MENSHO TOKYO

Sabs A

I had a great experience at Mensho Tokyo. The Signature Ramen was the highlight for me - creamy and flavorful without feeling overly heavy or overworked. Everything felt well-balanced, and I especially enjoyed the bamboo shoots, which added great texture and a nice contrast to the broth. We also tried the Chashu Trio Plate. The duck and chicken were light, clean, and enjoyable, but the A5 wagyu was sliced so thin that all you could taste was fat - no flavor. At $17 for seven very thin slices, that part felt a bit overpriced compared to the rest of the meal. The restaurant itself is nice and thoughtfully laid out, with a mix of bar seating, individual tables, and a community table (personally not my favorite, but some people may enjoy it). Service was attentive and relaxed - we ended up sitting for 30–40 minutes after finishing our food and never felt rushed, which I really appreciated. Overall, great ramen, comfortable space, and friendly service. I’d definitely come back, though I’d probably skip the wagyu next time and focus on the ramen instead.

2026-1-29

Tejas Joshi

Tried their vegan garlic broth and it honestly knocked it out of the park. One of the best vegetarian broths I’ve had. You can tell the vegetables are cooked slowly, everything is deeply flavorful and well balanced, not rushed or flat. Service was warm and attentive too. Corn wings (3/5): Decent, but nothing particularly new or memorable. Not bad, just average. Enoki chips (4/5): Surprisingly good. You’d barely guess it’s mushroom, super crispy and addictive. Overall, the garlic broth completely stole the show. Definitely an underrated spot, especially if you’re vegetarian/ Vegan or looking for great Ramen spot.

2025-12-28

Richard Wehmeyer

One of the best Ramen I’ve ever had. Worth the hype. The broth was soooo rich and flavorful, I added extra smoked egg to my Classic Ramen. Good Portion. Will come back very soon.

2026-1-22

Sakol Mongkolkasetarin

Here's another recently opened restaurant in downtown Culver City, offering some unique Japanese ramen experience. Mensho Tokyo is a small, cozy dining venue with indoor and outdoor seating. The atmosphere is loud and lively. Our server Nike, was very welcoming and greeted us with energy and smiles. He provided great information about the menu and I settled on the Signature Toripaitan, along with a bottle of Oolong tea Lychee. I can't say enough about how original and unique this ramen bowl was presented to me. The broth is rich and thick unlike other places. The mochi noodles had wonderful texture and when paired with the ajitama egg and the three types of chashu, the incredible umami hit all taste buds. That deep, savory "fifth taste" that provides a rich and satisfying mouthfeel. Simply amazing. I look forward to coming back to order their ultimate ramen dish, confidently named, The G.O.A.T.

2025-9-28

johndhchoi

Think i found the best ramen in LA. Although different than Tsujita, i think for me this is the champ. I will always crave Tsujita however. The regular toripaitan is fantastic. Rich chicken flavor and if you like ajitama egg def get that. The egg, broth, toppings everything is top notch. Very gourmet and wonderful. Personally i loved the spicy toripaitan more. The regular one got a tiny bit more one note by the end. The spice made it great all the way through. The only tiny complaint i would have is that the bowl of ramen is a little smaller than a normal bowl of ramen. I could probably comfortably eat two bowls but i do have a big appetite. My wife and daughter had plenty with one bowl. Cant wait to come and try everything on their menu.

2025-10-25

Danny K (DSKO)

Mensho, the best ramen maker from Japan in the US, in my opinion, recently opened their first SoCal location in Culver City. We've had and loved Mensho up north since owner and chef Tomoharu Shono opened the first US location in San Francisco back in 2016. He subsequently opened locations in Oakland and a slightly different concept restaurant, Menya Shono, in San Rafael and Union City. They're one of the rare ramen restaurants that has received recognition from Michelin in past years. This shop's menu and vibe most closely follows the original SF location minus the sketchiness of the Tenderloin. They have a broader range of dishes beyond ramen on their menu with more Wagyu nigiri options such as Hokkaido Uni, hotate (scallop) and Kani (crab). Unfortunately, this location is also packed and requires patience to get seated. Finding parking in the garage is also challenging as it is in a very popular district called Culver Steps right next to Amazon Studios which used to be the historic MGM, RKO and Cecil B. Demille studio lot. We almost left when we saw the line of about 16 people outside but decided to give it a try. I got very lucky someone was leaving just as I arrived, although I had to box out someone who was trying to steal the spot I was waiting for, in typical LA fashion. It took awhile to get from the garage and walk up to Mensho. The line looked hopeless at first with six parties ahead of us. But then a lot of people left around 8pm, so we were seated inside at the bar counter in about 30 minutes. I wanted to try the Kani Miso or Spiced Lamb but my throat was sore from working at a convention all day so I went with the Mensho Signature ramen. We also ordered fried Hinoki mushrooms, A5 Wagyu Nigiri with Hokkaido Uni and Kani (shredded crab). The nigiri was tender, perfectly seared and not overly seasoned, with some thinly sliced gari and a dab of wasabi. The Signature ramen is Chef Shono's own unique recipe that features a thick chicken broth rather than the much more common pork tonkotsu at US ramen restaurants. From there, you've got Mochi noodles, fermented pork chashu, duck chashu, smoked custard-like Ajitama (marinated egg), fried Gobo chips, green onion. What really sets Mensho apart from many ramen shops in the US is the attention to detail down to the visual presentation within the bowl. You can really taste the extra preparation that goes into the ingredients such as the smoked and marinated eggs and chashu. There's also a hint of truffle and mushroom flavor. The chicken broth is really thick and gravy-like. If I had one bone to pick, I wish the broth had been served a bit hotter than it was. Service was difficult to obtain at the counter, since we had our backs turned and the servers were rushing to get to the many people seated at tables and on the heated patio. There are definitely a lot more seats at this larger location, similar to the Oakland shop. I really enjoyed the ramen and Wagyu nigiri and felt a lot more comfortable in the safer area of the Culver Steps. I'd definitely return when I'm back in LA.

2026-1-25

Jennifer Lo

Garlic knockout (vegan) was tasty and creative. Loved garlic 4-ways. Hot and flavorful. Not spicy, despite the chili symbol. Noodles were good but not memorable it was the toppings that stood out and first time I have soup noodles with a wooden spoon like theirs, it was a nice upgrade. The fried mushrooms were incredible. They were chewy, juicy, crispy, lemony and unique. Most fried mushrooms are heavily battered & fried which makes me feel sick from all the grease. Not here. Price-wise it is premium: ~$90 for 2 ramens + 1 mushroom appetizer + 1 hot tea but location rent is factored in. Waited half hour outside for a seat despite seats being available they were obviously too busy to fill them. But once seated we got service asap.

2025-12-20

The WAHB Life

The signature & old school ramen were definitely unique with thick rich and creamy broth. Both were good. The chicken karaage was amazing because of how light and crispy the chicken was. Corn wings were good too - though not actually wings but sliced corn on the cob. Overall good experience with our server Julian. Thank you!

2025-10-6