The Best Food in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles

Cream and I kind of laughed the first time our bowls came out at Marugame Monzo because we hadn't known what to expect when we ordered and the udon looked a little over the top!

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In this guide 5 sections

Then we tried it. Monzo ended up as one of our two 10 out of 10s in Little Tokyo.

The other was a bowl of ramen at Rakkan, and the broth had no meat in it at all. I only found that out halfway through. Those two bowls were the best food in Little Tokyo for us during the week we stayed in the neighborhood in February 2024, and we scored every place we ate.

The Best Food in Little Tokyo: My Quick Answer

• Best meal: Marugame Monzo, for udon cut by hand in an open kitchen. If you're up for it, get the mentaiko.
• Best ramen: Rakkan Ramen. The broth is 100% plant-based, and it was the best ramen we had anywhere in LA.
• Something sweet: taiyaki, the fish-shaped cakes. We got red bean and custard.
• Sushi: Sushi Gala in Japanese Village Plaza was okay, a 7 from us.
• Matcha: we loved our iced matcha at The Latte Shop, but it has since closed.

#	Place	Where	Order	Our score
1	Marugame Monzo	1st St	Mentaiko udon or clam udon	10/10
2	Rakkan Ramen	1st St	Any ramen; ask for a vegan bowl if you need one	10/10
3	Taiyaki	Little Tokyo	Red bean and custard	9/10
4	Sushi Gala	Japanese Village Plaza	Rainbow, jalapeño, and tuna rolls	7/10

We stayed right in the neighborhood. These three hotels are too.

We stayed at the DoubleTree on the west edge of the neighborhood and could walk to every place on this list in a few minutes. Miyako Hotel is on 1st Street, almost directly across from Marugame Monzo. For a budget stay, Little Tokyo Hotel is a small hotel on the same block, but it has shared bathrooms.

Eating in Little Tokyo: Good to Know

I'd budget a bit more than the menu price here. LA menus don't include sales tax. In the city of Los Angeles it's 10.25% from October 1, 2026. It's added when you pay.⁵ At sit-down places like Monzo and Rakkan, I'd tip 15% to 20% of the bill before tax.

The Best Food in Little Tokyo, Ranked

1. Marugame Monzo // Udon Cut by Hand in Front of You

We gave Marugame Monzo a 10 for the most unique dishes we had all week. It's an udon shop on 1st Street, and the noodles are cut by hand in an open kitchen.³

We ordered the mentaiko udon and a clam udon without really knowing what we were getting. Mentaiko is marinated pollock roe, and here it goes into a creamy, buttery sauce over thick, chewy noodles. The clam udon was the calm one. It came with clams in a light, clear broth.

Both were very good, and it was such a fun meal!

Monzo is known for those creamy bowls, and besides mentaiko there's a miso carbonara udon and a seafood tomato cream udon on the menu. They have classic hot and cold udon too if you'd rather keep it simple.⁴ We didn't wait long for a table. It's popular, though. I'd go before the dinner rush.

• Who it's for: adventurous eaters, and anyone who's only ever had udon in a plain broth
• Skip it if: you want a quick, cheap bowl; the creamy signatures are a sit-down meal
• Order: the mentaiko udon if you're up for it, or the clam udon
• Where: 329 E 1st St

2. Rakkan Ramen // The Plant-Based Broth That Shocked Me

Rakkan was our big surprise. I was halfway through my bowl when I found out the broth was plant-based, and I was blown away! It had so much flavor. Out of all the ramen we had in LA and Santa Monica this was the best, and honestly it's some of the best ramen I've ever had.

Rakkan started in 2011 as a four-seat ramen bar in Tokyo. Its broth is made from vegetables and kombu (kelp), and there's no meat or seafood in it at all.¹ It still comes out rich and thick, close to a pork-bone tonkotsu. I couldn't tell the difference!

Toppings aren't always plant-based, though. Ours came with egg and meat. If you're vegan, I'd ask for one of the vegan bowls.

It's on the same stretch of 1st Street as Monzo. I'd do udon one night and ramen the next!

• Who it's for: every ramen lover, and vegetarians or vegans who never get to eat ramen out
• Skip it if: you only want a traditional pork-bone broth
• Order: any of the ramen bowls; ask for a vegan bowl if you need one
• Where: 359 E 1st St

3. Taiyaki // Red Bean and Custard Fish Cakes

We got a box with two fillings and ate them right outside. Red bean (sweet azuki bean paste) and custard!

So good, a 9 from us. You can't go wrong with taiyaki.

If you haven't had them, taiyaki are Japanese fish-shaped cakes where the batter is baked in a fish-shaped mold and filled with something sweet while it's still hot.

Little Tokyo's taiyaki stand is Little Tokyo Taiyaki, by the Little Tokyo Galleria at 333 S Alameda St. It's about five minutes on foot from Japanese Village Plaza. They make them to order with red bean or custard, and there's often a line.⁷

• Who it's for: anyone with a sweet tooth, and a snack between meals
• Skip it if: you don't like sweet bean paste; get the custard instead
• Order: one red bean and one custard, and share
• Where: 333 S Alameda St

4. Sushi Gala // Easy Sushi in Japanese Village Plaza

It was okay. Sushi Gala is inside Japanese Village Plaza and it got a 7 from us, after we had a rainbow roll and a tuna roll plus one topped with jalapeño. Nothing was bad, but it was nothing compared to Mon Roll House, our favorite sushi in Santa Monica and number one on our Santa Monica restaurant rankings.

I'd call it the easy choice if you're already in the plaza and want sushi now. Most LA visitors rent a car. If you drove, Sushi Gala validates two hours of parking at the Japanese Village Plaza lot.⁶

• Who it's for: an easy sushi dinner without leaving the plaza
• Skip it if: you'll be in Santa Monica during your trip; save your sushi night for Mon Roll House
• What we had: a rainbow roll, a jalapeño roll, and a tuna roll
• Where: 103 Japanese Village Plaza

We ate our way around on our own, but a food tour would show you more shops in one go, since Little Tokyo's food tours are walks of a few hours with tastings at several shops along the way.

Compare Little Tokyo food tours

Matcha in Little Tokyo: The Latte Shop Has Closed

Our matcha in Little Tokyo came from The Latte Shop on 1st Street, and it was a layered iced matcha latte that was so fun to get! It was a little pricey, though. And I'm more of a coffee drinker. I gave it an 8. By October 2026 it was listed as closed. It's off our list now.

Little Tokyo still has matcha. Tea Master Matcha Cafe on 2nd Street is the name that comes up most for matcha lattes and soft serve. I'd check it out if you're a bigger matcha fan than me!

The Bowl I'd Go Back For

I'd go straight back to Marugame Monzo and order something I've never had. The bowls are super unique! Even when one looks a little over the top as it lands on the table, it's so fun to eat. If ramen is more your thing, Rakkan was every bit as good. What it's really like staying in Little Tokyo has where we slept and what the neighborhood is like after dark.

And I still can't believe that Rakkan broth had no meat in it!

Next Steps for Your Los Angeles Trip

• Little Tokyo hotels, nights, and safety
• Where we ate in Santa Monica, scored