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Recession Obsession: Ramen, Yes?
Ground Pork Egg Drop Ramen | Photo by Caleb Bacon for LAist
The Official Recession has enveloped us for sixteen official months. It’s still no reason we can’t enjoy life. This is LA -- we have a ton of inexpensive options! A Recession Obsession is somewhere that's truly fantastic, regardless of whether times are good or you've been downsized. We last obsessed over Guatemalan fast food, and inexpensive comedy shows. Today, we obsess...
The Official Recession continues to reach her cold, calloused hands into the wallets of many. One part of society has been acting like we've never not had a recession. College kids. Examine their “fragrant” dorm rooms and you’ll find bomb-shelter like quantities of Top Ramen (everyone’s favorite 64-cent-just-add-water-instant-ramen,) as though future employment is an impossibility.
While the kids are onto something, they’re not alright. Ramen doesn’t have start as powder. In fact, great ramen in LA doesn’t cost much (sorry, you'll have to pony up more than 64 cents.) For $5-$8 you can feast on a big bowl of tasty ramen featuring fresh ingredients and real meat. That’s why Ramen is LAist’s latest Recession Obsession.
Non-Instant Noodle Soup
Thankfully real-deal ramen can be found all around LA, and not just some remote corner of an impoverished warzone. Check out Downtown’s Little Tokyo, West LA and Torrance. Slightly closer to the Pacific than West LA's Japanese culinary playground (on Sawtelle, “Little Osaka,”) can be found Ramenya. Located in West LA (a neighborhood I hope wishes it had a better name,) Ramenya serves sizable bowls of Japanese comfort food, even if you don't need comforting.
Ramenya has about 25 kinds of ramen from which to choose. The average bowl is $7.50. In other parts of town you can find ramen as low as $5, but I’m not complaining. They also provide free barley-tea iced tea. The dish pictured above is an egg-drop ramen with ground pork. It's a wonderful, warm mix of flavors and spices. If you're looking for a more traditional broth-based bowl, Ramenya can accommodate -- enough so that you can bring your picky kid brother. But first ask, for dinner how about ramen, ya?
- Ramenya West LA | 11555 West Olympic Blvd | Los Angeles 90064 | (310) 575-9337
- Daily: 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Where do you get your ramen fix? Comment below!
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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