We get excited about a lot of things when traveling but food is up there on our list of favorite activities. When it comes to eating, we don’t mess around. And if there’s one thing we love to eat, it’s ramen. This Japanese dish typically consists of wheat noodles and is served in a meat or fish-based broth. It’s often flavored with soy sauce and or miso. The toppings differ from place to place but commonly include mushrooms, some vegetables and an egg. We try this dish in almost every city we visit which is why we decided it’s time to come up with our list of The Best Ramen in the USA.

Ramen Tatsu-Ya | 1234 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, Texas

This is our favorite ramen in the country. We were just recently in Austin for four days and we managed to eat there twice. The food scene in Austin is so amazing (options, creativity, quality, abundance!) that if it doesn’t mean something to you that we ate there twice, we don’t know what will! The ramen on the left is Mi-So-Hot (pork bone broth, miso blend, goma pork, ajitama, scallion, napa cabbage, bean sprouts and corn) and the ramen on the right is the Tonkotsu Original (pork bone broth, chashu, ajitama, woodear mushroom and scallion). Just writing about it makes me crave it.

Boxer Ramen | Portland (4 Locations around the city)

This ramen is guaranteed to hit the spot. It’s smoky, garlicky and just hot and spicy enough to give the dish some zing but not so much so that it takes away from the flavor. We’d been walking around the city for a while before we stopped here and had worked up quite an appetite but the portions are a nice size and the ingredients are fresh and filling. Oh and after ordering it only took about 3 minutes for the ramen to appear.

ITTO RAMEN BAR & TAPAS | 630 Haywood road, Asheville, NC

Itto Ramen is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to get ramen and it just so happens to be in our hometown, Asheville! Their ramen broth is full of flavor and the portion is generous. It’s the kind of meal that fills you up but also feels really healthy to eat. I could probably down this ramen three times a week and never tire of it. There’s also a location downtown near the Asheville Art Museum!

Dashi Ramen | 415 East Chapel Hill Street, Durham, North Carolina

Is it obvious that we have a big crush on Durham? There’s a lot to love about this city and Dashi is one of the reasons why. The ramen here is nothing short of awesome. So too is the sake pairing. And their homemade miso paste. It’ll add the perfect bit of mmmmmm to your dish and leave you craving more.

Hinodeya – Ramen Bar | 1737 Buchanan Street San Francisco, California (in Japantown)

We got two bowls of the house ramen and were done eating in probably fifteen minutes, maybe less. I slurped every last drop of bonito, kombu and scallop broth out of my bowl. There’s so much great food to eat in San Francisco but this place is worth a visit!

2 Nixons | Pop up at Craft Conundrum – 630 Skylark Drive, Charleston, South Carolina

We visited this pop up ramen shop in Charleston and were blown away at the unique twist on it. The ramen on the left is the Garlic Dashi and people were ordering it like it was going out of style. We opted for the Chicken Shio Ramen, pictured on the right, which has a rich smoky flavor to it. Though the broth is light the flavor is robust and downright delicious. The mushrooms were unique and the pork was perfectly cooked over binchōtan charcoal grills. If you get the chance to visit 2 Nixons, don’t even hesitate, just do it.

Instant Lunch | Gas stations and grocery stores everywhere

Haha just kidding. Though we love Instant Lunch ramen it does not exactly make it onto our list of the best ramen in the USA. It does however help us save money (some places you can even find it for 22 cents!) and get by in a pinch when we’re on a budget or we’re really, really craving hot soup.

Best Ramen in the USA Recap

Have you been to any of these ramen restaurants? If so, what did you think?! What other ramen places should we try?! We’d love to hear from you, please leave your comments below!

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