Men Oh Tokushima was one of the 10 Best Ramen Shops of Los Angeles as listed by LaWeekly. It’s one of those restaurants located in Little Tokyo, but not in the part of Little Tokyo most tourists would walk through. Like many places in Little Tokyo, you have to pay for to park in the same plaza. My company and I parked in a different part of Little Tokyo and made our way to the restaurant.
Cozy is the word I’d use to describe Men Oh. With only a few small tables and the rest counter seating, people were waiting outside the door. I already knew what I was going to order, as we stood and waited for about 30 minutes for our seats. I tend to always order the spicy miso ramen wherever we go, a lot of times just for comparison sake between restaurants.
We were seated at the counter. We ordered and waited for another 15 minutes for our food to arrive. The two others in my company ordered the Men Oh Tokushima ramen with a side of extra meat and extra veggies, although they probably could’ve done without it as the bowls that arrive at our table were pretty hefty, and they were nowhere close to finishing the extras they ordered.
The spicy miso ramen that arrived before me was adorned with cayenne pepper strings, chasiu pork, a nice runny egg, among other things. It was my first time seeing a ramen served with actual strings of cayenne pepper. Initially, I didn’t know what they were and tried it. It wasn’t really spicy and the taste wasn’t too familiar to me. The broth was thick, and definitely heavier than other broths I was used to. It had a good amount of depth to it. Overall, all of the components of the ramen worked together, however, it was just too heavy for me to fully enjoy it.
The Tokushima ramen came with thick pieces of flavorful chasiu. The runny egg was definitely a favorite in my company. The broth was also on the heavier side. It was a decent bowl of ramen, but it definitely didn’t “wow” my company. Perhaps this ramen fits the taste of many others, however, for me personally, the heaviness was the hardest part to get past.
Service was good, the place is busy so be prepared to wait. I definitely think it’s worth trying at least once.
Men Oh
456 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Oh My Food Coma! 