Daikokuya in Little Toyko

It was my second-to-last night living in Downtown LA (finally, I'm moving tomorrow!), so I decided it was time to check out a place that had been on my "to dine" list since I moved down here: Daikokuya Original Noodle & Rice Bowl.



Daikokuya is a specialty noodle house on 1st St. in Little Toyko. They're most famous for their homemade Daikoku Raumen, which is truly very special (so special it made Jonathan Gold's 99 Essentials list).

This is no Top Ramen by any stretch of the imagination:
* The raumen includes noodles, a boiled egg, seasoned bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and green onions in pork soup
* The broth is made from pork bones that are boiled for more than a day
* They use kurobuta (black pork), which is known for its tenderness and unique flavour
* The eggs are soaked in the broth overnight prior to serving

Hungry yet?

You know how takeout tastes even more delicious the next day, because the flavours have had time to brew? That's how everything at Daikokuya tastes when it's served. It's rich, savory, down-home delicious comfort food, Japanese style.

Oh, and did I mention they have good cheap Japanese beer on tap? $2.00 buys you a mug of Kirin, $10.00 buys you a gigantic pitcher. We don't mess around...



We ordered a bunch of food because everything looked and smelled so good. To start, spicy tuna roll ($4.95)...

Lots of soft, flavorful tuna, crunchy cucumber strips and fresh avocado.

Gyoza ($4.95)...

The gyoza tasted freshly homemade - hot, crispy, green-oniony, so yummy.

Brian ordered a combination dinner ($10.50), which came with cabbage salad, a chicken and rice bowl, and a bowl of raumen:

The salad has a fantastic thousand-island-ish dressing - it's so simple, but really good.

Here's the Chicken and Egg bowl. I only had a small bite of this... barely enough to taste it. Brian managed to inhale the whole thing in a matter of 1 or 2 minutes, so I guess it was really good!


Then came the raumen ($7.50 for just a bowl by itself). WOW...

This is some serious stuff. The broth is really rich - one spoonful is enough to warm you from head to toe. And it tastes SOOOO amazing. Apparently, you can also order the broth stamina style, which means extra rich... I couldn't imagine it getting more rich than this.

The noodles are very al dente, which gives them a nice chew that softens up as time passes.
My favorite part was the pork strips in the broth.

This is the TORO OF PORK: it's fatty, savory, and literally melts in your mouth. I am salivating as I type just remembering how delicious it was! The taste is like bacon meets toro, and then some.

Daikokuya is a cool little spot. Very homey, diner-like, but hip - everyone in the restaurant looked like they had stepped out of a music video. They're open late too: usually till 2AM or later. It was about a 20 minute wait when we got there, but well worth it.


After this meal, we came home and promptly fell asleep. I haven't had such a comforting meal in a really long time - I slept like a baby. I really loved Daikokuya and will definitely be back: it almost makes me want to stay downtown... almost.

Daikokuya
327 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA
213-626-1680