January 4, 2021
The Ann Arbor Area's 18 Essential Ramen Shops, Mapped
Winter is here and it has brought some cold-weather cravings along with it! All we want right now is steaming bowls of soup, hearty stews and soul-warming pot pies to keep us nice and toasty this season. One of our newest winter favorites is ramen, a Japanese dish of soft noodles and salty broth that has taken the United States by storm in recent years. We’re not talking about the store-bought stuff (though, we’ll probably be eating plenty of that this season, too); we’re picturing hand-pulled noodles, homemade broth and plenty of fresh, hearty veggies. Luckily, there’s no shortage of spots to get this tasty dish in Ann Arbor!
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite Asian spots offering noodle bowls right now! While some of them aren’t traditional ramen, we promise these cozy, salty flavors will hit the spot nonetheless.
Check out our interactive map to find a local ramen spot near you!
We aren’t entirely sure how a hoagie joint came to serve amazing Korean and Japanese food—but we aren’t going to question it. Broadway Cafe has been serving Ann Arbor since 1986, offering incredible cheesesteak hoagies along with an array of tasty, authentic Asian dishes. This is a spot where you can order a sandwich with a side of fried dumplings or a bowl of spicy ramen with an appetizer of seasoned onion rings. Yes, please!
This Ypsilanti hot spot is known for their traditional Korean dishes like barbecued short ribs, bibimbap and others. HANA’s tasty ramen—which costs $12.95 for a large bowl—features noodle soup with beef, chicken, pork or seafood, vegetables and eggs. If you’re looking for a little kick, turn the heat up to medium or hot!
Another Ypsi favorite, Lan City is a hand-pulled noodle restaurant tucked away in a shopping center on Washtenaw Avenue. Their menu is packed full of tasty soups, dumplings, scallion pancakes and more. For those looking for a simple noodle dish, don’t miss their Hot Pepper Oil Noodle, a bowl packed full of hand-stripped wide noodles with hot oil seared on red pepper flakes, fresh garlic and scallions—just beware of the intense spice level!
At Macheko Grill, you’re the chef! Here, you can grill your own meats for Korean BBQ or boil up some broth for a hot pot. But if you’re not in the mood to cook, they also have a menu of kitchen-prepared dishes, including Korean entrees, noodle bowls and even fried whole chickens! While the noodles here aren’t technically Japanese ramen, they’re still incredibly delicious.
Miki opened in 1982, making it the oldest Japanese restaurant in Ann Arbor! For almost 40 years, Miki has offered an extensive menu of rolls, appetizers and entrees inspired by Japan with a fusion of Korean dishes. While many visit this hotspot for their fresh sushi, their ramen is nothing to sneeze at either! Choose their classic Ramen (soy or miso flavor) with thinly sliced BBQ pork or their Seafood Ramen, which can be made mild or spicy, depending on your palate.
Part Asian restaurant, part seafood fusion, Momo Sushi is one of the most unique restaurants in A2! Not only do they have great ramen, sushi, poke bowls, bibimbap and more, but you’ll also find some one-of-a-kind items on their menu. We’re talking sushi burritos, octopus salad, spider (cornstarch battered softshell crab) and deep-fried eel!
With two locations in the Ann Arbor area, Nagomi Sushi is probably a name you’ve heard of before. Nagomi takes a modern approach to traditional Asian fusion cuisine and sushi, creating interesting twists on classic dishes that are impossible not to love. They offer a wide selection of sushi favorites along with udon, BBQ and hot pot offerings. But our favorite, of course, is their ramen choices, including Shoyu Ramen, Miso Ramen, Shio Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen and Seafood Ramen.
Self-dubbed a “warm, homey and cozy place where people can eat, meet friends or read a book,” One Bowl Asian Cuisine is an authentic Japanese restaurant, serving tasty dishes cooked the traditional way. Phở, ramen, katsu, lo mein, fried rice—they’ve got them all and more on their lengthy menu. Call them at (888) 5 WONTON to place your order for pickup!
