Slurp Down Some Noodles at These Las Vegas Ramen Shops
For those cool desert nights.
With restaurant patios open, pool clubs closed, and snow visible on Mount Charleston, it is officially winter in Las Vegas. Which means it’s officially ramen season! Vegas’ food scene has expanded exponentially in recent years, with new ramen shops opening all the time and many of them offering their own unique approach to this cold weather comfort food. Here we’ve gathered 17 of our favorites to bookmark the next time you’re craving a big bowl of ramen. Slurp up!
Shokku Ramen
The only ramen shop in Vegas open 24/7, Shokku Ramen is there to satisfy your cravings any time of day or night with their 24-hour broths, 36-hour marinated meats, and a wide variety of ramen creations ranging from the traditional to more playful and inventive signature creations. If their manga-covered walls and general anime aesthetic are any indication, this place is not your standard ramen shop. To further underscore that point, behold their “Shinigami Challenge.” Shinigami are death gods in Japanese culture (remember the anime Death Note?), and Shokku’s Shinigami Challenge seems to be aptly named: it’s a triple-serving of their Shinigami Ramen, with 24 ounces of Tonkotsu broth, three pounds of noodles, and all the toppings, measuring over four million Scoville units of heat. Finish it in eight minutes and get your name on their Wall of Warriors (plus a $25 gift card and this meal free), but you have to be over 18 and sign a waiver.
How to order: Make reservations online and order takeout and delivery online.
Umai Ramen
Umai Ramen offers traditional ramens as well as their own unique fusion ramen dishes inspired by Korean items like kimchi and kalbi (BBQ beef short ribs). Try a classic ramen with choice of tonkotsu broth, chicken broth, or chef’s special veggie broth and a variety of topping options, or try one of their signature dishes like their BBQ Ramen made with tonkotsu broth and marinated short ribs or their kimchi ramen with tonkotsu broth, ground pork, pork chashu, and kimchi. Their black garlic ramens are also very popular, with three different variations available – one with tonkotsku broth, a veggie broth version, and a mazeman version (no broth with a tonkotsu sauce instead, and made with kale noodles).
Ramen Kyara
Seafood lovers, rejoice! Ramen Kyara has the seafood-centric ramen your shellfish-shotgunning heart desires. Their seafood ramen dish is full of shrimp, hotate (scallops), mussels, asari clams, tamago (ramen egg), cabbage, bean sprouts, garlic, negi, and nori. The menu is otherwise small and simple with your choice of tonkotsu broth, miso broth, or spicy miso broth, and a variety of toppings and add-ons. Start with their signature tonkotsu ramen with chashu pork, tamago, wood ear mushrooms, cabbage, bean sprouts, pickled red ginger, black garlic oil, fresh garlic, negi, and nori, and maybe throw in some butter and corn. Simple and satisfying!
How to order: Walk in.
Noodles And More
There are a lot of ramen shops around Las Vegas, and a lot of different variations on ramen to be had. But Noodles and More in Silverado Ranch is one of the few places in town that serves beef broth ramen. Try their signature birria ramen made with thick noodles, beef broth, Angus beef, cilantro, onion, and scallions, and the beef noodle with thick noodles, beef broth, beef shank, bok choy, cilantro, and scallions. Other broth options include pork, chicken, and vegan miso. They also have seafood ramen with shrimp, scallops, mussels, and calamari. And don’t skip dessert here—they serve a selection of crepe cakes including ube and Thai tea that make for a sweet ending.
How to order: Walk in or order pickup and delivery via Yelp.
Yoshiya Kitchen
Yoshiya Kitchen is Japanese comfort food with a fine dining soul. You can get all of your favorites here—Japanese omelette rice, chicken katsu, takoyaki, curries, and, of course, ramens—but the presentation is much more artful than you’ll find at most other restaurants that specialize in the same items. For something unique, try the fried shrimp ramen or the dipping ramen with seafood tonkotsu sauce. And definitely order one of their beautiful Mont Blanc cakes, like the black sesame Mont Blanc filled with thickened soy milk cream.
How to order: Walk in.
Ramen Show 2
Another popular ramen concept from the owners of Izakaya Go, Ramen Show 2 (the original location on South Rainbow closed and is now the very worthwhile Takumi Izakaya) serves 24-hour tonkotsu ramen made fresh daily by certified ramen chefs alongside rice dishes and other Japanese street food. Some of their most popular items are the spicy umami ramen and the tsukemen (dipping noodles), but the takoyaki (ask for the takopa sampler) and grilled pork belly should also make your short list, as should the potato tornado in either curry or garlic flavors.
How to order: Walk in or order takeout and delivery online.
Bone And Belly Ramen
Bone and Belly Ramen is a “chef-driven, modern Japanese concept” located in the District at Green Valley Ranch and is really upping the ante for ramen shops in this particular corner of the Las Vegas Valley. Specializing in ramen as well as rice dishes and Japanese-style tapas, Bone and Belly has some fun menu items worth exploring. In addition to their 24-hour slow-simmered pork and chicken broths, Bone and Belly serves a vegan coconut squash ramen made with a coconut milk broth. Also worth trying: the spicy yakiniku ribeye donburi (sauteed ribeye steak, rice, and an assortment of toppings and seasonings), and the chashu pork belly bao buns.
How to order: Walk in, order pickup online or delivery from one of their partners.
