We had an excellent in this spot. We enjoyed the awesome atmosphere and the food. The staff were very amiable. I’m content we eventually managed to try this place.
James L.
Ramen Oshjma is somewhat of a new eatery in the same plaza as the 99Cent Store. Taking up only a small space, it can get packed easily during meal times. So a good rule is to come early or after meal times to avoid the wait. The owners speak Mandarin, but told me their chef is from Japan. All that matters is how the food tastes. We came here twice and tried their shoyu ramen, miso and also the tonkatsu ramen. The shoyu is light, in a clear broth. The noodles were chewy both times and was a decent bowl. The tonkatsu was served in a thicker, richer broth, but it's not heavy. The char-su was flame torched before served in the bowl. The flavor wasn't bad. The miso was missing some of its namesake flavor, but still turned out to be good. For a few bucks more, you can opt to have an add-on. We chose the chicken karaage bowl. The flavor was alright but did not stand out. Overall, our food was good, but nothing spectacular. However, the service was very good. We met the owner on our first visit, and she was ver pleasant and friendly. On our second visit, they had a full house. Though the server seemed overwhelmed, she still delivered good service. Though many might argue this isn't the best ramen they've ever had, it's still nice to have a small family owned ramen joint nearby with ample parking. We would likely venture back here in the future. Food: 3.5Service: Easy 4
Nathan L.
First impressions: pretty nice decorations! it gives you that Japanese feeling. The waitress is a very kind old lady. (and she does speak chinese by the way)Ramen: I've only had the Shoyu Ramen as of right now. The noodles are pretty good actually. i prefer mine stiffer so i enjoyed it. the pork chashu was pretty well made, however i like to rate my pork chashu by the taste and texture. the taste was pretty good but the texture has that "chicken-y" texture when chewing. not the almost melting in your mouth kind. still good though don't get me wrong! the soup was refreshing at first, but the soy sauce kinda over powers the soup. not too bad but tone down on the sauce and it's all good.
Vika C.
We've been to this place twice since it opened and quite like it so far because 1) price is very reasonable considering Arcadia location 2) noodles are freshly made and not those fake Japanese noodles3) soup is pretty good and tasty 4) soft boiled egg and bamboo shoots are included. Normally they charge extra at most ramen places5) the chashu meat is "burned" and not bland5) there's no "wait" considering most authentic ramen places are so popular that you need to wait an hour for a bowl of noodles that's not so much different. Overall the quality is pretty good comparing to so many other authentic Japanese ramen places we've tried. We really hope this place will last. On a side note, I read one of the reviews saying they refused to serve non-Chinese speaking or English speaking customers. C'mon, how's that even possible for a new business. If I were the owner I'll probably sue this person for false accusations of discrimination. We are English-speaking Chinese and were treated very nicely both times we were there. Also, we can tell the owner is Japanese, so, get a life people and have a heart.
Jason Z.
This was a Guilin rice noodle house for me but it's gone, I do feel sad about it. Discovered this place so I stopped by and gave it a try since I also love ramen.I usually write reviews only for food, and I always will be. Decorations and service? We can live with the minimum level, why would it matter so much? Unless you absolutely hate that hotdog place in NY famous for yelling at its customers All I taste in their original Oshima ramen is this word: standardizedStandard broth, medium saltiness, medium oiliness, medium texture of noodles, squares not round (and it seems like the noodles won't be affected by the temperature of the broth-which is a great, high temperature do ruin the noodles after all) This really reminds me the taste of Shin-Sen-Gumi, it's like having the same noodle from them- without the options you can choose (hardness/oiliness/saltiness) And just a slight difference on the fluidity of the broth between two placesObviously I wouldn't say this is better Shin-Sen-Gumi (because all other aspects matter I know I know) but if you just want to have some fence quality ramen, I will suggest this place to youI just hope the lack of customers in this region will not put an end to this place like the Guilin rice noodle house like before
Jonathan A.
Came here because of the coupon I got in the mail and I live close. I tried the tantanmen, because that is my go to at other ramen spots, and just got it to go. I was excited to see that they had it, however I was not impressed. The broth seemed overly salty and not very flavorful. The portions were small compared to other places and the ground beef was just eh. Don't get me wrong, I ate it the whole thing! But nothing about the dish was very great. It was all just very much ok. And with all the other Ramen spots in Arcadia, I don't think I'll be coming back.
A A.
No vegetarian options, refuses to omit things. I mean, ramen can be made with broth, egg, noodles, nori, green onion, bamboo, chili, cilantro. Did not want to speak to non-chinese customers. Did not want to speak to English only speaking customers and rarely came around to answer questions. Instant Ramen, as the others have stated. :(
Hank C.
The soup broth was excellent: very authentic. The chasu is done fresh, not pre-cook. The side dishes were just ok. The other negative is that the place is small. Overall, I will come here again for the ramen.
Grady B.
