Foo Foo Tei
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
28 reviews
Placentia, CA
"This is a great Japanese fusion place. My wife and I decided we didn't want to drive far from Brea and checked out this hidden gem. We…" read more »
88 Reviews for Foo Foo Tei
Before you get too hyped by all the reviews, you have to realize that it's only ramen. It is a very delicious ramen, probably one of the best ones around, but it's still only ramen. Having said that, the portions are very big and it will cost you about $8 before tip and tax. The place has a C rating from the Department of Public Health, which may scare off some people but don't worry, you are not going to die from eating there. C = Clean enough
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ehh.. it's ramen. Can't say it was over the moon or anything. The weird thing was that I saw the asian monks at Shi Lai eat there. I didn't know they could eat out.
i went to this location about 4 years ago for the first time and i thought that i'd never had such a crazy yummy ramen before.. my favourite ramen place EVER! OOOooOOoH!! i forgot the name of this place and i could not go even though i really wanted to go back (because i forgot the name), but now i came across this and i'm so happy that i have to write a review so it will be on my list and i will never forget HAHA and hopefully visit soooon!
i have had other ramen places before, at least more than 5 other ramen places, and by far this place is yummiest to me!
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i like the white soup ramen and their appetizers. i like this place but i went there a couple weeks ago and the portion looks smaller than before (cuz of the economy?) the wait and parking's a pain.....
This is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. Reasonably priced, the food is delicious even though it's located in a random warehouse district. The wait is borderline intolerable and the atmosphere needs some upgrade but people are waiting outside for the food. Very authentic. Highly recommended.
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My favorite ramen in the whole world!!! There's something so charming about the ghetto location, long wait (ugh, but worth it) but once that bowl of noodle is in front of me, everything is perfect again!
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I go here very often... say about 3 nights a week. ha ha ... I just saw somebody's review with one star;. Do you really think so?
Well, I am not trying to convince anybody, but as Japanese, ate so many deferent noodles, their noodles are top of the line.
One star? I feel something other than fair review or personal opinion.
About Nanchatte Tonkotsu ramen, is not tonkotsu ramen, in case you did not know. That is deferent species than tonkotsu ramen.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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09/10/2007
I'm a Japanese, been eating ramen since I was 4 months old. I don't want great Japanese ramen shop… Read more »
OMFG! WOOOOOOOW THIS PLACE IS FREAKING GOOD!!!
So i heard about this place through one of my friends who tried it through his sister's mom's cousin's niece's brother...ok just kidding it was only his sister.
So finally my b/f and i and our two friends decided to go there and try it out. first of all, this place is in the middle of nowhere...well it's hiding in a residential/industrial area. So you would definitely think "wtf is a ramen place doing in this are?!" Anyways, yea we waited for a while, but since we occupied ourselves, we didn't think much of it. Plus there's manga books and magazines that you can occupy yourself with.
So we finally get our table, the waitress was really cool, we got our food pretty quick, and wow the ramen was uber good! I ordered the mabo ramen with the miso base. My favorite mabo ramen that i've eaten is at Umemura. Well...now I can't decide which one is my favorite, hehe. They're gyoza is pretty good (still doesn't beat Umemura's), their takoyaki, grilled beef, fried rice, broiled squid, and fried tofu were also good. I've also tried their Asari Ramen (manilla clams with the miso based) and their crab omelet with gravy ramen.
So yea everything was freaking good! We can't stop going there! We asked the waitress how long this place has been there and she said 7-8 years ( i can't remember )...now WTF haven't i heard of this place earlier?!?! :P
Btw i forgot to mention that they have 28 different types of ramen ;)
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Call me a ramen snob....but come on, my grandparents used to own one in Japan
It's totally in the most randomest place of places. Who would have known they had a ramen place around there. They have the comic books in two bookshelves + a magazine rack. Nonetheless, the one hour wait did NOT go by fast. Total Japanese ramen house trying to happen in Hacienda Heights.....not too bad....
