Kouraku Marks 50 Years as America's Oldest Ramen Restaurant

Kouraku, the oldest ramen restaurant still operating in the United States, turned 50 on Sunday — and it gave the food away.

The Little Tokyo restaurant, which the City of Los Angeles formally recognized with a monumental marker on January 30, 2025, hosted the Kouraku Matsuri 50th Anniversary Fest: a block party built around complimentary mini portions, carnival games, merchandise and a timed gyoza-folding challenge.

The format ran on logistics that any operator would recognize. Guests picked up colored wristbands at an information booth for priority access. Wristbands and tastings were limited to available supplies.

The service schedule tightened the crowd into three waves:

• Mini shoyu ramen, with wristband pickup from 11 to 11:30 a.m. and service starting at 11:30 a.m.
• Mini chahan (fried rice) with three gyoza, wristbands from 11:30 a.m. to noon, food from 12:15 p.m.
• Mini tonkotsu ramen, wristbands from 1 to 2 p.m., service beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Chef Juan, who has worked at Kouraku since 1991, prepared the food served during the anniversary celebrations — a 34-year run behind the same kitchen's pass.

Who runs Kouraku now?

Owner Mamoru Tokuda took ownership in 2023, but his ties predate the deal. He had previously served as a consultant to the former owners and their family during the COVID-19 pandemic — the stretch that hollowed out much of Little Tokyo's independent restaurant base.

"We are very happy to celebrate 50 years of Kouraku with everyone," Tokuda told MyNewsLA.com ahead of the event.

The programming leaned into the neighborhood's cultural identity rather than a generic anniversary discount. The Koshin Taiko drumming ensemble performed, a dragon dancer worked the crowd, and chefs taught visitors how to fold gyozas between the tasting windows.

For guests 21 and older, a "Secret Kouraku Bar" operated inside the restaurant — entry required drink tickets purchased at the information booth and a valid ID. That structure, free food plus paid drink tickets, mirrors the festival economics many independent operators use to celebrate milestones without writing off the full event cost.

What does a city marker actually change?

For a 36-seat-style neighborhood shop, the January 30, 2025 designation as America's oldest operating ramen restaurant functions as durable marketing — a claim competitors can't replicate and a hook for heritage-minded diners and tourists routing through Little Tokyo.

Fifty years in, Kouraku has outlasted multiple dining cycles and a pandemic-era ownership transition. With Tokuda in his second year as owner and a city-anchored historical claim in hand, the restaurant heads into its next decade with its brand value arguably higher than at any point in its history.