Taishoken

Taishoken is the newest place to join the small group of SF spots offering tsukemen, or dip ramen, but it’s one of the most impressive. Their house-made noodles should be in the dictionary next to words like “chewy” and “flawless.” And, unlike most spots, someone on staff will pour dashi into any leftover broth so you can drink it directly out of the bowl once you’ve devoured all the noodles and chashu. Despite this place specializing in tsukemen, there are five other types of ramen worth getting jazzed about—especially the spicy paitan version with razor-thin noodles and pork.

photo credit: Taishoken