5 japanese ramen rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
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 across town.
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 lines.
Tip: Walk-in only; the 6pm window moves slowest on Friday. The Research Boulevard location is the shortest queue.
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.
Otaku Ramen ★ 4.2 · Nashville
the-gulch · 1104 Division Street Nashville, TN 37203
Sarah Gavigan's Division Street ramen shop in The Gulch, Nashville opened 2014 and remains the Gulch's reliable bowl. Walk-in friendly, kid-friendly, full bar.
Tip: The private karaoke room books for groups of six; happy hour 16:00 to 19:00 runs $5 small plates.