Isa Japanese Ramen

Nice small Japanese ramen shop. The ramen was good. My wife loved the broth. The kids loved the curry as well. The only thing I didn’t like was the friend chicken bowl was on the salty side but over all it was a good place and would come back again.

Decided to check this place out after a long day and most places were starting to close. Thankfully this place was opened along La Brea around 11 pm! They have street parking and a shared parking lot with a few spots. It's a humble spot with a few tables indoors and outdoors. We got the Isa Ramen and the Spicy Ramen. Between the two, get the Isa Ramen! Much more flavor. The Spicy Ramen needed a bit more saltiness and savory depth which the Isa Ramen had. Both bowls came with a boiled egg and pork with some garnishments of bean sprouts and green onions. You can also add minced garlic for free! Overall, pretty affordable and I would grab a quick Isa Ramen if I had another late night and wanted some noods!

Had amazing Chicken Katsu Curry there. One of the best I had. The Tako-yaki was really good too. The Location might not leave a good first impression, but the food is well worth it.

Small ramen/Japanese food place with parking at the adjacent car wash. There is limited seating- we were the only ones there on Labor Day and we sat in the “backyard.” Food was good- the Isa ramen was the fave in our family. Good portions but all the ramen has chicken thighs instead of pork. The pricing on the menus differed so we were unsure of the price. The black ramen was $4 more than isa for some reason. I got the chicken katsudon which was good but a much smaller portion than the other meals.

One of the few food establishments that open very late with great food. They are open to 4am. The quality and service was very good. I definitely recommend to try the food anytime they are open especially the Ramen.

Spicy crazy Ramen was my goto... I dont know what has happened but the quality is going down. I always take it to go so my experience might differ from others. On one order the plastic top melted into the soup idk how that happened. ( I let it slide things happen) The next time my food had a black short hair in it. Now this last time I ordered 2 spicy crazy soups and the meat was burnt on both...with hair inside one of the soups. I had to throw it out waste of money.

Small Japanese restaurant on La brea. Open late with a great combo menu. The place is humble but the food is 5 stars and very affordable. Great ramen full of flavor. Great option for after hours grub and sober up eats!.

Very humble place but their food is not! I went the second time after remembering the great experience and it did not disappoint 🙌 We got Isa Ramen and Large Curry with Chicken (or something like that). Their curry is a must-try! (Oh and mind that the plates are big!) Thank you so much Isa, will come again!

Friendly staff, they always welcome you with a smile. My favorite dish is the spicy fried chicken bowl

Been coming here ever since they moved from Koreatown. The menu is simple but at the same time has a lot of variety you can choose from. Rice dishes, noodles, curry, ramen, donburi and more. Doesn't matter if you're a vegetarian or a meat lover. I like this place because the taste doesn't change much from over 20 years ago. -edit- we ordered karage, crazy spicy ramen and two black ramen. I was actually disappointed in all three. The crazy spicy ramen wasn't spicy at all and I specially asked for it to be extra spicy. It was mostly salty. The black ramen ... also very disappointing. I don't know what happened but the ramen noodle, soup, kind of went downhill. Still friendly staff and the food came out super quick. The karage was fried to oblivion with no other ingredient added to the batter other than salt. I won't come back for ramen but will for the curry and bento.

Ordered veggie ramen. See pic below! It was great! Great service! I'll be back!. Portions are large!

That lady was very sweet, nice and the food was so authentic.I couldn't believe it....

Decided to check this place out after a long day and most places were starting to close. Thankfully this place was opened along La Brea around 11 pm! They have street parking and a shared parking lot with a few spots. It's a humble spot with a few tables indoors and outdoors. We got the Isa Ramen and the Spicy Ramen. Between the two, get the Isa Ramen! Much more flavor. The Spicy Ramen needed a bit more saltiness and savory depth which the Isa Ramen had. Both bowls came with a boiled egg and pork with some garnishments of bean sprouts and green onions. You can also add minced garlic for free! Overall, pretty affordable and I would grab a quick Isa Ramen if I had another late night and wanted some noods!

Very nice greeting upon entering the restaurant. Definitely felt like they wanted our business. We tried 2 different ramen and added the special curry, salad and gyoza. Crazy spicy ramen and black garlic ramen. The Japanese Isa curry was unique and extra delicious. Looked like a young, female Chef working and a family member took our order. Glad we tried the restaurant after it was highly recommended by a friend.

