Rameniac is kickin’ it old school with Umemura, the ramen shop he grew up with. Well, that might be stretching the truth a bit, as he’s one of those guys that hasn’t really grown up all that much. But has one of Southern California’s oldest and most venerated ramen shops matured any over the years? That’s a good question…

You know things are foo-bar’d when a cheap knock off can sully the reputation of a perfectly fine ramen shop. Tucked into the middle of nowhere, the original Foo Foo Tei serves up a menu of David Lynchian weirdness that sounds worse than it really is. Like Twin Peaks, nanchatte paitan ramen isn’t for everyone!

Intrigue plagues the existence of dual Foo Foo Tei in the San Gabriel Valley. Spite and litigation apparently abound, and rumor has it that the Monterey Park branch is merely a cheap knock-off of the Hacienda Heights original. All theatrics aside, are its noodles even worth fussing over?

Sandwiched in a strip mall in West L.A.’s Little Osaka, Kinchans’s svelte location on Sawtelle is within proximity of boba shops, giant robots, and Asian hipsters galore. The place has been around forever, but does anyone actually eat there? If so, excellent. But if not, there has gots to be a reason why! 

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?

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…

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!

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? 

Koraku is Los Angeles’ original late night ramen joint, perfect for that post-party slurpdown. But although ramen is considered proper hangover food in Japan, can a few beers impair one’s judgement of taste? Let’s find out!

Why is this man smiling? Simple really. It’s because he makes the best shoyu ramen in L.A. Case closed. As good as it gets, without a 10-hour plane flight across the Pacific. Where is this miracle? Wouldn’t you like to know?

Tucked away on the third floor of a Little Tokyo strip mall, Orochon Ramen could hardly seem less innocuous. But what on earth made rameniac’s sister hold her head in such agony? Grab a quart of milk and find out!

Tucked away in a desolate corner of Little Tokyo, Hanaichimonme has been quietly churning out some of the best ramen in Los Angeles for the past two decades! Do signs of life remain, in the former Yaohan Plaza?

A visit to Ramenya is like dropping in on your platonic best friend. Sure, she’s just your default when you don’t have a date to the concert, but anything can happen with a shoulder to cry on and a few bottles of biiru at the ready! Right? Right?!!

Vaunted chef Yasuji Morizumi was the force behind Chabuya and Chabuton. Now he also has Kurofune - an assari-kei chain - to his name. Does the so-called “TV champion” of ramen have what it takes, or is Kurofune just another dead pixel on your widescreen?

With so many assari-kei ramen shops in Southern California, how does Eboshi Noodle Bar stack up? A favorite of many Japanese ex-pats, is it better than the rest, or are you better off elsewhere?

Reseda, CA was the fictional home to Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso, a.k.a. Karate Kid. Would they be waxing nostalgic for Ramen Nippon, or catching flies with their chopsticks and hitting Arby’s across the street?