Rutsu18

One of the better ramen places in the SGV area, Rutsu18 has always been able to satisfy my cravings. They’ve got a good selection of ramen, appetizers, dry ramen, and drinks and the pricing is very fair. Also, I’ve never really experienced any sort of of crazy lines here, so that’s a huge plus. It’s definitely not the best I’ve ever had but the service, ambiance, taste, and cost earns it a 4.5-star rating.
I usually get the Tonkatsu or Spicy Miso ramen and both are great. Both are flavorful and the tonkatsu has a good amount of creaminess to it, but they only come with half eggs. I know that’s pretty common with a lot of ramen places, but it never fails to bum me out — just give us the whole thing! Anyways, this time I ventured from the norm and got the Dry Spicy Tan Tan Mein ($ 9), which is a cold noodle with meat, egg, veggies, and a miso sesame sauce. This dish was amazing! The miso sesame sauce was so good, and the cold noodles had a great texture to it. Be sure to mix it all and the flavors will disburse evenly, rather than sitting towards the bottom. I also liked the option for you to ask for a garlic clove crusher and crush your own garlic for your dish. To accompany my meal, I ordered the Coconut Ginger Green Tea ($ 2). This was well done and you get free refills. The coconut was very apparent but didn’t overpower the green tea. The ginger flavor unfortunately didn’t show as well.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place. I come back here frequently, and if you’re in the area, I think you would too. There’s a small parking lot in the back and also additional street parking and parking across the street in the plaza.

I order take-​out from here often.
I really love their Tonkotsu Ramen. I like asking them to make it Spicy. They’re always really quick (5 – 10 mins) to go and pick up.
Their Spicy Miso Ramen is a little bit too salty for my taste…
But if you’re looking for a quick Ramen fix in the area without the wait, I’d definitely recommend giving this place a try!

After finishing my business with AAA traveling and other business, I was really hungry for Ramen I remember there’s a Ramen restaurant just a couple blocks a away from the AAA office. It’s called Rutsu 18 I decided to try it out. The restaurant is really nice and has a great street art mural on the wall. The waitress took to my table she was really nice and hand me the menu.
The items on the menu looks very tempting and delicious good. I decided to order the Tonkotsu ramen and a side of edamame for my drink I go the organic ice cold Japanese green tea. The ice cold green tea tasted really good I can taste the green tea flavor. The waitress brought me my Tonkotsu and the edamame.
This Tonkotsu is really good so many flavors like the pork broth it was so earthly with additional ingredients like the tender pork combine with the season egg, bean sprout and plus the pickle ginger that flavor in broth that I really enjoy the most. I love edamame just gave me a another I will eat it all like the first bowl.
I really enjoy the food and service at Rutsu 18. A special thanks the waitress Linda and Kiana thank you.

I realized every time I come here, I’ve always ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen $ 9. They have so many other dishes that looked pretty tasty. Bf had the Spicy Tantanmen Ramen $ 9, but didn’t seem to enjoyed it. Didn’t try it, so can’t comment it on it personally.
Anyways, their ramen is not bad. Decently good. Like all the stuff that’s included in the bowl of ramen instead of paying extra for toppings/​add-​ons. Got a side salad for $ 1.25 (I think). Extremely simple & small, but can’t complain when it’s so cheap already.
For some reason I always ended up getting the Crimson Berry Iced tea. It’s ok/​fine. I know it’s the rooibos making it taste funny. Rooibos is good stuff, so I should probably shut up and enjoy the health benefits it comes with… haha. And definitely going to try more stuff next time.