The price and portions are very generous. The seabass was pretty good, shio saba done great, hiyayakko....not bad....but who can screw that one up?
People argue what makes a good ramen......but most will agree that it's all about the soup. Had a little taste of the Nanchatte Tonkotsu.......and sadly.............it failed. Sorry Foo Foo Tei. Everything else was good, but the soup was lacking.
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3.5 stars
Their ramen is above average. I mean I've had better before but they are worth the stars. My father is currently "located" at Rose Hills Mortuary a few exits away, so my family and I often eat here after visiting him.
the wait is pretty long at meal time, but once you are seated and ordered the food comes pretty quick. Tye to get something with vegetables, it is so fresh and refreshing!
One of the best, if not The Best, ramen restaurant in the area! True, the location is a bit random, but who cares!? When the food is good, people will come and the line never seize to end (which IS a downside if you couldn't go early and had to wait for an hour).
As for the food. There are many different choices for the broth so everyone should be able to find their own favorite.
Go and you will not regret it. It will be worth your wait.
Vegetarian Friendly.
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Pretty Damn good. It's one of those places you go and you know your gonna be full and happy. There serving size is great. The cook astounding. The selection of diff rahmens are a nice change. There are numerous sides you can order and pretty much at a reasonable price.
The wait on the other hand is a tough thing. It takes at least 30 - 60 min to get a table. When it's really busy its gonna be at least an hour.
Other than that. great price for some great food.
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for a long time, i would have given foo foo tei 5 stars. after experiencing ramen in costa mesa and torrence area though, i'll give it 4 stars.
this place is really difficult to find. it's in the middle of nowhere!! :P this is not a place you pass by and say, "let's try this place." i'm 99% sure that everyone who goes here found out through word of mouth. this place doesn't even advertise itself to my knowledge!! but it's always packed.. the wait is usually around 15~20 minutes? but that's ok, there's tons of japanese magazines and mangas to help you pass the time away.
what people say about foo foo tei is true. it's mostly ramen. they're known for their ramen!! i've tried a few and i would have to say my favorite is tantan me (spelling). i have tried various things on the menu though that aren't ramen. they're all pretty good too. my favorite is the tuna bowl. mmmm.. oh and you got to try the midori drink here. it's awesome!! :D ittatakimasu!! (i think that's the correct phrase to say before eating..)
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The location is kinda odd...but overall the food was good...although i had better ramen before. Theres usually a line but I don't think its worth the wait. But the ramen here tastes better than ajisen and tamaya. Ajisen is kinda gross.
Check out my pics of Foo Foo Tei's food!
I've been going to Foo Foo Tei for years. The owner is very nice, and usually comes out to say hello if he sees me and my friends eating there.
The parking lot can be crowded during peak hours, but it's not too hard to park on the street because it's in a desolate industrial area. Even though Foo Foo Tei is in the middle of nowhere, there is usually a line of people waiting to be seated, so you know it's good!
If you're bored while waiting, you can pick up some Japanese manga comic books (if you like cool car inspired comics, you'll like Initial D, Shakotan Boogie, Wangan Midnight, Yoroshiku Mechadoc), car magazines (Option, Drift Tengoku, Carboy, etc), or women's fashion magazines (whew the Japanese models that they feature in Vivi and S-Cawaii are sooo hot! I luv those ero-kawa girls! uhmm... but back to the ramen..!)
Favorite things to order:
NANCHATTE TONKOTSU RAMEN ii ne! Chooooo umai yo! You need to try it if you haven't tried it yet! The soup broth is creamy and very flavorful... you can taste the nanchatte "tonkotsu" flavor (meaning it tastes like pork, but it's not made with pork) with the awesome garlic flavor. Actually I always add extra garlic to my soup, since they have it mashed up and sitting on your table. The actual pork slices are very soft and tender, they melt in your mouth. Dammit, I might need to roll to Foo Foo Tei right now, I'm making myself hungry.
