Gardena Ramen

Not the best ramen place in the South Bay, but it’ll suffice if you don’t want to wait in line for the other ramen place down the street.
Only two choices of ramen: shoyu and miso… served ONE way. Cash only. There’s an ATM next door, but have cash ready if you dont want to pay an extra fee to get cash.
This place is just ok. Nothing to do cartwheels over. Just a place to feed your tummy.
[Edit: I wrote this earlier this year but it never posted. And now it’s closed. WOMP!]

Sadly, this place has closed =(
From what I had seen myself, the owner wasn’t really so openly friendly to customers, and didn’t seem to have a good grasp of good marketing concepts. The 8.5×11 menu stuff taped to the walls from a home printer definitely didn’t give a good impression — a couple hundred bucks spent having some nice ones made could surely have made a difference. I don’t know if he was worried about the perceived quality degradation if stuff sat for a while, but he blatantly refused to do to-​go orders, and I saw many disappointed people come in and then leave when they weren’t able to be given what they wanted (take out orders). He definitely didn’t give a damn when they gave the saddest faces ever. Maybe some expanded hours would have helped too — I myself came to a dark shop here many, many times because I missed their open time by 15 or 20 minutes.
The wait staff and the food were #1, so it is quite sad that this place is gone now. I tried to patronize the place as much as I could, but I think the lack of repeat & new business (for the above reasons) took its toll. A very sad day indeed when I saw it closed for good…

I love this place! Too bad it’s so far. I don’t know, I thought the ramen was delicious. I mean, simple but satisfying.
Sure, two kinds of ramen. Sohyu and Miso. But, that’s really all you need.
Heard about this from some acquaintances we made at my climbing gym, and they really liked this place. And I couldn’t help but agree.
It’s one of those places I can’t help but think about when in the area. Awesome joint and simple, delicious food.

Unfortunately Gardena Ramen closed down not too long ago. Sad!
Update 2013 — Looking back I’m really sad he closed down, I’ll NEVER forget the taste of the ramen here.

We were originally looking for another ramen joint, but couldn’t find it so we stopped in at Gardena Ramen. Had the miso ramen– half an egg, 2 pieces of meat, some slices of bamboo. It was simple, but delicious. I loved the noodles they used. Everyone finished up all their food in the bowls and I thought the broth was yummy.
The gyoza serving was pretty generous, although I think they are just the regular frozen kind that I can cook up myself at home.
It was my first time at Gardena Ramen and sadly my last! They are closing tomorrow (June 28.)

Gardena Ramen is closing June 28, 2011. I enjoyed coming here to eat simple shoyu ramen and for its extremely reasonable price. $ 6.50 per bowl. I will miss this place for sure. Thank you to the owner for adding gyoza to the menu. I was one for the person who asked for the gyoza and they listened.

Saw this place in the same shopping lot as 99 cents store.
I was picking up my dry cleaners, and I was in luck to find a Ramen shop located in the same business center i was in.
I decided to give this place a try, since it seemed like a hole in the wall type restaurant.
i ordered the shoyu, 6.50
and a small 12 oz asahi beer 3.50
for the same price as the shoyu i got here, i couldve gotten more meat and extras at hakata.
my bowl had literally 2 pieces of meat, 1 egg, and maybe 2 slices of ginger, or it was possibly asian corn. not quite sure.
the broth was decent and there were tons of noodles, however they couldve put more meat in it.
quick service, poor menus (literally papers taped on the walls).
Definitely had better.

Got here early on a weekday… and we were the only ones in the place the whole time we ate.
Service was good… but the ramen was just… average.
Average as far as I’m concerned isn’t a bad thing… but possibly in relation to the competition and the relative proximity to alternatives in the area.
From the standpoint that we don’t get down to socal often, and this was the one place that we got to try… a bit of a disappointment.

Price!
Speed!
Flavor!
That is the way I would place the order of this ramen shop. They have limited ramen selection but if you want a quick ramen cheap, you cant beat this place. Is it the best? No… but it is what you can get quick and cheap. I went to go get a hair cut, got ramen and went back to work in an hour!

So simple. Love it.
When I say simple, it’s the menu, the place, the flavor. It’s nothing spaz about. It’s just normal, but I’ll probably coming in here a lot more. Cause you can’t have ultra-​flavored ramen all the time, you need to take a step back and enjoy simple ramen time to time. They’re both good, it’s just different.
Man this place makes me feel I’m back in 1990. That’s probably why I like it so much. Also comics in the back.

