When it rains, I crave soups and noodles. I think most of us crave a hearty soup remedy for a dreary, rainy day. So, ramen is the remedy. The best comfort food on a rainy day. But where to find vegan ramen in Los Angeles?

Ramen is a Japanese dish. It consists of wheat noodles served in pork or fish-based broth with soy sauce and toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, and green onions. So, tradition ramen is not vegan-friendly. Happy, there are plenty of restaurants in Los Angeles that serve vegan Ramen.

Where to Find Vegan Ramen in Los Angeles

Tatsu Ramen

This place is at the top of the where to find vegan ramen in Los Angeles since this is where I discovered vegan ramen. Actually, it is known as one of the best ramens in Los Angeles (vegan or not). Tatsu Ramen is located in West LA (2123 Sawtelle Blvd), and West Hollywood area (7111 Melrose Ave). You can try the Naked Ramen (no broth, vegan-friendly curly noodles with sweet sesame glaze, squeeze of lime and crunchy whole-wheat breadcrumbs) or Hippie Ramen (vegan broth, sweet onion, soy sauce based with a hint of ginger, spinach, and tofu). I prefer the Hippie Ramen since when I crave ramen, I’m craving a bowl of hot soup.

Silverlake Ramen

This place is the most popular ramen spot on the Eastside. Silverlake Ramen is located in Silverlake, Santa Monica and soon in Downtown Los Angeles. The Vegan Ramen consists of miso broth, bean sprouts, corn, mushroom, tofu, broccoli, baby greens, kales, edamame, and eggplant. I love the addition of edamame and eggplant in ramen. Of course, like anything the original location of Silverlake Ramen is your best bet. The lunch special comes with edamame or salad, a smaller bowl of ramen and rice bowl. PS: the crispy rice with spicy tuna is amazing too.

Urban Ramen

It is a very trendy spot popular with celebs. Urban Ramen is located in Hollywood. This place in Los Angeles has plenty of vegan ramen options: Vegan Ramen (veggie broth with thick noodle, cabbage, corn, mushroom, spinach, fried onion, seaweed) or Veggie Miso Ramen (veggie & miso broth, thin noodle, cabbage, mushroom, spinach, bell pepper, onion, corn). The cool part is they screen Japanese Anime on repeat.

Ramen Hood

This is a vegan ramen shop in Downtown Los Angeles. Ramen Hood is located in Downtown in the historic Grand Central Market. The ramens consist of vegan broth (sunflower seed, kelp, and shiitake mushrooms, white miso). They even have vegan “egg” ( soy milk, seasoned with seaweed extract) and yeast. Ramen Hood has somehow figured out how to make this vegan dish taste like the traditional one. They even have ahi “tuna” crisps.

Gokoku Vegetarian Ramen Shop

Everything on the menu is vegetarian and most are vegan-friendly. Gokoku Vegetarian Ramen Shop is located in Studio City. All the ramen consists of baby bok choy, jicama, wood ear mushroom, garnished with fried onion & garlic, cilantro, green onion & sesame seed. I wonder how the Japanese would feel about jicama in ramen but I totally love. The amazing thing about this ramen shop is you can build your own ramen.

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One thing to keep in mind, most ramen spots are small and not all take reservations. There is always a wait. So it is not the best idea for lunch if your lunch break is only 30 minutes or suitable for large parties. Pro tip: If you hate waiting, go at off-hours.

Fun Fact: In Japan, ramen soup is eaten as soon as it is served. It is impolite to continue your conversation before tasting the soup or stopping to take pictures or an Instastory. This is done out of respect for the chef who prepared. However, this is Los Angeles and everyone is looking for that Insta-worthy shot.

So, that is where you can find vegan ramen in Los Angeles. Where is your favorite ramen spot? Thanks for checking out my post.

Also, check out my post on where to find vegan tacos in LA.

With gratitude,

Liz