I also like to order oyakodon (chicken and egg over rice), ikamaru (broiled squid), ebi tendon (shrimp tempura and egg over rice), gyoza (white people say "pot stickers" or "dumplings" lol), and chahan (fried rice). The green tea milk is pretty good, and the melon calpico drink is pretty good too!
Ok ya know what, I'm gonna end this and head to Foo Foo Tei right now. TTYL peaceeeeeeeeeeee!
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Best Ramen in Southern California. BEST! Not a girly place though. Ramen worth crossing County lines for.
I like ramen. I eat it every day. Most ramen taste good to me. I rarely am harsh on this poor man's food. I enjoyed most ramen I had at most place. I just didn't know the best of them was just around my neighborhood which is mostly Chinese. Why the heck did I drive to JTown for it.
This was my third attempt to eat at this place. First I got lost. I did and you will if you don't write down exactly where. Second, I went there too early and restaurant wasn't open. I think it was near 5pm. So this time I was there around 6:00pm. The place was packed already I got the one of the last seat available. I waited 15 minutes for my dish. There were a dozen people who checked in and was waiting already. I finished my bowl in 2 minutes, not a single drop was left on the bowl and stood up and left. I am good customer.
I had a bowl of Shoyu Ramen. Noodle was fully cooked. At certain locations, inside is still hard. The broth was clean and not too salty enough for me to drink it off the bowl. The pork was exceptional. I am used to well done somewhat hard and dried pork slice but this one was fresh, soft, tender and had classic sticky chewy taste that is the essence of a pork slice.
I asked the lady there when is least busy. She said it gets busy after 7pm. With a dozen guest waiting at 6:20pm she said it gets busy at 7pm. I was very sad. This place wasn't just a ramen place. It was a fine Izakaya serving inexpensive sake and side dishes. I was asking the lady when will be good time for me to come and drink til I puke out of my nostril. It gets busy after 7pm and busier in the weekend wasn't the answer I was looking for. This place close after lunch and also close pretty early.
I will have to wait for the lightening and thunder with occasional flash flooding. Hopefully the patrons will stay home that day so I can go there and puke out of my nose overdosed on cheap sake.
*Note: I must explain the word Chinese above. Rowland Heights is 50.3% Asian with 30+% Chinese. That was in 2000. It has more Chinese and Asian now. We have one of the best Chinese restaurants here, excellent Thai and decent Korean Restaurants. With so much competition, I was genuinely surprised to see an authentic Japanese ramen place at the top of the food chain. New Capital dimsum is only place with longer line than here.
Update 6-2-2008 : 8:26pm Monday. I had a the bright idea that Monday 8:30pm maybe the least busiest time at a Ramon place. I drive like crazy got there at 8:35pm. 4 in front cost me 20 minutes. Not bad. It closes at 9:30pm, I had 40 minutes to eat. I order Hot Sake, second cheapest, it was a treat for me, costed me extra dollar. Fried Silver Fish and boil squid. They came in a plate on top of shredded vegetable. Sake with 1 extra dollar was still cheap sake. $5 and tasted cheap too. Not their fault. Squid and Fried was best I have had. The unsuspecting shredded vegetable was unknowingly seasoned for the item it was hosting. It made a perfect match. So EAT everything on the plate. It is not there for the look. I had to eat more. Chance to sit down here is precious. Order seafood miso ramen. This is not a typical combination and I didn't expect much more than good decent taste. It was exceptional. I finished it and sucked every juice of it. I felt sorry for not chewing up the shells. I licked it dry. Not even a hint of MSG. But my tongue was licking my mouth for more. Now, I can say it with certainty that Foo Foo Tei is the best ramen place in California, possibly in US. Well possibly in Americas. Well, possibly outside of Asia.
To honor Foo Foo Tei, I have lowered 5 of my 5 star rating to 4 which were a bit hyped anyways..
