the buzz

pchow98 checked in at Daikokuya "I checked in at Daikokuya (15827 Gale Ave) on #Yelp http://bit.ly/9ciTVQ " 3 days ago... from yelp

williamim checked in at Daikokuya "I checked in at Daikokuya (327 E 1st St) on #Yelp http://bit.ly/chs24U " 3 days ago... from yelp

Daneerod checked in at Daikokuya "I checked in at Daikokuya (327 E 1st St) on #Yelp http://bit.ly/chs24U " 3 days ago... from yelp

TURB0P4ND4 tweeted Daikokuya "At daikokuya and the waiting list is the longest I've seen!" 5 days ago... from twitter

michapalooza tweeted Daikokuya "Anyone up to go to Daikokuya for happy hour? 5 bucks for a pitcher of Kirin y'all!" 5 days ago... from twitter

shiomiso checked in at Daikokuya "I checked in at Daikokuya (327 E 1st St) on #Yelp http://bit.ly/chs24U " 1 week ago... from yelp

Twohungrypandas checked in at Daikokuya "I'm at Daikokuya (111 N Atlantic Blvd Ste 241, at W Garvey Ave, Monterey Park). http://4sq.com/6J2Tf8 " 1 week ago... from foursquare

davidrodwin checked in at Daikokuya "I checked in at Daikokuya (327 E 1st St) on #Yelp http://bit.ly/chs24U " 1 week ago... from yelp

AILEENwithitt tweeted Daikokuya "At Daikokuya in Little Tokyo! Oh how I've missed thissss" 1 week ago... from twitter

stephenangeles checked in at Daikokuya "I checked in at Daikokuya (327 E 1st St) on #Yelp http://bit.ly/chs24U " 1 week ago... from yelp

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So ... what do you think?

thrill or kill

In Short

Empty chairs and countertops are hard to come by at this perpetually crowded soup shop. A popular dish at the family-owned spot is the daikoku noodle bowl, which includes marinated meat, seasoned bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, green onions and a special sauce-soaked hard-boiled egg found swimming in the bottom of the bowl. Customers jam elbows when ramen-guzzling and soup-sipping, but willingly overlook the tight space. Popular appetizers are the gyoza, edamame and tempura. Desserts include mochi ice cream; dango, sticky rice balls with sweet soy sauce glaze; and cream anmitsu, Japanese fruit cocktail with mochi.HitsQuality of ingredients is stressed: They only use Kurobuta (black) pork because of its tenderness; their soup must be brewed for a full day; and they use an ionized mineral water system for all of their cooking. MissesNarrow walkways make it almost impossible not to bump someone or to be bumped. This can be particularly hard when customers have to meander to the very back to use the bathroom. Because of the tight space and steaming soup, the restaurant can get stuffy and has a really strong aroma that seeps into clothes.