A recent transplant to the Seattle area expresses his disappointment – so far – with the local ramen scene.

A year into my move to the Seattle area and I’m still unsatisfied, and frankly, a little disappointed. I had high expectations given the many ramen restaurants here and, like San Francisco, a thriving Asian population.

I’ve been to Yelp’s five top-rated ramen spots in town. While one of them gets high marks, with the rest I found myself using words like “serviceable,” “not bad,” and the unfortunate “good enough.”

When the term “good enough” is used, it generally implies that something meets the minimum requirements or standards, but it may not be the best or most ideal solution. It suggests adequacy rather than excellence. … a temporary solution until something better can be achieved. -says ChatGPT (abridged)

That last line is where I’m at – waiting for something better. Given my research, I’m hoping it will be Midnite Ramen, a food truck (and soon-to-be fixed location) with a lot of great buzz. But first, a quick scan of my experiences so far.

• Ramen Danbo (Capitol Hill): I’ll refer you to my earlier review from a few years back, which spoke of salty broth and limited depth of flavor among other points. Admittedly, I need to give this acclaimed chain another try. 

• Kizuki Ramen & Isakaya (Capitol Hill): A mixed bag here, with some impressive elements and others that fell flat. The broth was a tonkotsu shoyu blend and was nice. As I’ve experienced before, it was not complex. It had a single flavor profile, but a nice one. The noodles were the star of the bowl: chewy and al dente with a distinctive flavor. The chashu felt like an afterthought; it was rubbery and not very flavorful. The egg was near perfect, and slightly runny. Menma was limp and overly cooked. The overall presentation looked like the bowl was prepared in a rush.

I had the karage chicken bun as an appetizer. It was OK, but seemed Americanized, as the sauce tasted like a topping for a fast food burger. Service was good and the restaurant interior is nicely modern.

• Menya Musashi Tsukemen & Ramen (Capitol Hill): I was looking forward to a great tsukemen experience here. It was just fine. Broth had nice flavor. Noodles were OK, but no distinctiveness, key for a dish where the noodles are served chilled and bare. Chashu was good. All in all, it was an adequate bowl. Am I being too critical by comparing this to my experience at Tokyo’s legendary Rokurinsha and Taishoken? I will give props to the service which was super friendly and helpful. Plus the indoor-outdoor options make it a great fair-weather meal spot. It’s worth another try.

• Ooink (Harvard Ave): As you might deduce, at Ooink the pork is king. I really enjoyed their tonkotsu broth. It is deeply flavorful and rich. I ordered the Kotteri ramen which includes garlic oil. It was just enough of a blend to let the porky goodness shine through. Oddly, the chashu was disappointing. The slices were large and chunky, but I found mine to be lacking in richness and tenderness. Noodles were OK. Vibe is friendly but a little cramped.

• Arashi Ramen (Ballard): For me, this was the best of the bunch…for now at least. I’ll refer you to my previous review.

I’m not including the ramen shop where the chashu literally looked and tasted like a bland turkey slice. It has since closed.

I’ll close by saying that on a recent trip back “home” to Northern California I had some ramen at Menya Shono in San Rafael. The richness and execution of that bowl reinforced my perspective on what Seattle’s ramen lacks. I sincerely hope I get to change my mind after my next Seattle experience.