So ayami h. tells me they have another store in Monterey Park. Sure Engouh http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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This place is in the middle of nowhere, what a random place for a restaurant.
The food. Most people get the Ramen, but I love the omurice, their version is white rice put in a omelette topped with their homemade demiglace sauce that has a hint of spiceiness, The Hamuburg steak is also good takes a while to make though but they use the same demiglace sauce and they put an onion ring under the Hamburg steak. I would also try any appetizer they have to offer the are all damn good. And if you are getting the ramen I know the creamy one is good! I love this place but be ready for the wait its always crowded!
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Probably one of the weirdest places to have a ramen house, let alone a restaurant, but if it's good...it don't matter! The ramen is always good and if you're really hungry, you can get a rice/meat bowl in addition to your soup. I dislike the fact it's packed inside and can get pretty hot and muggy with all the people and the cooking action. The lines are always out the door at this place, but it's usually worth the wait. Don't come here in the summertime unless you are ready to sweat off a few pounds.
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I guess I am not the only one who complains about the A/C there. The Ramen is okay. Nanchate Ramen is way too salty. How will you get the good service when it is so hot and when the wait is so long? With all the clients and $$ they are making, is it too much to ask them to change a new working A/C??
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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01/20/2008
I have been to the place many times before. At least once a week at once. However, the service has… Read more »
If you want to wait forever for an average bowl of ramen and then dine amongst flies in a restaurant with little or no A/C on a hot summer day, this is the place for you. THE WAIT AT THIS PLACE IS HORRENDOUS. You'll easily wait 45 min to an hour even for a late lunch or late dinner. Once inside, you'll be greeted by staff that just want you to eat fast so that they can 'herd' the next patrons in and out. For a better dining experience, go to Tamaya in Rowland Heights/Industry or Hakata Ramen/Ajisen Ramen in the San Gabriel/Rosemead area.
Seriously, a restaurant in the middle of industrial businesses/residential area.
Foo Foo Tei has a seriously delicious selection of ramen, appetizers, other Japanese dishes, and much more.
I ordered the Shin Shin ramen and it was extremely flavored, with a bunch of ingredients that I never found in other ramens I've had elsewhere, and in a huge bowl. My boyfriend had the Miso something ramen and he engulfed it. We also had an order of tempura and it was honestly the best tempura I've had -and at a ramen place! The shrimp, eggplant, bell pepper, sweet potatoes, asparagus combo tempura was fried to a perfect crisp and best of all, it was only $6. WOW.
The servers were extremely nice -which makes for an all-over better stay.
I'm returning to try more of the ramen soon :)
Great place to get ramen in the SGV. Open late and service is fast. They also have other location in Monterey Park on Atlantic. Kind of hiding so make sure you kept your eye out for it.
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We got there 15 minutes before they closed and got our name on a waiting list. There was gonna be a 30 minute wait for a table, so they wanted to get the order in before the kitchen closes.
My friends who brought us here says there is always a wait. That's always a good sign of a place having very good food.
And yes, the have very good food.
When we finally got our table the immediately got out drinks and a few minutes later, the started bringing out everyones ramen and then the apps. The service was fast and organized.
The 'small' Anumani(?) Ramen was fracking huge. All those veggies, pork, and seafood was beyond filling. I couldn't finish it.
Deep fried gizzards, grilled ika, fried tofu and gyoza. YUM!
Even though we didn't get a table till 8:45 and didn't finish our dinner until about 9:45. At no time did I feel that the servers were rushing us out of the place. In fact there were a couple groups still there hanging out eating and drinking and just chilling. When were were leaving. Do duper cool.
This may not be the cleanest or prettiest restaurant, but the service, vibe and food is damn good.
3 and a half stars
I visited this place tonight after I read about the reviews and it is definitely a hidden spot. Then again, I'm not from around the Hacienda Heights area so any spot could potentially be off the beaten path for me. It's pretty warm inside the restaurant so even though it was chilly tonight, I had to take off my jacket.
