With wintery weather falling upon campus, staying warm is hard to get by no matter the number of layers worn. All may seem cold and dark in the world until the word “ramen” comes to mind—sometimes there's nothing better than a warm bowl of savory broth, noodles, vegetables, and meat.
Luckily, there are an abundance of spots around University City to grab a revitalizing bowl of ramen during this chilling time. So if you’re looking for the best of the best ramen, make sure to hit up these local restaurants—and order the best of what they have to offer.
CoZara: Spicy Chick Ramen
Located right next to New College House on Chestnut Street, CoZara is the spot to get a quality bowl of Spicy Chick Ramen to heat yourself up in the perfect way. Topped with chicken thighs, Szechuan chili oil, freshly grated garlic, and soft–boiled egg, the ramen is a flavorful, but not too overpowering, bowl of noodles. The ramen isn't necessarily the spiciest option, as there were only a few drops of bright–red chili oil scattered around the bowl, but between the savoriness of the chicken in the broth and the perfectly–cooked noodles, it’s a bowl that will be completely empty by the end of the meal. While it's on the pricier side at $15, the Spicy Chicken Ramen is worthy of such a splurge, so make sure to stop by CoZara to enjoy some good food while staying warm.
Address: 3200 Chestnut St.
Ramen Bar: Miso Ramen
While the waiters at Ramen Bar will most likely point customers to the classic Tonkotsu Ramen, the miso ramen is what makes the restaurant truly shine. The dish is an infusion of tonkotsu broth and miso soup, giving the soup a unique depth of flavor as the two different broths work in tandem to create a unique saltiness that bathes the tender yet firm wavy noodles. Topped with bamboo shoots, red pickled ginger, fish cake, corn, sesame seeds, and scallions, Ramen Bar creates a vibrantly beautiful dish that tastes as good and complex as it looks. They also use butter to give the broth extra creaminess. The traditional Miso Ramen comes with pork, but additional choices for protein include chicken, shrimp, and tofu. It costs $11, but you can add unlimited noodles for $2 extra for when you run out because you will be wanting to finish every last drop.
Address: 4040 Locust St.
Bento: Tonkotsu Pork Ramen
Do not let any sort of cold weather beat your cravings for a warm bowl of noodles, because Houston Hall’s Bento has it covered. Conveniently located right on campus, the Japanese food stop has two different kinds of Ramen, Shoyu Chicken and Tonkotsu Pork. Between the two, the Tonkotsu Pork is the go–to at Bento, filled with egg, roast pork, bean sprouts, scallions, nori seaweed, and red ginger. The broth is just the right amount of saltiness and brininess from the pork, and it is packed with the perfect amount of toppings. The noodle–to–broth ratio is a little off, and the noodles lean a little more on the instant ramen side of texture, but it’s still a great bowl of ramen, especially for the price of $8.95.
Address: 3417 Spruce St.
Terakawa Ramen: Signature Ramen
Dubbed as “One of Philly’s Best Ramen Joints” by Philadelphia Magazine, Terakawa Ramen is home to some serious ramen goodness, especially due to the dish that they named their restaurant after: the “Terakawa Ramen,” or the “Signature Ramen.” As a pork bone soup topped with roasted pork, bamboo shoots, kikurage mushrooms, red ginger, chopped scallions, and a seasoned boiled egg, the ramen may seem like any other of its kind. However, between the extra savory flavor of the pork bone and perfectly runny egg yolk, the Signature Ramen tops all other pork–based ramens. The toppings are just the right amount too, as they don’t take away from the flavor, but instead work harmoniously with it, providing extra textures and blending in with the tender, wavy noodles that soak up the broth’s rich flavor. Terakawa Ramen truly knows how to do ramen, so if you need the tastiest warming up this winter, head over to Terakawa right away and grab a bowl of their Signature Ramen.
Address: 125 S 40th St.