Another good local find! The bf does really well in making sure I’m fed. The hungry-​monster is not a pretty sight, so I don’t blame him for having a list of places to eat. We went here for a quick bite to eat. I haven’t been to this plaza in forever because, well, it’s kind of creepy with the big empty lot and the lack of business there.
As we entered, we saw two cops eating there, so we both thought, «It’s gotta be good, cops are eating here!» Because aside from serving and protecting, they’re also good at eating. Or finding good eats.
The place has plenty of small tables all around that can be pushed together if you have a larger party. The woman who greeted us told us we could sit anywhere. And she asked us what we wanted to eat. Don’t look for a menu because there isn’t one. There are pieces of white 8×11 paper taped onto the wall that say:
Shoyu or miso ramen $ 6.50. Oh, and gyoza.
Basically you just decided if you want shoyu or miso ramen, and whether or not you want large. I think large was just about $ 1 more.
The ramen came out fairly quickly and since we had gotten one of each, we were able to try both. Normally, I don’t like shoyu, just because it’s so plain, but the broth was flavorful as was my miso version. The noodles were a good consistency, you get half an egg, 3 pieces of pork, some green onions, and a couple of slices of bamboo shoots.
I love the mom and pop feel of the place, it closes at 9, and the ramen is what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else. Not to mention you can feed two people for $ 15.
It’s cash only and so when we paid, the lady brought us a bunch of business cards that said «1 order free gyoza!» Of course that gives me incentive to come back and try the one thing I missed.
Nothing ostentatious about this place or its ramen. Love it and will be back.

Santoku ramen and miso ramen, that is it.
Great taste ramens and portion is petty big. you may not need to go for the large unless you are really hungry.
I love it here and I don’t have to wait on the big line like Shin Shen Gu Mi.

This is one of my favorite places to come for Ramen. I come here when I want a nice purist shoyu ramen.
The broth is perfect in a way that can not be described. Both simple and extremely complex at the same time. Toppings and noodles are both average. Nothing spectacular, but they don’t distract from the broth.
Would be 5 stars but there is something about the pork that is a little weird in the soup. It always seems a bit hard.
The gyoza here is my favorite of all the ramen places around.

This place is great. There is no menu and the four items they sell are posted on the wall.
Shoyu or miso ramen for $ 6.50 ($ 1.00 if you want extra noodles) and gyoza for $ 3.50. We will get to the last item in a moment.
Wanting to try everything, I had the miso ramen and my two friends had the shoyu ramen. All were excellent with a nicely balanced saltiness and fattiness. The noodles were also perfectly cooked, tender but with a little bit to them.
As I slurped down my noodles in happiness I noticed that fourth menu item posted on the wall (in Japanese only.) When I asked whether or not they had curry, our server (an older Japanese lady) lit up in delight and told us they did indeed serve curry so we ordered one to split amongst us.
It was likely made from a curry mix (Vermont Curry probably) but was done the right way with chicken, potatoes and carrots added in. I felt particularly pleased that we’d ordered every item on the menu, it’s not every day you can say that.
All told it was worth the trip and I recommend it to anyone who wants a good, authentic bowl of ramen in Los Angeles.

I don’t judge this place because of the decoration, atmosphere or how many items on the menu. I just judge on 2 things. Quality and Quantity.
I tried the Miso Ramen (yes I know others said u must try shoyu here but I am a fan of miso so shoyu next time). Its very good. The broth is actually VERY hot when it was served to me. I had to eat it just like the way I eat my Ramen in Japan (made those loud sounds).
The broth is very thick yet not greasy. You can clearly tell the chef spent alot of time making this broth. The noodle’s portion is biggest I have had so far in LA/​OC. Price inflation has not yet hit this place yet. Still $ 6.50 for a bowlful of ramen. I know some people complained about their ramen is not «soft enough» but hey, in Japan there are many different kinds of ramen (which i means, size of noodle, curvature of the noodles, etc)
I have to take 1 star off b/​c of the lack of the juice and firmness of their chashu pork. It will be nice if they can be just as tender as other competiting places.
Grand pa & grand ma operates this place. Very simple. Just Shoyu Ramen, Miso Ramen, Cold Noodles (for summer) and Gyoza. Try this place if you want to experience how real Japanese people eats Ramen in Japan. I will come here again.

6.50 for any type of ramen.
3.50 for gyoza
1.50 for soda
1.00 for extra ramen
they are in the same parking lot as the 99 cent store only!
menu is on a printed paper taped to the wall.
noodles were firmer than other ramen places. we ordered the miso and shoyu. the shoyu had more oils in the soup base. however, the cook was really nice because we came here right before closing and we were the only one in the restaurant. the cook had to stay later just for my boyfriend and i. overall, it was good!

Wow I did not expect that this place would be so popular among Unilocalers hehe. I actually thought I was going to be one of the first to review this place and me being the Unilocal nerd that I am ended up drafting a text on my phone so that I could remember the address to this place and the food that they served. Lo and behold however this little place has already been discovered by other Unilocalers out there =D.
Yes, this indeed is a little place. There was also only one waitress there — a cute little old Japanese lady. There is also no menu. They only have 3 items on their «menu» that is on the wall and consists of gyoza, miso ramen and shoyu ramen. Us being newbies to the ramen world wanted to find out what the difference was between the 2 ramens but the poor little lady couldn’t really explain it and so we ended up ordering all 3 items just to give it a try. It seemed their food tasted like something you could make at home. It was fairly ok but nothing I would rave about. There was only two pieces of meat and one egg n the miso ramen and the broth was a bit on the salty side.
It’s really just a simple place with simple food… I don’t want to give this place less stars since I feel it wouldn’t be fair to the nice old lady that seems to run this place and at the same time I am newbie to this whole ramen thing and haven’t been to any other local ramen places that I could compare this to. So for now, I say just say this place is ok. A simple review for a simple place with simple food.

