Koraku

Sadly, this location of Koraku has closed. However, there is still a location open in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, and one of the chefs from Sherman Oaks, Masa, has accepted a position there. (Update: Scratch that; Masa no longer works there.)
I’ll miss Koraku, Sherman Oaks!

CLOSED
This place is closed now, they shut down ⁴⁄₃₀. I went the day before to try it out for the first/​last time. They’re one of the only places around here that have true shio ramen as opposed to the tonkotsu that’s been everywhere. Shio is much lighter, not as heavy which is what I like sometimes.
Shio broth was good and light but still had a decent amount of flavor. It was a tad too salty for me but hey, its salt ramen. Noodles were pretty good, I prefer them a little firm but these were a little too firm. The chashu was pretty dry, that’s my only real complaint. But I still would have come back.

Came here a few times when I used to frequent the area. Nice, clean, little ramen shop that has a homely feel to it. The ramen here is pretty good. Broth is very rich and flavorful. Noodles have a nice, thick texture which is how I like my ramen noodles. The pork fried rice is friggin’ delicious. I’m sure it’s cooked in a lot of pork fat but I don’t care because it’s so gooood. Be sure to try that if you’re not in the mood for ramen. They serve alcohol and even non-​alcoholic beer for those who are curious.
There are a handful of tables along with seating at the bar. The few times I came, there was a short 5 – 10 minute wait. They close at 1am so that is a plus. Prices are good and service is quick + friendly. Very easy to miss in the small plaza, but look for the El Torito in case you can’t find it.
Tip: Don’t order the rice balls, it’s a complete rip off. All rice and no filling = no bueno.

Great value, delicious late night spot in Sherman Oaks. The service is friendly and quick, the food is fresh and the fried rice is super good and not oily.
The ramen here is very decent for the price and Valley location. I’ve had amazing ramen in Kyoto and Tokyo and the stuff here is probably about 75−80% of the way there.
They’re open till 1am!

FOOD: I got the popeye ramen (pork and spinach) and my friend got the chiasu ramen. We also shared an order of gyoza. I really liked how much spinach I was given and the pork was tasty and tender. Bonus the portion was just right. It was big but not excessive. My friend also liked his dish because the broth was rich and flavorful. The gyoza were fine, but I would try another appetizer next time.
ATMOSPHERE: The shop is small and inviting. When we arrived all of the tables were taken but the bar was open. I liked the bar area. It was roomy and quiet.
SERVICE: Our service was friendly and efficient. No complaints.
OVERALL: I had a good time and a good meal. I would go back if I were in the area.

Very rarely do I rate places a one. My obsession with food tends to cloud my judgment at times. Not here. My boyfriend was craving oyakodon so I Unilocaled some local Japanese places and found this one. Seemed like a good enough place so we got in the car and drove over.
First things first, the parking situation is horrible. We had to park up the block and across the street. That’s not Koraku’s fault though. We got to the door and it looked pretty empty aside for a couple inside and the staff. I guess that should’ve been our first sign.
We ordered:
–Takoyaki (fried ball of octopus w/​bonita flakes, ginger and green onions on top)
–Oyakodon (chicken, egg and scallions simmered together over rice)
–Happosai (pork, shrimp, squid, quail eggs, veggies in a japanese gravy sauce over rice)
The takoyaki tasted soggy and worse than that it tasted like it was popped into the microwave. The sauce on top was decent. The oyakodon was incredibly dry and tasteless. It had to be drowned in soy sauce and chile oil to have any flavor or moistness, whatsoever. Now onto the worst dish out of them all, Happosai.
This seemed like it’d be the most promising. It was last to come out so even after the other dishes downfalls I thought it might still be good. Boy was I wrong. The squid and the pork in it were alright. The squid was small little rubbery pieces, but hey at least it was squid. I recalled there being shrimp in the dish, but I stirred it around and couldn’t find any. Then I saw them. You know the shrimp that comes in cup of noodles? Well, that is exactly what was served in this dish. No restaurant at any level should serve that to anybody. If you cannot afford to have shrimp on your menu then take it off. It would be a lot better than putting it on the menu and serving dried up pieces of shrimp that cup of noodles makes taste better.
The «gravy sauce» it was served in was pretty bad too. No flavor. Extremely watery. My biggest fault with this was the shrimp though. It left me disgusted. I suppose maybe ramen would have been a better call at this restaurant and had I ordered ramen perhaps my review would be better. Unless I of course ordered their shrimp ramen which probably had these shrimps in it as well. Despite that though I do believe that any restaurant who serves shrimp like that deserves 0 stars even if they can make ramen edible. Pathetic.

