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Kouraku Restaurant
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Late Night
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
237 reviews for Kouraku Restaurant
Review Highlights
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A coworker recommended Koruaku to me. Eh, I was expecting more from this place. I wasn't too impressed. The broth and noodles lacked flavor. The deep fried squid legs weren't that great.
Good thing about Kouraku is that its opened late, its really cheap and the staff is very friendly.
I was back in LA visiting family and friends and on the way to my sister's house, I was hungry so stopped by the 'ole faithful... I remember back when I was a student down the road at USC I used to go to Kouraku for the affordable big portions of Japanese "comfort food." Set in the middle of downtown Los Angeles' Japanese town, the decor has not changed in decades. Sort of 1950/60s diner decor, a bit small, but service is quick.
For this visit, I ordered something different, the Kouraku ramein special - it was so-so. The broth was not flavorful - I should have ordered the miso ramein or even the shoyu rameim, both are flavorful.
I stopped by on Wednesday afternoon at about 1300 so it was not crowded. Weekends, lunch, and dinner times are always busy...
Couple things to consider - CASH ONLY and Kirin on tap! Wine available is not the typical red or white, but rather Japanese wine (sake).
I had ramen on the brain.
No, not Top, but real Japanese ramen.
Japanese ramen with broth like liquid meat.
Alas, Daikokuya (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) had a line (when does it not?) so I opted for Kouraku instead.
Kouraku's take on ramen is different than the stuff I normally like - not to say it's bad, but it just didn't have the flavors I was looking for. I like really rich and heavy broths and, while my miso ramen tasted fine, it didn't have that rich miso flavor I was looking for and tasted as if they mixed the miso with something else. The chashu was fine and the noodles were cooked well, it was just the broth that threw me off.
My experience with the appetizers was mixed as well. While I was there, I also had some gyoza and cold tofu. I'll say this: The cold tofu was probably the best I've had at a restaurant. I don't know if that's saying much seeing that it's really just tofu over ice, but I really enjoyed that dish. The gyoza, on the other hand, was a little soggy and the filling tasted a little mushy to me.
I hate to give this place a bad rating but, at the end of the day, it just didn't do it for me.
A nice little Japanese-owned Japanese/Chinese-style food. Very homey atmosphere and huge portions, so good deal with the price.
I've been here on occasion, for the ramen, the fried rice, and the bowls. Really good price for the amount of food you get and the service. The place is pretty small, and they only have 3 tables that can seat a larger party (6 ppl or so), but you can also opt to sit at the counter, where you can see the chefs working away. It's also a bit torturous if you're hungry, like me.
For $10 (tax and tip included), I'll be eating my mabodon for a few days. :)
"la di fricken da" GOOD!
I am a quote thief. So what. This place has good ramen, open till 3am, has beer, no wait during lunch, and has "la di fricken da" Cool Employees who all introduced themselves and remembered our names!
#33 "la di fricken Da" the best! Kyushu Ramen!
~Chasu Pork, Veggies, Red Ginger (yes you can so taste the delicate
hint of this beautiful ginger throughout the dish) and Tonkotsu soup.
On my first visit we tried three ramens. This was the best of the 3.
All the prices on the menu range from 7-9 bucks. Parking sucks, it's downtown. This place is on my to do list to do more eating!!!!
Thanks Steph!
Excellent Japanese/Chinese comfort food. The chashu ramen is excellent! They also prepare a mean fried rice here.
By day, Kouraku is filled with City employees and LAPD detectives. By night, it's chock full of artist types, post-punkers, and young people who frequent J-Town.
If the Atomic Cafe didn't exit when I was a teenager, then Kouraku would've been my first choice for a post-concert, head-clearing cheap meal.
Stepping into this place is like checking out an old school Japanese tea house; well, sort of. I got the vibe that this place has been in the neighborhood for a long, long time. But, that's what makes this place classic, cool and authentic.
At the entrance of the restaurant, you are immediately greeted a simple "hello" from a staff and they seat you. You sit down and you get a colorful menu. As you peer through the menu with pictures of the dishes, your mouth starts to water. You see the selection of Japanese udon, ramen, the -don bowls and even dishes that are Chinese-style. For instance, some of their ramen bowls have the famous char siu, or Chinese sausage, in the soup. Talk about yum!
I ordered their oyakodon, which was their chicken rice bowl. It was pretty tasty, but did not hold the flavor I was looking for: it was a bit...bland. So, I added in some spices/sauces from the table, including soy sauce and pepper and the dish was then, nearly perfect!
