Okiboru House of Tsukemen

The ramen was pretty decent. I won't lie and say it was the best I've had but it was pretty good. The noodles were a bit thicker than I would have preferred but the dipping broth was awesome. They give just enough for your meal. I wish my egg was a little less hard boiled as well. My meal came out a bit slower than I'm accustomed to especially since it wasn't very busy when I came, but the added wait was worth it. The presentation was definitely top knotch. I'd definitely come back and give this place another try.

Wonderful tsukemen spot in Chinatown! I no longer have to drive out to Sawtelle for good tsukemen. The flavor is amazing and the noodles here are freshly made, which makes it even 10x better. The broth comes out hot and the pork ribs they give you literally falls off the bone. Who knew such a small spot would wow you're taste buds.

Great tsukemen place in Chinatown. Their noodles are made in-house and this is one of the main stand out features of Okiboru. Out of several different tsukemen flavors they offer I tried their Buta Paitan Tsukemen (thick pork based broth), and it wasn't as thick & heavy as I'd prefer, but nevertheless it pairs well with their whole wheat noodles. Broth flavor is still rich, but doesn't leave a strong aftertaste (which is good). Chashu pork pieces are lightly charred, which improves flavor compared to regular chashu found at other ramen/tsukemen places. The cut is on the medium side, not too thin and not too thick. There is a right amount of fat to meat ratio that allows you to eat those pieces either cold or warm them up by dipping into the broth - sometimes when there is too much fat it doesn't taste good cold. Ajitama (soft-boiled egg) is also really good, it's a true soft-boil, not overdone. They also have great tasting Bao as a side dish using the same chashu pieces found in ramen/tsukemen, and the bao buns themselves are light & have fluffy texture. There is parking available in the same apartment building they're in and they validate the ticket so parking is essentially free. I was there on Sunday around 5pm, and we were seated right away. Great & attentive service too. Overall I'd definitely recommend to try this place if you like ramen/tsukemen.

Ramen Review. Over to Okiboru in Chinatown. Their main focus is Tsukemen, dipping ramen, but they have the noods up in the broth as well. They have some interesting broth varieties for sure with a Tori Paitan (chicken based thicker broth) and a rare-for-LA Truffle Chitan (light chicken, pork & seafood shoyu style broth with truffle oil 📸) but also have a normal Tonkotsu. Their Tsukemen dipping broths are interesting as well, had the Buta Paitan (rich pork & seafood broth, not pictured). Broths interesting, taste not as much. Chashu wasn’t too bad actually and noodles were neat, a flat thick variety but just overall meh. Maybe need to get back there to know for sure but missed the mark this time and not really a Japanese feel either. I’d stick with the Tsukemen if you go at all. Just a three bowl rating for their ramen out of the elusive 5 BOWL RATING! 🍜🍜🍜. #claysramengame on Instagram #chopsticks #japanesefood #broth #ramen #tsukemen #noodles

Pros: easy parking validated for an hour, friendly service, rarely crowded, vegan options, cool space. Cons: a touch pricey for what is essentially fast casual, and not 100% my fave ramen (that's silverlake ramen) but still pretty good.

They offer validation for parking which is a pleasant surprise for Chinatown. Ordered their signature Buta Paitan Tsukemen and a side order of grilled marinated pork ribs to share. The serving size feels well proportional to the cost, for both the tsukemen as well as the ribs. If you're really hungry, I'd recommend ordering an additional serving of noodles on the side, because the dipping broth is strong and I had somewhere between 1/3 to a 1/2 of my broth left at the end. The pork & seafood broth was rich with deep umami and complexity had the perfect viscosity to stick to the dipped noodles. I asked for some extra lime to squeeze onto my noodles (and a little bit into the broth as well), and that added burst of acidity balanced things out for me. The noodles were fantastic. Perfectly al dente, with a nice bounce and chew to them; a perfect vessel for the collection and delivery of that broth. The bamboo shoots add a nice crunchy texture to the mix, along with contributing to the savory notes and a bit of earthy sweetness. The soft boiled eggs were on point and the included chashu was nicely marinated and tender. Since the Tsukemen already comes with chashu, I absolutely insist you can't come here and *not* order a side of those ribs. The sweet and savory porky goodness, charred and caramelized beautifully on the outside, were delectably tender; fall-off-the-bone with just enough resistance to the bite to hit that sweet spot where the more you chew, the more flavor is unlocked. This means that you can use your chopsticks to pull the meat off the bone rather effortlessly, interspersing slurps of broth-laden noodles with smokey meaty chunks of rib. Having an open kitchen via the glass half-wall is a nice touch because you can see them rolling out their fresh house-made noodles. Seating was decently ample, service was friendly, and the bathroom was clean and well kept. On our next visit I ordered the Yuzu Chintan Tsukemen, which features an incredibly refreshing broth with a nuance and depth of flavor that was especially surprising for such a light broth. The thinner ramen noodles paired with this broth are a perfect match, as the thinner broth sticks much better to the thinner noodles. This time, we also were offered their chili paste, which is also made in-house, and is wonderfully fragrant and spicy. Between the careful artistry of crafting their noodles, grilling their chashu to give it a nice smokey flavor on top of being perfectly tender with fully rendered melty fat, those well seasoned and also charred ribs, and the depth of their broths, Okiboru is now officially our favorite go-to Tsukemen spot in the city.

Ordered a tonkatsu Ramen and a pork bun and they were delicious! The bun was done perfect and the meat was delicious. Very flavorful. The Ramen was a lighter broth than I'm used to but it was absolutely delicious. Very refreshing. Noodles were amazing. Everything was just so good here. Glad we decided to drop by in a whim.

The best dipping ramen I’ve ever had! Not only is their broth good, the in-house made noodles adds a nice chewiness that’s hard to replicate. I also recommend the ribs; so tender and fall off the bone delicious!