Dani Vasquez

Went here last night with my daughter after the SC volleyball game and I had the Kouraku ramen and my daughter had the regular tonkotsu ramen and takoyaki. All delicious from the broth to the seafood in my ramen and the pork was delicious in my daughter's ramen. Prices were reasonable. Staff were friendly and attentive. Will come back.

Nikki hamidin

I tried the beef curry, and it was the best Japanese food I’ve ever had! The prices are very affordable, especially considering the high quality

Yaz

Most authentic Japanese food in Little Tokyo! I went with my friend who lived in Japan for two years and we talked with the waitress and they were so nice and excited someone could speak Japanese. The spicy miso ramen and salmon onigiri were delicious! We’re definitely coming back! おいしい😋！

Sam Lui

Been eating here for over 15 years. Normally get the tenshin chahan ankake. Other good dishes to try is the katsudon, ma po tofu don and the curry katsu dishes. It has a throwback vibe and it keeps me returning. Only issue is the parking, can get tricky to find a space.

Krystine L

Amazing ramen and delicious katsu. Visited on a weekend so there was a line, but it moves pretty quickly, just be sure to add your name to the list inside. It's an unassuming place, and the oldest ramen shop still in operation in the US which is pretty cool! Large portions and fair prices, definitely recommend.

+1

Eric I

Overall Excellent! Seafood curry and ginger pork were outstanding! Conveniently open late, great service, large menu with many options, and adjacent to Little Tokyo. One note, the in-house menu has many more options than scanning the QR code at the table.

Russo Mutuc

This place always hits the spot for late night eats. We came here after the bars and ordered Katsu Chicken Curry and Chicken Karage. Been coming here for more than. 20 years and the place always feels like an authentic Japanese experience. The food is always good. The waiters are always pleasant, attentive and friendly. I especially like watching the Navia Robotics cat (robot) waiter delivering the food. A nice touch 👌 if you want desserts, there are plenty of options with in the area to choose from. Managed to find parking in the street, we've also parked in paid structures around. Overall, highly recommended this place!

+4

Al

The Melon Soda was super tasty! Didn’t know what to expect at first but everything was so good! Lots of love for this place. The omelette with gravy and fried rice (that all the reviews were recommending) was so much better than I thought it would be. I didn’t think I would like it based on the pictures, but it’s much firmer texture than it looks. Great pairing I never would have tried normally. Plus it’s a huge helping, definitely could serve two. I couldn’t get a good picture of the robot waiter that they had, but it was so cute! Definitely worth the trip, and I’ll be back again next time I’m in little Tokyo.

+2

Chelsea

Went here on a Tuesday night so it was kind of empty. The place is small, cozy, and well-decorated with japanese food & culture. Really gives off that old authentic japanese restaurant vibe. Service was good. Food tasted ok, nothing special. I would suggest getting extra sides of meat for your meal because they just give you a little.

+4

Kiu Siu

Kouraku is a good Japanese restaurant with an extensive menu that includes most of the favorite appetizers, rice plates and noodles. We enjoyed the food, the friendly service and comfortable retro vibe of the dining room. If half stars were available, we’d rate it 4.5.

+4

James Hsu

Love their machi-chuuka style comfort food. Had the tenshin ankake cha-han and nikudango teishoku. Service was friendly overall.

Julius Marzuki

Best Japanese comfort food in Little Tokyo. The foods still remain the same after all these years. I have always loved their Mapo Ramen and TanTan Men. I have not been here since 2015, the restaurant still remains the same, great services and foods. Now, they even have a robot server, that's cool!!!

+3

Lorenzo Warfel

BUSTLING TOURIST CAFE with mid-tier Japanese offerings and robot service. Kouraku touts its long history in Little Tokyo as the oldest ramen shop in America. It's got a lot of historic vibes inside but it doesn't quite hit the mark when it comes to their noodle game. I ordered seaweed Yakisoba, a few of their Japanese meatballs, and a water. The Yakisoba was decent, but I think the sauce was a little too salty, I'm guessing it's the seaweed's fault? I also found the meatballs to be too salty, those didn't have seaweed. I suppose they need to moderate their seasonings and sauces. I paid a pretty penny for just myself, almost $50, I'd expect better quality. I was seated quickly and beat the massive tourist dinner rush. If you're looking for something more authentic I'd look elsewhere or else you're most likely going to have to wait outside and mark your name on the waitlist. There's NO Yelp reservations or waitlists here. Note, the wait can be long as seating is VERY limited inside. I only spotted a few tables available along the narrow shop. The staff were decent, but not very personable. Only one younger Japanese waiter was sweet. He was under a lot of pressure but still held it together. If you're a major fan of this spot, merch is available at the front of the shop.

+10

N B

This was the most RACIST EXPERIENCE I HAVE HAD. 1.) ordered food to go on nye. @ 8:09 2.) paid for it online. Phone died 3.) Order was said to be ready @ 8:41 4.) Boyfriend went to pick the food up, came back to the car empty handed and confused “ What did we order, because the kid ( AQUA) is asking a lot of questions. I laugh and say I’ll go in with you I order here TWICE A MONTH. 5.) walk in and see my name on receipt and ask for our order 6.) Aqua said I called no answer so we didn’t make food. I asked…. Why it’s already paid for. He says it’s the rules. I just ordered from here last week huh. Do you want to speak to the owner. I say yes still confused because we PAID BEFORE WE PICKED IT UP 7.) chaos ensues. Aqua CALLS OWNER. They talk and then he asks for my id and credit card I paid for it with. Sir what, the food isn’t made but paid and we need proof 8.) He said yes and I got a refund 9.) IVE BEEN HERE MULTIPLE TIMES NO PROBLEM BUT today the way Aqua and the Owner handled it it assured me BLACK PEOPLE ARENT WANTED NOR WELCOMED