Ramen Yamadaya

Really love the ramen from here! I’ve only had delivery so can’t speak to the actual location, but the food is absolutely wonderful.

I was so excited when a true ramen restaurant opened near our Del Rey /​Culver City residence. Yamadaya continues to provide a solid bowl of noodles, with their famous soup derived from pork bone boiled for 20 hours. In fact, this place reminds me of some of the better ramen my family and I have shared in Japan.
Like another reviewer, I usually prefer a thicker noodle but these thin noodles are nicely prepared with the proper firmness (somehow, I can’t bring myself to describe a Japanese noodle as al dente, that’s just me). It seems like a small portion, but by the end of my meal, I was full and satisfied.
The highlight is the broth. At first, it seems like a good soup, yet nothing exceptional. But as the meal continues, you appreciate the subtle flavor of the dashi (soup), fortunately not overly salty. The quality sneaks up on you as you find yourself draining the bowl. Have them add fresh garlic to your order, the ramen becomes even more amazing.
As for the side dishes, the kara-​age is generous and tasty, crispy and not greasy. The gyoza is good, but slightly smaller compared to the big dumplings at West L.A.‘s Kotoya.
Whenever my gourmand younger son and I drive past their location on Washington Bl near Sepulveda, we always talk about our next visit. We agreed we should make more visits.

If you are looking for a ramen place that offers both rich and light ramen, this is the place to go. I’m not a big fan of Kyushu-​style Tonkotsu ramen (heavy pork-​based soup). Yamada-​ya has chicken-​based soup that is a lit lighter than pork-​based yet flavorful. Their fried rice is pretty good, too.

Adequate ramen. Pork, that is. Wifey had fish/​chicken ramen, and it was fish-​flavored water.
But we noticed some smell that could be an earthy cooking aroma, or could be sewage. Sure enough, we asked the waitress, and she said they have had a problem in the bathroom for weeks that the owner refuses to address.
The acoustics are such that one must SPEAK LOUDLY in order to converse w/​one’s table mate. That was w/​only five tables during the daytime.
So if you really want to eat food in an unpleasant place, this one will do.
Or, do like us. Skip it.

ok so this is the best ramen place ever!!! i have been coming here several times now since i first came across this great place and discovered it last year!!!
the pork broth is amazing!!! i always get the same thing and i dont plan on changing it anytime soon!!! i get the tonkotsu ramen — spicy level two!!! as of late tho i have been asking for the spicy on the side so that i can savor and really enjoy the great, beautiful, amazing, tasty, delicious pork broth!
they have this great deal in which u get ur ramen with a side salad and there wonderful fried rice for a couple dollars more!!!
i absolutely love this place! i cheated on ramen yamadaya by going to try other ramen at other places but no! nothing like ramen yamadaya!!! it will forever and always have my heart!!!

I really wish Unilocal would offer a negative star rating option because this place was bad!
Got a to-​go order from here tonight and was very disappointed. The ramen broth was extremely over salted, which is a minor issue compared to the dead fly at the bottom of my steamed rice. Beyond disgusted. Trust me on this one, eat anywhere else!

Great ramen! I love this place. The ramen and customer service are 5 stars! I am grateful to visit on a cool evening and that it wasn’t crowded. Usually there’s a big line whenever we drive by.
Here’s what we got:
1) Tonkotsu Kotteri Ramen — This soup was so buttery (not sure if that’s the right word) and so rich. I loved this but wish there was more meat in this one.
2) Basic Pork Broth Ramen with Small Spicy Tuna Bowl and Small Salad– This was a good ramen as well. We are glad we got only one combo. Between the two of us it was a lot of food. The spicy tuna bowl was okay and but that and the salad balanced out the meal very well
We definitely will come by again! The soup is so good and the food is the perfect amount. It’s also fun pressing the garlic into the ramen. :)

Terrible service. Even the guests sitting next to me commented. They ran out of spinach and the pork buns — which they told us nearly 20 minutes after ordering. Ramen has really small portions, and broth was boring and bland. No love in the food and it shows. Why is this place so popular with lines out the door?
They served the sides ordered (kale and tofu) about 15 minutes prior to the ramen dishes, which the soup came out lukewarm.
Shouldn’t there just be boiling hot broth in the kitchen? I don’t understand what takes so long — 30 minutes to get mediocre ramen? Really disappointing.