Cool wall design! Love the lucky cat on the wall, kind of live up the mood of the place with its signature paw pose, which is why it makes it relevant to have a reunion dinner with friends here during Eve of Chinese Lunar Year!
Miso ramen $ 8.50, Tonkotsu ramen $ 9.00
~ Soup broth and Ramen wasn’t that bad but wasn’t good either. Average, nothing special about it that makes me craves for it again. Chashu is tender.
Small plates menu (ranges from $ 2.50-$ 9.75)
— A couple of selected choices of appetizers (edamame/​eggplant/​shishito pepper/​agedashi tofu/​fried oyster/​salmon skin salad/​takoyaki/​grilled squid/​chicken karaage/​gyoza/​shishito pepper).
— Chicken Karaage is not bad
— Shishito Pepper is not bad too

This is a cute restaurant. It has a welcoming atmosphere. Their menu has a wide variety of options for meat eaters. There are not too many vegetarian options in the Main Plate section. Their «Small Plate» section has quite a few vegetarian options. The preparation is good. The service is excellent with courteous patient staff members.

5 stars for service, about 3 stars for food.
There’s better ramen out there but their attention to service is quite exceptional. The ambience and décor is unique but fitting.
Also, I can eat all of their soy sauce pickled garlic… #BadBreathDon’tCare

With so many ramen options around, this place barely falls under mediocre on my list (and my expectations really aren’t ever that high).
I’ve passed by this place many times and the décor stands out the most. I guess it’s supposed to look cool? I think it’s a little overbearing, but whatever. When deciding to go here, my boyfriend and I didn’t want to wait forever so I suggested that we go to the ramen joint with the «scary décor» lol.
There was no wait. Service was fine. We had to ask for water and eventually for our check because the servers weren’t that attentive even though the restaurant was barely half-​occupied.
All of this would have been fine and the norm for an Asian restaurant, but the food was pretty bland and even difficult to eat. My boyfriend ordered the tonkotsu ramen and said it was alright, however I got the spicy beef ramen and the meat came on a giant hard-​to-​eat rib. The meat did not fall off the bone easily and I tried both picking at it with my chopsticks + picking it up and gnawing on it, and both were equally difficult (one MUCH less aesthetically pleasing).
I even snapchatted my frustration with this specific ramen bowl and captioned it «HOW TF AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT THIS?» but forgot to save it ;(

It’s always good to have Ramen when the weather is cold. To be exact, 40° in Alhambra. Yep, I’ve been here a few times before for both lunch and dinner… and it’s kinda has been a struggle for me to write a honest review for this place.
Straight out, I’ll give this place three stars. First of all, when we walked in, nobody greeted us, nor was there a visible clipboard for us to sign in. It took quite awhile before anybody comes to say hi and sign in. But in a sense I had to excuse the waitresses because they were quite busy. The Ramen house needs more help.
Secondly, no table utensils to use, even after we got our food. My side of the table wasn’t cleaned properly since there was still food remnants left from the previous party. Again, the Ramen house needs more help when busy.
Thirdly, my Spicy ramen was just okay. I couldn’t really taste the ingredients in my soup since it was a bit bland but spicy. I liked the corn in it though. But the pork, egg, one piece of fake crab, bamboo, and seaweed was just there as part of the order. I wasn’t too impressed like the other ramen places I’ve been where the ingredients for the ramen looked much more appetizing.
Lastly, my order of fried oysters was delicious but only had four small pieces for $ 6.50. I wish the proportions were bigger. The same for my spicy tuna on a rice cracker. There was only four pieces for $ 6.75. The spicy tuna was delicious too. Great flavor, but just small. However I was a bit disappointed because my rice cracker was a bit stale. It tasted like old oil used to fry the crackers.
Again, the service was a bit slow and lacking. It just takes a lot of patience when coming here. Yes, waitresses were constantly on the run. They just need more help.
A weak three stars for this place. There’s plenty of room to improve. I think I’ll skip out on this place for the time being and go to a more established ramen house.

Rutsu is a good for a quick ramen fix. The service is decent and the restaurant is never really crowded.
I would rate the ramen as average.
I’ve had the miso, spicy miso, and tonkatsu ramen. All are pretty average.
The takoyaki is crazy good though. Perhaps even in my top 5.