The portions are very generous here. This place is all about helping your tummy get full and happy. It's cheap and you can't get better than that. I would give this place 3.75 stars because of the flavor, but the service was pretty good, so I'm generously applauding for 4 stars.
Thanks, Koraku!
Absolutely LOVE this place! I've only tried a few things off their menu, but I have yet to be disappointed! I usually start off my meal with an order of gyoza... yum! Then for my main course I get the Tanindon... TO DIE FOR!!! Tanindon is a delicious bowl of thinly sliced marinated beef served over rice with a fried egg and green onions.... It's like a Yoshinoya bowl with egg and green onions! DELICIOUS!!! I always make it a point to go here when I'm in Little Tokyo, or anywhere in its vicinity. Next time I go, I will definitely have to try their ramen... and of course get Tanindon to-go. =)
KIMCHI RAMEN all the way. Spicy and delicious. And super fast service!
Eh....this place was 'alright.' My friend has been bitching to take my husband and I here and he finally took us and I was a bit disappointed. I got some kind of soup with my meal...which I didn't know came with my meal to begin with but it smelled funny so I gave it to my husband, lol. I wasn't too happy with my meal...it was pretty much what I could have ordered at Yoshinoya. I just ate the rice and left the rest for my husband.
When we walked in I noticed the lady was kinda bitchy. We started walking to the back and she jumped out at us (ninja style) and asked how many. We said three and she was like "no booth, no booth, you sit here at bar." My hubby looked at me because he knew I wouldn't want to sit at the bar and we were going to walk out and wait for a booth but the poor guys were starving so I sat there. I was ok with it but what bugged me was that the bar is right in front of the cooks so it's kinda hot to sit there and one of the guys kept standing right in front of us playing with his noodles and kept staring at me...making me very uncomfortable.
So yeah...it's an okay place. Don't think I would go back though.
Bored of the scene that was happening in La Lagune my friend and I decided to go next door to grab some ramen. It's ok. Nothing spectacular.
My family arrived around 8:00 pm craving ramen with empty stomachs to fill. I've often passed Koraku but never ate here; we came 'cause my parents like the place. I'm going to compare it to Daikokuya since they're both in Little Tokyo. Restaurant is sort of small but bigger than Daikokuya and less crowded (doesn't mean it's not as good). Even with a crowd forming inside waiting to be seated, it wasn't claustrophobic at all.
We were seated at the counter bar right where they make the food, so that was pretty fun to watch. I asked our server which was the most popular ramen bowl and she recommended #33, which I ordered. The ramen is a lot better than Daikokuya's, however, Daikokuya's pork is a lot tastier. The soups were very different in comparison, so it's all just a matter of preference.
To be honest, I'm not a big fan of ramen to begin with, so I'm okay with either restaurant. I'd rather come to Koraku though 'cause I think the wait time is less and they're also open until 3:00 am!
Famous for their ramen and being open until 3 am.
I personally get the sweet and sour pork on a regular basis. Don't know why but once I go with something I know on a menu, I tend to always get the same thing.
This place is great for late night eats after a night of drinking in the downtown area, or in my case, good for lunch or dinner since I can't seem to stay awake past 10 pm.
Most dishes are under $10.00. Cash only.
Wow. I've been coming to this Japanese restaurant for years and they've never let me down.
I love coming here late at night, in the realm of 1-2am. The staff here all seem to know me, although I don't know them very well. They know what I order and have always recommended great alternatives if I was feeling like having a new item.
I'm a huge fan of the fried rice with omelet. (Tenshin Chahan). Their fried rice is very flavorful and the egg has small shrimp in it. You just can't go wrong! Their ramen is great, and don't forget to try the meatballs. (Nikudango)
People think of Japanese food and the first picture in their head is sushi. This is not a sushi restaurant. This is just food. Then I read another review that compares the food here to Yoshinoya? What an insult. Obviously not a fan of Japanese food to know the difference.
