Slurp your way through Miami's 10 best ramen shops

Hachidori began with a honeymoon. After their wedding, Jessica Daez and Guillermo Paniza headed to Japan where they became obsessed with a Tokyo ramen shop, so much so they came back to Miami and opened a place inspired by it. The result is a ramen shop that shows both a deep obsession to recreate traditional ramen and also to add their own twist, like a broth that combines chile de árbol and sichuan spices. And yeah, the OG Tonkotsu here is a gem, but the Shrooms features a deeply flavored miso broth that just might become your new favorite ramen. 

The ramen stand inside Wynwood's 1-800-LUCKY food hall serves up everything from the traditional to the entirely new creations. There's a spicy tantan with minced pork and a rich sesame paste, an umami-packed roast pork shoyu ramen and a vegetable number flavored with a rich sesame paste and boasting more color than your average double rainbow. The fried chicken sando here sure looks great, but who could make it there after one of these bowls? 

Shimuja began as a Miami Beach pop-up before finding a permanent home in Broward County. Luckily for us here in Miami, it found a second home at the Julia & Henry’s food hall, where chef Keiichi Maemura serves the ramen he ate in his hometown of Kagoshima. The ramen here starts with one of four broths -- pork, fish, chicken or veggie -- and then includes a laundry list of ingredients that make these some of the most topping-packed ramen bowls in town. 

Masaharu Morimoto, who made a name for himself in fine dining and then became internationally known on “Iron Chef,” went more casual with his Wynwood concept, which is headlined by traditional bowls of ramen. While the ramen includes red curry and miso, the tonkotsu here benefits from a long-simmered broth and barbecued pork that gives it a smoky, rich decadence.

For sheer variety and reasonable prices, you’d be hard-pressed to top Ichimi. Its two locations, the Gables and Midtown, offer stuff not usually seen on noodle shop menus. The curry ramen is a smooth and spicy fusion of Southeast Asian and Japanese cuisines, while the summer spiced ramen adds a tangy house hot sauce for a flavor you won’t find elsewhere.

Broward County export GoBistro’s Wynwood location serves a thick, pork-bone tonkotsu broth that sticks to your mouth after you’ve swallowed the noodles. It’s one of the richer ramens you’ll try, so if you’re headed here late at night just know there’s a good chance you’ll feel it in the morning.

Before noodles became a craze in Miami—and the rest of America—there was Moshi Moshi, which has been serving steaming bowls of ramen for over 20 years. In addition to the original South Beach location, there are now outposts in MiMo and Brickell with massive menus that while sushi-heavy, offer five types of ramen, including a spicy kimchi ramen.

In Japan, broths are what set ramen shops apart. Assuming that’s also the case in Miami, Shokudo should stand well above the rest with some of the richest, most complex broths in the city. It’s one of the few spots you’ll find a kombu/shitake broth, a tangy stock made from sea kelp served with chashu pork and nori fish cakes in the signature shoyu ramen.

If you’ve got the late-night munchies after your fourth or fifth Japanese whiskey at Baby Jane, you don’t need to go far to find something to soak up the drinks. Get a double-dose of post-consumption cuisine with the shiro kombu ramen, where chicken broth and ramen noodles are topped with another late-night favorite: fried chicken.

You can never go wrong in a ramen house filled with college students, right? Especially if that college is the University of Miami, where the students can probably afford to eat places that don’t serve up the biggest bowls of ramen in the city for about two-to-three dollars less than elsewhere. You’ll also find a selection of pork, chicken or chicken-and-miso broths if you’re looking for something a little lighter. And if the trek to the Gables feels too far for ramen, there's an Ohho Aventura, too.