Where To Get The Best Ramen In Los Angeles | Tasting Table LA

We put our noodles to really good use, scouring Los Angeles for our favorite ramen.

Here, in no particular order, are the spots that bowl us over time after time.

Daikoku ramen at Daikokuya ($8.95) 

Fill up on the pork-based soup laden with bean sprouts, scallions, bamboo shoots, soft-boiled egg, chashu and curly egg noodles at this Little Tokyo stand-by. Request a kicked-up kotteri option and a gyoza ($5.95) combo for the win.

Shio ramen at Santouka ($6.99)
A real find in an unlikely place (like so many others in this town). Located inside Mitsuwa market, Santouka has long been the Westside ramen spot. Go for the delicate salt-flavored shio bowl.

Hakata ramen at Shin-Sen-Gumi ($6.95) 

The L.A. chain's specialty? Hakata-style ramen: thin, straight noodles, chashu, scallions, pickled ginger and sesame seeds. The star of each satisfying bowl is the opaque tonkotsu broth of Berkshire pork that's cooked for more than 15 hours.

White miso ramen at Ramen Hayatemaru ($8.50) 

This ramen-ya sources everything–from its thick, curly noodles to sesame seeds and white miso–from Hokkaido, Japan to its Torrance and West L.A. outposts. Don't go halfsies: Order a full portion filled with bamboo shoots, scallions, nori, wakame, soy-marinated hard-boiled egg and tender chashu.

Tsukemen ramen at Tsujita ($9.95)
This Sawtelle noodle shop schooled Angelenos on tsukemen. To eat: Dip the thick noodles in a rich fish- and pork-flavored broth. Slurp. Repeat.

Tonkotsu Black at Ramen Jinya ($10.55) 

The Tokyo franchise packs a punch with its umami-filled pork broth intensified with dashi and dried fish. The tonkotsu black goes the distance with chewy egg noodles, chashu, kirkurage mushrooms, hard-boiled egg, nori, fried onion and garlic and knockout black garlic oil.

Tokushima ramen at Men Oh ($8.50) 

The Little Tokyo newcomer starts with a pared-down tonkotsu and shoyu broth combo. The pork twofer of chashu and thinly-sliced butabara (stir-fried pork belly) makes it downright sexy.

Black ramen at Ramen Iroha ($7.95) 

We love the drama of this dark broth, thanks to soy sauce, fermented black bean and chicken broth. A complex bowlful and an instant classic.

Sapporo Miso Lover at Mottainai Ramen ($7.80)
The only thing that makes this miso-flavored soup, dense with thick noodles and ground pork, better: topping it with butter and corn, Sapporo style.