16 Jan 23rd-Jan 29th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | green onions with a sting, sweet corn kernels and perfectly soft-boiled eggs. Origami also sells a smattering of fried appetizers, Japanese curries, rice bowls and sweet drinks, and it’s adorable inside thanks to an eye-catching origami light fixture and walls plastered with anime stickers. Ramen Kagawa 111 W. Monroe St., #130 Located in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Ramen Kagawa is a great spot to stop for a quick bowl of delicious soup. The ramen menu is split into three categories, based on the base. Pick between chicken, pork or vegetable broth. Next, choose between a bevy of bowls with different meats, spice levels and toppings. Each dish features tender noodles and savory, piping- hot broth. The drinks menu includes local and Japanese beers plus soju-based cock- tails and nonalcoholic options. Order at the counter at this casual eatery and find a spot to sit and sip. Smaller groups can grab a table around the exterior of the restaurant, but singles or large parties can find a stool at the long, community table in the center. Yutaka Japanese Restaurant 751 E. Bell Road, #9 We were first won over by Yutaka Japanese Restaurant with its great sushi and shareable plates such as the Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna. But, Yutaka’s ramen may be our favorite menu item at this north Phoenix eatery. Yutaka keeps its offerings straightforward with two options: tonkotsu and spicy miso ramen. Both come with tender, flavorful chashu pork, chewy noodles and a soy-cured soft-boiled egg. The tonkotsu’s umami-rich pork broth is enhanced with layers of savory flavor from shredded mushrooms, black garlic oil and a haystack of fried onions. If you’re feeling extra hungry, you can make your meal a combo and add on a house salad, California roll or tempura at a discount. Silverlake Ramen 920 E. University Drive., D-103, Tempe Silverlake Ramen, the popular and growing Los Angeles-based Asian restaurant chain, debuted its first Arizona location in Tempe in March 2024. Admittedly, we were skep- tical about this new addition that “unapol- ogetically does our food our way,” per its website. Hyperbole aside, the Tempe outpost, located near Arizona State University on University Drive and Rural Road, quickly won us over with great food, bubbly staff and wickedly efficient service. Ramen options range from traditional tonkotsu, chicken broth-based options and fusion-inspired soups such as a Cajun version with sausage and shrimp. Try the spicy shoyu ramen, which packs heat in the broth along with a roasted jalapeno. This is a relatively affordable night out too: diners can create a meal by pairing a starter — like Silverlake’s garlicky, tahini-laced broccolini — with a bowl of ramen for $20. Obon Sushi Bar Ramen 15037 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite J-195, Scottsdale 7300 N. Via Paseo Del Sur, #102, Scottsdale The Tucson-born ramen spot has two Scottsdale outposts, located at Scottsdale Quarter and The Grove at McCormick Ranch. Both serve an array of Japanese and Asian-inspired dishes in chic, vibey settings. Among pillowy bao buns, sushi rolls and plates of teriyaki and yakisoba, Obon features several styles of ramen made with broths of pork, spicy red miso or soy and mushroom. The eponymous Obon ramen is a knockout with spicy broth, garlic oil and Fresno chiles. Chicken, a slab of glazed pork belly, beech mushrooms, noodles and an egg all pile into the pool of steaming broth. Pair your ramen with one of Obon’s thoughtfully crafted cocktails, such as the black tea old fashioned — a milk tea-inspired riff on the classic whose honey-sweetness is curbed by a float of activated charcoal bitters. Mensho Ramen 805 N. Dobson Road, #115, Mesa Lines wound around the block when Mensho made its Arizona debut last summer. This international chain launched in Japan in 2005 and it has a serious fan base for good reason. At the Mesa restaurant, the lines have calmed, but the kitchen hasn’t. Its tight menu features unusual options such as a ramen bowl with a bright green broth made with matcha. Our favorite is the Garlic Knock Out or G.K.O. ramen which features the fragrant bulb prepared in five different ways. But the flavor isn’t all garlic. The thick broth is made with roasted tomatoes, filled with tender noodles and topped with sliced chicken. Enjoy a bowl at the bar which overlooks the efficient kitchen, or grab a table around the edge of the wood-walled space. From the food to the service and decor, this immersive restaurant will make you forget you’re in Mesa for a while. SoSoBa 214 W. Roosevelt St., Suite C-1 Phoenix ramen spot SoSoBa is everything you want from a casual, cool, downtown eatery. The space is dark with red accents, it’s great for groups of friends filling up before a concert or a quick stop at the bar solo and it stays open late. The Top Ramen The 10 best ramen restaurants in Phoenix. BY PHOENIX NEW TIMES WRITERS T here’s something comforting about the fragrant steam rising from a big bowl of soup, hitting your face with warmth and aroma. And, in the rare instance when Arizona’s temperatures dip, there’s nothing better to warm yourself back up. Ramen, the broth-based Japanese noodle soup, first caught fire in the United States in the 2000s. Here in the Valley, we’re home to some pioneering spots that introduced Arizonans to the delightful dish, along with newer restaurants that are adding their own touches and infusing new flavors. Ramen is a category on our annual Best of Phoenix Awards, and some spots have also landed on our Top 100 Restaurants list. From Laveen to Mesa, north Phoenix to Tempe, these are the 10 best ramen restaurants in the Valley. Origami Ramen Bar 4810 E. Ray Road, Suite A-1 Ahwatukee hasn’t historically been known as a culinary destination, but people come from far and wide for Origami Ramen. Owner and chef Yusuke Kuroda, an Osaka native and Nobu alum, opened the affordable, family-friendly, casual joint in summer 2020, and we’ve deemed it the best ramen in Best of Phoenix multiple years running. The classic creamy chicken and pork broth is rich and fragrant, while the black soy with black garlic oil imparts otherworldly earthy umami. More than a dozen bowls come with curly noodles with a slight chew or silky, slender noodles; you can’t go wrong. Protein choices are tender, fall-apart white meat chicken, pork belly or tofu, and garnishes include fresh-as-can-be A bowl of the Origami Classic ramen. (Courtesy of Origami Ramen Bar) The vegetarian broth at Ramen Kagawa is equal parts fragrant and flavorful. (Photo by Allison Young) Shoyu on Fire is a spicy chicken broth-based ramen from Silverlake Ramen in Tempe. The soup gets another hit of spice from a roasted jalapeno. (Photo by Sara Crocker) Yutaka Japanese Restaurant keeps its ramen options straightforward, serving tonkotsu and a spicy miso version. The tonkotsu broth is creamy and rich, brimming with tender slabs of pork. (Photo by Sara Crocker) Obon Sushi Bar Ramen’s veggie white ramen, a soy and mushroom broth that is packed with marinated tofu, broccolini, bamboo shoots, beech mushrooms and scallions. (Photo by Sara Crocker) The broth is thick and creamy in Mensho’s G.K.O. (Photo by Tirion Boan) >> p 18 ▼ Food & Drink
