The Original Ramen Burger

Los Angeles, United States

2.9

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 213-380-2399
Website:
ramenburger.com
Address:
239 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90004
Koreatown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miDASH;LADOT
0.5 miWilshire/Vermont
0.5 miVermont/Beverly
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Bitcoin
No
Good For
Late Night
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
No
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
No
Drive-Thru
No
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Closed now
Local time (Los Angeles) 4:06 PM Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wednesday 5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Thursday 5:00 pm – 2:00 am
Friday 5:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday 12:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday 12:00 pm – 12:00 am

Description

Specialties

Voted one of «The 17 Most Influential Burgers of All Time» by Time Magazine. Some have claimed to have tried one before, but the Original Ramen Burger™ is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted before. A fresh USDA Prime ground beef chuck patty sandwiched between two craftily formed buns made from freshly cut ramen noodles. Accompanied by a special shoyu glaze, concocted by Keizo Shimamoto himself, and choice market fresh vegetables, the Ramen Burger™ is the biggest thing in Ramen and Burgers. Two of your favorite foods in one!

History

Established in 2014.

For years, Keizo obsessed over a certain food item and always wondered how he could make it work. Yes, it is true that he has been obsessed with ramen since he was a kid, but shockingly, ramen was not the only food item that made his mouth water, well at least half of it anyway. If you have followed along closely to Keizo’s blog GoRa​men​.com, you may have seen it pop up every now and again. But even then he did not have the tools to make it what it is now. So without further ado, let us introduce you to Keizo’s ultimate obsession: The Ramen Burger™.

Meet the Business Owner

Jeff S.

Business Owner

Jeff is Keizo’s brother and business partner in charge of West Coast and Asia Pacific business operations. He is a finance lawyer by trade specializing in private equity and hedge funds. While Keizo was studying the fine art of ramen in Japan, Jeff and his family hosted Keizo at their home during stints at Ivan Ramen, Nakamuraya and Bassanova. Jeff’s vision is to grow the Original Ramen Burger™ franchise globally by creating a new food genre combining Asian noodles and American hamburgers.

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Vicinity

Near this location:
30
ft
YEE: Lock & Key
Lock & Key 239 S Vermont Ave
30
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Stall 239
239 S Vermont Ave
40
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205 S Vermont Ave
50
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235 S Vermont Ave
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233 S Vermont Ave

