Saito Sushi in Los Feliz, right near the Silver Lake neighborhood line, was something of an institution. It was no-frills and it had been around forever, though it was too expensive for most of the young people in the neighborhood to make it a regular part of the restaurant rotation. (It was a good date spot, to see if your crush could hang with the idea of elegant strip-mall dining.)

Saito closed quietly a few months ago, garnering almost none of the attention that its neighbor Tang's Donut did when that place closed. Maybe because Saito wasn't streetside? More likely because no one had ever gotten a midnight croissanwich from Saito's.

Still, it was a blow to the culture of the neighborhood. At least the space didn't sit empty for long: Ramen Bangaichi opened there in the last week or so.

Bangaichi is a small, cash-only restaurant with a one-page menu of ramen options, priced from $9.50 to $14.50. The signature bowl has pork, bamboo, green and white onions, sprouts, sesame, corn, seaweed and egg.

Maybe this will take some pressure off the always-crowded Silverlake Ramen down the street. And with Garage Pizza next door, we see ramen-pizza twofers in a lot of locals’ futures.

4331 Sunset Blvd., Los Feliz.

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