Boston Japanese Ramen Guide 🍜

Planning to try around 10 ramen spots over three weekends. Prefer traditional styles — if it’s not salty or oily, is it even real ramen? Still learning, but hope this can start some good conversations!❤️ — Yume wo Katare • Classic Jiro-style. Loads of beansprouts and back fat — always get extra garlic! 🧄💥 Soy-based tonkotsu soup, not emulsified but still rich and hearty. The noodles are high-gluten, partly whole wheat, flat and slightly curly — great for holding the broth while staying chewy. The chashu is huge, likely from the leg, with some connective tissue left. Perfectly cooked — tender yet textured, right on the edge of being dry. The soft tendons add a nice gelatinous bite. Loved it. At just over $18 with a 10% student discount, it stays true to Jiro’s roots: cheap, hearty meals for broke students. Salty, oily, loaded with noodles, meat, and “veggies” — a full day’s meal in one bowl. If you’ve only had chain ramen, this might shock you… but this is real Jiro. The owner accepted my request for firmer noodles and even agreed to serve me “extreme hard” next time. Today they ran out of meat, so I could only get two pieces. Next time: five pieces, extra garlic, extra fat! 💪 — Miraku USA • Shoyu Tonkotsu Umami is prominent — that lingering savory taste after swallowing is classic kombu stock. Light-bodied tonkotsu with meaty aroma but no porkiness. Light oil, salty enough, paired with firm medium-curly alkaline noodles. Solid. Cold Shio Ramen Summer limited edition — had to try! Chicken broth + kombu stock, topped with sesame oil. Refreshing yet deeply flavorful — almost like there’s shellfish in there. Cherry tomatoes were sweet, seaweed amplified the oceanic notes. Could use more lemon though — squeezed some in myself and it was perfect 👌🍋 So. Good. They gave me a stamp card… guess I’ll be back 😏 — Hokkaido Ramen Santouka Back Bay • Shio Ramen with Pork Neck Chashu👌 Added corn and butter to make it more “Sapporo-style.” Well… it’s on par with Ajisen. Should’ve known better than to trust a big chain. Broth is thin and one-dimensional. Noodles are thin, curly, low in alkali, overcooked and absorb soup too fast — texture changed noticeably within 5 minutes. Chashu was okay, egg was great. Chili oil (clearly sesame-based) added nice aroma but felt a bit harsh in the soup.💕 Black Garlic Oil Tsukemen😁 Wanted dipping noodles but didn’t see it on the menu. With this broth, it’s probably for the best… The tossed noodles were… blurry and dull. BBQ meat was fragrant, garlic chips were nice. Added chili oil — became edible. — #BostonRamen #JapaneseRamen #BostonFood #RamenGuide #FoodieBoston #BostonEats #RamenLover #BostonFoodScene