Foo Foo Tei has 28 different kinds of ramen in a lot of different soup bases. The main bases are of course salt, soy sauce, and miso, but they also have tonkotsu (oily Kyushu style soup base), spicy & sour soup base, and hot & sour sesame soup (Tan Tan Men). The ramen will run you anywhere from $5.20 for their basic soy sauce noodle soup to just under $9.00 for the soups with seafood ingredients. You can add extra toppings such as cha shu (pork), wakame seaweed, kimchee, extra vegetables, mixed vegetables & shrimp, bean sprouts, corn, butter, boiled egg, seasoned boiled egg, extra noodles, or opt to have your ramen supersized.
For myself, it was a toss up between the Nanchatte Tonkotsu Ramen (creamy Kyushu style) and the Tan Tan Men (a spicy soup with ground meat). I have overdosed on both types of ramen while I was in Japan and I was feeling withdrawal symptoms for both. I decided on the Nanchatte Tonkotsu Ramen. My partner in crime chose the Negi Daku Ramen, which the description reads "noodle soup with lots of green onion." We also ordered the homemade croquette and the Mini Curry Rice (Regularly $4.00 but $1.00 off with the purchase of any noodle soup item). Yes, my date and I were bonafied fatties tonight.
Soup base wise, the tonkotsu was oily and creamy but it lacked what I was looking for in an authentic Kyushu style ramen. Still, it was average to above average so it didn't really bother me. My date's soy sauce soup base could have been done better though. It was average so I will spare you the details.
Noodle wise, they don't ask you how you want the noodles cooked. Some places allow you to order the noodles firm, medium, or soft. This place serves their noodles medium to firm. That's how I usually order my noodles anyway so that was fine by me.
Content wise, the pork in my Nanchatte could have been a little better. It wasn't nearly as soft or fatty enough. My date's green onion ramen had as much shredded green onion as the noodles! At least this place doesn't falsely advertise this dish! The eggs were cooked in a way in which it wasn't entirely boiled. So, there was a little orange mixed in with the yellow, just like how it's supposed to be done. =)
The other dishes - The croquette was indeed home made but I was not overly impressed. A little disclaimer- Whenever I judge croquettes, I judge them compared to my own versions. Now I'm obviously going to be biased towards my own creations but those who know me know I am not shy about giving props when props are due. Sadly, none were due in this case. However, the curry was actually pretty good and although there wasn't too much meat in the dish, I thought it was done well.
Service-wise, my date and I had to wait about 15 minutes and we came thirty minutes before closing! This place closes fairly early on Sunday evenings. Once we were seated, the waitress was extremely friendly and accomodating. We were asked several times during our meal if we had needed anything else. The two main women are native Japanese for those who require that feature for authenticity.
All in all, if you must get your ramen fix, this place might do it for you. I am willing to come back to try the Tan Tan Men. I'll write my updated review after my second visit. However, compared with some other ramen places I've been to in the States, the soup base and accompanying meat could have been be better. Compared with Japan's quality... well, that's not fair so nevermind.
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hidden which i love. ghetto which i adore. lines which i can't stand! and food which i can eat all day, everyday.
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Did you guys acknowledge their quote which is "C"?
I can't rave enough about my beloved Foo Foo Tei noodles. It's impossible to find if you're not from the area. Thankfully, I'm familiar with Clark St. and know the joys of real ramen. Sign your name in the book ASAP because, in the blink of an eye, the line of people waiting will spill out into the parking lot. The ramen is unbelievable. I've been to so many other ramen places that leave me wanting for more. These bowls are huge and can be shared, but I wouldn't! You can taste bits of orange in the teriyaki sauce. The house salad comes with a piece of melon in it which compliments the dressing so well. Speaking of melon, get the melon soda~yummy refreshing. Oh, and the gyoza..oh yea...the gyoza. Just get it.
While waiting, you can leaf through some Japanese magazines or comic books or buy yourself some Pokemon keychains.