Tried ramen for the first time last night and I fell in loveeee!
I’m so happy that I came here. The waitress was this cute, young, Japanese chick with fake eyelashes (aw) and she was super nice!
My friend asked about curry ramen and at first she said they didn’t offer it, but then she came back and she said it was in the secret menu (oops I probably shouldn’t write that on here) haha.
So I got #44 on the menu which was a spicy ramen dish with beef, veggies, and egg.
I am very picky so I substituted the beef for tofu, got the egg on the side, and skipped out on the veggies. AND IS WAS DELICIOUSSSS!
I could seriously eat like 5 bowls of ramen. The service was great, the place was clean, and the décor was cute. They provide real chopsticks, none of that wood crap.
For a first timer, I loved the ramen and I can’t wait to go back. I definitely recommend this spot to anyone who loves ramen.
Oh, and they’re open late, until 1am! (at least on Saturdays they are) which is a big A+ in my book because I’m a midnight scavenger looking for food. LOVE THIS PLACEEEEE

I love this place because I don’t have to commute to Little Tokyo for my fix. I order the same thing like I always have since 2007 – Tonkatsu and an order of gyoza. Their gyoza is fresh, not out of the box, and their tonkatsu is soooooo good. It usually comes with HOT HOT miso soup (I love my soup scalding, and they serve it like that) a mound of cabbage with a soy ginger dressing, some potato or macaroni salad and 2 pieces of tonkatsu. The food is always consistent, and I know that it’ll always be good. The service is top notce.

*******Koraku’s MOP (Meal in One Pic)*****
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Koraku is a small Japanese Ramen noodle restaurant located in a strip mall in Sherman Oaks right across El Torito. The menu has an exhaustive list of ramen noodle dishes. Pretty impressive. The waitress is friendly. The décor feels appropriate for the food served. The portions are large, the broths are tasty. The noodles are ok. The veggies could be fresh (they are mainly from cans) but for the price it is perfect.
I love the rice vinegar and spicy oil on each tables.
We tried:
Gyoza dumplings pork and vegetables
So we thought it would be a combination of pork and vegetables dumpling. It was only pork. The dumplings were good. They were hot and spicy. The meat was tender and the veggie slightly crunchy which gave great texture to the dish.
Gekikara pork mushroom miso based sauce
A nice miso ramen broth a bit on the oversalty side but it is usually the case with miso broth. The pieces of pork were nicely cooked.
Chatting with the waitress was great. She was really nice.
A good ramen option when not in the mood to drive to the amazing Daikokuya.

Can anyone say Kimchi Raman!!! I sure can! A dish that is not on the menu but is a must have. Just imagine some beautiful pieces of kimchi, noodles, and beef, and a soothing broth all in one place. The chopsticks are ready to dig in before you get your hands on it. They have so many great choices on their menu so you can get your Ramen on. They do not serve alcohol, but you can get a hot tea, or any other soothing beverage.
The staff is great, and very helpful. Parking can be packed, since they have so many great options in the mini mall lot, but they have parking on the street, or valet for 4 bucks.

I work in Sherman Oaks (ahem…Van Nuys) and sadly there aren’t many food options around that make me happy – mostly food chains.
Then one day, one of my co-​workers told me about Koraku, and I thought, «Why not?».
This was this was my second time at Koraku.
We ordered gyoza, and I must say that I was pleasantly satisfied with the texture and flavor. Not sure if they make their gyoza fresh, but I was satisfied enough. Light and crispy on the outside, and tasty in the inside. :)
I then ordered the the Popeye ramen which contains plenti-​o spinach, delicately flavored pieces of pork, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, in a shio broth. Oh, and of course there are ramen noodles in this soup! How could I forget to mention the ramen noodles?! The noodles were the BEST part of this soup. The texture made me think of homemade noodles I’ve tried in Japan – not overcooked and not undercooked. That’s saying a lot.
To top it off (literally) I ordered a side of kimchi to go with it. Yum-​O!
The only bummer, well maybe two, parking is ridiculous! I decided to park on Moorpark – for free. Also, I noticed a box labeled MSG on my way to their restroom. Boo!
I’ll still come back though.

I usually come where when i want traditional Japanese ramen when i’m too lazy to drive to Little Tokyo. The owners and wait staff are Japanese which i greatly appreciate. The menu is pretty expansive as well and offers plenty of options for those that are up to try something new. My usual staples are the shoyu or miso ramen. My latest time, i tried the Gekikara Gyuniku Tamago Ramen which is basically Beef, Eggs, and Veggies in a hot and sour soup. To be fair, it pretty much tasted like the chinese hot and sour soup which is true to their word. However, i felt like since this is a japanese establishment, it should have its own flare. It was good but didnt feel like I was eating japanese ramen. I’m up to try other things though so maybe that’ll win me over again.
A recommendation for the restaurant is to offer combination specials for the ramen. Lately ive seen ramen shops have combos with fried rice, gyoza, spicy tun rice, etc.
Also, be aware that the place is on the smaller size. I wouldnt recommend it for groups larger than 4.
Lastly, its in the Gyu Kaku and El Torito plaza on the corner of Van nuys Blvd. and Ventura. They all share a parking lot and it often time gets full. Look for street parking on the small street just before Ventura if its full to save money from valeting.

