Los Angeles: Tsujita LA + Tsujita LA Annex

When Abby requested to stop by Tsujita LA for tsukemen on our SoCal trip, I told her it might be a bit too out of the way.  To which she responded, "It's okay, my oppa will drive me."  Nauseating, yes, but it turned out to be an accurate statement.  So thanks to her bf UK, we all got to benefit.

UK drove us all the way from Santa Ana up to LA so that Abby could try Tsujita LA:   

And to make things interesting, she wanted to compare it to Tsujita LA Annex, which is located nearly right across the street:

To be able to compare the two, we split up to collect the goods and then met back up to taste them side by side.

From Tsujita, we got their charsiu tsukemen ($18.95 for a large):

It came with handy dandy instructions on how to eat it at home:

To make a fair comparison, we also ordered the tsukemen with charsiu from Tsujita Annex ($18.95 for a large):

It also came with its own instructions, which varied slightly from that of the original Tsujita:

If you love pork, Tsujita Annex is the place for you.  The dipping broth is rich and fatty and doesn't need much adornment besides bean sprouts.  The original Tsujita broth is both pork and fish based, which means it has a slightly funkier taste that is highlighted by the addition of lime.  The noodles are perfect at both locations, thick and bouncy just the way I like them (though they're slightly thicker at Annex).

It was extremely difficult for me to pick a favorite.  I would take a bite of one, declare that one my favorite, then take a bite of the other and change my mind.  I loved the fattiness of Tsujita Annex, but I also loved the deep, nuanced flavors of Tsujita.  

I suppose if I really had to choose, I would just go with the one with the shorter line.  Which is kind of moot in the time of Corona, since you can now just place your to-go order online.  Ack.  I guess I'll just have to order one from each then.  

Why choose when you don't need to?  

Tsujita LA

2057 Sawtelle Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 231-7373

https://www.tsujita-la.com/

Tsujita LA Annex

2050 Sawtelle Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 231-0222

https://tsujita-annex.com/