The good:-the service was excellent. She stood at her post with a keen eye on needs. The bad:-the ramen is plain middle of the road, maybe a notch bellow. Not bad tasting, just nothing to spend 10 min driving too. Even with a coupon. You'll find much better ramen spots within 7 miles. I still go back to mooncat in downtown 'Rovia (Monrovia for non-locals, its a thing. Keep it going)
Brenda R.
Good ramen soup . I went in because a coupon was delivered at my job and happened to see beef flavored ramen. When I got there they did not have a beef ramen available but the chef kindly offered to make it just for me. Waitress very kind and attentive.
I wish I could recommend this place based solely on the decor and service. The workers were nice, and the shop hit the "Japanese ramen" theme perfectly. But the ramen was simply so bad that either they had absolutely no clue what they were doing, or were selling instant-ramen for the price of actual restaurant ramen.I ordered the "Spicy House Signiture [sic] Ramen." I think the pictures speak enough for themselves. It tasted almost exactly like Nongshim Bowl Noodle Hot&Spicy instant ramen (except with different noodles). They also advertised it as including ground pork which you get a whopping 1 tablespoon of at the bottom of your bowl. Yet for some reason, they charge $8.99 for it like it's the real ramen you get at literally any of the other ramen restaurants in the area.Honestly, if it turns out they are selling instant ramen for full price, then I hope they go out of business. Very disappointed with what I was served and hope other customers don't have to go through the same experience.
Jude H.
The ramen here is good: 4 stars, but the service can be improved: 2 stars. The owner or manager needs to increase the number of staff during lunch rush hour, especially on a weekend! One waitress and one cook is not fast enough. Every single table was waiting for something, whether it was their food, check, or to take their order. Customers were more patient simply because we can tell the two staff members were trying, but this definitely needs to be improved upon because it is enough to deter some people from going back.
Huachong L.
Place I'd still new but wonderfully decorated, real plants and lovely furnitures all feel homie.The Tonkotsu broth is super RIGHT! I love the flavor from this Japanese chef Oshima-san. He I'd also very nice in person and passionate about his food.The place is still new and full of potential Highly recommend to try it out if you like ramen!! Won't regret it!!
Janie K.
We normally eat ramen at the place near Vons on Duarte and Baldwin. This was so hopeful but a disappointment. The noodles were small portions. Soup was too salty. Not enough pork or vegetables. They seem to be an older Chinese couple.. Not Japanese. Probably won't dine here again :(
Kenny J.
It has been less than a week since they opened. There was no commercial advertisement so far, so it was relatively not so busy, so the ramen I ordered came out immediately, and it was equal or better than the quality of ramen I ate in Japan before. It's worth to eat.
We had an excellent in this spot. We enjoyed the awesome atmosphere and the food. The staff were very amiable. I’m content we eventually managed to try this place.
Ramen Oshjma is somewhat of a new eatery in the same plaza as the 99Cent Store. Taking up only a small space, it can get packed easily during meal times. So a good rule is to come early or after meal times to avoid the wait. The owners speak Mandarin, but told me their chef is from Japan. All that matters is how the food tastes. We came here twice and tried their shoyu ramen, miso and also the tonkatsu ramen. The shoyu is light, in a clear broth. The noodles were chewy both times and was a decent bowl. The tonkatsu was served in a thicker, richer broth, but it's not heavy. The char-su was flame torched before served in the bowl. The flavor wasn't bad. The miso was missing some of its namesake flavor, but still turned out to be good. For a few bucks more, you can opt to have an add-on. We chose the chicken karaage bowl. The flavor was alright but did not stand out. Overall, our food was good, but nothing spectacular. However, the service was very good. We met the owner on our first visit, and she was ver pleasant and friendly. On our second visit, they had a full house. Though the server seemed overwhelmed, she still delivered good service. Though many might argue this isn't the best ramen they've ever had, it's still nice to have a small family owned ramen joint nearby with ample parking. We would likely venture back here in the future. Food: 3.5Service: Easy 4
First impressions: pretty nice decorations! it gives you that Japanese feeling. The waitress is a very kind old lady. (and she does speak chinese by the way)Ramen: I've only had the Shoyu Ramen as of right now. The noodles are pretty good actually. i prefer mine stiffer so i enjoyed it. the pork chashu was pretty well made, however i like to rate my pork chashu by the taste and texture. the taste was pretty good but the texture has that "chicken-y" texture when chewing. not the almost melting in your mouth kind. still good though don't get me wrong! the soup was refreshing at first, but the soy sauce kinda over powers the soup. not too bad but tone down on the sauce and it's all good.
We've been to this place twice since it opened and quite like it so far because 1) price is very reasonable considering Arcadia location 2) noodles are freshly made and not those fake Japanese noodles3) soup is pretty good and tasty 4) soft boiled egg and bamboo shoots are included. Normally they charge extra at most ramen places5) the chashu meat is "burned" and not bland5) there's no "wait" considering most authentic ramen places are so popular that you need to wait an hour for a bowl of noodles that's not so much different. Overall the quality is pretty good comparing to so many other authentic Japanese ramen places we've tried. We really hope this place will last. On a side note, I read one of the reviews saying they refused to serve non-Chinese speaking or English speaking customers. C'mon, how's that even possible for a new business. If I were the owner I'll probably sue this person for false accusations of discrimination. We are English-speaking Chinese and were treated very nicely both times we were there. Also, we can tell the owner is Japanese, so, get a life people and have a heart.
