We love a Japanese import. Especially when it hits the burbs and is located in a strip mall that shares a parking lot with a Burlington Coat Factory, Vons and LA Fitness. Iconic.

Menya Hanabi appeared on the map in 2019 amid a flux of ramen openings in the city. In the context of a city that has an established ramen scene and a general knowledge of things like tsukemen (thanks, Tsujita), it was only a matter of time before another genre of ramen entered the group chat. And that genre is mazesoba. The Nagoya style “dry” (aka soupless) ramen is (hilariously) referenced as “Taiwanese” style ramen, even though it was fully invented in Japan. But we can kind of see how they got there, the influence of mixed noodles with a porky gravy is pretty standard in Taiwan. The menu at Menya Hanabi is pretty straightforward with the classics. You get your choice of different iterations of mazesoba, plus a bunch of topping options. And you can’t really go wrong with the pungent and umami flavors of pork, bonito, garlic and chives. Mixed in with a creamy egg and you have perfection. Not to mention you get to finish off the meal with a shot (ok it’s actually a pretty generous bowl) of rice to sop up the sauce.