5 star local noodles for sure.
Boasting of about 20 hours of boiling sure makes these noodles rock and roll.
Always plenty of people and with basic tables and chairs. This place always sends out the freshest of Ramen around. Plenty of options of Spice levels too if you’re adventurous.
We enjoy a fried rice and gyoyza with our Ramen which usually yields some leftovers tooooooo!

I was really craving some ramen over the weekend and got my fix at Ramen Yamadaya. I’ve been to the one in Torrance a few times, but I thought I’d try the one in Culver City since it’s closer to me.
We got there around 7:30pm and there was already a huge line. I noticed that there were so many empty tables despite the crowd. I asked one of the servers if they were seating people at the empty spots and they said rudely, «If you sit there, you’re going to have to wait 45 minutes for your food». –1 star for their attitude.
We waited for about 20 minutes. We were all huddling around the front since it was cold outside lol. I was just observing the servers as I was waiting since I had nothing else to do. I noticed how slammed they were. The kitchen was making food as quickly as possible (both for people dining in and take out orders). There just wasn’t enough people on staff. Even the servers looked overwhelmed trying to take the orders of guests AND bringing food/​drinks. Just watching them really stressed me out.
Once we got seated, we waited a while for our waiter to approach us. It took forever for us to get our waters as well. I got the tonkotsu ramen with a spicy level 2 with an order of the kakuni on top (pork belly) and an order of the chicken karaage. We got our ramen before the karaage (–1 star for that). The ramen broth had a lot of flavor and depth and you can definitely taste the heat in it as well. It was extremely flavorful and the noodles were nice and al dente as well. However, there was not a lot of the bamboo shoots and the egg was overcooked. What really sucked was the kakuni. omg It was the fattiest thing in the world. It was to the point where it was actually gross to eat.
The karaage was overly fried and I could tell it was just sitting in the fryer from its color. The chicken wasn’t even juicy. I suggest you skip out on this one. –1 star for this.
Overall, based on the reviews from other people, this Ramen Yamadaya is inconsistent and need more staff members. BUT they do accept credit cards at this location.

After my visit to the Culver city DMV renewing my driver’s license, I Unilocaled and found Ramen Yamadaya. I also remember my Unilocaler friend Yenny D. mentioned that this is her favorite ramen place on the westside. So we decided to stop by and try it! Boy, was it the right decision.
Ramen Yamdaya actually reminds me of the Shin-​shen-​gume ramen in Sawtelle. Even the layout of both places is similar. Beside ramen, this place also have curry rice dishes, pork cutlet, gyoza, wanton, CA rolls and among others. Yamadaya is a very friendly place for either party of 1 or to accomodate families with children. The atmosphere inside is quite relaxed.
Since we are not spicy eaters, we opted for the original tonkotsu ramen ($ 8.45) with extra menma (bamboo for $ 1) and extra spinach ($ 2), and the vegan ramen ($ 8.75)with extra spinach ($ 2).
The tonkotsu was just enough flavor without the unnecessary fat & grease. Though the noodle wasn’t the el dente texture, however it tasted fine and the portion was just right. What really stood out was the vegan ramen! It came with corn, spinach, tomato and green spinach noodles. The soup was flavorful and the darn thing tasted AWESOME!
We love this place. Right when we sat down, we told our waitress that we prefer NO GARLIC and NO green onions. Immediately, we were informed that they are not in the soup base and customers can add garlic and onions FREE! We just love places where «spice is a choice not forced»!! If sensitive to gluten, upon request, they can also make the ramen gluten-​free!
As for parking, there are a few parking spaces in the back or street parking, and they do accept credit cards (yay I get miles). In addition, the food quality, quantity and price are all excellent!
Ramen Yamadaya gets a big thumbs up with 4 stars. It’s difficult for me to give ramen places more than 4 stars because I think I myself, make the BEST ramen (haha). If you are in the area, I highly recommend Yamadaya. However, if you like to chow on fat, layers of grease and a huge amount of MSG with garlic pallets floating on the top of the soup that will leave you with a massive unhealthy halitosis and the possiblity of acid relfux (and pray that you won’t clog up your toilet… LOL) then, there is that other Annex place for you on Sawtelle.

