All 13 places you can find ramen in Charlotte this winter

The combo of carb-filled noodles and salty, steamy broth, topped with pork, a soft boiled egg and other delicious accoutrements warms my belly and my heart.

And let’s face it, it’s the only thing getting me through the shorter days and chilly temps.

Next time you’re in need of a ramen fix, these are all the places you can get it in Charlotte. Slurp away.

Futo Buta

This is my go-to spot in Charlotte for authentic ramen. They’ve got great small plates too – the crispy rice squares and brussel sprouts are top notch. The only downside is it’s a small place and it’s packed almost every night.

Location: South End – 222 E. Bland Street

Ramen types: Tonkotsu, Miso, Shoyu, Fire and Ice (made with hot smoked salmon), Niwa (vegan) & Chizu

Price of a bowl: $12-$14

What to order: Tonkatsu – creamy pork broth, pecan smoked pork belly, scallion, organic mushroom, onsen egg, pickled ginger, seaweed, sesame, black garlic. Opt to add spicy ground pork for $2 more (it’s worth it).

Yume Sushi + Ramen

This spot opened in 2018 and offers a wide variety of ramen as well as sushi and rice bowls. Most ramen can be customized to be either salt or soy based and either regular or spicy.

Location: Wilmore – 1508 S. Mint Street

Ramen types: Tori (Shio or Shoyu), Tonkatsu (Shio, Shoyu, Miso or Spicy Miso), Fermented Black Garlic Tonkatsu, Vegan (Regular or Spicy)

Price of a bowl: $12-$14

What to order: Tori – chicken broth with a choice of salt or soy sauce flavor, pork chashu, bean sprouts, sweet corn, sesame seeds, scallions, seaweed, soft boiled marinated egg.

Yamazaru

Located right next to Sycamore Brewing, this is a good place to hit after a day or night of craft beer drinking. They also offer a big sushi menu (the Tarzan roll is bomb) as well as pan fried noodle dishes, rice bowls and various small plates.

Location: South End – 2173 Hawkins Street

Ramen types: Shoyu, Miso, Tonkatsu

Price of a bowl: $12-$14

What to order: Miso – ground pork, veggie, moyashi, corn, egg.

Ramen Soul

This Mooresville spot has the most extensive ramen offering of all the places on the list, which makes sense since ramen is in their name. All of their broths simmer for at least 12 hours. They also offer dim sum and a pretty insane Sunday brunch.

Location: Mooresville – 694 Brawley School Road

Ramen types: Shio, Shoyu, Tonkotsu, Shiso Veggie, Roasted Pork Tsukemen, Seafood Tsukemen, Ginger and Garlic Miso

Price of a bowl: $11-$14

What to order: Tonkotsu -24-hour traditional creamy pork broth, thin noodles topped with pork cashu, smoked pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, soy marinated egg, black garlic oil, nori and scallions

Pro tip: For 75 cents extra you can add one of three flavored butter bombs to your ramen bowl – citrus herb, ghost chili or chickpea miso.

Ru San’s

I’m not embarrassed to say that I go to Ru San’s about once a week. I love this place. While they are best known for their sushi, they also offer huge, steaming bowls of ramen. Seriously, the bowls are giant.

Location: Dilworth – 2440 Park Road

Ramen types: Shinshu Yasai Miso, Toyko Shoyu, Kyushu Gomoku Champon

Price of a bowl: $9.85-$12.05

What to order: Tokyo Shoyu – chuka egg noodles in piping hot pork soy ramen soup, topped with sliced sauteéd pork

CO

CO offers a wide range of asian flavors on their menu. They’ve got everything from sushi and poke bowls to pad thai and bahn mi. I’ve never tried their Vietnamese or Masa ramen but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve ever gotten there.

Locations: Park Road Shopping Center – 4201 Park Road D, Waverly – 7416 Waverly Walk Avenue

Ramen types: Vietnamese & Masa

Price of a bowl: $15-$16

What to order: Vietnamese Ramen – pork belly, shredded pork, poached egg, egg noodles, bok choy, served in a pork broth

Sushi Guru

Although they are known for their specialty sushi rolls, they offer four different kinds of delicious ramen. They’ve got another location in SouthPark but you’ll only find ramen at their Plaza Midwood location.

Locations: Plaza Midwood – 1217 The Plaza

Ramen types: Tonkotsu Shio, Shoyu, Miso, Yasai

Price of a bowl: $13-$14

What to order: Shoyu – familiar soy sauce flavor with hint of fish & shoyu soup, topped with marinated boiled egg, roasted pork filet, nori, bamboo shoots & red pickled plum, scallions, naruto cured fish surimi

Yama Izakaya

A sister restaurant to Baku, Yama and Yama Asian Fusion – Yama Izakaya mainly specializes in ramen, yakitori and sushi. There are tons of available add-ons for their ramen bowls so you can customize it how you want.

Location: Plaza Midwood – 1324 Central Avenue

Ramen types: Tonkatsu, Shio, Spicy Miso, Vegetarian

Price of a bowl: $13-$14

What to order: Spicy Miso – spicy miso broth, pork chasu, sesame seeds, scallions, menma, seasoned egg and fishcake

Musashi Japanese Restaurant

Located around the Pineville area, Musashi is one of those hole-in-the-wall places in a strip mall (sometimes the best places, tbh). They have a variety of noodle dishes, including three options for ramen.

Location: 10110 Johnston Road

Ramen types: Shouyu, Tonkotsu, Miso

Price of a bowl: $12.50

What to order: Shouyu – light soy sauce base, Japanese egg noodles, roasted pork slices, bamboo shoot, green onions

DeeJai NoDa

DeeJai is predominately a Thai and sushi restaurant but they do have one ramen dish on their menu. It’s got short ribs in it so who could say no to that?

Location: NoDa – 3629 North Davidson Street

Ramen types: Ramen short ribs

Price of a bowl: $12

What to order: Ramen short ribs – ramen noodles, slow cook short ribs slices, boil eggs, bok choi, scallions, and cilantro

Soul Gastrolounge

Known for their innovative dishes, it’s no surprise that Soul Gastrolounge doesn’t do ramen the traditional way. Don’t come here if you are expecting pork bone broth and a soft boiled egg on top.

Location: Plaza Midwood – 1500-B Central Avenue

Ramen types: They just have one type that they are dubbing the ‘ramen bowl’

Price of a bowl: $15

What to order: Ramen bowl – noodles tossed in a garlic cream, with braised veal cheeks, goat cheese fried mushrooms, veal glace and caramelized onion powder

Merchant & Trade

This rooftop restaurant is a little swankier than your typical ramen spot but it’s a great place to enjoy a fancy cocktail and try their take on the Japanese favorite – it happens to be vegetarian.

Location: Uptown – 303 S. Church Street

Ramen types: Agedashi tofu ramen

Price of a bowl: $14

What to order: Agedashi tofu ramen – miso​ mushroom broth, farm egg, seared bok choy

Sushi 101

This fast casual sushi eatery offers customizable, build-your-own noodle bowls. You won’t get your authentic Japanese ramen here but you can make it your own. Choose ‘Any Style’ for a more brothy bowl.

Locations: Park Road – 1730 E Woodlawn Road, Ste F, Ballantyne – 5355 Ballantyne Commons Parkway

Ramen types: Build your own

Price of a bowl: $10.95 – $16.95

What to order: ‘Any Style’ noodle bowl with ramen noodles – broth, mixed vegetables, scallions, and the protein of your choice (tofu, veggie, chicken, shrimp, beef or salmon)

Know of a tasty ramen spot I missed? Email me at [email protected]