Um…
After reading all the great reviews on Unilocal,I have to admit that I was disappointed. Very disappointed actually.
I showed up at opening time (11:30 am) because I was starving. The first thing I noticed was that all the chairs were for four or more people, so I wondered where a singleton like me should sit in case a larger group comes. Oh well. Service was nice, not gonna lie. They sell 3 items besides beer and soda; they offer gyoza, shoyu ramen or miso ramen.
Now, I was expecting a more complex broth. What I got seemed like glorified pork broth with soy sauce; a HUGE serving of noodles, 2 small slices of meat, half an egg, and a tablespoon of bamboo. BLERGH. Now, let me be somewhat positive. The noodles were enjoyable and chewy. Fun for noodle lovers. Yet, I can’t forget my disappointment with the broth.
I don’t know if I will come back here again. Even though I could walk here in a matter of minutes. Maybe…
Oh, and REMEMBER TO BRING CASH.

For all you indecisive folks out there… check out Gardena Ramen.
They have shoyu or miso ramen (regular or large) and gyoza. That’s it.
Gyoza was standard.
I had the miso. What I really like was the texture of the ramen noodle. And the meat. Oh, and the bamboo. The broth! Delicious. Lots of green onions. Oooo egg.
Okay I liked it all. It was good. Bring cash.

Gardena Ramen did something that I thought was impossible when I walked in. After I walked out, I had to admit… it almost knocked Daikokuya out as my favorite ramen place.
The key word is ALMOST.
Continuing on with my mini ramen crawl. After my massive disappointment with the ridiculously overhyped Asa Ramen, I walked across the street to a deserted plaza with the 99 Cents Market as being the center prize, to a very nondescript looking diner.
The place was very drab with posters of hot looking Japanese chicks holding Asahi beer. The subliminal message is there, they want us to buy that beer. The place almost looked like it took over a bad sandwich shop or diner, then replaced it with a noodle joint. You can scratch décor and ambiance from the score card.
I honestly was expecting menu, but gosh darned it, the menu is on the wall. To my shocking amazement, there are two choices you can possibly pick: it’s either Miso ramen or Shroyu ramen.
Yeah, that’s right. That is it and no special request either. It’s one of those «take it or leave it» kind of deal. There are no options for additional toppings or adjustment to your spicy level. It’s strictly his shot to make or break when the bowl of ramen arrives to your table.
There is also a little sign that indicated that goyza can be ordered, which I promptly added that on. So really in essence, only three things you can really ordered at that place. Someone mentioned in their blog to suggest this place is the ramen Nazi. Even though the Seinfeld episode of «Soup Nazi» is so played out, for the first time I actually have that feeling for this place.
My fear however was subsided when the goyza came out first. These little things were not bad at all and were deliciously hot off the frying pan. For about $ 3, it is worth it.
Then came the real test, the bowl of ramen finally arrives where the presentation of the bowl was absolutely fabulous. (I wish I brought my camera to take the pictures). The portion on the pork was generous big, much thicker than thinly sliced from Asa. The bamboo shoot was in a thick beaver log portion on a river of ramen soup.
I took a sip of the hot Shroyu soup and was very satisfied with rich texture of the broth. When I took a snipe of the noodle, I was happy to see a golden lasso streaming down the chop stick. A sigh of relief… oh yeah. At least it’s not a dull slim white Khotteri that was sling at from across the street. The noodle was very firm and tasty to the last bite. There was also a marinated hard boiled egg to go along with it which was a big plus to complete the total package.
Since I was not the One-​Pump Chump, I was thrilled that this shroyu chasu (sliced pork) ramen redeemed my sense of how a bowl of good ramen was suppose to be like. Compare to the other places that served Shoryu (a certain soy sauce based soup broth) ramen, I would generous put this place on top for its flavorable broth. According to Rameniac, who supposedly talked to the owner, it would take FOUR days for the chef to boil his signature soup.
Thank goodness that effort pays off. The noodle was superb enough to push it almost to the brink of the top, but oh so close. Still hold the pork based soup and ramen of Daikokuya as my favorite ramen.
The so called ramen Nazi is a very quiet man with a very eager to please hostess wife that would take care of the patrons who walked in. Even though, it’s hard to mess up the three items menu, you still have to give them for the effort they gave.
In a weird twist, they have more choices of beverages than the items that are served here. Amazing! I probably would have tried Miso ramen, but never been quite the fan of that type of soup base for a ramen.
After the disastrous turn of the event at Asa Ramen, me walking over across the street to Gardena Ramen turned out to be a great discovery. I was so happy with my $ 10 tab (for the Shroyu ramen and goyza with sales tax included), I almost wanted to continue on with my ramen crawl.
Alas, I’ll save it for another day. If I can be that happy after every time I walked out a ramen joint, I would be happy to give my high marks for the place.
Best ramen in town? Almost, but definitely one of the best ones out there.
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Cash only and they do take outs. C’mon, it’s only $ 10 for both the ramen and fried dumplings. That is a great deal to me and a very satisfying meal.