If you can appreciate freshly made ramen noodles served in heaping bowls where the deep brown hearty homemade broth is slow-cooked all day and served along with sliced pork roast over the top that literally falls apart as you lift it, you must seek out Orochon whenever you are in Los Angeles.
My boyfriend took me to this place, one of his downtown favorites, and I will admit that prior to this introduction, Japanese would not have been my first choice for Asian soup. I usually gravitate to Vietnamese pho soup or Thai soup or super spicy Szechuan fish head soup and when thinking of ramen, I always thought of something that comes freeze-dried in a cup or something thin and not satisfying. I definitely didn't equate with ramen the fresh noodles in a rich homemade broth with melting pork bits you will get here.
Its in a very bland block of 1st street downtown just west of Little Tokyo's main drag on the 2nd floor in a 80's outdoor mini-mall called Weller Plaza located sort of behind the New Otani hotel.
Their thing is heaping gigantic bowls of broth you can select from 3 varieties of- miso, soysauce, salt:
Then you choose the amount of heat you can handle- they go from a mild #7 up to Special #2 which is higher than #2 or #1 if that makes sense.
If you choose to attempt the fiery spice of the Special #2, your efforts should you succeed in finishing the bowl within 30 minutes will go up on their Wall of Bravery (a polaroid of you with your empty bowl and your finishing time and your autograph). 
Here is the Wall of Bravery
The next step in ordering is selecting your extras if you want any. The basic ramen comes with noodles, bamboo shoots, some green onions, green peppers, wood ear mushrooms and a small piece of delicious melt-in-your-mouth Cha-Shu (pork).
Its the best thing ever and if you have a cold, this will set you right! Even ordering a #4 spice level which is the average one makes your nose run.
The broth is the star of the dish, slow cooked and so tasty. The noodles are fresh and coupled with the falling apart, tender pork, you will be a happy camper.
The way I usually order is a #4 (or #3 if I am feeling like I want spicy) in salt broth with extra noodles, garlic and we share a side order of Chu-Shu pork to add to our soup along with an order of dumplings and sometimes the rice too.
This is what a #4 looks like with salt broth, extra garlic...
So rich and so homey, I always have left overs.
Matt rubbing his full belly as we left...
They do accept credit cards as well.
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