Kouraku Japanese Ramen & Grill

The 18 Best Restaurants & Bars In Little Tokyo - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"You go to Kouraku for Japanese-style comfort food, plain and simple. Come here when your favorite team loses a game, or when the only remedy to a bad week at work is a big ol’ bowl of fried rice. Get a curry dish, served with either stewed beef, deep-fried shrimp, or the classic chicken katsu. The bowls are filled to the brim with a deep brown gravy and a glistening bed of rice. You'll want to eat this with a spoon during lunchtime and reflect on everything going on in your life (work, family, the fact that you’ve still never had a TikTok go viral, etc.)" - cathy park, brant cox

Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida's Guide to L.A'.s Little Tokyo - AFAR

"Founded in 1976 and considered the first and longest-running ramen restaurant in the United States, this old-school spot serves post–World War II–inspired Japanese fare—ramen alongside takoyaki, yakisoba, and Chinese-influenced plates like mapo tofu—and is a popular late-night haunt (open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, 10 p.m. other days). A standout is the niku dango teishoku: pork meatballs stewed in sweetened soy sauce that evoke childhood memories for Niki." - Mae Hamilton

Kouraku - Review - Little Tokyo - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"You go to Kouraku for Japanese-style comfort food, plain and simple. Come here when your favorite tennis player loses a slam, or in times where the only solution is, clearly, a big ol’ bowl of fried rice. Curries are king, served with either stewed beef, deep-fried shrimp, or the classic chicken katsu. Bowls are filled to the brim with a deep brown gravy and glistening bed of rice. Eat this with a spoon during lunchtime and reflect on everything going on in your life (work, family, the fact that you’ve still never had a TikTok go viral, etc.)" - Kat Hong

The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week | Eater LA

"I settled into one of the tiny back booths at this Little Tokyo late-night haunt (open since 1976) and loved classic Japanese comfort food: the katsu curry and gyoza are highlights, but the tenshin chahan ankake—a fried rice molded into an upside-down bowl, topped with a velvety shrimp omelette and doused in pork gravy—was especially memorable for how the gravy soaks into the well-fried rice." - Eater Staff

A late-night Little Tokyo landmark serving ramen and Japanese comfort fare since the 1970s, credited by Eater LA as America’s first ramen restaurant. It remains a cultural touchstone with loyal regulars.