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10 Restaurants to Satisfy a Ramen Craving, Mapped

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Houston may be known as a town with great pho, but suddenly it seems like everyone's talking about ramen. Whether it's Soma taking the people's choice at last month's Go Pig or Go Home chef competition or Goro & Gun attracting a line on its first day of business, the national ramen craze has finally come to the Bayou City. The city isn't known as a ramen hotspot (yet?), but there are no shortage of Japanese and Japanese-inspired restaurants that have tonkotsu (pork), shoyo (soy) and miso offerings on their menu.

As usual, these restaurants aren't ranked, although Soma earns the top spot for both variety and overall quality. Special thanks to Carl Rosa, head of enthusiast group Ramen in Common, for his help compiling data and sharing photos.

· Ramen in Common [Facebook]
· All Maps on Eater Houston [-EHOU-]

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Chef Gabe Medina's Texas ramen with barbecue pulled pork won the people's choice award at the recent Go Pig or Go Home chef competition. Soma serves six different kinds of ramen, including black bean and seafood.

Goro & Gun

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This downtown restaurant's has tweaked its recipes and broadened its offerings. There are three kinds on the menu now, veggie, miso and pork, with a host of add-ons and upgrades.

Nippon Japanese Restaurant

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This small Montrose institution serves soy, pork and miso ramen. Beware the tiny parking lot and be prepared to park on the other side of Montrose.

Fat Bao

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The steamed-bun restaurant has started running Tonkotsu ramen as a Monday-night special. Follow the restaurant's Facebook page for updates.

Kata Robata

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Not to be outdone by former sous chef Gabe Medina, Kata's chef Hori-san is serving a pork-based Tonkotsu on his lunch menu. It's earned praise from some Ramen in Common members for being more authentic than Soma's offerings.

Jenni's Noodle House

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With four ramen varieties, including pineapple and ginger beef, there's nothing traditional about Jenni's noodles. For those looking for variety, it's worth checking out.

Teppay Japanese Restaurant

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Teppay is among Houston's most traditional Japanese restaurants, and the restaurant's tonkotsu and wafu ramen are known for their authenticity. Some Yelpers complain about a lack of toppings, but the broth is always solid.
Sasaki is another traditional Japanese restaurant with tonkotsu ramen on the menu. The broth earns praise, and the price is very reasonable.

Kaneyama Japanese Restaurant

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This Westchase institution's soy ramen is one component of a large menu of traditional dishes, which makes Kaneyama the rare spot where, although the sushi is reliable, it's easy to pass on it and sample other dishes.

Cafe Kubo

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Cafe Kubo serves three varieties of ramen after 5:00 p.m. during the week and all day on the weekends. In a 2011 review, Press critic Katharine Shilcutt praised Cafe Kubo's ramen, which indicates it's worth the drive to Chinatown to sample it.

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Soma

Chef Gabe Medina's Texas ramen with barbecue pulled pork won the people's choice award at the recent Go Pig or Go Home chef competition. Soma serves six different kinds of ramen, including black bean and seafood.

Goro & Gun

This downtown restaurant's has tweaked its recipes and broadened its offerings. There are three kinds on the menu now, veggie, miso and pork, with a host of add-ons and upgrades.

Nippon Japanese Restaurant

This small Montrose institution serves soy, pork and miso ramen. Beware the tiny parking lot and be prepared to park on the other side of Montrose.

Fat Bao

The steamed-bun restaurant has started running Tonkotsu ramen as a Monday-night special. Follow the restaurant's Facebook page for updates.

Kata Robata

Not to be outdone by former sous chef Gabe Medina, Kata's chef Hori-san is serving a pork-based Tonkotsu on his lunch menu. It's earned praise from some Ramen in Common members for being more authentic than Soma's offerings.

Jenni's Noodle House

With four ramen varieties, including pineapple and ginger beef, there's nothing traditional about Jenni's noodles. For those looking for variety, it's worth checking out.

Teppay Japanese Restaurant

Teppay is among Houston's most traditional Japanese restaurants, and the restaurant's tonkotsu and wafu ramen are known for their authenticity. Some Yelpers complain about a lack of toppings, but the broth is always solid.

Sasaki

Sasaki is another traditional Japanese restaurant with tonkotsu ramen on the menu. The broth earns praise, and the price is very reasonable.

Kaneyama Japanese Restaurant

This Westchase institution's soy ramen is one component of a large menu of traditional dishes, which makes Kaneyama the rare spot where, although the sushi is reliable, it's easy to pass on it and sample other dishes.

Cafe Kubo

Cafe Kubo serves three varieties of ramen after 5:00 p.m. during the week and all day on the weekends. In a 2011 review, Press critic Katharine Shilcutt praised Cafe Kubo's ramen, which indicates it's worth the drive to Chinatown to sample it.

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