Ippudo Santa Monica

Very underwhelming flavor and a surprisingly long wait time to be served after ordering.

Was excited to try this spot since it was one of my favorite ramen stops in Japan. But this is so far removed from the restaurant in Japan I wonder if this is just a licensed franchise instead of an expansion of the original?!?

Outside of my expectations it was a decent meal. And I like that they use good quality chopsticks.

Dined here during the first few months of opening this Ippudo location

Service was enthusiastic but perhaps a tad heavy handed

Ramen was okay. Noodles were tasty but not memorable. The broth’s taste was subtle. At first, I was surprised by its soft profile, because I’m used to heavy soups, but it did grow on me.

I’ll give it another chance.

We were in LA for 4 days and did all the general touristy stuff, but this was by far my favorite experience. The staff were so nice and answered all our questions. The food was amazing and the drinks were great too! I told them I didn't want pork in my ramen and the server came back to make sure that I meant the broth as well. They haven't been open long, but I hope this place stays open a long time. Anytime I'm in LA, I will be coming here

Best noodles I had in a while. Fast and friendly service. The place opens at 11a and closes at 3p to prep for dinner to reopen at 5p

FOOD | Pork buns were good. Saw previous photos from this location with thinly sliced pork, but ours were decently thick.

SERVICE | There were only a few tables around 4pm on a Saturday. Servers were nice, but kinda slow as they got a bit busier and took some time for them to give and take our check away.

PARKING | There's a huge parking structure next to the restaurant. Free for first 90 minutes I believe!

AMBIANCE | Clean modern decor.

Had a lot of hype, but not sure I would go out of my way to get it again. LA already has some really great contenders.