Jidaiya Ramen

The house specialty at Jidaiya is chicken-based ramen, which makes sense when you realize this strip mall shop in Gardena is run by the same owners as the excellent yakitori spot, Torihei. The dining room here has a strong Old Tokyo theme to it, with a faux wooden rooftop and lots of dark wood along the bar. Our favorite bowl is easily the Tokyo Yatai, a soothing, savory, lighter-style shoyu ramen that’s adorned with a seared piece of chashu, a slice of pink fishcake, and a perfectly soft-boiled egg. They’ve also got more unique ramen styles that are worth a try, like garlic tantanmen and soy butter-tossed “monja” noodles. And be sure to get an order of their pan-fried “UFO gyoza” too, which come linked together as a single disc of dumplings.