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15 Essential Houston Ramen Spots

Where to slurp Clutch City's best noodles

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Even though Houstonians are obsessed with pho, ramen has a major foothold in Space City. Whether it’s the creamy broth, springy noodles, or endlessly creative takes on this classic Japanese dish, Houston boasts many excellent bowls of noodles and broth.

In search of a classic bowl of tonkotsu, vegan and vegetarian options, or something a little more innovative? Houston's ramen scene has it, and with all the offerings, it’s hard to choose just one.

Here are 15 Houston ramen destinations that serve up some of the city's best bowls.

Is your favorite ramen haunt missing from this map? Don't be afraid to shout it out in the comments or drop your friendly Eater Houston staff a tip.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Killer Noodle Tsujita Houston

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Los Angeles's top-tier ramen spot has landed in Houston, serving up soupy and broth-less bowls of ramen in the Heights. Choose from its three signature styles, including its original made with white mapo tofu; the popular creamy Tokyo ramen that’s rich with peanut and sesame flavor; or its tangy and acidic Downtown-style, made with vinegar and chili. Then, carefully pick the spice level, which ranges from “no spice” to “killer,” and don’t forget your toppings. You can’t go wrong with char siu or poached egg.

A bowl of Killer Noodle ramen with minced meat, noodles and green onion.
Killer Noodle in the Heights is dishing out warm bowls of ramen for the slurping.
Brittany Britto Garley

The Heights post of pitmaster Aaron Franklin and chef Tyson Cole’s Asian smokehouse is preparing for fall with the return of its weekly ramen specials. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 4 p.m., diners can dig into bowls of its new miso-chili tonkotsu ramen — a combination of charred bok choy, scallions, sun noodle, sesame, and ajitama egg that’s topped with slices of brisket or post oak wood-smoked grilled prawns. 

Bowls of ramen packed with noodles, and toppigns like shrimp, egg, and more.
Loro is bringing a ramen special in time for fall.
Loro

RAKKAN Ramen - Katy

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With three locations around the Houston region and new outposts coming soon to the Westchase and Galleria areas, this Tokyo-born ramen spot prides itself on its Dashi broth, a vegetable-based stock bursting with umami flavor. Among the offerings, the Amber ramen incorporates a soy sauce, while the Pearl uses a salt sauce complete with all the beloved toppings. Looking for a vegan option? Opt for shitake mushrooms instead of pork, and tofu for the boiled egg.

A creamy bowl of ramen topped with char siu, green onion, mushrooms, and a halved egg.
Rakkan Ramen’s plant-based broths are bursting with flavor.
RAKKAN Ramen

Samurai Noodle

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Samurai Noodle offers a miso-based vegan option for those who eschew meat. Classic tonkotsu and shoyu broths poured over consistently good noodles and garnished with fresh toppings are equally solid. Definitely try the tsukemen ramen served with broth on the side for dipping. Don’t forget to add seasoned eggs to your order, a topping that takes a whopping four days to prepare and perfect.

Soma Sushi

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Ramen gets a Texas twist at Soma Sushi, where a tonkotsu base is topped with barbecue pork belly, corn, shiitake, and more. Miso ramen is also on the menu, spiked with habanero and chili powder.

Ninja Ramen

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This late-night Japanese whiskey bar specializes in an Asahikawa-style ramen recipe that, according to its website, has been guarded for “2 million years” and has been made only more flavorful by its “free-range” noodles and eggs that have been serenaded and delivered by mermaids. Their jokes aside, this spot keeps it simple and flavorful — offering two versions of no-broth ramen, and one with their traditional yet complex broth.

Ramen Bar Ichi

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For about $13 to $14, noodle enthusiasts can score a bowl of creamy tonkotsu or vegetarian ramen garnished with mushrooms, bamboo, char siu, and more at Ramen Bar Ichi. Looking for more green? Order for the ramen salad, with spinach noodles, a seasoned egg, shredded chili, and a sweet ponzu sauce with your choice of meat.

Ramen Tatsu-ya

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This Austin export has staked its place as one of the city's best ramen restaurants. Miso, tonkotsu, and more inventive broths are on offer, all of which can be amped up with a ton of toppings (like marinated bamboo, Parmesan, and mushrooms). Outside of the noodles, don't skip the Yodas, flash-fried sweet and sour Brussels sprouts tossed in apricot vinegar and curry spice.