So before a long drive home from Los Angeles to the Bay, the BF and I decided that we wanted to get asian food. seeing that it was 12:00 already, we didn't have very many options. We decided to check out the "late night asian food" thread on yelp, and stumbled upon this restaurant. determined to get my tonkatsu ramen, we decided to try this place out.
we got there at 12 and were seated promptly. i ordered the ramen i wanted and the bf ordered some sort of spicy ramen. we also ordered potstickers to share.
my ramen was pretty good, it wasn't as good as other tonkatsu ramen that i have had before, but it really hit the spot that late at night. if i were to go again, which i probably will, i would have chosen the first tonkotsu option instead (i got the second one)
the spicy ramen turned out to be absolutely disgusting. the soup didn't have any flavor except for spicy...and the soups the best important part of the ramen! that being said, that was probably the last time the bf will decide to order against my suggestions (:
will DEFINITELY come back here again
Was in j-town with parents to see my sister dance at the j-amer theater on sat night. Daikokuya was packed so walked over to Kouraku after reading some yelp notes. 1 star for being open late and having a table ready right away. I ordered negi ramen and my Dad ordered Chasiu ramen. I also ordered the steamed siu mai which were these little tiny things that looked like they were mass produced in bangkok and frozen on it's trip to Kouraku. My favorite ramen in Stanton, Ca (Gomen) is negi ramen which is topped off with a japanese sweet green onion that is more mild like a leek in flavor and over tender pork. This negi ramen at Kouraku's was american green onions all wilted over hard chunks of pork. Broth wasn't even drinkable. Like a shoyu and water broth. I don't know why some people like this place, and Santouku. Both placed were bad. I asked the waitress why the negi ramen was american green onions and she snobbily said negi means "green onion" like "you idiot." Oh well. Don't even want to try daikokuya after reading rave reviews about both places. Also walking to the bathroom was like walking into a 3rd world country jail.
this is as good as it gets for a noodle house. the place is right in the center of a few places that serve noodles, but peek inside and you'll see this place usually packed.
personally i get their ramen noodles and curry rice (#26 curry chahan). their ramen is just right, not overdone where it gets sticky. now the curry rice, ohhhh bwoy! it's curry flavored pork fried rice. it's not overpowering curry, just enough flavor to keep you on the crave. you'll have to try it to believe it. prices here are very reasonable at under $8 for most.
this place also closes late, so it's good for post-clubbing type folks who wanna get rid of that alcohol taste and fill their tummy up with the goodness.
i go there for a quick lunch. take the goldline from crown city (all daaay!), get my ramen fix on and be out. they're quick to take your order too so be on the ready. food also comes quick so you don't have to be famished by the time food gets to your table.
come check this place out ya'll. it's like that. das it and das all.
Pretty good variety of ramen here. I want to go back and try more.
Man, what can I say about KORAKU??? Amazingly delicious food (though I'll admit in two years I have only ever had the #39 Spicy Miso Ramen-no meat, and their home-made gyoza).
They are open late, have a super friendly staff with very cheap prices & hearty meals.
SERIOUSLY, #39-NO MEAT.
Put it on your bucket list, my friend.
Found this place via yelp. I'm still on a search for a really awesome japanese spot to eat at. I consider this place to have "safe" japanese food, it's pretty average and nothing to rave about.
Came here the other night around 1130pm. Place was pretty busy but we were lucky enough to get a booth in the back. I ordered the pork fried rice with shrimp omellette and ten don. In the ten don they give you lots of rice and the fried rice was filling but really didn't have any flavor. Their miso soup was pretty good and it came with tofu... and their broth was pretty normal. Our bill was around $20.
They have bathrooms there which is always a plus, free street parking at night if you're lucky enough to find a spot... my friend and I found parking 2 blocks away. They only take cash! So bring cash! If not there's an bank with a atm across the street. Customer service wasn't the greatest, no one really checked on us.
Not quiet sure if I'll be back here again.
3 stars!
Ramen! My favorite ramen joint in town. Traditional method, really good broths (Tell them how salty you like it), and the best noodles. The noodles have the perfect texture. Tender but still a little chewy and bounces back. Not soggy and mushy like most places that overcook their noodles and don't develop enough gluten in the dough for the bounceback feel. Ask the waitress about whatever add-ons and toppings you might want. Not all of them are on the menu necessarily.
I had their seasonal summer cold ramen dish too. Not sure how long that's available, but it was very refreshing. I haven't tried a lot of their rice dishes because I always want the ramen, but from what I've seen at tables around me, it looks decent atleast. :)
Authentic Japanese Ramen at a reasonable price. Very tasty.
God bless this place for being open until 3am. After drinking until closing time at a nearby bar, I needed some moral uplifting and Koraku provided it.
I had spent the evening being dragged around by some people I had just met. We spent almost two hours calling cabs and traveling about 10 miles downtown from Santa Monica to go to an "awesome" block party. Turns out that when we got there the block party had been over for hours. It was also Valentine's Day which didn't help the fact that we were a group of like eight dudes and two girls.