This was a Guilin rice noodle house for me but it's gone, I do feel sad about it. Discovered this place so I stopped by and gave it a try since I also love ramen.I usually write reviews only for food, and I always will be. Decorations and service? We can live with the minimum level, why would it matter so much? Unless you absolutely hate that hotdog place in NY famous for yelling at its customers All I taste in their original Oshima ramen is this word: standardizedStandard broth, medium saltiness, medium oiliness, medium texture of noodles, squares not round (and it seems like the noodles won't be affected by the temperature of the broth-which is a great, high temperature do ruin the noodles after all) This really reminds me the taste of Shin-Sen-Gumi, it's like having the same noodle from them- without the options you can choose (hardness/oiliness/saltiness) And just a slight difference on the fluidity of the broth between two placesObviously I wouldn't say this is better Shin-Sen-Gumi (because all other aspects matter I know I know) but if you just want to have some fence quality ramen, I will suggest this place to youI just hope the lack of customers in this region will not put an end to this place like the Guilin rice noodle house like before
Came here because of the coupon I got in the mail and I live close. I tried the tantanmen, because that is my go to at other ramen spots, and just got it to go. I was excited to see that they had it, however I was not impressed. The broth seemed overly salty and not very flavorful. The portions were small compared to other places and the ground beef was just eh. Don't get me wrong, I ate it the whole thing! But nothing about the dish was very great. It was all just very much ok. And with all the other Ramen spots in Arcadia, I don't think I'll be coming back.
No vegetarian options, refuses to omit things. I mean, ramen can be made with broth, egg, noodles, nori, green onion, bamboo, chili, cilantro. Did not want to speak to non-chinese customers. Did not want to speak to English only speaking customers and rarely came around to answer questions. Instant Ramen, as the others have stated. :(
The soup broth was excellent: very authentic. The chasu is done fresh, not pre-cook. The side dishes were just ok. The other negative is that the place is small. Overall, I will come here again for the ramen.
The good:-the service was excellent. She stood at her post with a keen eye on needs. The bad:-the ramen is plain middle of the road, maybe a notch bellow. Not bad tasting, just nothing to spend 10 min driving too. Even with a coupon. You'll find much better ramen spots within 7 miles. I still go back to mooncat in downtown 'Rovia (Monrovia for non-locals, its a thing. Keep it going)
Good ramen soup . I went in because a coupon was delivered at my job and happened to see beef flavored ramen. When I got there they did not have a beef ramen available but the chef kindly offered to make it just for me. Waitress very kind and attentive.
Restaurantji Recommends
I wish I could recommend this place based solely on the decor and service. The workers were nice, and the shop hit the "Japanese ramen" theme perfectly. But the ramen was simply so bad that either they had absolutely no clue what they were doing, or were selling instant-ramen for the price of actual restaurant ramen.I ordered the "Spicy House Signiture [sic] Ramen." I think the pictures speak enough for themselves. It tasted almost exactly like Nongshim Bowl Noodle Hot&Spicy instant ramen (except with different noodles). They also advertised it as including ground pork which you get a whopping 1 tablespoon of at the bottom of your bowl. Yet for some reason, they charge $8.99 for it like it's the real ramen you get at literally any of the other ramen restaurants in the area.Honestly, if it turns out they are selling instant ramen for full price, then I hope they go out of business. Very disappointed with what I was served and hope other customers don't have to go through the same experience.
The ramen here is good: 4 stars, but the service can be improved: 2 stars. The owner or manager needs to increase the number of staff during lunch rush hour, especially on a weekend! One waitress and one cook is not fast enough. Every single table was waiting for something, whether it was their food, check, or to take their order. Customers were more patient simply because we can tell the two staff members were trying, but this definitely needs to be improved upon because it is enough to deter some people from going back.
Place I'd still new but wonderfully decorated, real plants and lovely furnitures all feel homie.The Tonkotsu broth is super RIGHT! I love the flavor from this Japanese chef Oshima-san. He I'd also very nice in person and passionate about his food.The place is still new and full of potential Highly recommend to try it out if you like ramen!! Won't regret it!!
We normally eat ramen at the place near Vons on Duarte and Baldwin. This was so hopeful but a disappointment. The noodles were small portions. Soup was too salty. Not enough pork or vegetables. They seem to be an older Chinese couple.. Not Japanese. Probably won't dine here again :(
It has been less than a week since they opened. There was no commercial advertisement so far, so it was relatively not so busy, so the ramen I ordered came out immediately, and it was equal or better than the quality of ramen I ate in Japan before. It's worth to eat.