Chin-Ma-Ya of Tokyo

Definitely late to the party…
Didn’t know Chin-​Ma-​Ya closed and now a new ramen shop Jidaiya by the guys behind Torihei yakitori has opened in its place. I wonder why… even though it only opens during lunch, it’s always packed!
Hmm.

I feel so deceived, so grievous, for the last 6 months they’ve only been open a few hours a day. Chin ma ya — I love you, but I hate you, you’re the evil whore mother of the beautiful child I care so much for.
PS, I’ll be redeeming my frequent flyer cards at the little Tokyo location, and you best be havin’ my *&$#$&#@ noodles!

Can’t believe this place closed. Customers poured in as soon as they opened at 11:30AM. Completely full by 12:00PM. I don’t think they had any problem attracting customers.
I hope this is not an indication of things to come. However, I have a feeling one Japanese yakitori restaurant in Torrance/​Gardena area will close, one Japanese bakery in Torrance/​Gardena will close and probably two or more ramen joints would close in Torrance/​Gardena if the economy doesn’t pickup quickly.
It took multiple trips to Chin-​Ma-​Ya to become a fan. Staff members were always friendly, and food came out quickly. Their tan-​tan-​men and chin-​ma-​han (mabo tofu bowl) will be missed for sure.

There really is only one type of ramen here: Tan-​Tan men… so either you’re going to like it or hate it.
The tan-​tan men has a peanut butter taste to it, and you can adjust how spicy you want it. I personally like it, but I like heavier ramens. Chin-​Ma Ya isn’t the heaviest ramen I have tasted, but it definitely has a lot of flavor. People who don’t like heavy ramen are not going to like this place that much.
There is also Chin-​Ma Han (which is mapo tofu with rice). This dish is pretty good too, but you have to ask yourself why would you get a rice dish at a ramen place?
Anyways I thought it was okay for what it was, but it definitely takes an acquired taste.

I think this Ramen place requires a taste for Sesame Based Broth. If you are not a Sesame flavor lover — this is not your Ramen joint. Overall, the Ramen is okay, but not somewhere I would highly recommend. This is one of those places, where you would try. but not always come back again.
I have to give it 2 Stars because my daughter ate the Fried Rice here and it was so greasy, she threw up.

Ordered the tan tan men combo.
Tan tan men — different from the standard shoyu or miso ramen that I usually order elsewhere. Had a sesame paste mixed in that made it a little richer. If you like peanut sauce, you’ll like this.
Mabo tofu — I like tofu. This mabo was standard good.
Overall, A-​OK!

Tan Tan Men… Baby!
Sesame based thick broth with fresh noodle, ground pork, egg, and fresh spinach adding in the spicy kick makes me a fan of this japanese version of dan dan men.
Super nice staff makes me a fan of this location compared to the rude grumpy manager n J Town. The newer manager in Jtown gives us barely enough validation to make it back to the car and acts rude when we brought it up. Staff here is way opposite. This place is just great. Service and yummy tan tan men! Make sure to add the egg. Choose your poison but spicy (even medium spicy) make this dish some serious shizzel to reckon with!
Bonus…Bonjour is across the street!
I am a fan.

I had tan tan men and mabo tofu set.
I like the combination of the creamy broth, thin noodles, and the meat.
It was a bit too salty and very rich, but that is what I like.
Mabo tofu was spicier than the ramen (spiciness 2),
so they should serve it after serving ramen or at least at the same time.
I ate mabo first…
Karaage was very good!
I will go back there for more.

This is the MacDonalds of ramen. There is a distinct «fast food francise» feel to this place and their ramen is at about the same level as the burgers are at Mickey D’s.
Chin-​Ma-​Ya of Tokyo has an extensive menu of ramens, appetizers and combinations of the two. Their prices are about average, 8 – 9 bucks for a bowl of ramen. I ordered the kara-​age Tan Tan Men combination. This came with a generous size bowl of ramen with kara-​age fried chicken on the side. Since it was almost 1 pm I was more that ready to chow down, unfortunately my first bite was the kara-​age chicken. I got a mouth full of over cooked chicken meat in a batter with an undistinctive salty taste. The ramen was no better, while the noodles were cooked well, the broth was also salty and had mild bitter after taste. Service was friendly and responsive but not enough to compensate for the disappointing food.
Next time? No.

