LA Gets Taipei's 4.5-Star Ramen
Taipei's acclaimed Ramen Chikumo just landed in LA's Sawtelle with $2 Sapporo beers and their signature tori-paitan ramen featuring silky chicken-based broth. The 4.5-star sensation is making waves with this buzzworthy affordable drink offer alongside their Asian hit menu.
Ramen Chikumo first built its reputation in Taipei's intense "first-tier ramen war zone," where it became a late-night sensation. Despite being headquartered in Tokyo, the brand's three Taipei locations have earned consistently high ratings, with over 10,000 reviews averaging 4.7 stars, and are often open until 3 or 4 AM. The restaurant's signature is tori-paitan, a rich and creamy chicken-based broth, which stands out in a Los Angeles market saturated with tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen. The broth is simmered for over 12 hours from whole chickens, a process designed to build natural umami without using MSG or other artificial additives. To complement the distinct broth, Chikumo uses custom-made, egg-free noodles. The toppings are also prepared with a specific technique, featuring low-temperature cooked chashu to achieve a tender texture for both the pork (cooked for 5.5 hours) and chicken (cooked for 1.5 hours). Beyond the signature bowl, the menu offers a Yuzu Citrus Shio ramen for a lighter option and a plant-based Creamy Cashew & Porcini ramen. It also includes appetizers like "Washugyu" Marbled Roast Beef and Crispy Fried Spicy Cod Roe & Cheese Spring Sticks. Chikumo enters the crowded Sawtelle Japantown neighborhood, a well-established destination for ramen lovers, famously home to the long lines of tonkotsu powerhouse Tsujita. To make a splash, the new location is offering 90 minutes of validated parking, a significant perk in the notoriously difficult-to-park area.
