Reviews & Ratings for Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi

12/03/08

The best ramen in the South Bay, and I'm Japanese.

by Tsuno at Citysearch

This is my favorite ramen house in Los Angeles. Order the Hakata Ramen with "hard" noodle. So much better than "regular." The waiters like to yell a lot.

• Pros: Totally customizable ramen.
• Cons: Wait.

05/05/08

Great Food, Great Service

by keesa at Citysearch

This ramen place has been my friends' favorite place on EARTH! I think they would go there at least once a week. I haven't been able to join them for a long time because my work hour is super long and they close before I get home. But this place is wonderful! My friends LOVE their ramen noodles. I do love it too, the soup is fantastic, but I secretly wish they have a bit thicker noodle choice. So, I usually go for fried rice and ask for extra Takana pickles on the side. I hadn't had Takana pickles until I had it here last year since I moved from Japan 15 years ago. And they prep it so good! Just like my father (and he's from Kyushu) used to cook. Although I don't really care for their skinny noodles, I don't mind when they make it into Yaki Ramen. Now, that's yummy-licious! Also we like their spinach with sesame sauce, cream croquettes, and many other dishes. I've tried their seaweed salad for the first time and it was awesome! You can taste a bit of spiciness but man, it's dee-licious! It's always crowded and we have to wait most of the time but we never mind it because the food is so worth it and the servers are always friendly and super polite. We always have a great time! 5 stars!!!

• Pros: Great food and service, authentic Japanese taste
• Cons: always crowded, would love to have a thicker noodle option, wish they open late for hard workers like me!

09/02/07

Not like it used to be...

by taylortaylor at Citysearch

We used to go to this place for many times. We liked it there then. But the owner opened more restaurants so good chefs and waiters were spreaded. Even the right hand man left so since then soup base ha lost its flavor and taste as well as quality of customer services. We went back to here this week and found they got worser. Sorry to say but we never go back....

• Pros: Thumbs down
• Cons: expect to wait and wait and wait.......

12/26/06

Best Ramen in So Cal

by akira101 at Citysearch

Shin Sen Gumi's noodles are simply the best!! I'd recommend ordering the "set" meals. Comes w/ noodles, side dish, ... something else, and a drink. But anyways, i've been going here the last few years and the food is simply delicious. You may have to wait a while since it's a very popular local hangout.

• Pros: delicous food, excellent service
• Cons: may have to wait a while

12/14/06

Great noodle soup and ambiance

by eat2drink at Citysearch

Great ramen soup and gyoza. What made the evening special was the way you order the soup; you start by choosing the ingredients (wonton, seaweed, pork...), the strength of the broth, the amount of oil you want and how the noodles are prepared (soft, medium or firm). In our group of four everyone raved about their order. The young man that helped us was friendly and attentive. They also offer a variety of other japanese food, along with sake and beer. We order the Otokoyama(?) sake and it was great. I highly recommend it if you are in the neighborhood.

• Pros: Great ramen noodle soup
• Cons: Small location

12/05/06

Great Food, Great Staff

by kharm11 at Citysearch

My friend took me to this restaurant one sat night and I loved it! It was busy and a bit of a wait but nothing too bad. We chose to sit at the long table rather than the one where you have to take off your shoes because i am too tall. We were seated next to other groups 2's and 3's but still comfy. The staff was very good about recommending dishes and helping us order since it was my first time there. We ended up getting way too much food (portions are very generous in the combos) but it was delicious! I have recommended this place to friends already who want something out of the mainstream and more character. The place definitely had a friendly vibe and we were joking around with some of the locals sitting next to us and the friendly waiters.

• Pros: friendly staff and service
• Cons: waiting outside only

10/30/06

A fun experience, great food

by gatorlui at Citysearch

We decided to try this one based on it's high citysearch score. Well deserved. Food is great. Service is great. We were worried about the neighborhood when we looked at the map, but turns out it's fine. This is a straight up Japanese noodle house. Primarily they serve noodle soup, but there are a few other choices. Ordering may seem difficult at first to us non-asians. Essentially you order ramen soup with your choice of how much oil, broth strength, noodle type, noodle firmness, and add-ins. You can add to the soup things like pork, spinach, fried egg, salmon eggs, etc. I recommend the pork. Salmon eggs were really spicy and fishy. The soup can be ordered in sets - like combinations - they include certain side items (potstickers are awesome). The staff is friendly and shout stuff out in Japanese when people walk in, walk out, get their check, stuff like that. In the evening you may have to wait outside a while to get a seat -- it's a small place. Most of the tables you sit on the floor, shoes off; I'd opt to sit at the bar or a regular table if you're tall.

• Pros: food
• Cons: seating

05/27/06

Best ramen in town!

by bernardlee at Citysearch

I am writing a review for their new location in Rosemead (Yay! don't have to drive to Redondo Beach anymore). This location is not as busy as their RB location. The food and service is excellent. I've been back many times to try their different appetizers. I especially like the option to "customize" my noodles. Their lunch specials are the best deals.

04/29/06

Best ramen in SoCal.

by tweeti at Citysearch

Everything is in your control. The hardness of the noodle, the heaviness of the taste, and the oiliness of the soup base. Then, there are other dishes such as the chicken rice and fried rice are also very good.

However, the branch in Fountain Valley also has a Japanese BBQ in the back.

• Pros: Parking
• Cons: Can have long lines

04/10/06

Great Ramen in the South Bay, Gardena

by willcpr at Citysearch

Two friends and I adventured to Hakata on Saturday afternoon. We didn't get there in time for the lunch specials which ended at 2pm. The customizable $7 Hakata Ramen was really good. I had to add cha sui to mine. The gyoza was smaller than I expected, but still really flavorful. The waiters and cooks were really nice, answered our questions, and stayed attentive. They tried to sit us at the community table, we opted out for the bar area. Tables where you could kneel were also avail. The desserts list sounded interesting, I'm wondering if they are made at the restaurant. I would definitely go back to try more things on the menu (thus the HR rating). Personal Vendetta...Shinsengumi are ancient samurai police, or for Bleach fans...equivalent to "death gods."

• Pros: Food, Good for Small Groups, Service