There are two primary dishes offered at Chin-​Ma-​Ya of Tokyo so … of course … I tried both the Tan-​Tan Men and the Chin-​Ma Han. The verdict? Yum.
The Tan-​Tan Men ($ 6.95) at Chin-​Ma-​Ya is ramen made from an Chin-​Ma-​Ya original recipe served in a pork and chicken broth with an exclusive Ji-​Ma Jan sesame paste. The ramen is topped with a blend of ground beef and pork. The spices add flavor, but don’t overwhelm the dish like some spicy ramens do. I gulped (or should I say slurped) down every last drop of the soup and ramen. More please = 4 stars.
The Chin-​Ma Han ($ 5.95) is the Chin-​Ma-​Ya take on traditional favorite Mabo (Mapo) Tofu served with a side of white rice. The organic tofu is blended with ground beef, ground pork, Japanese leeks, Nira (garlic chives), Sensho (Sichuan peppers), Ra-​Yu (chili oil), and a homemade version of Tan-​Men Jan sweet-​spicy Miso paste. It is tantalizing and very filling because of the rice. Good stuff = 3 stars.
We also tried the Chicken Kara-​age (marinated fried boneless chicken) served warm in big pieces with a tasty chili-​mayo dipping sauce. It was better than I anticipated and as part of Combo #6 it was well worth adding as an appetizer. 4 stars.
Next visit, I’m going to try the Tan-​Tan Combo which is a full-​size Tan-​Tan Men and half-​size Chin-​Ma Han for $ 9.50 or the Gyoza Combo for $ 8.60.
Optional toppings for the Ramen or the Rice include:
* Cha-​shu Roast Pork $ 2
* Extra Noodles $ 1.50
* Boiled Egg $ 1
* Enoki Mushroom $ 1
* Karaage Fried Chicken $ 1.95
* Green Onions $ 0.50
* Spinach, Bean Sprouts, Japanese Leeks, and Corn for $ 1 each
Service was also very friendly, fast, and constant. It is the type of service I appreciate as the drinks were always full and table cleared without any pressure or major interruptions. 5 stars
Parking was easy and free in the shopping center lot. 5 stars
The atmosphere is modern clean with bright orange walls attracting all of the attention. Simple, yet cool. 3 stars
Good food, good prices, good service, good parking, and good atmosphere… hey, it’s ALL good.

I sipped… I slurped… I sort of smiled. My coworkers enjoy eating here and I’m really trying to like this place since it isn’t too far from home, but I’ve had better ramen.
I’ve been here on three different occasions and each was different from one another. My first visit, I ordered half sized tan tan men ramen at spice level 2. It was tasty and I enjoyed it very much. Spice level 2 was perfect for me… spicy enough to add to the taste but not so much I couldn’t enjoy the flavor. Ramen noodles were cooked perfectly, not too chewy and yet not too soggy. Service was friendly and prompt. I added Charsiu and 1 egg to my ramen which cost an additional $ 1 for each topping… bringing my total to around $ 8 or $ 9.
My second visit, I ordered the same thing plus a half size of fried rice. This time the tan tan men had a sour bitter taste… we think it was from the spinach. It completely ruined my meal and I barely touched the rest of it. Luckily, I had the fried rice which was really good. Full of flavor and not dry or hard.
My third visit I decided to order something other than tan tan men since I had been traumatized from my last bitter experience. I also ordered fried rice as a back up in case the ramen didn’t work out. I ordered shoyu ramen (who can mess up soy sauce, right?) which already comes with charsiu so i only added 1 egg. The shoyu ramen was pretty good. The broth didn’t have much taste but I gladly took care of that with a little chil powder and oil. It wasn’t the best shoyu ramen I’ve had, but it satisfied my tummy.
I’m not a big fan of the way they boil their egg. I forget the term my friend told me but I like when the egg yolk is semi cooked… you know where it’s still a lil gooey… yeah, really good! Anyway, at Chin-​Ma-​Ya I have yet to see a gooey yolked boiled egg. Will I ever?
5 stars for the friendly staff and speedy service!
3 stars for the ‘just another ramen house’ just ok food
1 stars for additional toppings being $ 1 extra. Hey! They don’t charge like this at Shisen… jus sayin.
If you go during weekday lunch, I suggest arriving early to beat the lunch crowd.