My first three choices were a no-​go.
Some friends and I were looking for a place in the area to have dinner, and being on a gluten-​free diet at the time, I voted for Ramen Yamadaya since I read they have gluten-​free noodles. After we were seated, I noticed the sign on the wall advertising said noodles. So I thought I had picked the right place.
It was only when ordering that I was told that the kitchen had run out of certain things. They were out of the gluten-​free noodles, so I asked for the spicy tuna bowl. Nope, sold out. Ok, what about sushi? Sorry, we’re out.
Wondering if running out of menu items is a common occurrence here, I finally opted for the Teriyaki Chicken bento ($ 8.75). My food came on a plate instead of in a traditional bento box, and it consisted of chicken, rice, cabbage and potato salad. I was given a good portion of chicken and it wasn’t too dry, though it was a little light on the teriyaki sauce. 3.5 stars for this dish.
Our group split some Edamame ($ 3.45) and French Fries ($ 3.95). The edamame was decent, flavored with a little salt, and the fries were cut thickly and also enjoyable. 4 stars for appetizers.
In additional to her entrée, the wife ordered a Calpico Hi ($ 6) to drink. They didn’t card her for this, and after trying the drink, we joked that it was because it seemed watered down and we could hardly taste the alcohol. 2 stars here.
Overall it was an ok experience, but the unavailability of common menu items was definitely off-​putting. I’ll probably look elsewhere the next time we’re in the area.

Okay I’ll be honest, this place is amazing! Great quality, and the taste is amazing… I will without a doubt come back here. However, one major problem is that they didn’t carry anything that I wanted. First of all, I came ON a Tuesday night — it wasn’t packed. Maybe like 3 people. I ordered the Pork Ramen, esentially, it’s like the basic one they serve.
I asked for TOFU to be included in my ramen, and the waitress said they didn’t have it and that they ran out. I said to myself «Ok, kind of weird, but okay» LOL sort of astonished, I still went about my way. Ramen was served super quick — which was amazing. I wanted to order Dr, Pepper — and the lady said «We ran out of Dr. Pepper» LOL. I sort of laughed and I just kept the rude comment in my head because I didn’t want to be mean.
Ramen was DELICIOUS. Not gonna lie, will be coming here again. Great taste — great variety in the ramen. Just the best! I was up for dessert, and I wanted the green tea Mochi. LOL the waitress again said, «SoWWY, we ran out of green tea2 mochi!» and then that’s when I said «On a Tuesday night!!!» LOL at this point, I found it hilarious that just blurted out of my mouth. My waitress said, «Yes, sowwy, we usually get shipment Thursdays» LOL I found that to be endearing and cute, so I just let it slide.
That was one of the downsides of coming here. I also heard somebody telling somebody else that they had ran out of RAMEN on a Monday night — it’s like how do you run out of RAMEN if you’re a RAMEN place? LOL that’s like Mc Donald’s running out of meat. Please Ramen Yamadaya order more food for the week! As I was driving home, I saw a Trader Joes and stopped for a Mochi because I was craving it! LOL

Yay! Vegan ramen!!!
I thought I was going to have to forego noodles tonight, but thankfully Yamadaya has a veggie option on the menu. So while hubby slurped up his pork bowl, I handled my vegan one: Miso broth, mushrooms, corn, tomatoes, etc. delicious noodles– different from the pork ramen. Spinach or cilantro? In any case, they’re green.
The restaurant is clean and the bar is a good option if you’re flying solo. Service is consistently good.
There’s usually a wait, but they’ll get you in pretty quickly.
Perfect for a freezing cold night in SoCal.