Ramen has been a go-​to for me when it comes to late night eats. Now let me take a moment and clarify that I am not talking about Cup-​a-​Noodle or the actual Ramen brand that one can purchase in your local supermarket. What I’m talking about here is traditional Japanese Ramen, which is noodles with some assorted vegetables and proteins, and sometimes fake crab meat or some other type of imitation meats, usually served in a soy sauce based broth or miso based broth. That’s Ramen, not the stuff in the market that comes in the jalapeño pepper flavor or some other ridiculous combination.
With that said, ramen is also hard to come by especially in the San Fernando Valley… at least good ramen. Until Koraku decided to open a branch of their ever popular brand in Sherman Oaks.
This place opens pretty late, like its Little Tokyo sibling and it offers traditional Japanese fare such as teriyaki chicken plates, gyoza, and so on… but don’t waste your time with those. You come to Koraku for the ramen and numerous variation of it. For me, I usually go with the traditional Shoyu Ramen combination with a side of their fried rice. It’s Asian comfort food at it’s best, especially after an evening of partying and karaoking your heart souls out to the best of Alicia Bridges.
Word of caution though, most of the broth for any type of ramen has a hint of pork fat in it so if you’re vegetarian, be sure to ask before ordering.

I like this place. I honestly like the ramen at another place better… but one word.
Oyakodon.
They actually make it here… and it’s amazingly tasty! Yum! I don’t know anywhere else in the Valley that they even make this dish. Yum Yum Yum!
I can’t use chopsticks… so they always very nicely give me a fork. :)
Random note: My friend and I were trying to decide if the Japanese chef had blue eyes… and the consensus was yes. So weird.
Also, the seating here is really cute… kawaii!

So I really wanted some ramen but I live in the valley. Decided to go to this place since everyone said its prob the closest to good ramen in the valley. This place looks authentic when you walk in. But on a Saturday afternoon there was only a couple other people eating there besides us.
Sister got the ramen and fried rice combo and I got the spicy miso ramen. Both tasted alright. Definitely get a miso ramen or the broth has no flavor. Mine had all sorts of veggies in it: bean sprouts, etc. which kind of turned me off to it since I was there for the ramen. The fried rice was ok. Kind of dry so dip it in your broth for some flavor. Definitely not the greatest ramen place but worth a try if you dont want to drive to downtown. The price is pretty standard and there is free parking in the plaza lot.

meh. Its the only convenient thing to eat in this strip mall. Cause you know. I wont do the El Torrito across the parking lot! The service is competent and food is above average. Sure stop by and say hello.

Located in a strip mall off Ventura Blvd, Koraku is pretty easy to miss. The only reason I came upon this place was because we were craving ramen and this was the only restaurant close by.
We rolled up around 2 pm on a weekend and the place was pretty empty except for another party sitting at the bar. We chose a booth and started ordering right away. Everything looked good, but then again, everything looks good when you are starving.
The waitress was efficient and semi-​helpful only because her English wasn’t that good. I changed my order and she didn’t seem to mind so definite plus.
Rice balls: One came with bonito and the other had salmon in it. Nice presentation, but I didn’t eat any. My companions did and said they were okay. Too much rice, not enough filling.
Mapo tofu ramen: I love mapo tofu. It’s one of my favorite Chinese dishes. So, when I saw this epic combo, I was super stoked to try it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as it sounded. The broth lacked flavor which is surprising considering all the ground pork and tofu it came with. I couldn’t finish the bowl, just wasn’t good to me.
Popeye ramen: Cool name and sure lived up to it. Packed with tons of spinach and slices of pork, this ramen was tastier than mine. It’s in a soy based broth so that could be the reason.
Croquette: Pretty tasty! Potato croquette with ground pork served with some julienned cabbage and some dipping sauce. Wish it came with more than just one per order.
Pork fried rice: My favorite! The portion was a bit small for sharing, especially with how tasty it was. I liked the small bits of egg, carrots and green onion mixed in there. Yum.
Overall, the food and service were good. I would come back and give their ramen a second chance.
PIX–

This is one of my favorite ramen places in the valley. It’s a super small restaurant but I never wait long. The servers are nice and the food comes out quickly.
I always order the shoyu ramen with spicy broth. The noodles are always made perfectly and the broth is rich in flavor. My bf and I always order at least 1 combo ramen that comes with fried rice. The fried rice in the ramen broth is delicious.
Can’t beat good food at a decent price

So, after eating here at 2 AM with a friend, we came to a simple, yet easy conclusion:
Only come here if you ABSOLUTELY must; if you have no other alternative.
I think of Koraku as the Denny’s of Japanese food. It’s open 24 hours. It’s cheap. It’s fast. It’s easy. Don’t expect much, don’t get much in return. Between the hours of 2 AM — 5 AM, you’ll most definitely run into a crowd of people who just finished a night of clubbing. Mini-​dresses at Koraku seems like the equivalent to the figure of speech «oxymoron» — it simply doesn’t make sense.

Koraku lets you customize your ramen if you ask nicely! I went to Koraku late on Saturday night with some Japanese girls, and they made CURRY RAMEN for me even though it wasn’t on the menu! Iiiiii né!
I haven’t had curry ramen since I was in Yokohama a few years back. They serve curry, and they serve ramen… so I asked them to make curry ramen for me using shio (salt base). Pretty damn good if I do say so myself!
Definitely ordering this again!