Came here on a Sunday late afternoon. The place is super small but luckily there was also no one there. Looks like they're more popular for takeout. - Black garlic ramen: I'm surprised this required an up charge. This did not taste like any black garlic ramen I've ever had. It was very bland and did not satisfy. - Gyoza: Hard as rocks. Seemed like they baked those suckers. - Curry: Pretty tasty! It has ground meat in it and was nice and thick, like a chili. It was a little on the sweet side but I didn't mind it. - Teriyaki salmon: Whoa! Sugar overload! I'd come back for the curry cuz it's different than other places but I'm leaving immediately if I see a line...

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. I hardly ever write reviews but this place was horrible. Their ramen is okay, just mid. However I ordered their chicken teriyaki bowl for 20 bucks. The chicken teriyaki bowl is honestly CRIMINAL. They need to take this item off the menu. For 20 bucks, I had the displeasure of eating one of the most bland, dry, and grey looking chicken. I don't know if 20 dollars couldn't afford them to make any teriyaki sauce because my chicken came in some chicken and soy sauce juice rather than teriyaki sauce. I would have gotten a better tasting chicken bowl at Waba grill for cheaper. Their ramen is mid, can find better taste and quality in little Tokyo. If you do decide to please do not order their chicken bowls.

I've been ordering from Isa for several years. They were a go-to many times during the pandemic. Great service and great comfort Japanese food.

I feel like I was just taken advantage of. I walked in on my own accord and pretty much immediately regretted it and should have done an about face. Let me start at the beginning. Every night on my way home, I pass by this cute little shop right outside of a car wash. Honestly, the fact that it's compact, festive looking and has all the hallmarks of what should indicate a delicious hole in the wall, I just had to find out. So, the parking is easy, just pull right out front. Always plenty of parking (hint). I walk in and the fumes reminded me of a tire shop. Given the car wash adjacent business, I guess this was unavoidable. I'm the only one there besides a woman who offered me a seat in a frankly dingy dining area. Against my better judgement I trudge through desperately hoping my inner caution senses are being paranoid. She asked me if I liked spicy, indeed I do so, she suggested the spicy ramen. I agreed and waited a few beats taking in my surroundings. Let me say, for all the cute trimmings on the outside of the place, the inside paled in comparison. I waited about 6 minutes and like Dougie Fresh, I was on. I knew right away the taste would be a let down. The appearance was off and the cha shu appeared chunky instead of sliced thinly and glistening in pork fat. Almost like a piece of left over roast. I bravely brought the spoon to my lips to taste and all my suspicions were confirmed. No milky broth or legit dashi. Instead, it tasted like watery tomato soup with ramen (quite Al dente) noodles. I won't hold you. I didn't complain. I paid my $17 check, said I didn't like the taste and left the entire bowl on the table and left. I do not revel in giving harsh reviews but, this place is robbing unsuspecting souls into believing this is authentic ramen. Go elsewhere. It wasn't all negative. The lady who served me was nice enough.

Unfortunately it was awful, we came here because we were advised to visit it, but the food was disgusting. Meat and eggs in the ramen were old , the other dish some balls with octopus, it was just taste of dough I would not recommend to eat here!!!

Food was good, but ordered for pickup directly through their website (as they encourage you to) and when I arrived to pick it up, the employees were not aware of my order. Showed them the confirmation text I received and then they got my order ready. Employees were very nice and got my order completed quickly. Dinging them on my rating because after all that, when I got to my friends' house with our order, we come to find out that I was given the side order of mackerel vs the mackerel meal which I was charged for. Needless to say not a great first experience here.

I love that this place has both ramen and udon! The prices were pretty reasonable for both noodles, but the sushi was a tad overpriced. I understand though since the main focus here is noodles! 11/10 going back again, its a cozy environment, nice staff, and the food was AMAZING!

Amazing curry! Haven't had anything else here on any of my visits. Drove out from OC just to pick up curry from here during the pandemic

Definitely not Great like I thought but my sister was craving Japanese food for her birthday, she loved it tho

Togo order it was skimped portions overpriced and was cold 10min when we got home. No chicken in the ramen when's we paid extra. The chicken curry has 5 small bites of chicken and o veggies just a cold curry sauce. There is a word never again.

