This Japanese chain once boasted four Portland-area locations, including one in Beaverton, but has since consolidated to two outposts, one on each side of the river. In its early days, you couldn’t escape a long wait, particularly at the Southeast izakaya location. Today, it’s much easier to inhale a bowl of its yuzu shio ramen, light and citrusy with bouncy thin noodles and slices of chashu. For something spicy and rich on a soggy, rainy day, Afuri has mastered its take on tantanmen, a sesame-bolstered soup with Sichuan origins. An unctuous, meaty version begins with a foundation of tonkotsu broth and ground pork, which harmonizes with the broth’s sesame-miso tare. The vegan alternative, a creamy sunflower seed broth with miso cashew crumbles in lieu of pork, just may be the city’s finest meatless ramen. 

For years, the menu at Kayo’s North Williams ramen bar referred to its handmade ramen noodle as “Noodle 47,” a reference to the number of recipes owners Kayoko Kaye and Matt Kaye tried before landing on the right bull's-eye of bite and bounce. It’s a nice illustration of the couple’s dedication to soup craft, which focuses less on tradition and more on innovation. You’ll encounter solid takes on shoyu and shio, but the moneymakers here are the more avant-garde bowls: pineapple ginger with shiitake mushrooms, a hot pot–inspired number with dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorn, a vegan curry ramen piled high with thinly sliced fresh onion. Tan tan ramen is another common hit here, reliant on a creamy-salty sesame base. 

Once upon a time (read: 2016), Japanese ramen chain Marukin opened its first US shop on Portland’s SE Ankeny Street. The brand was noteworthy for its silken, Hakata-style tonkotsu broth, available on its own or with a smack of chile. But in 2021, the US shops (now down to the single, original location) struck out on their own, rebranding as Kinboshi. While the name may have changed, the caliber of ramen hasn’t: The remarkable depth of flavor in its tonkotsu is now complemented by a relatively delicate paitan, as well as vegan bowls with creamy, comforting soy milk broths. The “red” variants are a must for heat-seekers looking for a quick, spicy lunch.

Yet another Japanese chain, the three Oregon locations of Kizuki—in Beaverton, in Northwest Portland, and within downtown’s Portland Food Hall—shine specifically for their approach to tonkotsu. While some broths can lean greasy or overly porky, Kizuki’s approach to the stock extracts an astonishing amount of flavor without the corresponding gut punch. The garlic tonkotsu is the headliner, with a wallop of allium among the menma and chashu. But leave bowls like the yuzu shio to the expert—Afuri Ramen—as we couldn’t detect any citrus flavor in ours. 

This ramen chain has two Portland metro area spots—the first next to Uwajimaya in Beaverton, and the second in downtown Portland. The persistent line out the door at the Beaverton location indicates that there’s some seriously good soup cooking here. Still, the wait goes by quickly, especially if you kill time in the aisles of the adjacent grocery store. The shio stands out for its flavorful but light broth and the super-thick noodles that provide plenty of heft and chew. Somehow, Ryoma’s tricked out bowls—the black-garlic-oil-finished tamago mayu ramen, the corn butter ramen, the spicy umami ramen topped with a dollop of ground pork—do not distract from the quality of the broth.

While countless Portland ramen shops specialize in tonkotsu and paitan broths—which prize body and salty richness—Toya Ramen celebrates the pristine clarity and subtlety of chintan broth. In a ritzy space with a well-stocked bar, Toya exhibits a meticulous attention to detail, each component clearly fine-tuned. Handmade noodles, made daily, are super narrow or quite thick, both elegantly executed. A baton of chashu melts into porky oblivion, while a petal of thinly sliced coppa stays tender, a tough feat in a hot broth. But the broth itself is soft spoken; it requires you lean in to hear its notes, from the high quality shoyu to the understated oceanic touch, perhaps from a little kombu or the aosa nori to the side. Also on offer: a truffle-scented shoyu; a vegan miso with a triple threat dashi of morel, shiitake, and kombu; and a lineup of brothless mazemen, including a carbonara analog. It’s worth grabbing a cocktail, alcoholic or otherwise, to pair with dinner.  

Practically tucked underneath the Hawthorne Bridge, Wu-Ron’s packs its shelves with an eclectic mix of hip-hop memorabilia, camping gear, and pop culture artifacts—it’s a hard vibe to pin down. But something about its mishmash decor and lowkey window counter feels straight out of Japan, especially when a bowl of Nagahama-style tonkotsu appears alongside a caddy of sesame seeds and chile oil. Nagahama’s tonkotsu is lighter and simpler than others found in Japan, with thin noodles and milky white broth. At Wu-Ron’s, the broth is something special, but the noodles and pork may be the best part, the former thin and firm and lightly springy and the latter succulent and just barely scorched. No laundry list of options here: Wu-Ron’s sticks to six bowls, including a stellar Sapporo miso for those who prefer a few more frills.