"Santouka has been open since 2006, which makes it practically ancient on the local ramen circuit. It’s also pretty basic, but in the actual basic sense, not in the person who only wears sweatpants and Stan Smiths sense. Inside the Mitsuwa food court in Mar Vista, you line up, place your order, and wait for them to call your number over the loudspeaker. You should be getting the Hokkaido-style shio (salt) ramen, which is a little lighter than other bowls around. Make sure you also leave time for roaming the Japanese market and stocking up on every flavored Pocky you can find." - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren, garrett snyder