One of my co-​workers /​friend had told me about this place and said that I have to try it. So a few weeks ago, I came here with 3 other co-​workers /​friends for a birthday lunch.
Service was fast and friendly. Our waiter explained the different combinations and the spiciness levels for the ramen.
Each of us ordered a different combo.
One friend had the tan tan men ramen combo with something similar to mabo tofu with rice. Another friend had the ramen combo with chicken kara-​age served with lemon and a spicy aioli. Another friend ordered the ramen combo with Gyoza — pork. And I had the tan-​tan men combo with chin-​ma han, which is a mixture of tofu, ground beef and pork and green onion with a secret sauce over rice.
The broth that the ramen comes floating in is the most interesting color I’ve seen. It has a slight orange tint to it. And the flavor kind of had a peanut butter taste to it. When I asked our waiter if there was peanut butter in the broth, he mentioned that it’s a sesame seed based broth that they get from Japan. As I learned later from my Mother after my visit, Chin-​Ma-​Ya has a chain or restaurants in and around Tokyo.
I loved the ramen. The noodles were cooked perfectly. And the broth was so delicious. Floating on top of the ramen noodles were spinach and a ground beef and pork mixture. I also loved the Chin-​Ma Han. I also had a sampling of the mabo tofu, which I thought was great too.
And I also had the kara-​age. It was very good. It wasn’t like the other kara-​age where the better is on the heavier side. This had a very lite coating. And the spicy aioli that the kara-​age is served with, is great! The gyoza I thought was okay. Had better, had worse.
My Tan-​tan men combo was $ 8.95. Reasonable for all the food you get. We were all pleasantly stuffed and satisfied. I’ll definitely come back for more.
Service was friendly and fast. The restaurant is very clean and open with plenty of tables but not squished in next to one another. Chin-​Ma-​Ya can get crowded during the weekday lunch hour, so get there early. My friend who told me about this place said Chin-​Ma-​Ya also has great fried rice. I’ll try that during my next visit along with a side of chicken kara-​age.

3.5 Stars
The Tan-​Tan Men Ramen is truly out of the ordinary. The broth had a slight nutty flavor which mixed pretty well with the ground pork and beef. I ordered a level 2 spicy and it seems like I could have managed with a level 3, it wasn’t that spicy. The noodles were cooked perfectly. I added a boiled egg and it was VERY boiled, not like Asa’s shoyu egg. The Chin-​Ma Han was pretty good, wish they had more tofu and ground pork and beef in it. Karaage was nice and crisp, I liked how it was white and dark meat. I didn’t really bother with the dipping sauce.
I couldn’t give it a full 4-​star review because of the service. The guy was nice and pretty attentive, but I just felt so rushed throughout my meal. We came for dinner and they weren’t busy at all, so I wonder why he was trying to get us out of there so quickly.

I am so full from Chin Ma Ya as I write this review, so forgive me if I doze off! Came here with the co-​workers for a birthday lunch around 11:30ish. Not crowded at all, but it got more crowded as the lunch hour rolled along. Our waiter was very smiley and nice and the menu was full of good stuff, here’s what we had:
1. I had the combo — tan tan men main dish (level 2 spicy) and the thing that looked like ma po tofu with rice.
2. Ka-​ra-​ge chicken served with lemon and spicy mayo
3. Gyoza — pork
4. Beef & Green onion dish
We all had the same ramen and drank every bit of it up — it’s definitely not a broth, it’s more of a condensed soup, the waiter says they import the sesame paste from japan — it kinda tasted like peanut butter, same consistency. It was so delicious! Some of my coworkers said they’d downgrade spiciness to a 1, but I liked my 2, just enough burn to go back for another bite!
All 4 of us patrons were very satisfied!