The ramen here is solid. Most of the options are chicken based, which I personally like. I had the spicy ramen and the flavor was fantastic--it was different than what I am used to--more smokey and with a good kick. The marinated chicken they add on top is so flavorful and tender. The noodles are a nice al dente. I always hope for a jammy egg, but the one here is more hard boiled--not bad, just a different style. They take safety seriously for dine in and have plenty of hand sanitizer available. The do have a few tables for outdoor dining, though it seems most people do delivery or take out. I love that they have other items like sushi rolls and curry to supplement your ramen. I usually like to add a roll to complete the meal because why not. Service is nice and not overly attentive. Prices are decent for the area. They are located next to a carwash so if you dine in, expect a lot of noise. They have their own parking lot with a few spaces for parking right next to the restaurant if you are lucky enough to snag one!

Wonderful place! The lady is very sweet, and the service is nice. I ordered the Isa Curry. It tasted wonderful, it's a small place but very worth eating.

This was my favorite little spot in LA the curry the ramen the sushi all so good i used to go here all The time good late night eats

It is a 3.5 star for this tiny place. At first I wanted to walkout when I saw the Asian lady sleeping and no customers. I only ordered the different ramens. They turned out above average C+. The only problem is it is hot and small inside and outside is noisy from the traffic.

So I ordered sushi, they only have a limited types of sushi. I ended up ordered the rock shrimp roll. & it was pretty darn good. My sister let me try some of her curry. I am currently in Northern CA & I absolutely miss this curry. There's something about the taste & feel of it. Once I tried her curry, I instantly wanted to change my order. I probably should have ordered it to go so I could enjoy it later that night. I dream about the curry. It's that good.

I'm updating my review after trying the Isa Ramen (with extra noodles). I really enjoyed the Okinawan Ramen before but the Isa Ramen is in a whole other league... rich, complex, flavorful soup broth and eggs, succulent chicken (tastes like it's marinated in ginger and soy sauce), chewy noodles, and I really love the ginger topping. The portion size is out of this world (is that a foot long diameter bowl?!). Isa Ramen is a family-owned business and everyone there speaks Japanese. It feels a little like a restaurant you might find in Japan - bit of a crowded countertop and small space but you're not there for the ambiance, you're there for the food! The prices are great, they have a small parking lot, and the restaurant is open until 4 am!! There are very few late-late night restaurants in LA. I totally appreciate that such a small mom-and-pop type store can stay open so la

The food was decent, but I wasn't a fan of the prices. The atmosphere seemed very dirty and dark. They need to invest in a nicer patio area. All the outside lights were broken and there was a random hose on the floor..? They need to have a better *curb appeal* to match their prices. I didn't try their ramen. Giving 3 stars because the lady server was nice.

This is the worst Ramen place I have been. It all tastes like an instant. From Gyoza to ramen, it was bad. You can hear from the kitchen that everything is reheated in the microwave. Tempura is $17 and you just know it's straight out from ready-to-cook box you get from Costco. For all those said this place was lit. They don't know what real Japanese food should taste like!

Our usual order is the udon special with curry and gyoza we love it here one of the few spots on La Brea with all the fun jangles included bathroom, romantic outdoor patio, parking, inexpensive specials, table service and great service at that it's a tough business but Isa does it well I definitely recommend

My favorite chef. I heartfelt hello to all that love a good homemade ramen noodle by one who keeps my heart happy!! Thank you

Ramen is decent. They are very generous with their noodles and the noodles have a nice chew. The broth had a good flavor. Had the Sapporo and hubby had spicy ramen. The meat and eggs were way overcooked and tough. Shishito peppers were flavorful. However the grilled mackerel was amazing! Highly recommend. Best part of the meal for sure. If the meat and egg in the ramen wasn't so tough and over cooked, I would definitely have given them 5 stars.

Very quiet place, with smooth jazz and very good service. The food came very quickly with no trouble and often refilled water. The food was also amazing and you are also allowed to order more noodles if you have left over broth.

Food was good, I got a ramen with extra noodles and 2 drinks for myself . It came out to $29 which come out pretty pricy but I didn't mind. I got my check and payed but as I was leaving the lady come out running out asking for a "tip". She pretty much was begging and looked disappointed when I didn't give her any . Killed my food buzz .

