25 Best Ramen Spots in Bay Area

With varieties in ramen coming from old school to new ramen joints, there are more than a couple of thousand shops in the US alone. Savoring the best and authentic Japanese cuisine can become a challenge much bigger than it seems. Who doesn’t want to experience such major popularity in trying out the iconic Japanese cuisine with the right ambiance? To assist you with your dream of experiencing the very best of ramen delicacies, we have picked up some of the best ramen spots in the bay area.

Here are some popular ramen spots in the bay area worth the try as they offer some of the authentic ramen dishes with the most satisfying experience ever.

It is one of the best ramen spots in the bay area of San Francisco. It is a bustling authentic Japanese cuisine ramen restaurant that offers skewers, vegetables, and non-veg dishes.They serve one of the best ramens in the bay area but with a limited ramen menu. The tonkatsu ramen is the crowd’s favorite with a creamy broth and lesser spice. The interior designs and the large glass windows along with wooden banquettes make for a seductive dining area. You can see the blackboard with special daily menus being offered. Apart from that, you can observe the cooks walking around the well-lit kitchen area, while they prepare your mouth-watering ramen dish.

[Website] http://www.izakayasozai.com/

[Address] 1500 Irving Street · San Francisco, CA 94122

It was inaugurated on July 2010 in Torrance, California. The tonkatsu ramen noodle is the main attraction. The rice-flavored soup is boiled with pork ribs for more than 20 hours, as the bones break into smaller flakes and are finally simmered at lower flames to get the desired broth. It gives a rich taste to the soup as you savor the dish with pure love. This ramen joint offers the best ramen in the bay area.

[Website] https://www.ramen-yamadaya.com › san-francisco

[Address] 1728 Buchanan St Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94115

It is one of the best ramen spots in the bay area with authentic Japanese styled ramen bars. It specializes in tonkatsu ramen with a rich and nearly opaque broth. It is also famous for the thick and creamy chicken broth called the tori paitan ramen. You can also try other healthier ramen with spicy lamb mixed with a tangy feeling, topped with chili oil. It is located in the Tenderloin at 676 Geary Street, San Francisco Bay area. Vegans can also try the rich and savory vegetarian ramen dish. Mensho Tokyo is open from Tuesday through Sunday, and people queue up for long hours till they get a seat.

[Website] http://www.mensho.tokyo/

[Address] 672 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Ippudo is one of the best Japanese ramen chains with over 160 locations in the world. It serves one of the perfect noodles in the bay area, and the spicy tonkatsu is their signature dish, topped with umami for a perfect home-made ramen recipe.

[Address] 18 Yerba Buena Ln, San Francisco, CA 94103

It was opened in the year 2017 and is popular with the local crowd for its chewy and fine noodles along with the rich and creamy tonkatsu broths. These broths are prepared for over 20 hours to give a rich and savory taste.

[Website] https://www.marufukuramen.com/

[Address] 1581 Webster St #235, San Francisco, CA 94115

It offers one of the best spicy noodles and the best ramen in the bay area, which is a class apart from the rest in San Francisco. The tangy and rich broth served with pork sriracha is the most popular ramen dish worth a try. You can also try grilled squid and starters like ankimo, which is monkfish liver.

[Address] 1638 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94115

It specializes in vegetarian shoyu, tonkatsu, and tori tantanmen, which is a chicken-based ramen dish. It offers one of the best ramens in the bay area.

[Website] https://www.ramenwell.com/

[Address] 3378 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

It is one of the best ramen spots in the bay area of San Francisco. Savor a warm ramen soup to lift your mood on cold weather nights. It is frequented by ramen lovers throughout the year and is famous for tonkatsu pork ramen and tsukemen ramen styles with a rich and tasty broth.

[Website] https://www.izaramen.com/

[Address] 237 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94117

It is famous for serving authentic Japanese ramen in the streets of Telegraph Avenue, including vegan ramen too. It focuses on ramen dishes featuring the rich flavors of the distinct Japanese regions. It also offers gluten-free alternatives with starters, beers, and veggies. It serves one of the best ramens in the bay area. It is a 49-seater ramen joint near the Fox theatre. It offers the best and unique ramen delicacies specific to some areas in Japan on a seasonally rotational basis. This casual ramen joint offers affordable ramen along with local Japanese snacks and alcoholic beverages.

