Katana-Ya

San Francisco

Ramen Restaurant

$$$$

PERMANENTLY CLOSED

The only ramen address where Lonely Planet-toting tourists and savvy locals line up with each other, Katana-Ya served the masses long before ramen was cool. Really -- it was even a destination before Asian fusion cuisine ripped apart the '90s. It’s old school, it's crowded, it's an essential enough San Francisco institution that it's worth the line and questions about how far away Coit Tower is.