Ramen Shop - The Best Noodles in the Bay Area

For those who know me well, they know I have a slight obsession with ramen. Okay, slight is probably the wrong word.  I mean, I did eat ramen four times on a six day trip to New York last summer. But to me, it is the perfect Japanese comfort food.  This obsession has led me back, again-and-again, to the restaurant I feel is serving up the best bowl of ramen in the Bay Area - Ramen Shop in Oakland.

The idea sprouted up from three alums of Chez Panisse, Rayneil De Guzman, Jerry Jaksich and Sam White.  “We had made separate trips to Japan.  And it was just such an eye-opening experience,” De Guzman said.  “Plus, we really love noodles!”  The three friends had long wondered why there weren’t more great ramen places in the Bay Area.  And that’s where Ramen Shop now comes in.

The restaurant opened on College Avenue in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood with quite a bit of fanfare.  Long lines greeted guests from the start and it really hasn’t slowed down, more than a year later.  “It’s been surprising how many people have come in and how busy we have been.  But I think it really goes to show that people in the Bay Area wanted this type of ramen,” De Guzman said.

The restaurant itself seats about 40-50 people, with both tables and a long bar in front of the open kitchen.  The bar area at the front of the space also has plentiful seating for those looking to grab a cocktail, beer or glass of wine, or if you’re waiting for a seat.  De Guzman said with the long waiting list, at times, they are still trying to figure out the best way to accommodate everyone in a timely manner.  But the wait is normally a fairly quick one.

On to the menu.  The ramen varies from day-to-day, with different broths, from shio (salt-based), miso, shoyu (soy sauce) – the guys have even been doing a tsukemen on Monday nights, where the noodles and broth are served in separate bowls, and the noodles are dipped into the dipping sauce.  The broth is the most consistent I have tasted in the Bay Area.  Noodles are made in-house, another rarity for local ramen shops.  “Plenty of places get their ramen noodles from a shop down in San Jose and they are perfectly fine,” said De Guzman.  “But there is just something missing with them.”  De Guzman, Jaksich and White have even contemplated working with different types of noodles for different broths.  The entire package, from noodles to broth to fresh ingredients added on equals perfect comfort all in one bowl.

The restaurant doesn’t only feature ramen though.  There are an assortment of other smaller dishes that fill out the menu, for those that might not be feeling the ramen craving. The cocktails have evolved under the leadership of Chris Lane.  There is a great beer list as well. 

What led me to include Ramen Shop on my list of best new restaurants in 2013?  Along with the great ramen, the entire team seems to have fun and there is a togetherness in the space.  Service is terrific and the kitchen team looks like it acts as one, perfectly in stride.  While De Guzman, Jaksich and White have all made trips to Japan, they also raised money to have some of their staff make the trip this past year – and hope to have everyone, from servers to the kitchen, experience it in the future.  Ramen Shop is located at 5812 College Avenue in Oakland and is open for dinner Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:00-10:30pm, Friday from 5:00-Midnight, Saturday from 4:00-Midnight and Sunday 4:00-10:30pm.