[Website] https://www.itaniramen.com/

[Address] 1736 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612

It offers a whole new variety of gourmet ramen dishes with Japanese themed starters. Some of the best ramen bowls include the Hokkaido Miso ramen, Veggie Meyer Lemon, Shoyu Ramen, etc. The desserts can be pretty exciting as it offers some of the best recipes like the black sesame ice cream sandwich, black bamboo mocha, etc. You can also try beer and wine to indulge yourself in a celebration with your friends. It is located in Rockridge, Oakland’s trendy hub, where traditional Japanese delicacies are served in style.

[Website] https://www.ramenshop.com/

[Address] 5812 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618

It is famous for its delicious and authentic Japanese ramen broths with handmade crispy noodles. Due to its popularity in the locality, people throng in good numbers in the evening when it opens at 5:30 pm. The serene and pleasant ambiance makes it one of the best ramen spots in the bay area. The menu provides limited offerings in Japanese drinks, shakes, and sochu. Its major focus is on the Hakata-style tonkatsu ramen dish with rich pork-ribs broth, which is cooked for 20 hours. It is also famous for chicken paitan broth.

[Website] https://www.marufukuramen.com/

[Address] 4828 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

The Silicon Valley that stretches from San Mateo to San Jose is also famous for the ramen spots in the bay area of the Peninsula. It houses some of the best ramen joints in the Peninsula, and below are the best five ramen shops in the area.

It is famous for its tonkatsu broth with some exotic spicy elements, including cardamom mixed with garlic oil to give it a less creamy soup similar to chicken noodle broth. It is also famous for its handmade noodles, and the Hakata-style noodles are the favorites. You can also try homemade Kimchi along with the broth while the bean sprouts give you a crunchy flavor.

[Address] 368 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041

Ramen Dojo is a small restaurant in San Mateo, offering a huge variety of Japanese delicacies. Although a small yet convenient ramen joint offering authentic Asian food, Ramen Dojo specializes in spicy garlic ramen with a light garlic taste. The spicy garlic broth offers a rich aroma of exotic condiments and topped with handmade noodles. Its popular ramen dish is the ‘stamina ramen’ which is designed to energize you. It is a very popular ramen joint, and the line may last for hours during weekends till you get your turn to savor the best ramen in the bay area. It is one of the best ramen spots in the bay area, and the best time to visit this food joint is half an hour before the opening time.

[Address] 805 S B St, San Mateo, CA 94401

It serves the best tonkatsu ramen with a touch of Orenchi-styled authentic taste. It serves some lavish noodle soups and other authentic Japanese meals along with many starter options. Some of the signature dishes offered include pork ramen with garlic chives, pine nuts, and baby bokchoy, etc. They are prepared with a keen sense of elegance and passion, which is equally comforting. The crowds gather in huge numbers making a beeline as the ramen joint opens, thus signaling to be one of the best ramen spots in the bay area. You will enjoy a friendly and efficient customer service as your orders will be served much faster than anticipated.

[Website] www.orenchi-ramen.com

[Address] 3540 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95051

It is based on Hokkaido ramen chain, which is located in Mitsuwa Marketplace, spreading the love for ramen lovers all over the world. It offers the best spicy broth, including rice and egg, with fermented soybeans.

[Website] https://www.santouka.co.jp › shop-foreigin › usa › foreign01-006

[Address] 675 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129

It is a tiny ramen joint thronged by a huge crowd in South Bay. It offers the best tonkotsushoyu ramen with pork and soy served with the best crispy noodles and a rich broth. Garlic can be added for some extra zing to the taste while you savor the dumplings for a full meal.

[Website] http://www.torihei-usa.com/jidaiya.html

[Address] 18537 S Western Ave, Gardena, CA 90248

It is one of the best and oldest ramen joints with a unique specialty in tonkotsu ramen. It offers the best pork-based ramen along with dashi and some dried fish. You can add some extra garlic or add spicy ingredients for a savory treat.

It serves the best spicy ramen with the hottest noodles in the bay area. It uses a combination of some Chinese spices and ingredients seasoned with the noodles for a perfect taste. They also offer rice bowls with fried pork and tofu to give the best ramen in the bay area.

Men Oh Tokushima Ramen – It offers its signature item, the Tokushima Ramen with pork flavored soup with toppings of chashu and fried butabara pork. Tokushima is a place in Japan where pig rearing and farming is the main industry. The pork ribs, along with soya sauce and rich broth, make the best ramen experience in town.

