Otaku Ramen
Ramen restaurant · Music Row
1104 Division St, Nashville, TN 37203
Highlights
Ramen & Japanese snacks with local ingredients; hot chicken buns
Ramen & Japanese snacks with local ingredients; hot chicken buns
"Otaku was one of the first serious ramen places in town. Now, there are multiple locations, but the Gulch location is typically the busiest. You’ll often find lines for a table here, especially during the winter, when a casual drop-in for a steamy bowl of umami-packed broth and noodles is the perfect antidote to some downright frosty chill. You can’t really go wrong with any of their ramen bowls, but the TN tonkotsu shio is a step above the rest. It’s pork bone broth with a shio salt base, pork confit, woodear mushroom, and a half ramen egg, and you should always make it “monster-style”—the added miso chicken, ground pork, and full-size ramen egg will keep you going through any self-imposed weather-related hibernation." - jackie gutierrez jones 2, ann walczak
"Mentioned previously among Gulch highlights as a solid ramen destination and one of the few spots in the city dedicated to high-quality ramen." - Missy Frederick
"Otaku was one of the first serious ramen places in town. Now, there are multiple locations, but the Gulch location is typically the busiest. You’ll often find lines for a table here, especially during the winter, when a casual drop-in for a steamy bowl of umami-packed broth and noodles is the perfect antidote to some downright frosty chill. You can’t really go wrong with any of their ramen bowls, but the TN tonkotsu shio is a step above the rest. It’s pork bone broth with a shio salt base, pork confit, woodear mushroom, and a half ramen egg, and you should always make it “monster-style”—the added miso chicken, ground pork, and full-size ramen egg will keep you going through any self-imposed weather-related hibernation. There’s other good stuff on the menu, too, like cool ranch-dusted wontons and plump nuggets of fried boneless chicken thigh with wasabi-yuzu mayo dipping sauce." - Jackie Gutierrez-Jones
"The Gulch’s popular noodle shop offers kids the one thing that’s taboo at so many other restaurants: the ability to loudly slurp a big, steamy bowl of broth. Grab a seat at one of the wooden tables and order up a chocolate boba for your pint-sized partner before pursuing the children’s menu — the kid-size tonkotsu is a winner." - Ellen Fort
"Seeing a ramen bowl-sized gap in the Nashville restaurant scene, Sarah Gavigan debuted Otaku Ramen in East Nashville before it landed permanently in the Gulch. The shoyu tonkotsu with pork confit is heavenly, while the tantanmen is an excellent choice for vegetarians. Those interested in more than noodles should check out the hot chicken buns; the hokkaido milk tea boba is a highlight as well. Otaku also has locations in both East and West Nashville as well as at the Factory in Franklin." - Eater Staff