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with most food, i can often find something i can deem healthy about it. this is so not the case with ramen. but i unabashedly love it regardless.
foo foo tei is an anomaly of sorts. in the middle of an industrial/residential hood, in the sgv, a bit grungy but at the same time, all together fantastic. upon entering, the diner is greeted by racks of manga and the latest japanese fashion magazines (my favorite nonno included!). you are free to peruse and take the mags back to your table.
on a monday evening, the place was packed. every table was occupied. after a 5 minute wait, my dear friend and i were finally sat, allowed to peruse their extensive menu, complete with pictures. having lived on kyushu for two years, i was craving for the milky pork infused tonkotsu broth. we both opted for the NANCHATTE TONKOTSU RAMEN-noodle with white cream soup ($6.70), and also shared the homemade CROQUETTE- panko dipped and fried potato cakes ($3.50).
understaffed, it took a bit of time to get our ramen, but it was completely worth the wait. the white broth was dotted with slivers of pink ginger, takana (pickled greens), garlic, and 3 slices of fat-lined cha shu pork (succulently rich and sweet!). the yellow noodles were perfectly cooked and the milky, creamy, salty, sweet broth was absolutely comforting. basically LOVED it, and reminded me of the ramen i had during my years in kumamoto.
the croquettes were also excellent- with a few bits of ground beef, and accompanied with some tonkatsu sauce and shredded cabbage.
overall, with 28 types of ramen to try, a wide variety of a la carte (ie; hamburg steak, curry rice, chicken teriyaki, eel) and rice bowls (ie mini katsu, chicken/egg, curry rice), and eclectic sides (fried tofu, shumai, fried gizzard, tempura, takoyaki!!!), foo-foo tei is a MUST try, ramen mecca worth the trip.
I've been craving ramen lately and have been eating it every chance I get. I probably would've never found this place if the GF didn't find it on Yelp and I'm just glad she did. The wait on a saturday night was terribly long but you can't complain much when the size of the place is what it is. The food was good and even though I wasn't too impressed with my ramen, it was still decent. The GF's ramen, on the other hand, was delicious and will keep me coming back for more. Now that I have an idea of what to order, this place just seems that much better. Don't let the left turn off of Gale fool you. This place does seem like a weird area to be in.
mmm...really yummy ramen and appetizers! the place is hard to find, which is good because already tons of people know of it because the wait can be an hour long. but the food and service is fast so they can get as many customers fed and out the door. #17 ramen is really good and the broiled squid appetizer is super yummy. i'm going to miss going here when my bf moves out of the city =( haven't quite found a place like this in west la. there are a few places but they don't have as much variety as foo foo tei!
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Learned of this place through a friend's recommendation. Took sister and mom here today just to see if they lived up to his rave of "YOU'll be sOoO satisfied. ITz HUGE". lolz. This place has a pretty small parking lot which fits like less than 15 cars and is located in a non business district kind of neighborhood. Got here like at 1 pm in the afternoon and had to wait around 15 minutes and was 7th on the waitlist before we got in. Interior decor and ambiance is very casual and Japanese inspired. Nothing really fancy and kind of shabby due to normal wear n tear.
Although their menu was reasonably worn out, the layout was quite awesome simply because they had like a picture for almost every item on there. All in color =). Price range were from $5-$9 on the ramens and like $2-$5 for the appetizers.
Certain ramen selections comes with the option of 3 different soup base. It was between the choice of soy sauce base, clear (salt), or Miso (soy bean). We ended up getting the seafood ramen with the miso soup base as featured on the menu. Then a cream based ramen (don't know the japanese name), the one and only cream based on menu. Lastly decided to get the gyoza as appetizer over the highly recommended boiled squid because we saw the table next to us indulge into it while smirking with a look of satisfaction and just simply couldn't resist. For the drinks I got a green tea calpico because almost every table had one. It's basically a very famous japanese yogurt drink but they just give it a little kick with their secret green tea recipe.