I’ve been here twice now and I must say that overall I find it to be pretty good. The first time it was right around 5:30pm on a weeknight so it wasn’t very crowded at all, but the second time was around 6pm on a Sunday night and it was very busy. Apparently the second scenario is the norm, so be prepared. On my first visit I tried their spicy tonkotsu combo with side of salmon roe rice bowl and salad and the second time I got their vegan (yes, vegan) ramen combo, again with the salmon roe rice bowl and salad as sides. As you may have surmised, I’m not a vegetarian, but having a veg significant other has made me more conscious about it and I was truly curious about the taste of the vegan option, which you can easily not make vegan by getting it with a side of egg, like I did. The broth was surprisingly rich, with a hearty miso paste base. I was surprised to see that the curly ramen noodles were green, but I could discern no particular difference in flavor and I loved their chewy texture. The cooked spinach and corn they had in the bowl was cold, which was weird, but warmed right up in the hot broth. It also came with two slices of raw tomato, which I did not care for and took right out. There were also mushrooms and bamboo shoots, which I love. Their salmon roe bowl were great both times, with very fresh roe and nicely cooked rice. Their side salad is just ok – just a lot of shredded cabbage and tomato slices in standard ponzu dressing. Their regular tonkotsu ramen was on par with the other Yamadaya location I’ve visited, so at least that seems consistent.
The atmosphere here can be a bit hectic when it’s crowded, and their weird cash register counter against one of the walls with its visible clutter of napkins, cups and other supplies contribute to the hectic vibe. So the ambiance isn’t all that but I think this is a solid choice for ramen, especially in this area, which isn’t exactly bustling with other ramen options.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: Good ramen for the area, with extra props for the vegan ramen, but the ambiance can be a little hectic.

I enjoyed the ramen here – the broth was pretty good and it was fun to mix up the spicy paste and watch it turn from clear to red! Here the spicy ramen came with half of an egg, pork and noodles. We ordered free garlic cloves (a must so damn tasty), corn and spinach on the side, plus some sort of fried crunchy pork which was amazing! For two bowls of ramen and the add ons we paid $ 30. Nice casual atmosphere too & plenty of seating. They have a small parking lot in the back and metered parking in the front. We definitely got lucky as there was only one spot when we arrived. If you have to walk then at least you work off dinner lol

Located at the corner of Washington and Commonwealth in Culver City, Ramen Yamadaya represents the closest true ramen spot to Playa Vista, where I live. Last night, on my way home from work, I stopped in. They have some tables as well as a small bar, perfect for solo diners like myself last night.
Shortly after walking in I was greeted by a server, who quickly took my order. About 5 minutes later my ramen arrived. I ordered the Tonkotsu Kotteri. The broth was tasty, though seemed a little light on garlic despite being more of a garlic based broth. I added some spice to it though it never got quite spicy enough to compare to a Spicy Ramen. Personally I was not a fan of the sesame seeds or (I think stalks of tofu), which seemed unusual additions compared to many others ramens I’ve had. Overall though everything was good.
I still prefer a couple spots in town, but this one did the job and left me satisfied. Next time I’m in need of ramen, I would have no problem stopping in.

