Cafe Asa is the greatest thing to hit Los Angeles since… well, since my exchange student friend came for a homestay earlier year. But that’s another story. This hidden gem of a place recently appeared out of nowhere to thoroughly own most of the other ramen shops around town! The secret’s out starting now!

It’s that time of year again! This year’s Hokkaido Fair at the Torrance Mitsuwa Marketplace featured Sumire, all the way from Sapporo! The great buttery north of Japan is home to miso ramen and one of the most popular noodle styles on the planet. How does it play in LA?

In the shadow of the Giant Robot empire stands Asahi Ramen, a neighborhood institution on West L.A.’s Sawtelle Blvd. But the times they are a-changin’. How does a once popular ramen shop stack up in the new era of specialized soups and regional styles?

Rameniac takes his first, tentative steps behind the Orange Curtain to uncover the treasure trove of ramen shops in Los Angeles’ neighbor to the south. Does Chinese Restaurant Kohryu yield a pot of gold at the end of the 405 freeway?

“Made in China” is the scarlet letter for 21st century goods. What happens when you take an enterprising Kumamoto ramen shop, franchise it across Asia, and expand it into Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley? You might get a fiasco of ill-prepared portions. Or something like that.

Every time rameniac visits Japan, he has a few boxes of Taiho Mukashii Ramen sent home. Produced in Kurume Taiho’s very own instant noodle factory, this titular bowl of “old-style” ramen is seasonally available outside of the motherland. Taste the Ariake sea in every slurp of this top-notch treat!

Now that we’ve named the 22 popularized styles of ramen, it’s high time we began… at the beginning. Join rameniac on his pilgrimage to ground zero for tonkotsu ramen, deep in the heart of Fukuoka prefecture. Taiho, it’s off to Kurume we go! 

Every great ramen shop deserves an instant noodle version of itself. Nissin Foods and 7&i convenience stores have teamed up to bring us Ippudo Karakamen, a decided spin on a Hakata-style classic. Does it rehydrate into something worthy of the Ippudo name? That’s the ¥398 question, isn’t it?

The venerable Hakata Ippudo will soon be making an all-out overseas assault on a very fortunate midtown Manhattan. What do jaded New Yorkers have in store for them? Check in with rameniac as he parts the red sea for a peak at things to come!

Finding Eastern Hiroshima-style onomichi ramen on a menu in Los Angeles is like finding a gatefold pressing of Scott Walker’s Scott 4 in the dollar bin at your local record store. It just doesn’t happen. Or does it? All things are possible with love and Shin Mama…

An entire nation falls into a burning ring of fire with that standard of Korean slurping, Nong Shim Shin Ramyun instant noodles. Can the spicy stuff go the distance like Anh Jung Hwan and the 2002 World Cup squad? Be the reds and carry them to victory!

The gentrification of the ramen shop is upon us, and San Mateo’s Himawari is a prime example of what can happen when you let loose an interior decorator in your soupy pork bone kitchen. But can the food measure up to such an extreme restaurant makeover? Let’s find out!

It’s unofficial Santouka week here at rameniac! After a quick slurp in West Los Angeles, our hero cracks open a bowl of Nissin Santouka Toroniku Tonkotsu Shio just for the sake of comparison.

Finally! Rameniac takes a seventh-inning stretch from his San Francisco chronicles to revel in the glory of quite possibly the best, most authentic example of regional ramen outside of Japan, certainly in Southern California at least. Presenting the food court phenomenon that is Santouka!

What’s red and lime green and steamy all over? Acecook’s Super Cup Noukoku Tonkotsu instant ramen, that oversized perennial in the distinctive paper carton. Styrophobes rejoice, your time is nigh!

Santa Ramen inspires a cult-like following in and around the environs of San Mateo, California. There’s a perpetual wait to get in the door, but is this temple of Bay Area noodling worth it’s weight in m. glutamate? Check in with rameniac as he checks it out!

Why is this kid smiling? Could it be because he makes the best shoyu ramen in the Bay Area? Kahoo Ramen is the sudden heir to the Do Henkotsu throne in San Jose’s Mitsuwa Marketplace, and Sou Nakano is filling some mighty big shoes. I’m jealous, wunderkinds like him get all the girls!

Ryowa ramen is an old-time favorite in Mountain View, the relatively new heart of Silicon Valley, CA. What horrible accident might befall the stray Google engineer who wanders too far off campus for lunch? 

Something wicked is afoot in Mountain View, California, where mysterious sightings of a black-souped ramen have been reported! Special investigator rameniac is on the scene for a decidely close encounter with paranormal phenomenon…

After a twelve round bout with the flu, rameniac has finally returned for some serious slurpage at the surf-themed Ramen HALU! Dude, tune in to the good vibrations and catch a wave at one of the Bay Area’s most popular noodle shops!