Kouraku has been here for decades. I finally made it in for lunch. First time here, what brought me in was the Chahan. Always seen this on the display window and in pictures. I opted for the rice only this time out no omelette. It was great freshly made of course. You can see the cooks make it if you sit at the counter. It comes with a chicken broth which hit the spot. Gets busy right after the doors open. Next time I'll try the Tenshin Chahan. Services was quick but seemed to slow down as it got busy. Overall it was a great first time and I'll be back in the near future.

The last time I was here I didn't have a great experience. Somehow this time was different. Maybe it's the remodel that they did on the restaurant with the back booths and bathrooms. In any case, the service was much better and he actually took care of us and was on top of everything. The food is still good, but we really come here for the ambiance. Ambiance 9/10 Bathrooms 10/10 Cleanliness 9/10 Service 9/10 Food 8.5/10 Value 8/10 Will I Return? Yes, but not anytime soon

Busy location but for a good reason. Good food, reasonable wait, good and polite service.

This is my go-to restaurant whenever I'm at Little Tokyo. I love the service here Everytime I come visit. Food is so good that I keep coming back. So far my fave was the menchi curry and Hamburg steak curry.

First time trying Ramen and this place did not disappoint! Wonton Ramen was what I got, very flavorful and fulfilling Would definitely eat here again!

I got the tonkotsu ramen with pork. It was pretty standard as far as ramen goes. The broth was light but had good flavor and wasn't too oily. I personally prefer a more rich and creamy broth. Noodles were cooked well and were nice and firm. The chashu was a bit dry. Definitely not the best chashu I've had. The interior is really cute. I sat at the bar. It's quite easy to forget that you're in LA. They also had one of. Those robot servers and it was fun watching that move around. Not sure if it's particularly necessary though as the place is quite small. I went on Halloween night and it got busy at around 11. The servers got busy attending to the larger parties that came in and forgot about me so one of the cooks had to get their attention for me. They were nice about it though I will definitely come back to try the omurice

Truly an OG spot. If you don't sit facing the street you can just imagine that you're no longer in Los Angeles. Billed as one of the first (if not the first) ramen spots in America. You have a full menu of Japanese comfort. From Eggs to Curry to the Ramen. It's all good and cozy and as authentic as it gets.

First Impressions: No wait time at 8:20pm on a Sunday (only a couple of people were dining in), casual cozy ambiance, welcoming staff. Ton-Shio-Tan Men: This ramen style reminded me of a pork veggie ramen I had back in Tokyo. The broth was basically a tonkotsu style broth. They were very generous on the veggies. There were slices of pork and mushrooms too. This would be perfect if you were looking for a healthier ramen but this isn't something I would order again. It was good but nothing too special. Gyoza: It tasted like how standard gyoza tastes. Crispy exterior, not oily at all Nikudango: To me, this tasted like meatballs with a tangy and sweet ketchup based sauce Service: Staff were very courteous. Always greeted when someone walked in and walked out. You don't have to try hard to flag them down, frequent check ups on refilling water. Overall: Good, everything tasted like it should. Service is amazing. Also, they have a robo cat waiter to bring the side orders to your table. She was really cute!

Located in Little Tokyo, Kouraku is a casual Japanese restaurant offering a wide variety of dishes from ramen to curry and donburi, making it good for hanging out with friends who may all want something different. What I love about this place is its cute and retro atmosphere and you know a Japanese place is gonna be good when they have the plastic food examples in a case outside. I tried one of their curry mixes, which came with pork katsu, fried shrimp, and menchi katsu. The portion size was generous and I made it into two meals!