[Website] https://www.killernoodle.com/

[Address] 2030 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

It is located in the busy streets of Old Town Pasadena, where numerous food joints are present. The interiors include a giant trimmed tree trunk to captivate the minds of the visitors. You can choose between vegan and non-vegetarian meals along with the best coconut flan dessert and some good beverage options, including beers.

[Website] www.tatsunoya.net

[Address] 3440 Sunset Blvd Suite A, Los Angeles, CA 90026

You can customize your bowls based on your taste bud requirements here. The intensity and thickness of the broth can be customized along with the type of noodles and toppings. It is a Hakata-based chain restaurant where you can place your customized orders based on the intensity of the broth. It also offers chicken rice bowls, cheese.

[Website] https://shinsengumigroup.com › restaurants

[Address] 132 S Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012

It is arguably the best ramen in the bay area on the Eastside, Silver Lake. It is well known for its addictive tonkotsu along with cucumber, sprouts, sesame salad. It also has marinated and fried chicken called Chicken Karaage, along with grilled and juicy pork. The spicy tonkotsu ramen is the specialty with onions, spinach, bean sprouts, dried seaweed, garlic, and chewy noodles as toppings while the juicy pork belly all bathed in a rich and thick broth that is prepared for almost 16 hours.

[Website] https://silverlakeramen.com

[Address] 2 Diamond Blvd, Concord, CA 94520

It offers the best pork ramen broth where the pork ribs are simmered for at least 60 hours to create thick and a rich broth with thick noodles. It is a different type of ramen joint with popular demands but offering a reasonable and affordable price. It is traditional ramen joint with unparalleled and intense homemade noodles setting the standards high. The broth in Tsujita’s tsukemen, which is its specialty, stands out from the rest of the ramen shops. It is rich and creamy and condensed while it is slowly simmered for almost 60 hours with a good seafood flavor.

This Japanese ramen bar has a unique appeal to all ramen lovers in North Bay. It offers handmade noodles and local brewery along with yaktori meats and izakaya dishes. It is famous for the Myagi oysters, pork gyoza, and tako salad. It offers rye, Sapporo, and soba noodles while the broths are rich and creamy. It offers tonkatsu with bone marrow in the broth, homemade kimchi. Vegans can try the miso broth with fried tofu and other vegetables.

[Website] www.ramengaijin.com

[Address] 6948 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472

At Uchiwa Ramen, a bowl of ramen along with a rich broth keeps up with the comfort level. The traditional style and latest ramen specialties are ready to treat guests with locally sourced ingredients. It is committed to giving something back to the community while serving the best ramen in the bay area. It was established in 2013, and the introduction of ‘instant ramen noodles’ made it a popular Asian cuisine in the US. Its popularity has gone beyond just dining choices to indulgence that will bring forth ideas of comfort and warmth. It is a staple Asian restaurant item that has become a household phenomenon and plagued the minds of people.

[Website] https://www.uchiwaramen.com

[Address] 821 B St, San Rafael, CA 94901

Sea Thai Bistro and Sea Noodle bar were other popular Asian restaurants that have now combined to formed Raku Ramen and Rolls at Montgomery Village. It offers izakaya with tonkotsu (pork), shoyu, and other vegan alternatives. It prepares a high-quality broth with the best ingredients along with rice and salads. The Raku rolls include crab, tuna, avocado, and sprouts. Enjoy its specialties like Zangi, Hokkaido themed chicken free-range, and Veggie miso soup made with organic tofu and other ingredients. The bay area also offers Indian-style pizza and restaurants from Fremont to Berkeley. The Tikka Masala pizza with paneer toppings adds more zeal with a good amount of vegetables and chicken and spicy condiments.

[Website] www.rakuramenandrolls.com

[Address] 2424 Midway Dr, Santa Rosa, CA 95405

Ramen has taken the world over as it offers a lot of zings, from a dynamic range of textures to different flavors and a simple yet complex food art. It transpires traditional Japanese cuisine to the world over. Before you enjoy the savory treat that a ramen bowl offers, let us try to understand how it all began with a simple bowl of broth, noodles, and toppings. It dates back to the early 20^th century Japan when some Chinese immigrants served it for the first time for some Japanese customers. Ever since, it has become a culinary symbol of diversity and complexity mixed with a sense of perfection. It has now become a trend in the West to set-up high-end ramen restaurants or street joints offering a variety of flavors. It is up to the ramen lovers to ponder upon where to get the best ramen experience.