Great little hole in the wall spot. Shops been here forever. Prices r fair in comparison to other J ramen shops. It's a great stop for Japanese fast food.

I have passed by this spot so many times and I wanted to try their Ramen. I finally got to and it was pretty good. The salad has a good dressing on it and the noodles were cooked the way I like .. not too hard and not too soft. The service was good: the girl saw that I needed water and she filled it up with out me asking thank you very much.

I got the lunch bento box that is served all day for $15. It was well worth it because it's a lot of food. The food was cooked fresh to order. The California roll was very tasty and stuffed with crab and cucumber and not just a bunch of rice which was great. The only thing that was lacking was the teriyaki which tasted strange. It was edible but I honestly couldn't finish it like i finished everything else in the box. Other than the teriyaki chicken not being too good. The service was outstanding and the ambiance was cute. I will come back and try a Ramen bowl next time.

Yo! Fire spot off La Brea. Fried Chicken Curry is a must! Crazy Spicy Ramen is amazing, and the fried gyoza.

Favorite ramen place ! It's so good and very authentic to the Japanese cuisine. Kindest staff and such cute vibes to sit outside and enjoy the meal especially at night.

Found this hidden gem a little over a month ago and have been coming here for dinner every week ever since! I am usually a "Tonkotsu" ramen kinda girl, but we decided to try this place out just so we can try chicken ramen for a change. SO GLAD WE DID! This place is amazing!! The chicken they use is also organic too which makes you feel a little better about what you're eating! I have tried #1 which is a "salty" chicken ramen bowl. You can order it however spicy you want. I always order it medium spicy which is a great amount of spice, a little more than just a kick. You can also get the sauce on the side but having experienced that, I think it's actually tastes better when you have the chef do it. Huge bowl and huge spoon! Definitely a good amount to make you full and happy! Yes!!! You also get a full egg!! They cut it in half and you get both sides here! Haha. Good amount of noodles and chicken as well! I have also tried the Takoyaki, the curry plate, and also side orders. They have a couple of combo deals, be sure to check them out I think on the back of the menu. It's worth it and you get a bowl of ramen, a small plate (I ordered a curry plate) a small salad and an appetizer of fried dumplings! It's totally worth it and it's a great way to try their food. The Takoyaki is delicious! Perfectly made! The curry is absolutely amazing!! I usually don't eat much meat but with this, I can't resist! Such great taste!! I have tried it also with the fried seafood combo and it's even more amazing!! They also have dessert!!! I've only tried the matcha Oreo shake so far and I love it!!! It has little Oreo pieces on top too! They also serve sushi which I've seen people order but I haven't craved sushi here yet. I do plan to try it one day. They don't serve Sake here unfortunately but they are open til 4am! Only reason I give 4 instead of 5 stars is that it's hard to communicate with the servers. You can't really say specifics in your order cause they don't really speak English. I've had to really explain what my husband and I want to a few of them and I've seen customers get angry because of this as well.

This little hole in the wall is a diamond waiting to be discovered. I seen it many times and wanted to try it. Today I ordered the Isa Ramen Special Combo. I have a seafood diet so she accommodated my restrictions by replacing the gyoza with shrimp tempura. I chose to eat inside because the culture is what I was searching to emulsify myself around. The culture was at % The Chef delivered my items as made. My first course I gained a +1 with a simple salad bursting with mouth watering explosion. The dressing was a paste based sweet ginger that left a memorable flavor at the back of my tongue. The second course was a California Roll followed by freshly made tempura shrimp. The California Roll crab dressing based filling, which I can tell was made the today. The wasabi was amazing and not with any mushy additives that liquifies it's consistency, just wasabi. I was given an accurate amount of ginger to top my roll to the exact portion. The tempura shrimp had a crisp that broke in barrier and sank into a perfectly moist shrimp that was definitely cooked the way I would like it to be. The last course was a mild Ramen shrimp noodle soup. The bean sprouts were so fresh and crisp. I found myself looking forward to the light crunch provided by the veg, continued with an el dent noodle, and a shrimp cooked with such calculation that ensured the last one was not over cooked by the deliciously flavorful mild soup, containing an easy boiled egg that wasn't color tainted in dryness, all garnished with scallions. At the end, I was left with a temptful satisfaction that needed to be unforgettable, until next time.

