The Seven Best Ramen Bowls In The Bay Area | Tasting Table San Francisco

It's amazing how much attention people can pay to so few variables: Noodles. Broth. Toppings. For some reason, ramen inspires the closest of scrutiny.

Here are our seven favorite bowls right now, listed in no particular order. (Take note, ramen obsessives: Our survey stopped at the border of Santa Clara County.)

① Tokushima-style Ramen at Men Oh Ramen ($9)
The specialty of this Japan-based chain is a soy-seasoned pork broth that you enrich by cracking a raw egg into it. Dense but not heavy.

② Ramen Shop's Vegetarian Miso Ramen ($15)
Topped with seasonal vegetables and finished with a miso blend, this soup–when it appears on the menu–may be the shop's best.

③ The Ajisen Ramen at Ajisen ($11)
With its milky pork bone broth, tender roast pork and skinny noodles, this bowl is the best thing you'll ever eat at the Westfield food court.

④ Iza Ramen's Tsukemen ($11)
At Blowfish's weekend ramen pop-up, get naked noodles to dip in a dense, almost viscous pork, chicken and fish broth.

⑤ Spicy garlic ramen at Ramen Dojo ($9.50)
Fatty pork. Toasted garlic. Chile flakes. Chicken gravy. A quail egg. Thick pork broth. Firm noodles. Could you want more? 

⑥ Hapa Ramen's cheeseburger ramen ($9-$12)
One thing we've always admired about Hapa Ramen's Richie Nakano—he's not afraid to take a chance. His OG slow-cooked pork ramen is a fine bowl of noodles, but the cheeseburger ramen he served at Wing Wings earlier this year? Nakano at his finest.

⑦ Namu Gaji's Ramyun ($16)
If you've ever lived off of spicy grocery-store Korean ramen, you'll doubly appreciate Dennis Lee's bombastically flavored soup and taut noodles, not to mention the addition of kimchi and a 4505 Meats hotdog.