Where to find the best noodles in Little Tokyo

Among the multiple standout ramen shops in Little Tokyo is Men Oh, tucked away in Honda Plaza. A small shop with a handful of tables and a long bar, Men Oh hails from the Tokushima region of Japan, where the dominant industry is pig farming. Thus, the signature item, the Tokushima Ramen, is an unctuous, deeply pork-flavored bowl, with toppings that include not only lovely slices of tender chashu, but also strips of stir-fried butabara pork. Those additions, plus the pork bone and soy sauce-based broth, make this bowl one of the more complex ones in town.

Walk into Marugame Monzo and you'll immediately be mesmerized by the open-air noodle action. Ask for seats at the counter so you can watch the udon noodles being made up close: Behind a large glass, the udon master will roll out the dough and cut strands and strands of the thick, chewy noodles for each order. The traditional bowls are great here; try the hot kitsune udon topped with fried tofu or the cold plum shiso bukkake udon. For a fun mash-up of Japanese and Italian cuisines, go for the popular miso carbonara udon.

If the lines are too long at other old-school ramen restaurants in Little Tokyo (we're looking at you, Daikokuya), head over to Manichi Ramen, the Los Angeles installment from one of Japan's best ramen companies. The #1 Manichi Special is a rich, fragrant bowl filled with tender bits of pork, a soft egg boiled to perfection, black garlic and spicy miso. Portions are hefty enough to leave you full after one bowl, but you'll want to precede your meal with a plate of the restaurant's beloved gyoza.

This buzzy Little Tokyo spot—which has four locations in Los Angeles with a devoted following—is a ramen mecca. A wrap-around counter faces the open kitchen, providing a social atmosphere to dig into piping hot bowls of flavorful pork broth and chewy noodles; we love the specialty Daikoku Ramen. Chijire-style egg noodles sit in a rich tonkotsu soup and are topped with slices of kurobuta pork belly (pork fans can amp it up with fatty kotteri-style), boiled egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and green onions. Add an order of pan-fried pork gyoza or crispy tonkatsu (pork cutlet) to make the line worthwhile.