Sensing our mass discontent over the last decade, restaurateurs have populated nearly every corner of the DMV with ramen shops. So which ones are best? For guidance, we turned to some area experts: staffers at the Japanese Embassy.
Though ramen is thought to have originated in China and is popular across the world, it’s easy to understand why the dish is commonly associated with Japan. The island nation consumes a lot of it. Ramen is effectively fast food in Japan, according to Kiyohisa Wakuda, a first secretary at the Japanese Embassy, with bowls rarely going for more than about $6. In Japan, ramen’s composition — type of broth and noodles, choice of toppings — varies from region to region.
Here in the United States, the prices per bowl are a bit (okay, maybe a lot) steeper, and the dish is viewed less as fast food and more as a delicacy — at least when ordered from a restaurant and not popped out of plastic wrap at home.
Several styles of ramen have made the journey to various restaurants in the District. Wakuda and his colleagues are on deck to point you to their favorites.
Daikaya
705 Sixth St. NW, daikaya.com.
This combination ramen bar and izakaya (a Japanese bar that also serves snacks) is on Wakuda’s list for its 10-year history in D.C. He prefers eating at ramen restaurants that he feels respect the craft and cultural importance of the dish, and he finds Daikaya fits the bill. Its best-selling spicy miso ramen will cost you $18, with other bowls costing about the same. And if you want an extra blast of heat to warm you up, you can add a chili-filled “veggie spice bomb” for an extra dollar.
Ramen shop hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday; 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Izakaya hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday; 5 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Akira Ramen & Izakaya
2479 18th St. NW; 1800 Rockville Pike H-1, Rockville, Md.; 10101 Twin Rivers Rd., Suite C2-100, Columbia, Md.; 3731 Boston St., Baltimore; 8133-A, Honeygo Blvd., Nottingham, Md.; 1 E. Joppa Rd., Suite 165A, Towson, Md.; 10200 Mill Run Cir., Suite 104, Owings Mills, Md.; 3290 Bennett Creek Ave., Ijamsville, Md.; 1417 S. Main Chapel Way, Suite 108, Gambrills, Md. akiraramenizakaya.com.
Like Daikaya, Akira is both a ramen restaurant and an izakaya. Unlike Daikaya, it has eight locations in Maryland and one in Adams Morgan. Wakuda frequents the D.C. spot, where he enjoys its simplest ramen, fittingly named Akira ramen, which consists of pork, bean sprouts, egg, chopped scallion, bamboo shoots, seaweed and wood ear mushrooms in a salty pork broth, and goes for about $15 per bowl. Akira also serves other Japanese noodle soups, including soba and udon, and some fusion foods like Hawaiian-inspired poke and Italian-inspired salmon carpaccio.
D.C. location hours: Noon to 4 p.m., 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; noon to 4 p.m., 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Tuesday.
Sakuramen
2441 18th St. NW. sakuramen.net.
Wakuda’s other go-to is Sakuramen, just down the street from Akira’s Adams Morgan location (in fact, he taste-tested both before speaking with me). Choose from its pre-created ramen options and add additional toppings, steamed buns, mochi ice cream, and Japanese beer and sake. Unlike at the other entries on this list, Sakuramen’s signature dish is a vegetable-based broth with mushrooms, corn, bamboo shoots and homemade oil. Bowls cost between $16 and $21, with culinary inspiration drawing from both Japan and Korea.
Hours: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday.
Jinya Ramen Bar
1336 14th St. NW; 1155 Dahlia St. NW; 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.; 2911 District Ave., Fairfax, Va.; 11964 Market St., Reston, Va.; 910 Prose St., North Bethesda, Md. jinyaramenbar.com.
