SEAGuide
The Best Ramen In Seattle
photo credit: Nate Watters
Ramen doesn't have to be exclusively reserved for a gloomy rainy day when you might already be having a volatile range of emotions only made worse by stumbling across a compilation video of stray cats. Slurping pork fat-flecked shoyu from a food cart or mouth-numbing noodle soup on Capitol Hill is a year-round activity. So in the good times and bad, exercise your ramen-eating right with this list of the best spots in town.
Looking for Japanese food beyond ramen? We have a guide for that, too.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley
Midnite Ramen is a cart parked outside Figurehead Brewing, and they serve the best ramen in the city. In particular, we’re fans of the onomichi ramen, a dashi-heavy shoyu broth with flecks of pork fat ethereally floating on top that distribute richness as you slurp. Or the wontonmen, which has the best of both worlds—long chewy noodles and delicately wrapped pork and shrimp wontons. Order at the cart out front and bring your bowls inside the brewery for the perfect rainy evening combo: hot soup and cold beer.
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
If there are two things you can count on, it's that this Capitol Hill spot will always satisfy a ramen craving, and that there’ll always be a wait. But time has no meaning when it comes to the best Hakata-style ramen in town. And while it’s hard to go wrong at Danbo, we love the classic rekka style ramen with tonkotsu broth, super thin and firm noodles, and more customization options than Build-A-Bear Workshop. Ask for extra richness (thanks, lard) and more karadare if you like your broth silky and spicy. And there’s plenty of seating here for solo diners, which is ideal for a ramen outing that solely involves the sound of your own slurping and a constant loop of DIY home improvement TikToks.
photo credit: Nate Watters
If you’re looking for ramen that goes beyond standard shoyu options, head to this tiny shop on Capitol Hill. And while Ooink has some great shoyu to take the edge off on a particularly frigid day, nothing beats their mala kotteri ramen—a double whammy of both high heat index and intense spice, made with funky black garlic and numbing Sichuan peppercorns that could thaw out the Vatnajökull glacier. Plus, it doesn't hurt that they have some of the best gyoza in the city to dunk into the broth.
In a sea of predictable ramen lineups that involve miso, shoyu, spicy miso, and spicy shoyu, Tamari Bar's dan dan ramen stands out from the pack. Here you have a sinus-clearing bowl of spicy broth with ground pork, chewy noodles, chopped almonds and peanuts, and the option to add a soft-cooked egg. Don’t be a fool—add the egg.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Hokkaido is a ramen chain that started in Japan and somehow made its way to Bellevue—for good reason. And while the city has enough bowls of miso-based ramen to fill Elliott Bay, theirs is the silkiest and richest in town. If you're in Seattle proper, you can also head to the University Village location.
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
This LA-based ramen spot on the Eastside holds up to the hype and has a tasty vegan option to prove it. Their creamy plant-based ramen with loads of silky tofu and a smooth mushroom broth (that even a funghi hater would enjoy) is our go-to. It's light and earthy, and it's even possible to take down a whole bowl without feeling like you have a boulder sitting in your lower intestine.
photo credit: Nate Watters
This Capitol Hill spot is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of ramen experience—you could go the traditional route with broth and noodles in the same bowl, do some broth-dipping with tsukemen, or have mazeman with no broth at all. We suggest that your plot line involves ordering the spicy curry ramen. It’s got hearty toppings (like wilted spinach and cloud ear mushrooms), and a nutty curry flavor that'll make you forget about the 20 minutes you just spent trying to find parking.
photo credit: Silverlake Ramen
For some folks, broth is the most important part of ramen. For others, it's the noodles. For a select few, perhaps it's the bamboo shoots. However, if you're prioritizing pork, Silverlake Ramen, an LA-based chain in Kirkland, is the only answer. Instead of thin, rubbery slices, the braised belly here is served in the form of long bars that practically disintegrate on each bite. As for which type of ramen to order, you're in good hands with the garlic truffle ramen, loaded with a creamy truffle oil-slicked broth and tasty cooked kale.
Only come to this Wallingford izakaya for ramen—specifically the wagyu ramen. This bowl of gingery shoyu broth with bouncy noodles is made even better with chunks of tender beef that fall apart faster than a New Year's resolution on the third week of January. Stick to that, and there's no need to waste your time with the rest of the underwhelming menu, like bready bao and bland spicy tuna rolls.