Rutsu18 is my alternative ramen spot when I pass by Kosuke and see a lengthy line. Just drive a few miles down Main St to arrive at Rutsu18. They have a small parking lot behind the restaurant but there’s also plenty of street parking nearby. Service was friendly and attentive.
The lunch special ($ 7.99) is weekdays only and is a selection of four types of ramen (Tonkotsu, Shoyu, Miso, and Spicy Miso) with a side. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen and Salmon Don. The portions are much smaller compared to the regular bowl of ramen ($ 9), but the side made the meal filling. Order a regular bowl of ramen if you’re only looking for ramen!
In the end, my siblings and I were satisfied with our meal. The place was quite busy during lunch, but we were glad that there were seating available immediately!

Pretty decent ramen place, but with so many amazing ramen places around this area it’s hard compete with just good.
I had the tonkotsu ramen and it was decent, bu the egg wasn’t soft bnoiled like I would have liked, and the broth was extremely salty. Coming from someone who drinks all of their ramen broth, and who loves really salty broth, this means that the broth must have been like some liquid salt or something: O.
Overall though, it was pretty solid ramen, it just wasn’t anything special. I also go the combo with the karaage, and just like the ramen, it was just standard.
Honestly, the ramen is better than average, but the price was higher than I was willing to pay for what it was. Will probably come back to try out the rest of their menu, but can’t say that I was too impressed this time around :(

Not a bad ramen spot in Alhambra. My boyfriend and I decided to venture outside of our usual ramen restaurants (and mostly decided to come to Rutsu18 after a certain phở restaurant was closed). We both got the tonkotsu, which was a bit different from what we’re used to, but it wasn’t entirely bad. Alcoholic beverages are not served here, but they’ll allow you to bring in your own for a small corkage fee (good thing we had just purchased some and had a few cold beers waiting in the car).
Overall, the ramen here is pretty standard.

I was pleasantly surprised by the ramen bowl I devoured from Rutsu last night! Each bowl runs around $ 9 each depending on what you get. It’s a pretty tight space inside and was a busy evening, but our waiter was nice and attended to our every needs.
I decided to go with a cold ramen on this hot day. The cold soup ramen is a newly added item on their menu and consists of a cold beef broth with pickled boy choy kimchi, cucumbers, radish, seaweed, and a hard boiled egg. It had the exact same feel as a bowl of nengmyun (Korean cold noodles), especially with the spicy mustard on the side — the only difference was that they used RAMEN noodles. It was a fusion of my two favorite noodle dishes and it was amazing! I really loved the concept of the perfectly cooked ramen topped with an assortment of crispy veggies and tossed in a vinegary dressing that left a cool and refreshing taste in my mouth. It was my first time at this establishment but I hope this item is not just a seasonal special so that I can keep coming back for it!
I also got a bite of the spicy miso ramen. The broth was spicy and flavorful, and the noodles were just as chewy and soft as the ones that came in my cold ramen. Thanks for a yummy dinner experience, Rutsu!

To say that Japan ruined ramen for me is an understatement. That being said, this place is still pretty good, although it is not top of my ramen list. I came in with my friend to wonderfully bright red painted walls, with a large Maneki Neko painted around a circular window. It was quiet when we began our meal but as we left, the place was pretty packed.
I loved the quick and courteous service. They also have a garlic press for all your garlicky ramen needs. We got our Spicy Miso Ramen within no time at all. It came packed with corn and tons of meat. There were plenty of bean sprouts in the ramen and though the noodles were a bit soft for me, the soup was pretty good and there were plenty of pieces of meat. The egg itself was ok and there was enough bamboo to keep me happy. Before I start sounding like a reincarnated panda, I should let you know that we also ordered takoyaki.
The takoyaki here is … different, to say the least. While this is my favorite Japanese «street food», the balls fell on the harder side and lacked the taste and texture of really excellent takoyaki. The octopus inside was also disappointing as this was mostly batter. I would say definitely pass on this one.
3.5 STARS, really, but I did like the place and would not mind coming back for their ramen. even if it’s not top of my list.

