This post is dedicated to Renee Iselin, my Ramen partner in crime, and Sats Gawa, a world-renowned ramen expert hailing from Japan – he knows the real deal!

It’s in my blood. I love soup, and I especially love Ramen. For me, it’s the ultimate comfort food. I have sampled some amazing ramen throughout Manhattan and wanted to share my favorites.

Zundo-Ya: The soup base has integrity. Pork bones are simmered in a special pot called a zundo (hence the name) for twenty hours, creating a thick, creamy liquid. To ensure the results are as close as possible to the broth found in Japan, the team “softens” the water using a closely guarded technique. The blend incorporates some dried fish into the sweet and salty mix, adding more umami flavor than most compounds have.

Ipuddo: In 2008, this was the place that made me fall in love with Ramen. It’s authentic Hakata tonkotsu pork soup. You cannot go wrong. Expect a wait.

Takashi: I stumbled upon this gem when my girlfriends and I wanted to try premium Japanese and American beef. The selections are delicately prepared and served raw to be grilled right at your table (yakiniku). Note: they serve a variety of very decadent meats (raw liver and flash-boiled achilles tendon). I discovered through my friend Simon Kim, owner of Piora restaurant which happens to be down the street (more on his place later!) that Takashi served a LATE NIGHT BEEF BROTH RAMEN!!!! Pure ramen heaven. Here’s the info!

Mei Jin Ramen: Hip Japanese place for ramen & izakaya-style small plates with an adjoining cocktail & dessert bar. The chicken spicy miso ramen and curry beef ramen are exhilerating.

Totto Ramen: You simply cannot go wrong with any of the ramen varieties. The assortment of additional toppings is ridiculous, and they even serve ‘specialty’ ramen. Be experimental and play with your noodles!

Hide Chan: The Tonkotsu Ramen is a rich creamy pork bone soup with thin long noodles. Tonkotsu, which means pork bone, usually has a cloudy white colored broth. because it’s made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen over high heat for many hours. The result is a hearty pork flavor and a creamy consistency that rivals milk, melted butter or gravy. The ramen is hearty and delicious.

Mr Taka: The ingredients are carefully selected and there is a lot of care that goes into these slurp worthy noodles. One of the owners ramen restaurant in Japan, Bigiya, was listed on Michelin Tokyo in 2015. It was the first year for Michelin Tokyo to list a ramen restaurant and there are 5000 in Japan. It’s worth a trip here.

I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list as more ramen joints open up, but for now, these are my staples. Enjoy – slurp up and #stayinspired.