavor by default too.
The homemade gyoza was delicious as well. Nicely pan-fried with pork and veggie filling!
And of course, if you love TAKOYAKI, they have it too! I always have to wait until it cools down until I am brave enough to pop the entire thing into my mouth!
Here are some photos of the menu because I know y'all are wondering the prices and other options!
There is even VEGAN ramen now which includes spicy sesame flavor and tomato flavor!
If you plan on splitting credit card, there is only 2 allowed per table. Just a heads up! So make sure to download that Venmo!
Are you drooling yet? Just look at those noodz!
The spicy miso ramen with the half boiled egg, chicken chashu, corn, wakame, and two thick slices of butter. Just look at this rich spicy kotteri broth! It's as if there are shiny fat crystals that disintegrate in every landing on your tongue. MmmMmm
THE EGG THOUGH
Don't take too long taking photos! Even if your camera might eat first like mine too! I realized that since I took awhile taking photos, the egg kinda cooked a bit in the hot broth. NooOoOoO! So it wasn't as fit for egg-porn poking any longer but was still ooey gooey and yummy.
RECOMMENDATIONS
I believe the shining entrees that stood out to me are definitely the ramen. The bowls are huge and portion is great. You won't be left hungry after a bowl. I couldn't even finish one bowl myself. There were so many noodles! I really enjoyed the broth too!
Definitely order the Kotteri anything - Spicy Miso Ramen and Signature Daikoku Ramen.
The other typical appetizers can be found at other restaurants, I'm sure, but the ramen here is unique and worth a try. If you're on a tight budget, just go for the ramen! Or even combo (which comes with full sized ramen + side).
Check them out at the OC Japan Fair!
Daikokuya Ramen will also be serving their Daikoku Ramen at the OC Japan Fair happening October 13, 14, 15, located at the OC Fairgrounds. You don't wanna miss it if you love Japanese food and culture!
Check out the OC Japan Fair post here.
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Follow along on Instagram (@x3hoppie) and Like the Facebook page (@eatwithhop) to stay updated! Your support thus far is much appreciated. THANK YOU! <3
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