11 Best Ramen Restaurants in SLC

Someone once said that Salt Lake City doesn’t have great ramen, and we took that personally. Well aware of the ramen boom taking place in the U.S., we set out to find the absolute best bowls of ramen in SLC. The results? A delicious broth-and-noodle-filled adventure. Below, you’ll find the very best ramen destinations in Salt Lake City. 

Reading a ramen restaurant menu with a variety of Japanese ingredients isn’t always easy. To help you become a ramen expert, take a look at these translations and order your next ramen bowl worry-free:

• onsen tamago (soft-boiled egg)
• ajitama (soft-boiled egg marinated in soy sauce)
• moyashi (bean sprouts)
• menma (bamboo shoots)
• negi (spring/green onion, scallions)
• nori (dried seaweed)
• mayu (black garlic oil)

11. Hamachi Sushi Bar

Starting off our guide to the best ramen in Salt Lake City is Hamachi Sushi Bar, tucked on the corner of 100 S and 500 E. Hamachi serves up innovative sushi rolls and ramen bowls that keep us coming back for more. We’re talking a classic sushi bar vibe with especially happy and helpful servers, from water refills to menu recommendations. You’re here for the classic tonkotsu ramen—an authentic tonkotsu broth, thin medium firm noodles, pork belly, onsen tamago, negi, roasted nori, and kamaboko (fun side-note: type kamaboko into your iMessage to see the cutest little emoji). The pork belly has a memorable flavor and ties everything together for a very solid bowl of tonkotsu ramen.

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10. Tosh’s Ramen

Next up on the best ramen restaurants in SLC is Tosh’s Ramen, a no-frills, hole-in-the-wall ramen joint that’s almost hidden in Midtown. The menu at Tosh’s is chock-full of classic ramen dishes, including memorable tonkotsu and miso broths. Dig into the classic miso, with sliced melt-in-your-mouth pork, jammy onsen tamago, crispy moyashi, crunchy sweetcorn, and fresh negi. Each dish is perfectly balanced and packs a flavorful punch suitable for any palate. Head straight to Tosh’s when you’re craving some genuinely tasty ramen.

9. Yakuza Ramen

The usual noodle-bar experience is nowhere in sight at Yakuza Ramen, next up on our guide to the best ramen in SLC. Located inside the beautifully modern Woodbine Food Hall, Yakuza is the first booth you’ll see when you walk in (it’s neighboring a bakery, pizzeria, and taco stand among other delicious offerings). The ramen bowls here are creative without feeling gimmicky, including our favorite, the curry ramen, complete with curry-flavored tonkotsu broth, one of the best pork cutlets you’ll ever have, onsen tamago, bok choy, negi, and wheat noodles. If you are a lover of heat, be sure to order the karai ramen, a spicy tonkotsu broth served with niku miso, onsen tamago, sweet shiitake mushroom, moyashi, and negi.

8. Ramen 930

Say hello to our next best ramen restaurant in SLC, Ramen 930. The noodle house serves up bowls that are original, fun, and at times outstanding. Reach for the niku bowl with your preferred spice level for pork broth, spicy sauce, soy sauce, spicy shredded pork, pork chasu, onsen tamago, moyashi, kikurage mushrooms, and negi. This spicy pork broth will leave you asking for refill after noodle refill. Pro tip: take the leftover broth home with you and add your own fresh noodles for lunch the next day.

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7. Kobe Japanese Restaurant

No guide to the best ramen in Salt Lake City would be complete without Kobe Japanese Restaurant. Kobe serves up some of the best Japanese comfort food with a modern twist, especially when reaching for their ramen options. Think katsu curry ramen with a smokey, delightfully salty curry broth, panko chicken breast, onsen tamago, moyashi, and negi. Each ramen bowl is a beautiful homage to Japanese flavors and ranges from tonkotsu to kimchi ramen. Kobe also has a lovely ambiance for that late-night ramen feel but at any time of the day. You won’t regret a visit to Kobe, especially if you add the Duke roll to your order.

6. Jinya Ramen Bar – Sugarhouse & Murray

Jinya may be a national chain but they make a killer bowl of ramen and stand as one of the best ramen restaurants in SLC. There are several chicken and tonkotsu ramens on the menu and dozens of toppings for all your cravings. Nab one of the few bar stools overlooking the stoves and dive into a bowl of tonkotsu black—pork broth with thin noodles, pork chasu, kikurage, negi, nori, a whole seasoned ajitama, garlic chips, mayu, fried onion, and spicy sauce. Or reach for the spicy variation with the thick-noodled tonkotsu spicy bowl. Jinya selects the perfect ratio of noodles to broth, from thin, smooth noodles to thick, wavy flour noodles. Oh and did we mention there are noodle refills?

5. Ramen Legend

Classic is the word that comes to mind when we visit Ramen Legend, one of the best ramen restaurants in Salt Lake City. The Sugar House stalwart specializes in careful attention to ingredients like salty miso broth, crispy, melt-in-your-mouth chashu pork, negi, and menma that is delightfully tender. Don’t even get us started on the gorgeous onsen tamago that spills its yoke into that buttery miso broth. This spacious ramen joint with a beautiful Japanese-inspired mural is where you want to be for date night, a night on the town with friends, or when you’re just craving solid starters and noodle slurps.

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4. Ramen Bar

Ramen Bar is a hot spot for contemporary twists on traditional Japanese cuisine and is one of the best ramen restaurants in SLC. This edgy Japanese ramen bar meshes traditional and unorthodox flavors and toppings adding to an already delicious experience. You’re here for the Umami Bomb—fat, springy noodles bobbing in the comforting pork broth topped with their signature spicy pork, tender pork belly, candied shitake mushroom, onsen tamago, negi, corn, and roasted nori. Indulge in your bowl of choice at a tiny table beneath gothic Japanese art and lighting. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

3. Yoko Ramen

Yoko Ramen is Salt Lake City’s most widely-recognized ramen joint. The menu is concise and delicious, offering three iterations of ramen, with the option to be made vegetarian or vegan. The authentic karage chicken ramen offers a surprising crunch and each bite is packed full of flavor. We highly recommend this fantastic fast-casual option near downtown with reasonable price points and absolutely delectable ramen. Wouldn’t hurt to snag an order of gyoza either, the ultimate supporting bites to round out the meal.

2. Kaze Sushi Bar

Kaze excels at the art of Japanese food, and ramen in particular. The interior of Kaze is bright and airy, where traditional meets new-world vibes and superior playlists. We recommend grabbing a stool at the dynamic kitchen-front bar top to enjoy the vibrant smells and sights of talented chefs. Dive into the Sugar House sushi roll followed by tonkotsu ramen, a buttery broth stocked with onsen tamago, bamboo shoots, negi, and sheets of nori, topped with thin, tender slices of pork. Excuse us, our mouths are watering just reminiscing about this delicate and perfectly balanced noodle heaven.

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1. Tonkotsu Ramen Bar

Looking for the very best ramen in Salt Lake City? Look no further than Tonkotsu. Yes, it’s often crowded on the weekends (live music!), but so completely worth it for their tonkotsu broth and chashu pork belly. You can’t go wrong ordering their namesake—the tonkotsu bowl—for a classic 24-hour aged pork broth, pork belly, ajitama, negi, moyashi, menma, mayu, and nori. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, we recommend ordering the tantanmen bowl—spicy pork-chicken broth with sesame seeds, bok choy, pork belly chasu (the star of the show), ajitama, ground pork, and nori. Their thick cuts of perfectly seasoned chasu pork belly are one of a kind so don’t wait to put it in your own belly.