I didn’t know there WAS a downtown location, I only knew that this place replaced this Phở spot I used to hit up when I was really craving it and didn’t want to drive all the way down into the heart of Gardena. Plus, if you already know me, my heart goes with Hakata always when it comes to ramen spots, so I didn’t want to give them a shot. Well, today, that all changes…
Came here because I had a late lunch and Hakata closes @ 2PM (it was already 2PM), and wanted ramen, so I thought about Chin Ma Ya. It was super close to work, and open. But most of all, they had NOODLES — ramen to be exact.
Just like Anne said… Tan Tan Men (combo) is just about all you need; a serving of spicy ramen and their own mabu tofu (tofu and ground pork) totally hit the spot. It’s actually rather filling, so come hungry. They actually promote that the ramen (served with ground pork and spinach is pretty good for you; from improving digestion to boosting the immune system. And all the while, enjoyable.
I wasn’t sure about the spicy-​ness levels, so I went moderate with a 2(levels are 1, 2 or 3) and it was great, though I could’ve probably had the 3 and still enjoyed it. I asked the server and she said she gets extra spicy, so I knew that it wouldn’t be too bad. But considering it was my first time out, I didn’t wanna have a bad experience. The noodles are okay, but it’s more about the broth and spinach and ground pork that make it great.
They have several other ramen choices, from Shoyu, to some others that I don’t quite remember the names of, but you can bet I’ll be trying those in the near future. =p The only knock really would be that their iced oolong tea comes in a can, so no refills… well, not free ones at least.
At the end of the day, I still prefer Hakata because of their broth and soup base, along with being able to get my noodles extra soft and the other fixins and value, but there is a new ramen in town… my town at least that is still very good!
Parking — Okay, the plaza is shared by about 6 or 7 other businesses, a few of them restaurants, so I can imagine how busy it can get, but I’ve never had a problem.
Service — Awesome. Servers were ALL friendly and were really helpful in helping us make our decision. Recommended the most popular dish.
I’ll definitely be coming back for more!

I’m feeling very lucky that they opened up a Chin Ma Ya in Gardena now. No reason to drive all the way to downtown =)
My favorite would be the Tan Tan Men… it was perfect. Mabo Dofu was good too however, I’m not big fan of chunks of chili hidden in the Mabo sauce…
i’m a spice newbie… and has only recently been trying to build up my spice tolerance a bit more. Maybe in the near future… I’d be chowing down spoons of chili… but as for now, I’m content with the Tan Tan Men.
Tan Tan Men definitely has the Szechuan Spice style where it’s the numbing kind of spice and not the «at your face» boldy kind of spice. The numbing spice oil tends to creep up on you… and for a person like me that doesn’t handle much spice, ignorance is bliss… of course, until reality hits. (and reality had HIT when my lips and tongue felt super swollen after the meal…)
all in all, i was very satisfied with Chin-Ma-Ya’s food, even when i could feel my tongue and lips throbbing from the spice. all very worthwhile… can’t wait to go back =)
thank you Johnrobert W. for introducing this place ~ !!!

One drizzly and dreary morning a few weeks back, my boyfriend and I were in mid-​trek on the 405 to Little Tokyo to satisfy a tan tan noodle craving. It then occurred to me that I should check to see if it was even open. Thanks to the handy Unilocal app on my phone, I discovered to my great delight that a new and closer location recently opened in Gardena!
Granted, this location is not as aesthetically pleasing as the one in Little Tokyo. It sort of reminds me of your run of the mill fast food joint but I can easily look past the bright colors and focus all my attention on the tan tan noodles — a true bowl of deliciousness.
I’ve also become a fan of the soboro which is a mixture of ground beef and pork topping a mini rice bowl. We usually order this as an appetizer but the serving is substantial enough for a satisfying quick lunch — and only for $ 2.50!
The service here is always prompt and friendly. I think even more so than the location in Little Tokyo. I’m still hoping that they open a location in Orange County but in the meantime I’ll be making the 15 – 20 minute drive to Gardena for my tan tan noodle fix.

