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America’s oldest ramen restaurant celebrates 50th anniversary in LA
Kouraku, a Little Tokyo restaurant recognised as the oldest operating ramen restaurant in the United States, marked its 50th anniversary with a Sunday block party. The celebration highlighted the restaurant’s long history and its place in Los Angeles, with owner Mamoru Tokuda saying he was pleased to celebrate with the community.
The festival featured complimentary mini portions of shoyu and tonkotsu ramen, fried rice with gyoza, carnival games, live performances and a gyoza-folding challenge. Chef Juan, who has worked at Kouraku since 1991, prepared food for the event; tastings were limited and distributed through timed wristbands. A bar inside served guests aged 21 and over, and the city installed a marker recognising the restaurant in January 2025.
In short
- Kouraku celebrated 50 years in Little Tokyo.
- The restaurant is recognised as America’s oldest operating ramen restaurant.
- The block party included tastings, games and performances.
Explained simply
Kouraku is a ramen restaurant in Little Tokyo, a historic Japanese American neighbourhood in Los Angeles. It is recognised as the oldest operating ramen restaurant in the United States, and has served customers there for decades.
Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, often served with a broth and toppings. Shoyu ramen uses a soy sauce-based broth, while tonkotsu is made with pork bones; restaurants and cooks develop their own recipes and ways of serving it.
Kouraku’s history links it to both Japanese food and the changing life of Little Tokyo. Long-running local businesses can become gathering places and markers of a neighbourhood’s heritage.