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A bowl of ramen with greens, egg, noodles, and meat.
Ramen at Rondo Japanese Kitchen
Jay Friedman

9 Brilliant Ramen Restaurants in the Seattle Area

Silky tonkotsu ramen, umami-packed miso ramen, and more great options around the city

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Ramen at Rondo Japanese Kitchen
| Jay Friedman

There’s nothing quite as comforting as a bowl of ramen. It keeps you warm in the cold winter months (like June), while a couple variations let you enjoy it even when the weather heats up: tsukemen, where you dip cold ramen noodles in broth, or hiyashi chuka, which is cold noodles served with toppings. Everyone has their favorite types of broth, tare (flavoring), noodles, and toppings, and ramen restaurants (and variations) abound in the Seattle area.

That said, a truly great bowl of ramen isn’t always easy to find. Here’s our list of nine restaurants that are consistently some of the best places to these Japanese noodles.

Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing seattle@eater.com. As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically.

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Midnite Ramen

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Operating out of a food truck you’ll find at selected local breweries, Midnite Ramen serves up a lively yatai (mobile food stall) experience. The base broth is on the light side, with tare added to create ramen varieties such as shoyu and miso. Particularly noteworthy is the onomichi ramen — while not as entrancingly bitter as niboshi (dried fish) broths in Japan, fish powder adds flavor while pork fatback lends lardy goodness and texture to the soup. Watch for a winter opening of a new “brick-and-mortar” location on Stone Way in Wallingford in partnership with Figurehead Brewing, featuring a taproom up front and a ramen trailer in the back.

A man wearing a white head scarf enters a small mobile food cart with red flags displaying Japanese characters and an orange glowing paper lantern out front.
Elmer Komagata brings practices from the Japanese yatai to Seattle.
Suzi Pratt/Eater Seattle

Yoroshiku Japanese Restaurant

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The shoyu and shio (salt) ramens at this Wallingford izakaya are both solid, but the true star of the menu is the miso ramen, with a depth of earthy flavor lent by the fermented soybean paste. The restaurant also has some of the fattiest pork of all the area’s ramen restaurants — so good it’s worth an upgrade to extra chashu. Yoroshiku also offers unusual options like a wagyu shoyu ramen and a Fisherman ramen featuring local seafood in miso broth.

A bowl of miso ramen topped with greens.
The miso ramen at Yoroshiku, an izakaya in Wallingford.
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Jinya Ramen Bar

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Jinya is a Japan-based restaurant that found success in Los Angeles before spreading throughout North America. The customer base at the Bellevue branch is less Japanese than Chinese, who often prefer softer noodles, so the staff suggests asking for a shorter cooking time if you want a firmer noodle. The menu dances around a traditional tonkotsu preparation: The tonkotsu red comes closest to traditional (though with non-traditional thick noodles), while the tonkotsu black bursts with garlicky flavor.

A red bowl of tonkotsu spicy ramen with pork.
Tonkotsu spicy ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Rondo Japanese Kitchen

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This Capitol Hill izakaya serves up “Tokyo Shoyu Ramen” that’s slightly beefy with oxtail meat and oxtail broth but lightened up with fish powder and mizuna. (Don’t worry; there’s also pork chashu in the bowl.) That same oxtail broth forms the base for black garlic tantan ramen spiked with sesame and sansho (a spice similar to Sichuan peppercorns), plus Chinese pickles. Those that want to go soupless can opt for the shoyu-flavored mazemen.

A bowl of ramen with an egg, meat, noodles, and greens. Jay Friedman

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

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This ramen chain (spawned from a chain in Japan known as Kukai) opened its first shop in Bellevue in 2012 and continues to spread throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Kizuki offers a variety of ramen types. The garlic tonkotsu shoyu is good, and even better is the yuzu shio with a light broth that achieves a nice balance of salt and Japanese citrus flavor. The thin-sliced chashu is grilled, imparting smoky flavor. There are also tsukemen options for those who prefer to go soupless and instead dip their noodles into a cup of rich broth.