I love me some Tan Tan Men.
No, that doesn’t mean I’m gay and like extremely dark-​skinned men. I like tan tan women — notice the capitalization.
This place serves Tan Tan Men — men = noodles.
I was curious about their Goma (sesame) Ramen, so I tried it. I was let in on a little secret — Goma Ramen is basically Tan Tan Men without the La Yu (spicy sesame oil).
Learn something new everyday, huh?
Well, this place had some good ramen, but for some reason it seemed watery to me. I also know that I have a salt fetish, so maybe that’s what my problem. It may be fine for you.
Mmmm, yummy, salty, greasy, beefy Men…
Uh, wow, that sounded really gay.

2 meals. 2 different experiences.
Chin-​Ma-​Ya (an import of a ramen house chain from Japan) sits in a shopping plaza next to Sushi Island and the popular Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori. There really is nothing in terms of décor (simple space with tables and chairs); the place is clean though the busing station sits a little too close to some of the tables.
Their signature dish is their spicy ramen. On my first visit, I went with their ramen in a light soy-​based broth. The only ingredient in the broth seemed to be salt. Kind of boring and lacking in flavor.
On my second visit, I decided to go with their spicy ramen and I ordered spicy level 2 (out of 3). The ramen was a pretty good portion size. The broth was a spicy orange color; some greens and ground beef and pork were in the broth.
The ramen was spicy and flavorful. I liked it. The greens and grounded meat were also good. While it was tasty, I am not sold on their noodles. I am not a ramen expert, but I think their noodles are not as good as some other places. I cannot describe it, but the texture of their noodles felt a little off.
The menu featured $ 10 combinations (ramen and a side) so we opted for that. I ordered the karaage fried chicken and my friend ordered the pork potstickers. Both were tasty. The fried chicken was made with dark meat and was nice, crispy and flavorful. The fried chicken came with a lemon wedge and some kind of orangish mayo for dipping. I thought the fried chicken was a little better than the potstickers because the potstickers were pretty similar to the ones you could get anywhere.
Service was quick and friendly. When it got busy, it was a little difficult to grab our waiter for the check; it did not end in a significant wait though. The waiter did a good, but he was working so many tables.
Chin-​Ma-​Ya is a good $ 10 and under lunch spot for this area. Since the food comes quick, it is also good if you need to do a quick lunch. I will probably find myself here again. I will probably stick with the spicy ramen, but I may try some of their other sides. I am hoping it is a consistent place and maybe the noodles can even improve in time.
Parking is free in the shopping plaza’s lot. Pretty easy to find parking; parking is also available on the street for free.

I can’t really agree with the reviews here thus far. I had a really great experience for lunch today. Came with 12 co-​workers right at opening time, 11:30am. Good thing we did since the entire restaurant filled up within a few minutes. It sucks to watch from a distance the standing line outside, knowing that everyone else inside just sat down.
We got seated right away and our food came fairly quickly. I ordered the tan tan mein medium spicy with karaage. The broth was SOOOOO flavorful! So thick to the point where you know that it’s delicious cause it’s fattening. But did I care? No, cause it’s that good. The fried chicken (karaage) was really good as well, but 3 small pieces just doesn’t cut it. The ramen portion is pretty decent, this order cost me $ 9.
This place mainly serves 3 items, their signature ten ten mein ramen, their shio ramen (soy sauce based), and their mabo tofu. All items which you can select your own mild, medium, or spicy option.
Everyone at my table ordered many different combinations with appetizers. Sure they have only a few dishes to choose from but you can change up your combination (half ramen, half tofu). The shio ramen looked pretty boring and bland but that’s how authentic it is because I was told it’s made like that in Japan.
Service was good. Overall, I really liked this place a lot. I still have to rank according to:
1. Santouka
2. Chabuya
3. Chin-​Ma-​Ya
4. Gardena Ramen
5. Daikukoya
6. Asahi
7. Shinsengumi
Thanks for eating!