The "crazy" in the title of the "Crazy Spicy Ramen" refers not to the level of spice, but rather the sheer, terrifying insanity of the chef, for only a person completely and hopelessly disconnected from reality would call that ramen spicy. On one side of the kitchen sat the bowl of ramen and on the other, a fan. Our demented chef waved a pepper in front of the fan, and in the twisted moon logic which rules this poor wretch, that was about enough for the "Crazy Spicy Ramen." I'd have brought it up to the waitress and sent it back for more spicy, but she ignored us until it was time to bring the check, so what option does a spice addixt have except to post an extremely passive aggressive review?

I always wanted to try out this place and today was the perfect opportunity since it's been raining . Ordered up the crazy spicy Ramen and some fried chicken. The broth was so flavorful but as far as the crazy spice Ramen it just wasn't there . The chicken was cooked fresh. Small comfy joint . Will be coming back . 4 stars cuz it's wasn't crazy spicy as I hoped for

Just ordered food and it was the worst sushi I've ever had, I think. I threw out half of it. "Orange chicken" was either the wrong order or tasted absolutely nothing of orange. Ramen might be good - not sure - but do not order their other food!

I love this hole in the wall joint, my favorite place for Ramen/Udon and CURRY !!! Their meal combos are very reasonable and include a lot of food ! Drink selection is great here as well

Sadly, not as great as I'd hoped. The extended hours work in their favor, but their flavor profiles are subpar.

Why are there no menu item descriptions!? How do I know which ramen to order when it doesn't say what's in it? Do I get the Tokyo ramen or the Okinawa ramen? Please fix this problem.

Man oh man was this food the best meal OF MY LIFE taste buds were going absolutely insane that woman was by herself and she put her whole foot into that food ABSOLUTE GASS 10/10 i recommend every single thing on the menu. mouth watering delectable nothing was mid and don't even get me started on the prices TUH

Looks like a little hole in the wall type place but holy mother when you eat the food it makes you wanna just worship ms mawma cooking that damn food because she put her whole neck into this hoe best food ive ever had and you GOT TO TRY the honey chicken sauce with the ramen noodles STRAIGHT GAS

Used to like this place because it stays open until 4am but this last visit there was awful. Took an hour for Udon. Went to pick up my food they said 13 more minutes so I went to run an errand came back and they said not ready. Room another 20 minutes for Udon

I wanted to try this place for a while, and I'm glad I finally did. First of all, this whole building is very unique, it feels super authentic and takes you to the completely different environment compared to many other Japanese places in LA. Feels like some magic portal, entering there you get straight to Japan. The place was full of people and server worked really hard to take care of everyone. I had mix curry and it was absolutely divine. Just everything I could expect from perfect curry was on the plate. There are great outdoor seating and a huge parking lot. So all components are there to have a perfect dinner - authenticity, great food, great service, parking. What else can you think of?

It's not bad really. From the outside it looks intriguing and makes me stop there instead of La Brea Ramen Bar. It looks like a small shack, family owned, and all the staff are Japanese. It is a different ramen style than what majority people like. I had a lunch special which was Isa Ramen (chicken broth with meat (not sure if it was pork or chicken) hard egg), curry rice, and salad. Total was around $15. I got so full. The curry was a bit salty at first try but once you mix it with the rice it's good. It's hot. The ramen had thin noodles, which were a bit chewy which I liked. I was surprised to find that the egg yolk was hard. The soup was clear and thin. It was flavorful though. A bit salty as well but it gave a good taste when you just eat the noodles. Fast and friendly staff. I don't see why I won't be back. Open your mind people it is just a different style of ramen!

First thing I do when i walk into a Venue is go check out the restroom...to me if the bathroom clean yo food cleaner....Walked in the impact of the fragrance hit my face so hard I almost fainted...Smelled like vinegar and ass ...I returned to my table and STRICTLY ordered Edamame and a coke...My lil friend got sushi rolls which in her words "Valieron Verga" (weren't that good)...Only reason we went to this specific location was a photo op down the st...Wont be Returning...Good luck in yalls future endeavors...Oooo and also Air wick is on Sale 99 cents EVERYWHERE!

Upon all our choices, with this being the last; honestly, slay. Murdered. Definitely coming again!