Ramen-Ya TEINEI

"Japanese restaurant Teinei announced its closure on February 24 in a short Instagram post." - Meg van Huygen

"Ramen-Ya Teinei is where you'll find the best ramen in Seattle. After cutting sushi from the ramen-and-sushi menu in early 2023, the cozy restaurant's new focus is strictly ramen—from spicy tonkotsu broth that lights up with fiery chili oil to a duck-based version with perfect richness and salt content that shines when slurped by itself but also doesn't get in the way of chewy noodles and melty chasu. We love a glow-up, and Teinei nails it. On the side, there are tasty appetizers that include but are not limited to homemade pork or chicken gyoza complete with a nice crust and a dipping sauce that brings those juicy morsels to life. Use Teinei for a solo meal, quiet date at the bar while sipping pineapple whisky sours and watching anime on TV, or pile in with coworkers at lunch on a chilly day. In other words, it's a winner for all occasions." - Aimee Rizzo, Kayla Sager Riley

"The daily homemade gyoza at this South Lake Union ramen spot are not particularly packed with flavor. They rely on the simplicity of ground chicken and tender crunch of cabbage bits to do the heavy lifting, and the result is a pleasant pan-seared dumpling light enough to enjoy on loop alongside a bowl of noodles in duck miso broth. Meanwhile, the sesame oil-slicked shoyu dip zaps the filling to life on each dunk without making it taste like slugging a beer bong of Kikkoman. " - Aimee Rizzo, Kayla Sager Riley

"Ramen-Ya Teinei serves some of the city's best ramen, let alone South Lake Union's. After cutting sushi from the ramen-and-sushi menu in early 2023, the cozy restaurant's new focus is Japanese soup, and it clearly shows—from spicy tonkotsu broth that lights up with fiery chili oil to an exemplary duck-based version with perfect richness and salt content that shines when slurped by itself but also doesn't get in the way of chewy noodles and melty chasu. We love a glow-up, and Teinei nails it. On the side, there are tasty appetizers that include but are not limited to homemade pork or chicken gyoza complete with great pan-seared crust and a dipping sauce that brings those juicy morsels to life. Use Teinei for a solo meal, quiet date at the bar while sipping pineapple whisky sours and watching anime on TV, or pile in with coworkers at lunch on a chilly day. In other words, it's a winner for all occasions." - Aimee Rizzo

"Ramen-Ya Teinei serves some of the city's best ramen, let alone South Lake Union's. After cutting sushi from the ramen-and-sushi menu in early 2023, the cozy restaurant's new focus is Japanese soup, and it clearly shows—from spicy tonkotsu broth that lights up with fiery chili oil to an exemplary duck-based version with perfect richness and salt content that shines when slurped by itself but also doesn't get in the way of chewy noodles and melty chashu. We love a glow-up, and Teinei nails it. " - Aimee Rizzo