Ramen Tatsu
You will either like Ramen Tatsu's deconstructed ramen presentation, or you will not. The specialty here is tsukemen ramen, which basically means the broth is dense (for dipping) and served separately from the extra-thick chewy noodles and toppings. If you're not into that, no worries, the menu is full of all the standard ramen options as well, and if you like your ramen really spicy, they offer broths with their homemade habanero sauce. And if you hate your digestive tract, they also have a homemade habanero and ghost pepper sauce for “Jigoku Style” up to spice level *three flaming skulls.*
How to order: Walk in.
IZAKAYA GO
Open 5 pm to 2 or 3 am daily, Izakaya Go is a lovely, upscale “Japanese tapas bar.” The menu is extensive, with ramen being only one small part of the menu that includes inventive fusion and traditional offerings. But this is a list about ramen, and here your choices are shio (soy), shoyu (salt), or miso ramen, all spicy and all made with a chicken broth base, as well as a tonkotsu ramen with a pork base. If you’re going slightly left of center of traditional ramen, you can try their ramen burger with braised pork belly, egg, and vegetables sandwiched between ramen noodle “buns,” or their “poke ramen”—cold ramen with spicy poke. If you’re going totally off-script, their sea urchin pasta is kind of a must. They also have an excellent booze selection, if that is a concern of yours.
How to order: Walk in or call 702-247-1183 for reservations.
Ramen Arashi
It's a ways off the Strip in one of Las Vegas's many, many boring strip malls (we do not so much have neighborhoods here as we do collections of strip malls with names) with its closest landmarks of significance being Lowe's and Home Depot, but rest assured that Ramen Arashi is one of Las Vegas ramen devotees' favorite spots, arguably more so than some of the better-known joints on Spring Mountain. Get the rich, creamy tonkotsu ramen with a choice of thick or thin noodles (also available gluten-free), or the vegan creamy tomato ramen.
How to order: Walk in or order pickup online.
Sojo Ramen
From the same folks behind the popular SOHO Japanese Restaurant and Soho SushiBurrito, Sojo Ramen pretty much immediately became the new favorite place of all the local ramenistas when it opened in 2019. There are a variety of ramen options available, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free (noodles can be made with tofu or rice). But as much as people love their ramen, Sojo also has a devoted following for their appetizers, and they're all under $5. Order the pork chashu tacos and chicken karaage to start and try their signature black garlic tonkotsu, made with 30-day house-roasted black garlic.
How to order: Walk in or order pickup online.
Tomi Ramen
It would be easy to miss this place entirely since it's not visible from Sahara, the Palace Station dominates this corner, and dodging the clusterf*ck of traffic from east of I-15 tends to be the priority. All that said, this place is worth seeking out. It's one of the hipper/trendier ramen joints in town—clearly operated by younger folks who know how to 'gram, and there's a prominent Korean influence throughout. Plus, there are some playful menu items to match the atmosphere; order the "Naruto Ramen" (pork and chicken) with bulgogi fries.
How to order: Walk in or order pickup and delivery via delivery apps.
Kokoro Ramen
KoKoRo is another of the hipper and trendier ramen joints in town, also located in a soulless strip mall because, again, pretty much everything not on the Strip is. Order the unique signature midori basil or black garlic ramen, and be sure to start with the takoyaki—crispy, ample-sized fried balls of octopus.
How to order: Walk in.
Ramen Hashi
Billing itself as a Japanese-style ramen house, Ramen Hashi features a long bar where patrons can fill out a form selecting their desired ramen options. The kitchen is open, and everything is made here from scratch. They also provide hair ties to further facilitate your slurping, which is both hilarious and incredibly practical. The chashu is the real standout here, and the tantanmen ramen is a customer favorite. Also worth noting: all of the non-vegetarian broths are made with a chicken broth base rather than pork, which may be welcome news to semi-observant kosher and halal ramen-lovers bored of miso broth (there is also miso broth available).
How to order: Walk in.
Ohjah Noodle House
Ohjah Noodle House is a cult favorite in Las Vegas. Get the Ohjah House Ramen with oxtail, beef, egg, bean sprouts, seaweed, and wood ear mushrooms—it's the specialty and this is one of the few places around town where you can get oxtail in your ramen.
How to order: Walk in or order pickup online.
Yu-Or-Mi Sushi Bar
The culinary competition in the exploding DTLV Arts District is fierce, but YU-OR-MI Sushi & Sake Bar, located just across the street from the always-bustling Esther’s Kitchen, is a strong competitor, and not because it’s the only Japanese restaurant in the Arts District (though it is). Though the focus here is primarily on sushi, sashimi, and hot small plates, like their take on takoyaki with truffle oil and their outstanding bluefin tuna caprese, the one ramen dish on the menu is worthy of your attention. A shoyu ramen with a choice of organic chicken or char siu pork that is only available in limited quantities each day. Warm up with a hot bowl and enjoy some sake or a skillfully crafted cocktail made with one of their many Japanese whiskys or gins while you’re there.
How to order: Walk in or order pickup and delivery online.
8 East
Located inside the Circa Resort & Casino on Fremont Street, 8 East is a pan-Asian concept from Chef Dan Coughlin of DTLV’s Le Thai fame. “Inspired by metropolitan Asian food markets,” 8 East covers a LOT of culinary territory, with fusion-minded interpretations of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai dishes. There is only one ramen dish on the menu, but it’s one worth noting: the “8 East Ramen” is made with thinly sliced beef filet, wild mushrooms, soft-boiled egg, shredded bok choy, nori, and kimchi mirepoix.
How to order: online.