La Brea Ramen Bar Tries to Bring Tonkotsu to Mid-City's Former Umami Burger Location

When in doubt, start making ramen. That’s the idea behind La Brea Ramen Bar, apparently, which slides into the former original Umami Burger location on La Brea, just south of Wilshire.

The newcomer hops onboard that carousel of an address following the quick toss of gastropub concept Blind Weasel, which itself was a response to the failure of True Burger (which took over after Umami left) to find an audience.

So what can anyone expect at La Brea Ramen Bar? Well, ramen mostly, in the form of miso, shoyu, and tonkotsu options. There are also rice bowls (poké alert!), a few sushi options, and deep fried ice cream for dessert.

Perhaps with so much burger/pub competition strong in the area (Republique, Mo Better Burger across the street, Rascal just down the other way), Blind Weasel decided to pack it in. Yet La Brea Ramen Bar will have its own competition to deal with, as popular choice Isa Ramen (formerly in Koreatown) sits just a few doors away — and that's to say nothing of the beloved JINYA ramen over on Wilshire. Maybe that address just can’t win.

La Brea Ramen Bar keeps daily hours from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.