 

Ramen Danbo

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Ramen Danbo serves Hakata-style tonkotosu ramen, available in shio, miso, and negi-goma (scallion and toasted sesame) options. Diners can specify noodle thickness and firmness, thickness of broth, amount of lard, and amount of spicy sauce — though even a small amount of spicy sauce can dominate the flavor of the broth. If you’re feeling extra hungry, save some broth and order a portion of additional noodles, known in Japan as “kaedama.”

A bowl of tonkotsu ramen with pork, egg, and scallions, and a pair of chopsticks lifting up noodles.
Classic tonkotsu ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Ooink references chef-owner Chong Boon Ooi’s name and his signature silky pork broth, though he doesn’t call it tonkotsu. This inconspicuous spot above a QFC grocery store in Capitol Hill serves some of Seattle’s best ramen, rich and wonderful from the variety of tares and their thin, straight noodles. Shoyu is an excellent choice, while the mala (numbing and spicy) ramen offers heat levels that get serious as you climb from one to four. Ayam goreng (Malaysian spiced chicken) serves as a great side dish to a noodle bowl. In 2022, Ooink opened another, larger location on Stone Way in Fremont/Wallingford. (Frallingford?)

Shoyu pork ramen in a white and blue bowl topped with egg.
Shoyu silky pork ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

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After opening several outlets in Japanese supermarkets in the United States and Canada, Santouka debuted its first free-standing American restaurant in Bellevue in 2014 and later expanded to University Village. This Japanese import serves up several varieties of high-quality tonkotsu ramen, with options including shoyu, miso, and spicy miso-flavored tonkotsu. But the simple shio (salt) ramen shows off the pork broth best. It’s also the only one that comes with a pickled red plum. The noodles aren’t the true straight type, but rather slightly wavy, so they can catch more of the broth with each slurp.

A white bowl with tonoktsu shio ramen and chopsticks lifting noodles.
Tonkotsu shio ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Arashi Ramen

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Founded in Tukwila and expanded to Ballard, Arashi focuses on the tonkotsu-style ramen associated with the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. The porky broth is available in shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), miso, and spicy miso varieties, and black garlic is a good twist to the tonkotsu miso option. It doesn’t say on the menu, but you can (and should) customize your noodles’ firmness. Ask for firm (katamen) or extra firm (barikata) to avoid the default overcooking to slightly soft.

A black bowl filled with black ramen, topped with pork and and egg.
Black garlic (salt-based) ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Midnite Ramen

Operating out of a food truck you’ll find at selected local breweries, Midnite Ramen serves up a lively yatai (mobile food stall) experience. The base broth is on the light side, with tare added to create ramen varieties such as shoyu and miso. Particularly noteworthy is the onomichi ramen — while not as entrancingly bitter as niboshi (dried fish) broths in Japan, fish powder adds flavor while pork fatback lends lardy goodness and texture to the soup. Watch for a winter opening of a new “brick-and-mortar” location on Stone Way in Wallingford in partnership with Figurehead Brewing, featuring a taproom up front and a ramen trailer in the back.

A man wearing a white head scarf enters a small mobile food cart with red flags displaying Japanese characters and an orange glowing paper lantern out front.
Elmer Komagata brings practices from the Japanese yatai to Seattle.
Suzi Pratt/Eater Seattle

Yoroshiku Japanese Restaurant

The shoyu and shio (salt) ramens at this Wallingford izakaya are both solid, but the true star of the menu is the miso ramen, with a depth of earthy flavor lent by the fermented soybean paste. The restaurant also has some of the fattiest pork of all the area’s ramen restaurants — so good it’s worth an upgrade to extra chashu. Yoroshiku also offers unusual options like a wagyu shoyu ramen and a Fisherman ramen featuring local seafood in miso broth.

