Hokkaido Ramen Santouka University Village

"Hokkaido is a ramen chain that started in Japan, and somehow made its way to Seattle— with good reason. On a cold day (because of weather or air-conditioning) at work in your soul-crushing windowless office, a bowl of their miso ramen with perfectly tender pork and a side of pan fried gyoza is exactly what you need. Come for a solo meal or a round of chicken karaage in a booth with some friends." - Aimee Rizzo

"This Japanese import in U Village is one of the finest dedicated ramen shop in the Seattle area, with another location in Bellevue to satisfy Eastsiders. Santouka serves only tonkotsu broth, full of creamy, porky flavor due to its extended cooking time. The shio ramen has just the right level of salt seasoning to let the pork flavor of the broth shine, and it’s the only ramen served with pickled plum. For those leery of soup during warm weather, try the tsukemen, which allows diners to dip the thick noodles in a slightly cooler soup on the side, or a delicious, broth-less mazeman." - Jay Friedman

"This Japanese import in U Village is one of the finest dedicated ramen shop in the Seattle area, with another location in Bellevue to satisfy Eastsiders. Santouka serves only tonkotsu broth, full of creamy, porky flavor due to its extended cooking time. The shio ramen has just the right level of salt seasoning to let the pork flavor of the broth shine, and it’s the only ramen served with pickled plum. For those leery of soup during warm weather, try the tsukemen, which allows diners to dip the thick noodles in a slightly cooler soup on the side, or a delicious, broth-less mazeman." - Jay Friedman

"If you just spent a few hours and way too much money on random kitchen supplies at the University Village, and the thought of waiting an hour for a table at Din Tai Fung makes you want to sit down and have a good cry, Hokkaido Santouka Ramen is your post-errand weeknight dinner power play. Grab a booth, order the miso ramen with gyoza combo, and try desperately to forget that it’s only Monday." - aimee rizzo

"The University Village has made some serious improvements to its dining and drinking options over the past few years, adding heavy hitters like Japan-based sensation Hokkaido Ramen Santouka." - Megan Hill