Anyway, after that train wreck of an evening I found Koraku on Yelp. I got the combo which is ramen and fried rice. It was dirt cheap and delicious. I poured Siracha over the whole thing and I was in heaven. Koraku is a rock solid choice for late night dining.
This place brings back great memories of cruising Nisei Week and then getting in line to wait for a table in the wee hours of the morning to get our ramen fix...
I only go for the ramen, but my son loves the gyoza and fried rice. I usually get the Popeye or miso ramen.
They are open late, good size portions, good flavor, and are still relatively inexpensive. Service is good, but it's a small place, so there's usually a wait. They also do not take charge cards, so remember to bring cash (or you'll have to run across the street to the ATM).
This place is pretty awesome. Beer and friend rice at midnight is the way to go. I've been going here since I was a kid. The food is very consistent although the prices have gone up considerably.
A nice Japanese "comfort food" restaurant (curry, ramen, gyoza, fried rice, etc) in Little Tokyo. Fast service and the only drawback is that the only take cash, no credit cards.
Well, I have to say I really enjoyed the place.
Came here last night about 5 till midnight after a Propaghandi concert. Sidenote: thanks Kevin and Debbie for introducing me to this band and this place.
They were about to close, but they were nice enough to let us in anyway. So, hooray for that!
I ordered the Wonton Ramen. I'm no expert on ramen. But, I must say it was quite tasty. They had relatively large portions. There was plenty of broth, ramen, wontons, bamboo shoots, etc. I think it was a pretty great deal for the price ($7.85 methinks). It was quite satisfying. I believe there were some moments where I was starting to make "nom nom nom nom nom" noises.
Tried one of the meatballs my friend had, and I thought it was delicious. I think I might go back just to order that for myself.
Service was great. They were polite, prompt, and efficient. Cool vibe. Only downside is that its a cash only place. Be prepared!
Seriously can't beat this place for quick easy tasty japanese food. I always like to have chicken kaarage, fried rice, miso ramen. My sister always orders mabu tofu (it's giagantic and she never finishes). This place is open late night and for lunch and it's perfect anytime of day. It can get crowded because it is pretty small inside but i've never had to wait that long for a table or service.
The ramen noodles are perfect al dente and the soup base is creamy salty tasty. It's served with a couple of pork slices, quarter of an egg, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts. Large portions and I spent 8 something for a bowl of ramen (extra .40 for miso flavor) and a half order of pork fried rice. Both were exactly what i wanted them to be and all i want now is to go back and have it again!
When i think of chicken karaage i think of this place. It was the first place i've had it at so this is the prototype! So perfect. Crunchy outside moist flavorful chicken on the inside! Served with cabbage salad, potato salad, miso soup and rice. The chicken is 9 something but its a fair amount of food.
Service is always quick and friendly and they are very sweet.
Parking is tough you can try for street parking but its best to just go to a structure and pay. Usually costs at least $5.
Ugh, not a fan. It seems like a lot people really like this place because it's open late. I've been here twice now, and got very mediocre food. I won't give it three stars because I don't think I'll actually be coming back here for a third visit.
The first time I came I had their tonkotsu ramen. The broth was kind of light -- when it comes to tonkotsu, I think of a broth that's rich and creamy. Definitely prefer Daikokuya. The second time I came here, I got the miso ramen. It tasted like windex. Seriously. Even my boyfriend was like "what, did they put cleaner in your soup?!"
Now, this isn't really the kind of place where you send your food back, and I'm not normally the kind of person to do that in the first place. So I sucked it up, ordered a bowl of their tonkotsu again (at least it was edible) and paid for both bowls of ramen. The bf had shoyu. He ate it but wasn't that satisfied.
I'm not surprised that I saw people mostly eating their rices dishes as I walked out.
Great ramen house. The chef there can really whip up a mean bowl of authentic japanese ramen.
Typically geared toward the local japanese business clientel, the ramen specialty house has been a staple of the 2nd street little tokyo scene.
My favorite is the tonkatsu moyashi ramen. It's got bean sprouts galore, thin slices of pork, and fresh onions. The white soup base is yummy pork bone based, i think.
The house special Koraku special ramen is pretty awesome too. It's got a little bit of everything. Mostly seafood based, with lots of octopus, vegies, and assorted meat. It's a very generous portion so be sure you're very hungry when you order it.