If you live in the DMV, a Jinya Ramen location is probably within delivery distance. In fact, it’s a national franchise, so even if you don’t live in the DMV, you may be able to find one. The modern space, which also serves craft beer and East Asian fusion small plates such as steamed buns and fried chicken, will open locations in Georgetown and Union Market in 2024. Bowls here tend to go for about $20 each, with glitzy options like Vegan Red Fire Opal, which includes tofu in a yuzu-based and chili-infused broth, and the classic Jinya Tonkatsu Original 2010, which comes with roasted pork, a soft-boiled egg and seaweed.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Menya Hosaki
845 Upshur St. NW. menyahosakidc.com.
Menya Hosaki is a mainstay in the Petworth neighborhood thanks to founder Eric Yoo’s passion for the details of noodle making. Yoo, raised in Seoul, learned the craft from acclaimed ramen chefs before opening his Menya Hosaki pop-up at Junction Deli in Annapolis. Though the pop-up closed, Menya Hosaki was so beloved that it landed full time in Northwest Washington. Maybe that’s why it’s notoriously challenging to get a seat; the restaurant operates on a first-come, first-served basis and doesn’t take parties larger than four people. It’s also open for only a few hours each week, so you’ll need good timing and a bit of luck.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday; 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; closed Saturday through Monday.
Chaplin’s
1501 Ninth St. NW. chaplinsdc.com.
Yuki Sugiyama, a second secretary at the Japanese Embassy, recommends this 1920s-themed ramen bar in Shaw to those looking for a classy date vibe (just be careful not to spill broth on yourself!). Though it’s not technically an izakaya, Chaplin’s also features a bar complete with daily happy hour specials. The ramen at Chaplin’s supports diners with a variety of dietary restrictions: It offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, with bowls beginning at $16.50, or $7 for a kid’s size.
Kitchen hours: 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 4 p.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday; noon to midnight Saturday; noon to 11 p.m. Sunday.
Hanabi Ramen
3024 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. hanabiramensusa.com.
Hanabi’s regional style of ramen hails from Fukuoka in west Japan, best known for its tonkotsu pork-based broth (alternatively spelled “donkatsu”). Sugiyama, who hails from central Japan near Kyoto, says his hometown rarely serves tonkotsu, but he tends to go for it when he’s in the United States. Almost every dish at this Michelin Guide-approved restaurant uses tonkotsu pork, though you can also order chicken, wontons and a slate of other toppings. Hanabi accepts orders only until 15 minutes before closing, so make sure to keep an eye on the clock.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday.
Other ramen restaurants to know
Toki Underground
1234 H St. NE; 2731 Greenmount Ave., Baltimore. tokiunderground.com.
We know you were looking for Toki Underground on this list, and here it is. Once you hike upstairs from its unassuming H Street facade and witness its graffiti- and street art-inspired interior, you’ll be transported to a world of smoky tonkotsu broth, melt-in-your-mouth soft-boiled eggs and tender noodles. A basic bowl starts at $18, though you might choose the kid’s bowl for $12 if you’re not interested in taking home leftovers. You can add a variety of toppings, like corn, mushrooms and super-spicy “Toki endorphin sauce,” which range in price from 50 cents to $6. Toki is also beloved for its mixed drinks; the Toki Monster, for example, is a twist on an Old-Fashioned that blends vanilla-orange syrup into biting Japanese whisky.
H Street hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Baltimore hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Ramen by Uzu
1309 Fifth St. NE. uzu9dc.com.
This Union Market stall by former semipro basketball player Hiroaki Mitsui may be small in terms of square footage, but its ramen is always chock-full of toppings, including pink-spiral fish cake, runny seasoned egg and bamboo shoots. It also offers a variety of broths, including miso, shio (chicken broth) and shoyu; each costs about $16 without any add-ons. Plus, if your ramen is delivered to your address, it comes with reheating instructions. Another treat at Ramen by Uzu is its Japanese marble sodas, which open with a satisfying plink and add some sweetness to the otherwise salt-heavy meal.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Kizuna Sushi & Ramen
8221 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Va. kizunatysons.com.
Kizuna is known for its toro chashu ramen, which uses pork belly the restaurant ages in-house, smothered in a creamy chicken broth. (And if you can’t get enough, it also serves its chashu minus broth and noodles.) According to the restaurant’s website, its name comes from a Japanese term for “the bonds between people,” which it hopes to strengthen over its bowls of noodles and plates of sushi; it also refers to itself as an “oasis” off Route 7, and has been praised by Post food writer Tim Carman, if you need any more excuses to visit. Bowls range from $13.50 to $17, with a bevy of add-ons and extras available for between 50 cents and $5.
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5 to 9 p.m. Friday; noon to 9 p.m. Saturday; noon to 8:30 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday.