We can’t think of a better way to battle the cold weather than a steaming bowl of phở! And when we think phở, with think Phở House in Ypsilanti, a traditional Vietnamese spot crafting some of the best soup in town. They don’t have ramen in its traditional sense, but they do have Hu Tieu, a pork-based noodle soup topped with scallions, cilantro, celery, lettuce and leek that is just as good! Don’t forget to add one of their to-die-for crab rolls to your order while you’re at it—trust us, you won’t regret it.
With a name like “Poke Fish,” you might assume that this A2 spot only has healthy bowls of rice, veggies and fresh fish—but Poke Fish is so much more! In addition to their incredible poke bowls, they also offer hibachi and ramen options. Choose from chicken, pork, beef, seafood or veggie ramen and then end your meal with a few mochi balls, which also come in a variety of yummy flavors!
Located on South University, Rick J.C. is a tiny Korean café with bar seating and a straightforward menu of noodles, rice, soup and meat dishes. While they don’t have a large social presence online, that hasn’t stopped people from raving about their incredible dishes on Yelp, Facebook and Google—some even going as far to say that it’s the “best Korean in Michigan.” While their most popular dishes are their Dolsot Bibimbap and Kimchi Fried Rice, their ramen is just as good, featuring hearty broth and soft, scrumptious noodles.
Slurping Turtle on East Liberty introduces a culinary twist on traditional Japanese ramen and sushi dishes by blending the culture and palate of Japan with the spirited personalities of the chefs in their kitchen. They originally tried the concept in Chicago in 2011 before expanding to Ann Arbor in 2014. Today, you can enjoy incredible, handmade ramen noodles and other Japanese-inspired dishes made using unique, high-quality ingredients at their A2 location or in Columbus, Ohio.
Ypsilanti’s traditional Korean restaurant, Sushi Dabu, offers a large menu of tasty sushi favorites, bubble pots, bento boxes, katsu dinners, donburi dinners and, of course, plenty of incredible ramen dishes! One of our personal favorites is the Miso Ramen, featuring a salty broth, colorful veggies, savory meats, soft noodles, and half of a boiled egg.
As one of Ann Arbor’s favorite noodle bars, Tomukun serves some of the town’s best ramen, phở, udon, stir-fry and pork buns, along with a wide variety of imported Asian beers, sake and soju. Inspired by the comfort foods the owners and chefs grew up with in Asia, Tomukun Noodle Bar is sure to satisfy—and you’ll want to come back ASAP!
Nestled in the heart of Ann Arbor, Totoro is a cozy Japanese restaurant offering a wide range of classic, contemporary and regional dishes—all prepared by master chefs. Their hot broth noodles are served in a rich broth, with alternate noodle choices like udon, soba or rice noodles. Choose from yummy selections like Tempura Udon, Beef Udon, Totoro Spicy Udo and more! They also have a selection of stir-fry noodles and cold noodles if those are more your speed.
When you’re in the mood for something spicy, you can’t go wrong with UMI Sushi, a local Asian restaurant offering everything from fresh sushi to Korean soup teriyaki, katsu, bulgogi and so much more. Their Spicy Seafood Ramen and Korean Spicy Ramen are some of the most popular ramen dishes in the A2 area! But if you’re looking for something a bit less hot, they also have ramen selections for you, like their Tonkotsu Ramen and Shoyu Ramen.
This lively dumping spot on Washtenaw Avenue delivers rich, complex hot noodle soup with beef, pork, or veggie varieties, as well as their handmade signature dumplings. Click here to explore their menu and to place your pickup order online! If you’d rather have noodle soups, dumplings and other Chinese favorites delivered to your door, you can find Yee Siang on Grubhub as well.
Inside a cozy, modern atmosphere, this Japanese restaurant offers all your favorites, from sushi to katsu and steaming ramen. Choose from delicious options like Yotsuba Ramen with Gyoza or Duck Udon—all made with tender meat, salty broth and noodles. If you or someone in your household doesn’t eat meat, Yotsuba also has plenty of vegetarian options! Download their handy app to peruse their menu and to place an order to go.
What about you?
Where do you like to get ramen in A2? Let us know in the comments below!
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