There's also lots of other dishes. Various chinese fried rice with a blanket of egg omelet on top, gyoza, and a few others I've not tried yet. Their mapotofu ramen is pretty awesome too. It's got plenty of small pork meat and tofu in a slightly hot, soy based soup. Yumm~~~
You'll work up a sweat eating a full bowl of ramen at Koraku. Be sure to drink lots of ice water to dilute all that heat and msg (i think there's some msg in their soup). Although the ramen itself is already super tasty without the msg.
It's cash only so be prepared. A typical ramen is around $7.95 to $8.95.
Don't forget the pinkberry half a block down after your ramen. Sweet heaven~~
One of my other choices for ramen in Little Tokyo is Koraku!
It's a cute little shop, very home like interior with tons of employees. Very friendly waitresses who greet you once come in the door. The shop has a very mom and pop field to it.
I love their chasu ramen and fried rice! Really tasty and flavorful! The prices for the food is decent $8-10 for ramen and other dishes. The gyoza is delicious as well!
pros
huge selection of ramen
lots of seating
no waiting
open late!
cons
cash only
parking in little Tokyo is bad. (either parking meters or parking lots)
This place is absolutely one of my favorite places in Little Tokyo. I always get the ramen and friend rice combo with a Sapporo and never finish it. EVER!
The servers are always so nice and friendly and it always seems to be packed but getting a table has never been a problem!
I think the only downside is that you leave smelling like the place haha
After missing Daikokuya by 5 or so minutes, my girlfriend knew of another place around little tokyo that was open late and was pretty good.
I've passed by this place several times, but never really checked out their menu; I've only checked out their cool plastic food displays outside. (: Their portions are pretty big, so I assumed it was gonna be a little pricey... but I was wrong! The prices were really good for how much food they gave you.
Our waitress was nice, the food came out pretty fast, and our water was refilled without ever asking. I ordered the mabodon which is listed underneath Chinese Rice Bowl or something along those lines. It's a lot of rice and a lot of tofu and ground beef (I think, I don't remember...) and green onions. It's supposed to be spicy, but I didn't notice anything... but it definitely adds flavor to it.
I'll be going back to this place again for sure... and its not because of the budweiser ads w/ girls they have posted on the walls towards the back.
--3.5 stars--
This is where the cast of That 70's Show would go if they were filming a scene in an old Japanese greasy spoon. I can see clumsy Kelso now, after a fight with Jackie, knocking over a bowl of steamy ramen and tripping into the counter/bar area, bowling over a few of the chefs and starting a greasefire, as the joint empties....but i digress.... :O)
The decor is frozen in time, the vinyl-esque deep orange booths in the back, the woody counter area, and the menus probably haven't been changed out of their once-clear, now yellow-brown-peat shoyu and broth-stained laminate jackets for years, which makes sense because the prices are frozen in time, too...
The place is known as a Ramen-ya, but in reality it's more of a comfort-food late night diner...the menu is extensive and they do pretty much everything reasonably well, though not a lot of things exceptionally well. Kouraku was one of the first places i landed when i breezed into L.A. all those years ago, so i've always associated it with some key bio-markers of my (mis)-adventures and mischief in our fair city...
Our crew ordered the Popeye Ramen (Spinach and Pork Shoyu broth), Oyako-don (Chicken and Egg Donburi over rice), and the Kouraku Special Ramen (which comes with octupus, pork, baby corn, cabbage, mushrooms, and whatever else is laying around the kitchen). We also sampled an order of Gyoza pork and vegetable filled dumplings.
--I heard that the Popeye Ramen was very good, and it certainly looked good, much better than my Kouraku Special Ramen, which came stuffed to the top of my bowl, barely leaving room for a good balance of broth.
perhaps that lack of broth was a blessing, i found the murky milky broth to be nearly devoid of flavor, and the noodles were kinda soggy. the veggies, seafood, and meat were decent, but overall, i wished i'd ordered something else.
the gyoza also failed to excite. fat and juicy (good), but the wrap/skin was not firm enough to satisfy my taste preference. however i must say the overwhelming wallop of garlic with each bite had me waxing rhapsodic about much better, garlic stained gyozas i had the good fortune of tearing into back in Japan....
--The Oyako-don earned high marks from my other bud, and i definitely approved of its potential deliciousness upon a sight evaluation...
i would definitely come back, but this visit (i hadn't been here in years) reminded me that i need to lower the expectations on the ramen, explore other parts of the menu, and continue the search for great ramen elsewhere (please, NOT daikokuya, i don't care what y'all say!)
