Hi everyone, Joan here!

Just a quick post. As I journey through the Santa Monica ramen scene, which has been booming the last couple of years, I stumbled upon an actually well-known spot, Ippudo Ramen, which had made its mark in New York City. I didn’t realize it even existed over by 3rd St. Promenade, I just happened to walk by it one day. So I invited one of my ramen buddies, Elena, to join me for a ramen run.

Veggie Ramen

Classic Tonkotsu

Shishito Peppers

What they serve

We started off with shishito peppers, which were quite delicious. I ordered their Akamaru Veggie option and Elena ordered their chicken ramen. In my opinion, it was not bad but it didn’t blow my mind. The broth was flavorful, noodles were great, but the tofu had a strange alcohol-like tinge to it that I did not like. Perhaps the non-vegetarian ramens are far more superior, but even Elena said her bowl was not that memorable. On top of that, the service was very slow. I didn’t mind waiting over half an hour for a table if the ramen was amazing, but the servers were not very attentive nor efficient.

Unfortunately I can’t say I would come back here. Maybe after a year or so, I’ll give it another shot. But for now, I know I can always count on Silverlake Ramen, (which has my heart,) or Rakken Ramen to satisfy my ramen cravings if I’m in Santa Monica.

We finished off our evening with a nice glass of vinho verde at the Sonoma Wine Garden, just around the block.

Feeling fancy

Thanks for reading,

Joan

Restaurant Information:
Ippudo Ramen
1403 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401