A bowl of ramen topped with corn, egg, minced beef, bamboo shoots, and green onion.
Ramen Tatsu-ya is a mainstay when it comes to ramen.
Carla Gomez

Jinya Ramen Bar

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This California-based ramen chain is currently staking a bigger presence in Houston, but for now head to Midtown for a bowl of ridiculously creamy tonkotsu broth and springy, fresh noodles. Venture out of the typical offerings with the shrimp wonton ramen or the luscious tonkotsu black ramen, made with fatty pork and a black garlic oil. Vegetarians can also chow down here on veggie ramen bowls packed with tofu, broccolini, corn, green onion, and more.

Ramen Jin

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Not to be confused with Jinya Ramen, Ramen Jin on Westheimer guarantees springy noodles and warm bowls of ramen served with tonkotsu, shoyu, a vegetarian soy broth, and miso in spicy and regular heat levels. Be sure to save enough room to feast on the six-flavor mochi platter when all the noodles are gone.

Kata Robata

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A Houston favorite for sushi, Kata Robata's ramen offerings should also be on your culinary bucket list. Go for the spicy soy broth, which makes for a perfect addition to a light sashimi course, or go for the seafood forward options, like the rich lobster and crab ramen made with pork and egg noodles, sesame, and tomato, or the Nagasaki Chapon bowl, a combination of clams, shrimp, cabbage, pork, onion, and ginger.

Unwind and indulge at Toukei with Japanese whiskey and sake flights and top-notch ramen classics. Or, step outside of the norm with flavorful ramen concoctions like the truffle shoyu ramen and the spicy black ramen made with black garlic oil and a house chili bomb.

Tamashi

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At Tamashi, the ramen bowls are a work of art that beg diners to eat with their eyes first. A shrimp skewer calls from the bowl of the Tamashi’s Menn ramen, which is made with a shrimp broth, and the Curry Tsukemen — a coconut milk-based broth flavored with nine different herbs and spices — is topped with feathered-out fried crab sticks, char siu, cabbage, and a soft-boiled egg with noodles for dipping on the side. They also have the ramen classics, served with varying levels of spice.

Tiger Den

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Tiger Den is an obvious choice for reliably good ramen from one of Asiatown’s most prolific restaurateurs. Shoyu, tonkotsu, and miso broths are on offer, in addition to a tantan sesame broth. Stick with the classic tonkotsu — it's nice and creamy and generously topped with tender pork.

NAKA Ramen

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This Missouri City ramen shop offers staples like bowls of tonkatsu, shoyu, and miso ramen. Spice it up with the Naka ramen with a pork bone kelp broth, or go meatless with the vegan soy ramen with lotus root, wood ear, and bamboo root.

Killer Noodle Tsujita Houston

Los Angeles's top-tier ramen spot has landed in Houston, serving up soupy and broth-less bowls of ramen in the Heights. Choose from its three signature styles, including its original made with white mapo tofu; the popular creamy Tokyo ramen that’s rich with peanut and sesame flavor; or its tangy and acidic Downtown-style, made with vinegar and chili. Then, carefully pick the spice level, which ranges from “no spice” to “killer,” and don’t forget your toppings. You can’t go wrong with char siu or poached egg.

A bowl of Killer Noodle ramen with minced meat, noodles and green onion.
Killer Noodle in the Heights is dishing out warm bowls of ramen for the slurping.
Brittany Britto Garley

Loro

The Heights post of pitmaster Aaron Franklin and chef Tyson Cole’s Asian smokehouse is preparing for fall with the return of its weekly ramen specials. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 4 p.m., diners can dig into bowls of its new miso-chili tonkotsu ramen — a combination of charred bok choy, scallions, sun noodle, sesame, and ajitama egg that’s topped with slices of brisket or post oak wood-smoked grilled prawns. 

Bowls of ramen packed with noodles, and toppigns like shrimp, egg, and more.
Loro is bringing a ramen special in time for fall.
Loro

RAKKAN Ramen - Katy

With three locations around the Houston region and new outposts coming soon to the Westchase and Galleria areas, this Tokyo-born ramen spot prides itself on its Dashi broth, a vegetable-based stock bursting with umami flavor. Among the offerings, the Amber ramen incorporates a soy sauce, while the Pearl uses a salt sauce complete with all the beloved toppings. Looking for a vegan option? Opt for shitake mushrooms instead of pork, and tofu for the boiled egg.

