This Queens, New York-based franchise recently opened a location in Eagan. Kyuramen’s chasu (braised pork belly) is barrel-cooked in a special marinade, making it ultra-tender; there are veggie and chicken options on the menu too. Save room for matcha pudding or cherry blossom jelly.

At Tori Ramen, servers whisk steaming bowls to tables in the vintage interior of an old train car. “Tori” means “bird” in Japanese — this restaurant specializes in pork-free ramen, offering rich chicken, duck, and vegetarian broths. These beautifully layered bowls don’t lose an ounce of flavor, though. Tori is also one just a few local spots offering gluten-free bowls, with rice noodles and no soy sauce. Note that chef Jason Dorweiler is currently crowdfunding to help Tori Ramen stay open.

St. Paul’s Ishita ramen sits on a restaurant-dense stretch of University Avenue. Brick walls, industrial decor, and a decorative wall of soup spoons keep the focus on the food. The crispy chicken ramen features a crunchy breaded cutlet, sliced cabbage, black mushrooms, pickled ginger, green onion, and corn. The char siu broth is flecked with red pepper flakes and spicy chili oil for an extra boost of flavor.

Local food hall Eat Street Crossing’s stand-up ramen counter, Ramen Shoten, recently closed, but a new spot, “Staff Meeting,” has taken its place. Las Vegas-based chef Louross Edralin, a Season 4 alumni of Hell’s Kitchen, has switched up the menu but is still serving three steaming, savory ramens: a spicy black garlic ramen with pork chashu; a vegetarian ramen swimming with charred cabbage and fried tofu; and a creamy chicken chasu ramen.

Ramen Kawae is a new(ish) ramen spot in Minneapolis’s North Loop Galley. The restaurant describes itself as “A little noodle shop emerged out of a desire to keep pushing the creativity of Japanese cuisine” — chef Tuan Hoang’s broths are meaty and rich, an ideal base for fatty pork belly and umami-packed mushrooms. Pair a bowl with the crispy karaage or a plate of gyoza; both are musts.

Tenka is tucked away on Lake Street, right next to the former Stella’s Fish Cafe space. The ramen here is built on densely flavorful broth. The spicy miso is a crowd favorite: It stars springy noodles, fiery pork miso broth with an extra dose of chili pepper flakes, and a little funk from fermented bean paste. It’s all topped off with crumbles of ground pork, corn, a soft-cooked egg, and scallions.

Since its opening in 2015, this ramen-dedicated restaurant has been so popular that owner Matthew Kazama opened a second location in the Como neighborhood in 2017. Ramen Kazama’s tonkotsu ramen features one of the most decadent pork-bone broths in the Twin Cities — it has all the signature silkiness that comes from slow-cooking marrow-rich bones. Succulent pork belly, lacy black wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onion, and a marinated egg top off this beautiful bowl.

Warm wood paneling on Kyatchi’s exterior welcome diners to an unpretentious experience in Minneapolis’s Kingfield neighborhood. Another spot for sustainably sourced sushi, the handful of ramen offerings here are served piping-hot. Kyatchi’s signature ramen stock uses a light chicken broth — it’s topped with seared pork belly, a soft-cooked egg, green and yellow onion, and earthy bamboo shoots.