SoCal Ramen

Umemura is one of the best ramen shops in Gardena. I often have drinks with my father at different karaoke bars in Gardena and chat up the old timers about ramen restaurants in Gardena and the most frequently recommended restaurant is Umemura.

Situated in a converted 80’s Taco Bell restaurant (the kind with the classic archways), the inside resembles a regular ramen shop with bar and table seating. The menu is in Japanese on one side and English on the flip side. There are about 20 different types of ramen, my favorite being the Tan Tan Men ramen in a miso base. The soup base is thick and rather spicy with ground pork and vegetables. The soup is so delicious, I’d seriously drink the entire thing if my wife wasn’t there glaring at me and calculating the sodium content. The noodles are wavy and a medium thickness and perfectly cooked.

No matter where we go, my wife usually orders the basic chashumen (soy sauce based soup with pork slices) ramen, which she not only loves, but helps her gauge how good the ramen restaurant is. umemura is her second favorite ramen shop in the United States.

While the ramen is really good, their side dishes leave something to be desired. The chahan usually seems like it was cooked much earlier in the day, and the gyoza, while perfectly cooked, didn’t have the most delicious contents. But, you go to a ramen shop for the ramen, and Umemura is one I definitely recommend.

Bowls of ramen are about $8 and the service is excellent. There’s plenty of parking in the back behind the restaurant. Oh, and it’s cash-only!

Ramen Rating:

1724 W Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 217-0970