As Little Osaka continues its diversification program with restaurants like NongLA, Nina’s Mexican Restaurant, and Plan Check, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Japanese eats continue to crowd West L.A.’s nearby Little Oaxaca neighborhood. Especially when it comes to the region’s recent ramen explosion. Kotoya LA, a ramen spot from one Shinsuke Horinouch, who traces his roots to Tokyo on a website chock-a-block with superior ramen hyperbole, is taking over the Santa Monica Boulevard space briefly occupied by Rojas Eatery.
Kotoya, like tsukemen-master Tsujita and tonkotsu-specialist Yamadaya, claims a meticulous and time-consuming approach to making its ramen, offering both a tonkotsu and miso tonkatsu that take fourteen hours to prepare and employ slow-cooked, four-hour braised chasu and garnishes like ajitama eggs and menma topping prepared by hand.
The restaurant plans to eventually expand to an izakaya-like atmosphere with booze, as well as offer grilled kushiage options. Kotoya is currently staffing up to debut soon at 11901 Santa Monica Blvd. in West L.A.