A creamy bowl of ramen topped with char siu, green onion, mushrooms, and a halved egg.
Rakkan Ramen’s plant-based broths are bursting with flavor.
RAKKAN Ramen

Samurai Noodle

Samurai Noodle offers a miso-based vegan option for those who eschew meat. Classic tonkotsu and shoyu broths poured over consistently good noodles and garnished with fresh toppings are equally solid. Definitely try the tsukemen ramen served with broth on the side for dipping. Don’t forget to add seasoned eggs to your order, a topping that takes a whopping four days to prepare and perfect.

Soma Sushi

Ramen gets a Texas twist at Soma Sushi, where a tonkotsu base is topped with barbecue pork belly, corn, shiitake, and more. Miso ramen is also on the menu, spiked with habanero and chili powder.

Ninja Ramen

This late-night Japanese whiskey bar specializes in an Asahikawa-style ramen recipe that, according to its website, has been guarded for “2 million years” and has been made only more flavorful by its “free-range” noodles and eggs that have been serenaded and delivered by mermaids. Their jokes aside, this spot keeps it simple and flavorful — offering two versions of no-broth ramen, and one with their traditional yet complex broth.

Ramen Bar Ichi

For about $13 to $14, noodle enthusiasts can score a bowl of creamy tonkotsu or vegetarian ramen garnished with mushrooms, bamboo, char siu, and more at Ramen Bar Ichi. Looking for more green? Order for the ramen salad, with spinach noodles, a seasoned egg, shredded chili, and a sweet ponzu sauce with your choice of meat.

Ramen Tatsu-ya

This Austin export has staked its place as one of the city's best ramen restaurants. Miso, tonkotsu, and more inventive broths are on offer, all of which can be amped up with a ton of toppings (like marinated bamboo, Parmesan, and mushrooms). Outside of the noodles, don't skip the Yodas, flash-fried sweet and sour Brussels sprouts tossed in apricot vinegar and curry spice.

A bowl of ramen topped with corn, egg, minced beef, bamboo shoots, and green onion.
Ramen Tatsu-ya is a mainstay when it comes to ramen.
Carla Gomez

Jinya Ramen Bar

This California-based ramen chain is currently staking a bigger presence in Houston, but for now head to Midtown for a bowl of ridiculously creamy tonkotsu broth and springy, fresh noodles. Venture out of the typical offerings with the shrimp wonton ramen or the luscious tonkotsu black ramen, made with fatty pork and a black garlic oil. Vegetarians can also chow down here on veggie ramen bowls packed with tofu, broccolini, corn, green onion, and more.

Ramen Jin

Not to be confused with Jinya Ramen, Ramen Jin on Westheimer guarantees springy noodles and warm bowls of ramen served with tonkotsu, shoyu, a vegetarian soy broth, and miso in spicy and regular heat levels. Be sure to save enough room to feast on the six-flavor mochi platter when all the noodles are gone.

Kata Robata

A Houston favorite for sushi, Kata Robata's ramen offerings should also be on your culinary bucket list. Go for the spicy soy broth, which makes for a perfect addition to a light sashimi course, or go for the seafood forward options, like the rich lobster and crab ramen made with pork and egg noodles, sesame, and tomato, or the Nagasaki Chapon bowl, a combination of clams, shrimp, cabbage, pork, onion, and ginger.

Toukei

Unwind and indulge at Toukei with Japanese whiskey and sake flights and top-notch ramen classics. Or, step outside of the norm with flavorful ramen concoctions like the truffle shoyu ramen and the spicy black ramen made with black garlic oil and a house chili bomb.

Tamashi

At Tamashi, the ramen bowls are a work of art that beg diners to eat with their eyes first. A shrimp skewer calls from the bowl of the Tamashi’s Menn ramen, which is made with a shrimp broth, and the Curry Tsukemen — a coconut milk-based broth flavored with nine different herbs and spices — is topped with feathered-out fried crab sticks, char siu, cabbage, and a soft-boiled egg with noodles for dipping on the side. They also have the ramen classics, served with varying levels of spice.

Tiger Den

Tiger Den is an obvious choice for reliably good ramen from one of Asiatown’s most prolific restaurateurs. Shoyu, tonkotsu, and miso broths are on offer, in addition to a tantan sesame broth. Stick with the classic tonkotsu — it's nice and creamy and generously topped with tender pork.

NAKA Ramen

This Missouri City ramen shop offers staples like bowls of tonkatsu, shoyu, and miso ramen. Spice it up with the Naka ramen with a pork bone kelp broth, or go meatless with the vegan soy ramen with lotus root, wood ear, and bamboo root.

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