This strip mall ramen-ya in downtown Hillsboro is the sort of hidden gem that ramen fiends love to talk about. Dimly lit by chochins with J-pop videos blasting on the TV, Ninja Ramen offers the usual suspects: tonkotsu, miso, and vegetarian broths. The standout bowl here might well be the tantanmen, with its silky broth, crispy bits of seasoned ground pork, and nutty nuances. All bowls here can also arrive as combos with sides of donburi, karaage, or gyoza.

Koku brings the contemporary Korean-Japanese restaurant model to Beaverton, and it brings along with it some solid bowls of ramen. The soups here — such as the mala tonkotsu, its midweight broth blotted by chile oil — stand on their own just fine; however, quirky accompaniments like “cocktail sacks,” fruity and floral adult Capri-suns, along with the beautiful modern wooden décor, ultimately contribute considerably to Koku’s lure.

This upscale, Japan-based ramen franchise now has three locations in the Portland Metro, and it hosts a sizeable ramen menu, including tsukumen dipping ramen, vegetarian shiitake broth, or the extra-creamy garlic tonkotsu shoyu. The shop offers add-ons from more than a dozen additional toppings, like soft-boiled eggs, chashu pork, and fish cakes, and also sells make-at-home ramen kits for emergency noodle needs.

Tigard’s best ramen bar specializes in tori paitan ramen, a creamy chicken-based broth, but it does more than that: Mugen’s menu offers a number of unconventional bowls, including a lemongrass-scented spicy shrimp with tempura prawns, a salty shio made with eight different types of sea salt from around the world, or a vegan ramen made with Oregon hazelnuts. The move here is decidedly the curry ramen, which combines the tori paitan with curry paste, finished with shimeji mushrooms, corn, and crispy egg noodles. Seating can be limited, so small parties would be the best strategy to avoid a lengthy wait time.

Tucked inside the Tigard H Mart, Lucky Cat serves a tight ramen-focused menu with rich broths. For something creamier, try the tonkotsu ramen with bok choy, mushrooms, and pork belly, or the soy-based beef shoyu ramen with tender beef and bamboo shoots. Vegan and vegetarians can slurp up some veggie broth, vegan kale noodles, and fried tofu — just remember to ask for no egg if ordering vegan. 

Ramen Ryoma had already accrued a loyal pack of devotees over its time in Beaverton, but the centrally located shop in downtown Portland is a welcome respite for those who live in the city itself. Ryoma offers a wide swath of ramen varieties and permutations, with a choice of broth, topping combinations, and a la carte add-ons. The shio stands out, though any of the base broths will work well; however, the real move is to opt for one of the tricked out bowls, be it the chile-laden spicy umami, the tamago mayu with its slick of black garlic oil, or the Sapporo-style corn butter ramen, best paired with miso broth.

The exceptionally warm hospitality at this Union Way ramen shop is enough to create return visitors. Portions are large and bowls arrive piled with toppings, including nori, wakame, corn, bamboo shoots, chashu, bean sprouts, eggs, and more. Noteworthy bowls include the black garlic tonkotsu and the mala spicy shoyu.

Overlooking the marina on the Columbia River from its stilted perch, Menjiro is an alluringly cozy ramen-ya and the ideal place to hide out from the drizzle of the cold months or boat-watch during summer. This spot has all the charm of a quaint mom-and-pop ramen shop, and the move here is the kobe beef ramen: Made with either the tonkotsu or katsushoyu broth, the bowl comes with a house-made beef patty and chashu. It’s hard to find something like it anywhere else.

Opened by Osaka expat Kayoko Kaye, the star of the show at this airy ramen spot (which also features indoor and outdoor seating) is the mala, a Sichuan hotpot-inspired bowl infused with tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns and dried chile peppers. Nearly all the entrees are also available in vegan form. The creamy tantanmen is another beloved stalwart and a good option for heat fiends.

This Nagahama ramen shop, in the former Noraneko space, has fine-tuned its rendition of the celebrated tonkotsu style in its brief tenure. The broth has the distinct richness typical of tonkotsu, but it doesn’t come across as unnecessarily heavy; instead, it almost undetectably coats the thin noodles, which retain a satisfying bite. The chashu slices skew thick, juicy with a slight sear, and the shop doesn’t skimp on the sesame seeds and green onion. This isn’t the kind of place where diners can stack their bowls with a laundry list of add-ons and toppings, but it doesn’t need to be. For variations, diners can opt for things like Sapporo-style miso, a vegetarian tantanmen, or a spicy chile chicken.

Those headed to luxury wellness center Knot Springs or the Burnside skate park could easily miss this tiny ramen shop, tucked between in a window-lined space. However, the ramen served inside is the ideal post-soak or skate treat. While many Portland ramen shops focus on things like tonkotsu — and Yokohama’s is, indeed, tasty — its shoyu is particularly well executed, using a foundation of chicken and pork bones for depth without weighing down the broth. For something unique to the restaurant, the creamy tomato ramen provides all the nostalgia of sick-day tomato soup, fortified with bone broth and Parmesan.

This super fashionable Tokyo outpost — with its sister ramen and dumpling locations in Slabtown and Beaverton — is famous for its delicate and refreshing yuzu shio ramen. However, the real hit, especially in the cooler months, is the spicy, sesame-miso-based tantanmen, available with a fatty tonkotsu broth or vegan hazelnut base. It’s worth adding a few of the izakaya’s other offerings as sides, like the bluefin tuna sushi flight or flaky pan-fried gyoza.

This cozy spot in Sellwood cooks with the philosophy of less is more, inspired by the Japanese word “nama,” which can mean “unedited,” or “as it is.” Bowls of ramen come in four different soup bases: shoyu, miso, spicy miso, and vegetarian. No matter which soup diners select, they can expect toothsome noodles and a beautifully jammy egg. Nama offers gluten-free noodles and also serves poke and izakaya small plates like agedashi tofu.

Spice lovers, this one’s for you. Baka Umai offers big, blazing bowls including habanero tonkotsu and ghost pepper miso, with add-on pepper “mashes” to bring additional spice to any given bowl. Baka Umai’s commitment to improving and fine-tuning every aspect of the process moves its offerings forward year after year, and those improvements and tweaks are noticeable even in non-spicy bowls like the yuzu miso or lime shio. Baka Umai also makes its noodles in-house and often runs specials, such as a Carolina reaper pepper, tonkotsu, and shoyu bowl topped with candied jalapeños.