The ramen bowls were honestly insanely huge but I wouldn't say that the noodle portions were that generous. It's more of the type where they give you a lot of soup and top it with all the goodies on the top. The seafood noodle ramen with miso soup was good but was never too huge of a fan on cabbage which they had a mountain load of so I'll pass on it next time. It's taste was good and I had nothing against it but just not the greatest tasting. The presentation of their item would definitely be a 5 star as it looked real appetizing when served to us.
Second item was the cream based ramen for $6.70. The presentation of this was definitely not as nice because they didn't top anything on the bowl. I basically saw two slice of fatty (but good) pork, half and egg and some sprinkles of dried flaky onions (??) on the top. Sadly the soup overshadowed all this so it was 3/4 submerged in the soup. The cream base was creamy and thicker, but I like it because it tasted more rare and exotic. If you're looking for something light, then probably shouldn't get this because it's heavier and you might feel bloated before you can even finish. Well, you'll feel bloated anywayz if you were to ever finish their ramen along with the soup.
The gyoza were just like typical chinese pot stickers. Nothing rare or special about them. I guess it's just the way they presented it that caught our interest. Instead of letting the gyoza sit on the plate, they like added this layer of batter which flaked and crusted as they pan fry these gyoza. So when they place this on plate they flip it upside down so you basically see no gyoza except a huge sheet of that crispy crust (which was pretty good). I would say Daikuya (spelling error?) in LA taste better simply because their gyoza's skin was crispier.
Overall was a good experience. I would definitely come back for ramen if I ever get that craving. Love their pictures and huge selection of ramen. I'm not japanese so don't really know how true ramen should be, but from what my taste buds is telling me... they did a pretty good job and is definitely worth experiencing. I would definitely take friends here next time just to explore their menu a bit more. Oh about the calpico, it was pretti good but not a to die for item I would get again. Definitely should try if you've never had a Calpico from a Japanese or chinese market.
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I grew up in Hacienda Heights....and never knew this place was here! My brother took me here several months ago when I was in town visiting. Now all I can think about is when am I going to go to Foo Foo Tei next!!!
First off the ramen or soup is served in very large portions....so go hungry or share.
My sis and I had #21 Ten Shin Ramen....which is a crab omelet floating in a red gravy-type broth with ramen underneath. Amazing!!! It was so damn good!
My brother had #15 Kakiage Ramen which was a deep fried shrimp fritter floating on top of ramen....delicious also! I had to sample a little of his! : )
My brother insisted on ordering appetizers as well so we had Takoyaki ...which are octopus balls with a yummy teriyaki on top. No not octopus BALLS!! Octopus shaped into balls....just wanted to clear that up! We also had assorted vegetable and shrimp tempura...also good. My god plus we had gyoza!! Everything was so good and of course too much to finish!
I will definitely be eating here again!!!! You'll find me here over Memorial weekend....mmmmm.....can't wait. : )
It was the perfect evening for some ramen and this place was definitley the spot. I ordered the perfect menu item and extremely enjoyed it. I had the beef and kelp in garlic sesame broth ramen and it had to be the best ramen I've ever had. The noodles were tender and the broth was just right. I also enjoyed the fried squid legs and the green tea calpico (ordered 2).
The menu was huge and had enticing pictures in it. Made me want to order everything. Service was fast and friendly.
I am definitely paying this place future visits. One and only gripe is the WAIT!!!! I normally wouldn't mind but the place had a couple of benches inside and could seat four people max. Everyone else ends up standing until their names are called. They should definitely consider moving to a bigger place.
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My uncle and cousin brought me to this place a while ago. I guess I've been lucky so far, because everytime I've come I haven't had to wait more than 10 mins. The place looks Japanese owned and operated. The service is quick and efficient. There are a lot of items on the menu so while you wait, study it. I'm sure you will change or add items to your order at least 3 times before you're seated. At first, I thought this was as close to ramen heaven as I could get. But after a few trips the hype dies down and it's just your regular ramen house.
