Hinodeya Ramen Bar

"In a tonkotsu-heavy city, Hinodeya is the rare ramen shop that specializes in lighter, clearer broths, including one of the better bowls of vegan ramen in town. The dashi-based house ramen is a testament to the subtle pleasures of ocean-based umami, and seafood lovers shouldn’t hesitate to get the clam ramen if it’s available." - Paolo Bicchieri

"For a bowl of noodles that won’t put you to sleep right after, head to Hinodeya. The casual ramen spot specializes in dashi-based soups that are light yet packed with flavor. Our go-to is the garlicky version loaded with clams, but you can’t go wrong with the spicy chili oil one with chashu, or the vegan ramen topped with inari, kale, and acorn squash. Whatever the order, your bowl will be sparkling clean in 10 minutes flat. This walk-in-only spot usually has a line, so take a few laps around Peace Plaza while you wait." - julia chen 1, lani conway

"We’ve highly considered filling up an empty milk jug with Hinodeya Ramen’s excellent dashi broth so we can take a few sips of it every day from home—it’s that good. But until we gather up the courage (and jug) to put this plan into action, we’ll settle for grabbing a table at the walk-in-only Japantown spot and getting into their house ramen, which comes with char siu, bamboo shoots, and a soft-boiled egg." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez

"Soup: Hamaguri Ramen You’ll encounter great ramen bowls at Marufuku, Mensho, and the other top ramen spots across town. Hinodeya is one of the few that offers hamaguri ramen—and for that we are grateful. It’s garlicky, comes with dashi broth, and is piled high with littleneck clams that give the dish some brininess. There are three Hinodeya locations across town, but we love the Japantown original that’s always bustling with soup-devouring groups." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez

"Hinodeya specializes in dashi broth, so go here for ramen that won’t put you to sleep immediately after eating it (this broth is on the lighter side). The Japantown spot is walk-in only (like their Chinatown and Union Square locations), but any time spent waiting for a table pays off once a bowl of garlicky ramen loaded with clams hits the table. They also have a great vegan version topped with inari, kale, and kabocha squash. Whatever you order, get ready to clean your bowl with speed—and still have enough energy to do laps around Peace Plaza." - julia chen 1, lani conway