20 reviews of The Original Ramen Burger

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Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Burger was interesting. Good beef and the bun is dense and chewy. The fries look very flavorful with all the miso and sea weed on them but actually are rather bland.
Place is expensive and I hate that it isnt open for lunch more often.
Place rating: 5
Culver City, CA
Yummmm… Worth trying. Seaweed fries is a hit! But mind you its just a counter take out. There is no place to sit n eat.
Place rating: 2
Carson, CA
I recently tried the Ramen Burger and I was not pleased. The service was okay but it was more an issue with the product. The burger was smushy, and all one note. The ramen as a bun gimmick is not worth the price tag it has.
Place rating: 3
West Covina, CA
We ordered the original burger with fried egg and garlic miso fries. Bill total is $ 12…The burger is a bit greasy for my taste. I was kinda expecting the bun to be a bit more crispy and it also needed something sharp/​kinda sour… like a pickle/​crunchy to cut through the over sauce-​ing/​greasiness. The garlic fries did not taste garlicky at all… overall it’s a let down.
Place rating: 3
Monterey Park, CA
What you need to know:
–It’s on a corner of Vermont, literally a tiny stand (or you can go to Lock & Key and order it from their menu next door!)
–It’s hard to find parking unless you park at Vons or the little plaza nearby.
–It’s a little bit on the pricey end (yes it’s novelty so yes it’s pricey)
–The burgers are smaller than I thought
–The texture of the ramen is chewy with soft sear on them so it’s not crunchy. I actually thought that was pleasant and I liked that.
Overall: Try it once for your Instagram photo.
Place rating: 2
Los Angeles, CA
The ramen burger tasted okay, but I think the hype was a tad too much.
I got the original ramen burger and the miso garlic fries. Portion-​wise, they are on the smaller end. Price-​wise, they are on the more expensive end. Taste-​wise, let’s just say that the miso garlic powder were not well-​sprinkled throughout the fries, and the ramen burger was more soggy than I expected.
They also have minimal seating. By seating, I mean 2 stools that are placed in front of their window from where they take orders.
Of course, this place is perfect if you just want to try out the ramen burger (it’s a good experience to have because of the novelty of the food), or if you are craving some late-​night munchies after a night out. But I don’t think I’ll choose to come here for a meal again.
Place rating: 3
Santa Ana, CA
The concept is cool. A ramen burger. However the burger was really small and somewhat pricey. The seaweed fries, however, were delicious. I would come here for the fries but not the burger.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
My cousin and I had been wondering about this place for a while, so we finally decided to try it last night. I can’t say I’m disappointed, but we both agreed we’d probably not be going back.
The meat was delicious, and all their ingredients were fresh, but the whole «noddles for buns» thing certainly throws of your taste buds.
Its definitely a place to check out, try one of their burgers, but certainly not a place you’ll probably keep coming to.
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Do it for the novelty (and Instagram/​Yelp Pics) but, you know that Ramen Burgers are a lot of hype. I ordered the special for that day which was Kurabuta pork. The pork was kinda like one tough piece that I basically inhaled in one bite. The ramen bun itself was interesting. It’s a strange texture. somewhat crunchy, somewhat soggy. I’m not convinced that this form is my favorite way to eat ramen haha.
Small burger overall. I also tried the Miso Seaweed Shaka Shaka Fries. Seasoning like this is really popular in Asian countries so hint of nostalgia for sure!
I haven’t been back but if I have friends from out of town, The Original Ramen Burger would definitely be considered!
Note, this is basically like a window next to a popular bar. I just stood and ate but if you like to sit down/​have ambiance… there’s not much!
Place rating: 3
Arcadia, CA
I was so hyped up to try this place but was just whelmed. The cook is super nice and the line was short but the burger is tiny and fairy overpriced. Patty was mediocre and dry. Almost bland which is not what I have in mind when I think about eating ramen!
Place rating: 1
Los Angeles, CA
The first bite I took disappointed me. The ramen bun was soggy and the meat patty tasted like regular frozen patties. The spinach in it was soggy and their sauce tastes like Mc Donald’s barbecue sauce. Not even filling. Give me my $ 10 back. Sorry but not sorry.
Place rating: 3
Bell, CA
After reading a review on Laist about ramen I decided to pay this place a visit because of the bowl of ramen mentioned in the article. Unfortunately no bowls of ramen will be sold here at this location according to the cook. What BS!
Update: concerning the food, I tried the chicken ramen sandwich… (My apologies to the cook, for my rudeness BTW) it had a good flavor and the ramen bun was novel but not mind blowing. The price seemed pretty extreme to me for what I got. Ten bucks for a tiny sliver of chicken, and what, like .10 cents worth of ramen… Yeah, not coming back. Cross this place of my list.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
While conveniently located next to line of Lock and Key, that alone is enough to market itself. On top of the smell which will eventually break you while you wait to get in to Lock and Key.
Finally succumbed to the aroma of garlic fries.
It did the job.
Place rating: 2
Los Angeles, CA
This is a novelty type place.
There’s no parking or place to sit for that matter.