I came here for the lunch special and I’m pleasantly surprised. Definitely bang for your buck type of place.
For $ 7.99, you can pick a side dish + small bowl of ramen.
What’s inside:
— egg (soft boiled)
— chashu (one big piece)
— seaweed
— bean sprouts
Broth
Choose between a tonkotsu, miso, of spicy miso broth. My boyfriend got the spicy miso and I got tonkotsu. Both were good but my boyfriend and I prefer tonkotsu. It’s a pretty flavorful broth without being too salty.
Noodles
The noodles were good. They’re not hard though but maybe you can request it?
For sides, there are plenty of options from smaller rice dishes to typical appetizers.
I got the sweet chashu tacos which were a little crunchy but not overly dry.
My boyfriend got the poke bowl which was a few pieces of salmon sashimi with tomatoes and avocado. It’s was good but the portion of sashimi to rice is not good.
They also have a garlic press but I’m not sure what to do with it.

I’m a fan but not for what you’d expect. We used to come to this spot quite a bit for Tamaya’s ramen. They had my mom’s favorite Tonkotsu ramen. When Rutsu 18 opened up it wasn’t really clear what type of restaurant it was & we didn’t go. Recently my dad said «Hey, let’s go to Rutsu 18 they just put up new signs that say ramen!» They revamped the interior with a mural of ramen stands in Japan & somehow made it look more spacious. I like it.
Here’s what we ordered:
No beer.: (Green Iced Tea. They’re cool w/​B.Y.O.B. though. My husband asked.
Shishito Peppers — Very good.
Gyoza — Nice size & flavors.
Chashu Tacos — Wow! Soooo good. I’m coming back just for these!
Mom– Tonkotsu Ramen — Noodles were the way mom remembers from Japan but the broth was lacking something.
Me — Same as mom but spiced it up.
Dad — Spicy Miso Ramen — He liked it. Dad’s like Mikey in our family.
My husband — Tan Tan Men — He said it was O.K. He said the same thing about the broth.
Service was friendly & attentive. My recommendation is to make sure you order the Chashu Tacos!

4.5 stars! My boyfriend & I thought this was an entirely new ramen place but this is actually the sister restaurant to Ramen Yukinoya in Arcadia.
DIFFERENCES: This place is open for half an hour longer than the other place and there’s less parking spaces. You either park in the back of the restaurant (10 spaces max) or on the street. The staff there are really nice! This location is definitely «more comfy» because it has a lot more room (no bar area, only tables). This place only has one price and one size bowl for the ramen. ($ 9)
I ordered the Tonkutsu Ramen and I actually like the broth here more than the other location because it was «creamy» and had less oil. But the waiter told me the other location’s broth is fresher than this place. And we could always control the amount of oil we want in our bowl. I will definitely remember that when I go either locations.
We also ordered the crunchy rice spicy tuna which was actually pretty good. Not spicy at all because we ordered the jalapeños on the side. It’s basically the tuna mixed with tomatoes on top of crusty rice.
Overall good place! This restaurant is more Japanese restaurant rather than ramen especially with the fact that there’s more variety in the food (sushi, Japanese plates, etc)

What kind of ramen place doesn’t have Takoyaki?
I was so sad when it wasn’t on the menu, even had to ask the waiter if they really didn’t have any. He said «no, not yet». Sighh. :(
My friends and I order the Spicy Miso Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen, side orders of Spicy Tuna Roll, Cha Siu Bowl and the KBBQ Short Ribs Bowl. Everything was good, but nothing really stood out, like OMG this is delicious.
I really like how they have whole garlic pieces on the side where you can crush them yourselves. It really adds flavor to your soup. Also I really like their cups, very interesting. I do want to say this though, their service was great. I forgot his name, but he was awesome. Always checking up if we need anything and making small talks with us.
Overall, I might come back again, just to see if they have Takoyaki yet.

So… nice place, no wait, good service, but the ramen was just ok. My friend and I both had hot spicy tonkotsu. The broth wasn’t even special and it wasn’t spicy at all.
I do like that they have raw, soy sauced garlic and the garlic crusher on the table! I love adding one or two garlic cloves in my ramen (breath be kicking!)
I would come back here to give this place a try again.