I've tried the nanchatte (too rich), pork & miso, shio, and regular miso ramens. None really knocked my socks off. Albeit the portions are huge, but they stuff way too much in there so it's a tricky balance to get the right amount of noodles, veggies, meat, and soup on your spoon. It's hard to explain but the shio has a bland salty taste. Instead of it being salty from a deep broth flavor, it's salty because it's like salt water. The miso wasn't that great either. What really got to me were the noodles. They seem fresh in the sense that they aren't the dried, instant noodles and maybe aren't frozen, but they are not the soft, fresh noodles like shin sen gumi *sigh*.
Their other items are OK. I've tried their grilled fish, tempura, and chicken wings (on the fatty side). I don't think it's on the menu, but ask for the tsukemono (pickled cucumber, radish, eggplant). Being Korean, I need my banchan, plus It goes well with the food. I don't remember how much it is, but it shouldn't be more than a couple bucks.
The place is hard to find. Look for an old converted KFC building.
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Yo Foo!, I think everything that has been said about this place has been said, and it's probably been said way better than I could ever write so I'll just babble on with a bunch of keywords such as:
mmmh nanchatte, waiting list, manga, option mag, Japanese, diverse crowd: Chinese, Japanese, caucasian, etc, big kitchen menu, diverse types of ramen, miso, vegetable, shoyu, cha-han, gyoza, service can be slow at times, "live for nothing, or die for something" (I had to throw that in), small parking lot, don't enter the parking lot too quick (esp, if you're in lowered car), industrial area, chan-pon, yaki-ika, CASH ONLY unless over $20, calpico!, bandana's, nihonjin, about $7, mediocre, drab interior, books in numerical sequence, open kitchen, busy, free standing building, how do people find this place?, I've only been here for lunch, LA Auto Guide, business cards, exit 7th ave from the 60, sits about 50 people, dammnn who's that hot girl, and that's about all I have to say foo!
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Foo foo Tei is the bomb! It is a Japanese ramen noodle shop own & operate by Japanese. I don't know how they decided on that location, but they do know how to make ramen noodles. My wife always orders the #17 & I like to try different noodles and has always been extremely satisfy! The only bad thing about this place is that you have to wait for a while to get seating, but it is definitely worth the wait!
i like this place... sorta hidden even though alot people know about it.. basically at Ramen spot , but if you get tired of that the rice is pretty damn good too. I get that curry tonkatsu , cant ever go wrong w/ that.
My friend brought me here to check out the RAMEN. It was OI-SHI!!!!!
My friend told me that they pull the ramen in the back which is pretty tight. the prices are really fair and it was good.
Since it was my first time I just got the Number 1 : The Shoyun Ramen. Very basic but was it good. The noodles were freaking great. We also shared the Boiled Squid and that was good!! It's a freaking whole squid about 10inches long and just sliced and slightly seasoned. A great starter.
My friend got the eel bento box and this was good too. It came with miso soup and a salad. The salad had a great dressing (rice wine vinager with pureed carrots zested with orange grind and juice) YUM!!!!
The really cool thing is that it's almost as if it's in a HOUSE off a little residential street. Come try it!!!!
Been coming here for 5+ years now. It is rather hidden away but once you know where it is you'll want to come back for more. I must say though their food only deserves 3 stars. Unfortunately there's nothing nearby that is similar to this place so I come here whenever I need some Japanese home style cooking. It is definitely worth trying if you're in the area but if you have a regular place that you like I don't recommend going out of your way just to try this place. But then again who knows how your palates might react??! Don't get me wrong, I'm giving a 3 star for their overall quality of food but when it comes to the few things I know that are good I'd gladly give a 4. I guess you'll just have to try everything! :P
Many see this as a ramen place and I like the "Shio Ramen." It's a basic chicken brooth ramen so if