Burgers are overpriced and flavor is lacking.
It is also hard to find.
Ramen is soggy.
Another Unilocaler had given a tip about seating at Lock and Key (they have a partnership). But the lady only told me after I asked and told me I should have ordered there if I wanted seating… Not good.
Also get a fork and knife, you’ll need it.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
All in all, this place is a good try-​it-​once kind of place. The prices are really high, and portions are really small, but you’re really paying for the novelty.
It’s a seemingly random stand outside on the corner of 3rd and Vermont. While the restaurant is more of a destination restaurant than a foot traffic one, there’s no parking. It’s all street parking, which is near impossible to find.
That being said, I did enjoy the flavor of the burger, which was a fork and knife ordeal because the ramen was soggy — I was expecting a crispy ramen bun that you could hold in your hands and chomp down on.
Pro tip: It’s a really confusing set up, you either take it out or eat on their little patio, and they really don’t tell you that them and Lock and Key have a partnership, where patrons can order a Ramen Burger, go inside, and have them bring it to you.
Place rating: 3
Sugar Land, TX
Tried this at the OC Night Market. I was surprised at how small the burger was, especially for its price. It’s about the size of a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin.
I was curious what a ramen burger would taste like. I anticipated a crunchy ramen — like the crispy Chinese birds nest. The ramen is actually soft and not very flavorful. The meat was good. I think if you cookied the ramen burger on a pan, it’d end up like fried noodles.
It’s a novelty food. Creative and cool, but I think I’ll stick to bread buns…
Place rating: 2
Los Angeles, CA
Ramen as a bun?!? Well, it visually –made me curious, feel delighted, excited… the idea of eating something inventive, creative, different… The ramen bun was texturally soft, it fell apart while I ate it… but really, the taste wasn’t anything memorable. Just a bunch of wasted carbs…
Everything else seem to be lost in that brown, salty sauce –it was so overpowering that I couldn’t taste the peppery bite of the arugula or slight bitterness of green onion. Perhaps, if you ask for the brown sauce on the side (as to dip it) you could taste everything else.
I checked-​in Unilocal and got half-​off the garlic fries. Taste was amazing, but it’s served in a bag and therefore quickly became soggy fries –I enjoy the crispy textured ones, more so.
I really wanted to leave this place feeling like I’d crave it again… Sadly, it’s a one-​night-​ramen-​burger-​stand for me… I loved the idea, but wouldn’t hit this spot again.
Place rating: 2
Markham, Canada
Had to give this a try for novelty. Came here about 9.30pm on a Wednesday night. We parked at the plaza on top and walked down the stairs to the corner. There was no line. Got the original burger that was just plain meat and arugula. The wait for the food was about 5 minutes. The 2 small tables outside were unfortunately not so clean and it was starting to rain so just went back to eat it in the car.
The burger was very mediocre. The meat felt dry and the ramen felt really packed and dense and had a chewy texture. It was very greasy and oily, even my arugula was soaked in oil, after about 5 bites a little less than half way through the burger I had enough. It was fun as a novelty kind of thing but once is more than enough
Place rating: 4
Little Italy, San Diego, CA
Protein, carbs and veggies all in one, easy to consume within a few bites! How much better can it get?
This tiny joint can be a bit hard to find and parking can be difficult as well (plenty of security guards around the open lots waiting to tow you car so beware if you go that route). And you’ll encounter tons of drunkies from Lock & key next door. But once you make it past all the obstacles (drunks talking to you, long line, somewhat of a wait), the savory goodness is well worth it!
I always go for their OG burger, which comes with greens, their secret shoyu sauce and the patty of course. If you’re vegan, they also have a veggie patty option, which I thought was pretty tasty (had way too much red meat one particular weekend).
And if you want the full on meal, top it off with their shaka shaka fries with seaweed and salt. Note, if you check-​in on Unilocal,you get the entire combo for a discounted price.
The staff all seem to be quite friendly and are quite humorous and warming each time I chatted with them!
Eat away!
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
I’ve been waiting to try this place for months. The idea of ramen noodles for burger buns excited and reminded me of my college days when I lived on a ramen noodle diet. However, being a burger connoisseur, I was really disappointed with my first bite into the Original Ramen Burger.
When I received my ORB ($ 8.00 plus $ 1.00 for cheese) I was really surprised at the size for the price. This angus beef patty with shoyu sauce and baby arugula was about the size of 2 McDonald’s meat patties. When I bit into it, I really didn’t taste a lot of flavor. Actually it was kind of bland and didn’t really make me eager to take another bite. It was juicy though, I’ll give it that much.
My side was the Miso fries which were just ok as well. The flavor again didn’t have me eagerly grabbing to eat more.
The server here was friendly for the most part. She kind of helped me make my choices.
I don’t know what to say. All this hype and I’m left disappointed. My fellow Unilocalers who gave this place a 4 star and above may need to venture out more in the burger world.
I give the food here a 2 star and the service a 3 star. To be nice, I’ll round up my score for a final 3 star.
Cheers!