On two separate occasions, my two cousins who are actually sisters recommended this place. Coincidentally both on a Saturday evening.
Ambiance
Parking: Street parking or parking in the back. It’s a busy street so I wish you the best of luck with parking.
Seating:
* Seating is pretty limited. There is bar setting or table which can ultimately house 30 – 40 people.
Feels:
* A very decorative place I’d like to say. What’s pretty neat is the ability to see them make all the ramen and stuff. It’s a great place to bring a group of friends, go on a date, or eat alone.
Food:
Tonkotsu Spicy (Recommend)
You have choices on the level of spiciness. I ordered the second level and wasn’t too bad. The ramen was well cooked and extremely flavorful, however I had to add more spice to turn up the heat.
Tonkotsu Shoyu (Recommend)
Like Tonkutsu Spicy without the spiciness. If you’re spicy sensitive, this would be the ramen for you.
Rock Shrimp Tempura (Recommend)
Basically like walnut shrimp but smaller and a tempura crunched packed with flavor… yum!!!
Kara-​Age Chicken (Recommend)
Korean fried chicken! Not too oily and a different kind of crunch. I’m a sucker for fried chicken so that’s why I recommend this.
Pork Belly Yamadaya Bun (Recommend)
Another THICK flavored pork belly. Fatty yet so delicious.
Customer Service:
Our server was attentive and we were served at a reasonable time. We requested to change tables and they were able to do so.
Overall:
4 stars. Food was delicious, price was about right, and the feels were great. It takes love to make good food with their good company, it just makes it better. Parking can be better but you can’t really change this. Whenever you’re in the mood for some ramen, I would recommend giving this a try wherever location it may be.
TL;DR Tips:
* Plan ahead of time, generally there is generally a wait.
* Show your college ID card for extra noodles/​rice!

What brought us to this place was the fact that they had clear and lighter ramen broths and some days you just need that and not the heavy greasy typical broth (have I lost you yet?).
We got the shio and shoyu ramens along with a side of takoyaki. The ramen broths were indeed light but flavor was a bit weak for me. It tasted like chicken broth tbh. Noodle quality was so so, so overall it was just an «aight» for me. I probably wouldn’t come here if I was craving ramen given all the other options around, especially on sawtelle.
The takoyaki was unfortunately not the freshly made kind (sticky chewy texture) that I was hoping for, but instead seemed like the regular manufactured store bought ones. Not to say it wasn’t good but I would much prefer the real ones.
Service was just okay – you don’t get your typical enthusiastic and warmth typical of most Japanese restaurants, they basically bring you your food and that’s it. Given the parking situation (street, god help me) and quality of the food, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to come here. Price was decent though.

Yamadaya always hits the spot. I’ve been coming here since they first opened and I leave satisfied every time.
Service is fast and friendly. No complaints.
I am big combo person (because I like to order a little of everything) and I would definitely recommend getting any sort of combo. Talk about bang for your buck! I ordered the tonkotsu spicy with kara-​age chicken and salad. They have other appealing combos such as a bowl of katsu rice or spicy tuna with your order of ramen too. The kara-​age chicken is nicely made. Not overly-​fried and you have nice thick pieces of chicken. The salad is a tad salty. They put a little too much salad dressing on top and after you’re done with it, you can see a puddle of the dressing at the bottom of the bowl.
The soup base was perfect. They have a large quote in the back wall of the restaurant saying how they boil the pork bone for over 20 hours and I feel like you can definitely tell by drinking the soup! It was nicely balanced and level 2 wasn’t too spicy at all! My only complaint is that they skimp on the slices of chashu. I only got like 2 slices!!! Luckily the deliciousness of the broth makes up for that.
TIPS:
–If you’re a student, bring your ID! You can get a large order of noodles for free!
–Peak lunch/​dinner times can get a little crazy so don’t be surprised if there’s a wait.
–The parking in the back is pretty small but you can find street parking pretty easily. Just watch out because you can’t park on Commonwealth Ave after 5 PM or something without a permit so be careful and read street signs! The street over, on Center St, doesn’t require a permit so that’s an option too. Unfortunately, you can’t park in the Chipotle lot.