Cheap, unhealthy, and easy to make. It’s every college student’s guilty late-night pleasure. When we’re sick of Leo’s, too broke to order take-out, or too lazy to cook, we can always depend on this little guy. What is this goodness I am referring to? I’m surprised you even asked. Ok, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and suppose you’re eating legit food, now that you’re on summer vacation. But, really, how could you forget about your best friend, the one that’s always there for you, Ramen.
While most of us are guilty of slurping these pre-cooked noodles of yumminess, we haven’t really given it the respect it deserves. We may resort to it to satisfy our ravenous cravings but, in Japan, ramen is an art. There are ramen masters who have perfected the cooking of these wheat noodles in distinct flavorings of deliciously seasoned broth. But fear not! We don’t need to travel to Japan to taste good ramen. DC has seen its fair share of ramen shops that you should try!
Daikaya
705 Sixth St. NW in Penn Quarter
What you’ll find here 4 types of Sapporo-style ramen: miso, shio (salt), shoyu (soy), vegan
Fun fact Chefs were trained intensively under a ramen master from Sapporo.
TAAN Noodles
1817 Columbia Road NW in Adams Morgan
What you’ll find here 3 types of ramen: pork-based, duck-based, vegetarian; kushiyaki; onigiri; and various small plates
Fun fact Toppings include pork belly, duck confit, and chicken confit.
Sakuramen
2441 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan
What you’ll find here
Gojiramen – Traditional shoyu ramen with chashu, menma, scallions, nori, and sprouts
Sakuramen – Signature Vegetarian Ramen! Kombu broth with menma, corn, green onion, mushrooms, nori, and drizzled with a homemade fragrant oil
DC Miso – A tribute to Washington DC and our veteran friends with chashu, menma, green onion, cheese, naruto, and nori, and more
Fun fact Offers ramen flavors from around the world.
Toki Underground
1234 H Street, NE (above The Pug)
What you’ll find here Ramen: Toki Classic, Taipei Curry Chicken, Vegetarian, Red Miso, Kimchi; Dumplings & sides
Fun fact Inspired by a Hakata-style shop in Taipei. Add-ons include pulled pork, pork cheek, and “Toki Endorphin Sauce”.
So here you have it. A brief intro to the true beauty of ramen. We hope we’ve convinced you to go out to these ramen shops and taste what ramen can be. It is something more than the result of a college student’s tight budget and imagination. It’s actually an art in itself.