Oh, and BTW, Service was friendly and attentive.
It was also a bit early for a typical Kouraku visit, well before the mumblies stumble in and tumble out...
DONE.
This place has become my comfort food. Long day at the office, Kouraku. Rough flight back to L.A., Kouraku. Argument with the girlfriend, Kouraku. (Having grown up in rural CT, this should say something.)
A good night here usually includes the Fried Squid Legs, Sliced Beef Tongue, Tan Tan Men (ground pork with cabbage and pickles in a spicy broth), and a tall glass of Sapporo on draft. All this can usually be had for around $20 including tax and tip and there's almost always enough left over for lunch the next day.
Kouraku is true down and dirty ramen. With diner style seating and disposable chopsticks, this is no frills dining at its best. The atmosphere is simple and uncluttered and a hearty round of "Irrashimase!" greets you when you enter. An old roommate, with whom I used to come here often, spent 6 months living in Tokyo and proclaimed Kouraku to be the most authentic ramen she's had since getting back to the states.
Open till 3am and always amazing. No more dehydrated Maruchan for this guy.
It's nice walking into a restaurant with the cooks in view, it makes food seem that much more authentic-- of course it helps to have 2 older ladies chatting away in Japanese at the adjacent table.
Food is good, and cheap. The flavors seemed like a fusion of Cantonese and Japanese, which was perfect for me. I can't remember which ramen I had, but I do remember leaving satisfied.
Jtown at 11pm is like a graveyard. Everything yummy is closed.
Due to lack of selection, we ended up at Koraku last night. Been there before, didn't think it was great. Came here again, and... opinion still hasn't changed. It's just whatevers.
They have a pretty large selection of menu items, and despite the sort of ghetto setup, a major plus is that the bathrooms were super clean. That's Japanese people for ya. Clean to the last speck of nonexistent dust. Nice!
The food was just mediocre. Two ramen, one katsu, and one combo of gyoza and pork fried rice later, we were full, but I can't say we were fully appeased. Cheap prices for cheap tasting food.
I don't really understand why this place is so popular in the middle of the night.
Oh, right. It's because everything else is closed.
Yes! You can grab a Japanese dinner for less than $10!!!
The portions are big and yummy. I got a Spicy Ramen with Tofu in place of meat and it did bring on the "Heat."
Very very casual. Come for the food and a chill place to eat with friends/family. Staff is friendly and the ambiance is casual. For 1st timers (like me) you might take longer than expected on choosing a dish/bowl (as far as ramen goes, they're all slightly different so it takes a while to differentiate between them).
I would recommend stopping by if you're in the area and craving some quick ramen or Japanese plates.
There aren't too many options available to you when it's around 2am and you're jiving for some Japanese food. This is one of those options that are still open at that time. They're open till about 3am and they're generally pretty busy. Expect to wait, especially if you have a party over four people.
The layout is pretty much a tiny little hallway with booths on each side. The staff is generally very polite, but when it's busy. Forget about it. Coming here in a large party is such a pain in the ass. I remember one time we were playing musical booths. We must have swapped two or three different booths to try and fit all of our party. It was madness.
The food here in my opinion is mediocare. I've not once walked away from Koraku fully satisfied. I'm always leave with a "yeah it was okay" impression, but at 2am it'll do.
Aaahhh.. and it's CASH ONLY.
Koraku is like one of those after party places where intoxicated people come to get their quick Japanese fix. Granted that half the time I have strolled into this place, I was pretty buzzed. The good thing about this restaurant is that it is open late. This is typically one of the favrorites for all the post bar-club-lounge heads. Just FYI, lots of law enforcement eat here. I have no issues with that though, it makes me feel safe. Who knows what knuckleheads will roll into this joint at 2am while I'm sitting in there. So I welcome the Five-O.
The food here is decent. Like I stated earlier, I've stopped here when I was intoxicated. Under the influence, the food here is pretty darn good. When I'm sober, it's okay. Does this action sound familiar to any of you or am I alone? My buddy said that this place has pretty good katsu. I don't recall if I have ordered it or not. The ramen is good but not great.
Typically this place always has customers. If you come at the wee hours, then you will see the under influenced crowd. Sometimes it may get rowdy, not saying that I'm one of them of course. If you're in the mood for Japanese grub and it's late in the night, then consider this place.


