Ramen is one of the world's great gifts from Japan to everyone else, and Daikokuya has been one of its finest Los Angeles ambassadors since originating in Little Tokyo. The Burbank location, serving the studio district and surrounding neighborhoods, maintains all the qualities that built the original's reputation.
The tonkotsu broth — pork bones simmered for eighteen continuous hours — is opaque, rich, and profoundly porky in the best possible way. It is the kind of broth that tastes like someone made a serious decision about their day when they started it the night before. The noodles are wavy, medium-thick, and sourced from a Japanese supplier who understands what tonkotsu requires.
The Daikoku Ramen is the baseline: chashu pork belly that has been braised to the point where it barely requires chewing, a perfectly soft-boiled marinated egg, nori, bamboo shoots, and a fat tablespoon of black garlic oil that pools on the surface. The black garlic ramen adds depth to the already-formidable base.
The karaage — Japanese fried chicken thighs marinated in soy and ginger — is the starter you order while you wait for the ramen to arrive and then finish immediately because you have no self-control. The gyoza are pan-fried with the correct balance of crispy bottom and yielding top.
Daikokuya Burbank is the ramen spot that studio craft services wishes it could put in everyone's lunch break.
