Silverlake Ramen Fashion Valley

I will start this review by saying that I've been to Japan and ate at some absolutely amazing ramen shops that I miss dearly when I eat at places like Silverlake Ramen here in the US. This place was poor service, and not authentic. Silverlake Ramen was disappointing in all aspects. The food is deceiving as the bowl is smaller than it looks. I've had many classic tonkotsu ramen, this one shown in the pictures was not very good. It didn't have the same taste as most. There was a lot of..... pepper? I'm not sure exactly but the ramen was overloaded with it. You can see in the empty bowl black specs everywhere. My partner had the garlic truffle ramen and it didn't have those black specs in it. She liked hers but I didn't try it. I also ordered the chicken karaage as a combo plate. There seemed to be more fried breading on the chicken then there was actual chicken. The service was pretty bad. They have a deal where signing up for their app gives you a free ramen topping or canned drink. When I placed my order, I asked for an extra egg, quoting the advertised freebie. The server claimed I was wrong, even though the card on our table said it, and the APP says it. He claimed it was only for canned drinks. I showed him the word for word advertisement and he told me he didn't think it was valid. They did give me my free topping but only at my insistence that he speak to somebody senior to him. They ended up removing the topping from our bill instead of figuring out how to apply the freebie correctly. To go along with this, the couple at the table next to us placed their order about the same time as us. The server brought them food that was not what they ordered. It turned out to be the food for the table next to theirs. About 5 minutes later, they brought them food again. I could tell something was wrong as they were confused by the order. I noticed that it was what my partner and I ordered. I said to them I think they got our order and asked them if it was the second time they brought them the wrong food. We had a laugh, but it's true. The server was incompetent. Apparently he placed the orders in their little tablet ordering system at the wrong table several times. They did eventually bring them their actual order, but it was about 10 minutes after we received ours. Google Maps advertised this location saying prices are generally $10-$20 per person. That would be true only if you bought the cheapest meal on the menu and didn't order a drink to go with it. It is definitely $20-$30 per person at a minimum. If you want beer? Try $30-$40 per person, and this place isn't good enough for that price for sure. My last gripe, this is not authentic Japanese food. What do I mean by this? None of the cooks were Japanese. They were of latin descent, or other ethnicities, but not Japanese, or Asian to begin with. I'm sure they use Japanese recipes, but this brings me to the atmosphere of the restaurant. It did not feel like an authentic Japanese Ramen shop. There are simply better places to eat Ramen, that feel like an authentic Japanese ramen shop, with actual Japanese cooks, or at least Asian. I won't be back to this location. OH! Also, you have to agree to receiving e-mail advertisements from Silverlake Ramen in order to sign up for their App to receive the free topping or canned drink. That's it, that's more than 3 strikes. I won't go back ever again.

This place is awesome! I had the Classic Ramen. It was super flavorful — the broth was rich, the noodles were springy, and the toppings were fresh and tasty. The staff was really kind and made me feel welcome. Cozy vibe too, perfect spot for a comforting meal. I’ll definitely be coming back soon!

Excellent place to have spicy ramen after a day at Fashion Valley. Loved the combo ramen plus appetizer option, exactly what I was looking for.