Ramen Burger Craze Heads West

Sept. 10, 2013— -- Two California cities got a taste of the ramen burger craze over the weekend, with foodies lining up in droves to experience the new noodle bun sensation.

Original Ramen Burger creator Keizo Shimamoto brought his Brooklyn gut bombs out to Los Angeles, where they were met with four-hour wait times, according to Eater LA. Curious gourmands were reported to have started lining up at 6:20 a.m. at Torrance's Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese supermarket chain.

Shimamoto promised to serve 500 ramen burgers, with at least one designated for his mother. She had never tasted his creation in the five weeks since he debuted the dish at Smorgasburg in New York City and feeding her was the inspiration for the trip, according to a blog post on Shimamoto's Go Ramen site. ABC News could not reach Shimamoto for immediate comment.

Meanwhile, up the coast in San Diego, a competitor offered up his own version of the quirky burger.

Chef Junya Watanabe's Rakiraki Ramen debuted three versions of a "California Ramen Burger," which, in addition to patties swaddled by ramen noodle "buns" and various toppings, is wrapped in lettuce leaves as a point of difference.

But perhaps more distinguishing was the inclusion of a vegetarian option, which featured a patty made from roasted corn, black bean and roasted pepper.