17 japanese ramen rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Domu ★ 4.8 · Orlando
audubon-park · 3201 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL 32803
Domu at East End Market on Corrine Drive in Audubon Park is the ramen and Japanese-pub anchor, with tonkotsu, sake and a strong cocktail program.
Whisky and Ramen ★ 4.7 · Anchorage
downtown · 436 W 4th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501
Chef Mike Dodge runs Whisky and Ramen on 4th Avenue downtown, with house noodles, tonkotsu bowls and a deep whisky bar. Named a 2026 James Beard semifinalist.
Mason's Creamery ★ 4.7 · Cleveland
ohio-city · 4401 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Mason's Creamery on Bridge Avenue in Ohio City, the Jesse Mason and Helen Qin ice cream shop since 2013, runs small-batch scoops year-round plus a winter.
Tip: Ramen runs winter into spring; ice cream year-round. Cash and card accepted.
Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle ★ 4.6 · Los Angeles
sawtelle · 2057 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tsujita LA in Sawtelle, Los Angeles is the LA outpost of Tokyo's Tsujita, simmering tonkotsu broth for 60 hours and serving it as ramen and tsukemen.
Tip: Tsukemen is served exclusively before 15:00; after 15:00 the menu switches to ramen and stays open until 02:00.
Ramen Tatsu-ya (South Lamar) ★ 4.5 · Austin
south-lamar · 1234 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Ramen Tatsu-ya in Austin is Tatsu Aikawa's Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen room on South Lamar, the Austin ramen flagship since 2012 with five locations.
Tip: Order at the counter; walk-ins only, queue moves fast at 17:30 and 21:00 windows.
Ramen Tatsu-ya (South Lamar) ★ 4.5 · Austin
south-lamar · 1234 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Ramen Tatsu-ya in Austin is Tatsu Aikawa's Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen on South Lamar since 2012, the city's most-followed ramen counter with no-booking.
Tip: Walk-in only; the 6pm window moves slowest on Friday. The Research Boulevard location is the shortest queue.
Mason's Creamery ★ 4.5 · Cleveland
ohio-city · 4401 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Mason's Creamery on Bridge Avenue in Ohio City, the Jesse Mason and Helen Qin ice cream shop since 2013, runs small-batch flavours all year plus a winter.
Tip: Ramen runs winter into spring; ice cream year-round. Cash and card accepted.
Monta Ramen ★ 4.4 · Las Vegas
spring-mountain-chinatown · 5030 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Monta Ramen in Las Vegas is the Chinatown Hakata-style tonkotsu shop next door to Raku, a 35-seat counter that codified Vegas's ramen scene from 2009 onward.
Tip: Counter-only seating and cash preferred; the line builds from 18:00 onward and they sell out by 23:00.
Pai Men Miyake ★ 4.4 · Portland
old-port · 188 State Street, Portland, ME 04101
Pai Men Miyake on State Street opened 2009 from Chef Masa Miyake of Miyake, with tonkotsu ramen, charcoal yakitori and izakaya plates from the open bar.
Tip: Daily lunch and dinner; reservations via OpenTable for dinner, walk-ins for lunch.
Pai Men Miyake ★ 4.4 · Portland
old-port · 188 State Street, Portland, ME 04101
Pai Men Miyake on State Street, since 2009 from Chef Masa Miyake of Miyake, runs tonkotsu ramen, charcoal yakitori and izakaya plates from a small open bar.
Tip: Daily lunch and dinner; OpenTable for dinner reservations, walk-ins at lunch.
Underbelly ★ 4.3 · San Diego
little-italy · 750 W Fir St, San Diego, CA 92101
Underbelly in Little Italy is CH Projects' ramen shop on Fir Street, the punk-rock-leaning Japanese counter where the Belly of the Beast tonkotsu ramen.
Tip: Counter seating and a beer list of Japanese craft labels; arrive before 7pm to skip the line.
Ichi Koroshi Ramen ★ 4.3 · Tampa
seminole-heights · 6203 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33604
Ichi Koroshi revived Seminole Heights ramen inside the Jug and Bottle shop on North Florida Avenue, with the tonkotsu broth and bao that built the area.
Tip: Seating inside the bottle shop is tight; arrive early in the 2pm to 9pm window before bowls sell out.
Ichi Koroshi Ramen ★ 4.3 · Tampa
seminole-heights · 6203 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33604
Ichi Koroshi tucks a tonkotsu ramen counter inside the Jug and Bottle shop in Seminole Heights, run by former Ichicoro cooks pulling the benchmark broth.
Tip: Seating is limited inside the bottle shop; go early in the 2pm to 9pm window before bowls run out.
Dashi ★ 4.2 · Durham
downtown · 415 East Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701
Dashi pairs ramen downstairs with an izakaya bar upstairs holding over 250 Japanese whiskies. Tonkotsu and miso broths below; small plates above from 16:00.
Kumako Ramen Japantown ★ 4.1 · San Jose
Japantown · 211 Jackson St, San Jose, CA 95112
Kumako Ramen has anchored San Jose's Japantown since 2006 with house-crafted broths, springy ramen noodles, and handmade gyoza on Jackson Street.
Kumako Ramen Japantown ★ 4.1 · San Jose
Japantown · 211 Jackson St, San Jose, CA 95112
Kumako Ramen has been the heartbeat of San Jose's Japantown since 2006, with slow-crafted house broths, springy noodles, and handmade gyoza on Jackson Street.
Ramen-san ★ 4.0 · Chicago
river-north · 59 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654
Ramen-san in Chicago is Lettuce Entertain You's River North ramen room on Hubbard, with a tonkotsu base and a spicy garlic bowl that pulls the regulars back.
Tip: Lunch is faster than dinner. The 12:30 rush clears by 13:15.