A bowl of miso ramen topped with greens.
The miso ramen at Yoroshiku, an izakaya in Wallingford.
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Jinya Ramen Bar

Jinya is a Japan-based restaurant that found success in Los Angeles before spreading throughout North America. The customer base at the Bellevue branch is less Japanese than Chinese, who often prefer softer noodles, so the staff suggests asking for a shorter cooking time if you want a firmer noodle. The menu dances around a traditional tonkotsu preparation: The tonkotsu red comes closest to traditional (though with non-traditional thick noodles), while the tonkotsu black bursts with garlicky flavor.

A red bowl of tonkotsu spicy ramen with pork.
Tonkotsu spicy ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Rondo Japanese Kitchen

This Capitol Hill izakaya serves up “Tokyo Shoyu Ramen” that’s slightly beefy with oxtail meat and oxtail broth but lightened up with fish powder and mizuna. (Don’t worry; there’s also pork chashu in the bowl.) That same oxtail broth forms the base for black garlic tantan ramen spiked with sesame and sansho (a spice similar to Sichuan peppercorns), plus Chinese pickles. Those that want to go soupless can opt for the shoyu-flavored mazemen.

A bowl of ramen with an egg, meat, noodles, and greens. Jay Friedman

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya

This ramen chain (spawned from a chain in Japan known as Kukai) opened its first shop in Bellevue in 2012 and continues to spread throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Kizuki offers a variety of ramen types. The garlic tonkotsu shoyu is good, and even better is the yuzu shio with a light broth that achieves a nice balance of salt and Japanese citrus flavor. The thin-sliced chashu is grilled, imparting smoky flavor. There are also tsukemen options for those who prefer to go soupless and instead dip their noodles into a cup of rich broth.

 

Ramen Danbo

Ramen Danbo serves Hakata-style tonkotosu ramen, available in shio, miso, and negi-goma (scallion and toasted sesame) options. Diners can specify noodle thickness and firmness, thickness of broth, amount of lard, and amount of spicy sauce — though even a small amount of spicy sauce can dominate the flavor of the broth. If you’re feeling extra hungry, save some broth and order a portion of additional noodles, known in Japan as “kaedama.”

A bowl of tonkotsu ramen with pork, egg, and scallions, and a pair of chopsticks lifting up noodles.
Classic tonkotsu ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Ooink

Ooink references chef-owner Chong Boon Ooi’s name and his signature silky pork broth, though he doesn’t call it tonkotsu. This inconspicuous spot above a QFC grocery store in Capitol Hill serves some of Seattle’s best ramen, rich and wonderful from the variety of tares and their thin, straight noodles. Shoyu is an excellent choice, while the mala (numbing and spicy) ramen offers heat levels that get serious as you climb from one to four. Ayam goreng (Malaysian spiced chicken) serves as a great side dish to a noodle bowl. In 2022, Ooink opened another, larger location on Stone Way in Fremont/Wallingford. (Frallingford?)

Shoyu pork ramen in a white and blue bowl topped with egg.
Shoyu silky pork ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

After opening several outlets in Japanese supermarkets in the United States and Canada, Santouka debuted its first free-standing American restaurant in Bellevue in 2014 and later expanded to University Village. This Japanese import serves up several varieties of high-quality tonkotsu ramen, with options including shoyu, miso, and spicy miso-flavored tonkotsu. But the simple shio (salt) ramen shows off the pork broth best. It’s also the only one that comes with a pickled red plum. The noodles aren’t the true straight type, but rather slightly wavy, so they can catch more of the broth with each slurp.

A white bowl with tonoktsu shio ramen and chopsticks lifting noodles.
Tonkotsu shio ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

Arashi Ramen

Founded in Tukwila and expanded to Ballard, Arashi focuses on the tonkotsu-style ramen associated with the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. The porky broth is available in shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), miso, and spicy miso varieties, and black garlic is a good twist to the tonkotsu miso option. It doesn’t say on the menu, but you can (and should) customize your noodles’ firmness. Ask for firm (katamen) or extra firm (barikata) to avoid the default overcooking to slightly soft.

A black bowl filled with black ramen, topped with pork and and egg.
Black garlic (salt-based) ramen
Jay Friedman/Eater Seattle

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