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Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House made moves to the west to Bearded Iris Brewing’s new Sylvan Supply location.
Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House/Facebook

Where to Eat Piping Hot Bowls of Ramen in Nashville

Pass the chili oil, please

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Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House made moves to the west to Bearded Iris Brewing’s new Sylvan Supply location.
| Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House/Facebook

Over the past decade, ramen has quickly gained in popularity in the U.S., particularly in larger cities. In the South, the idea that not all ramen is the instant kind has been unfortunately much slower to take hold, but in the last two years, the prevalence of the Japanese noodle soup dish has seen a modest push into Nashville. While the city still has only one true ramen-focused restaurant, a handful of places do have it on the menu, providing some options when seeking a piping hot bowl of broth and noodles for slurping.

In this update, we welcome Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House and their new home at Sylvan Supply, global mega-chain Chatime, and also say hello to Shokku Ramen, a Vegas-based crowd favorite that settled into Hillsboro Village earlier this year. Newest on the list is Lauter — the restaurant and Southern Grist’s new taproom on the Eastside.

*Map is not ranked, but listed geographically.

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Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House

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In April of 2020, chef Rooney’s Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House dropped the secrecy, settling into the kitchen at Bar Sovereign for takeout with comforting bowls of shoyu chintan and vegan mushroom tonkotsu for the hungry homebound. Eventually, they experienced normalcy once dine-in service resumed — then they parted ways. On Halloween of 2021, they switched from dark speakeasy to warehouse chic ramen, moving across town to Sylvan Supply’s Bearded Iris Brewery, where chef Rooney and the crew continues to dole out reliably on-point gyoza, salads, and desserts plus a regular cast of rave-worthy ramen options with homemade noodles — something not found often in Nashville. 

Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House/Facebook

Shokku Ramen

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The Las Vegas-born ramen spot expanded to Music City last year — and it’s the first Asian-owned ramen-specific spot in town. The Japanese anime-themed ramen shop is known for serving up both traditional and newly innovated styles and varieties of made-from-scratch broths and house-made spice blends, fried rice, beer, and sake at their 24-hour operation in the heart of Las Vegas’s Chinatown.

Shokku Ramen

Chatime

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Taiwanese global mega-chain Chatime quietly opened near Belmont early on in the COVID-19 shutdown — majorly upgrading Nashville’s takeout game with soup dumplings and bubble tea. Sliding into the former home of Levant Mediterranean in Nashville, the brand created in 2003 has grown at a rapid rate, operating more than 1,000 locations in 30 countries, including New York, Boston, and Miami. They specialize in bubble tea here, but the devil miso and tonkotsu ramen are also worth noting — in addition to the fact that they’re one of the only places in the city to find xiao long bao (soup dumplings).

Chatime/Facebook

Otaku Ramen

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The city’s first dedicated ramen shop, Otaku opened in 2016 and has one of the most extensive ramen menu in the city — with steaming bowls of shoyu, tonkotsu, and (brothless) mazeman all available for slurping. They also follow traditional ramen house rules, encouraging diners to order and eat quickly, then head to the Inryo whiskey bar in back. Owner Sarah Gavigan has become such an expert on the art of ramen-making that she released her own cookbook on the matter.

Otaku Ramen
Tennessee Tonkotsu
Otaku

Nashville’s homegrown beer maker, Southern Grist Brewing Co., just opened a new Eastside oasis, and there’s a new menu from chef Andrew Coins (formerly of Miel) that offers a single ramen option. Slurp hot bowls filled with a hybrid pork-chicken broth, smoked pork, kale charred in chicken fat, hearts of palm, a proper soy sauce egg, and plenty of house-made ramen noodles from either of the new taproom’s two large patios or the spacious wraparound bar. Ramen is first come, first served at Lauter, so get there early to grab a bowl.

Souther Grist Brewing Co./Facebook

Two Ten Jack

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Izakaya and ramen house Two Ten Jack offers a few different ramen variations with a number of add-ons for customization. Pork broth-based tonkotsu ramen is the most popular, with stewed pork (chashu), bamboo shoots, mushrooms, garlic, and a soft egg.

Two Ten Jack

Subculture Urban Cuisine and Cafe

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Hidden in a strip mall on Nolensville Pike, Subculture’s smart “secret menu” hot chicken ramen started bringing out Nashville hot chicken enthusiasts in droves. It’s not such a secret anymore, so they’re making bigger batches to satisfy the masses. In addition to the hot chicken ramen, they also offer regular ramen made with chicken dashi and a pulled pork variety.

Pulled pork ramen
Subculture [Official Photo]

Umami Asian Fusion

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Owned by Michelle and Steve Kang, Umami’s menu offers foods inspired from Korean and Japanese tradition, including sushi, bibimbap, Korean-style fried chicken, and yes, ramen. The restaurant flies in spices from Asia and uses local sources where appropriate. Ramen options include pork shoyu, beef miso, and spicy seafood ramen.

Pork shoyu ramen
Umami/Yelp

Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House

In April of 2020, chef Rooney’s Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House dropped the secrecy, settling into the kitchen at Bar Sovereign for takeout with comforting bowls of shoyu chintan and vegan mushroom tonkotsu for the hungry homebound. Eventually, they experienced normalcy once dine-in service resumed — then they parted ways. On Halloween of 2021, they switched from dark speakeasy to warehouse chic ramen, moving across town to Sylvan Supply’s Bearded Iris Brewery, where chef Rooney and the crew continues to dole out reliably on-point gyoza, salads, and desserts plus a regular cast of rave-worthy ramen options with homemade noodles — something not found often in Nashville. 

Black Dynasty Secret Ramen House/Facebook

Shokku Ramen

The Las Vegas-born ramen spot expanded to Music City last year — and it’s the first Asian-owned ramen-specific spot in town. The Japanese anime-themed ramen shop is known for serving up both traditional and newly innovated styles and varieties of made-from-scratch broths and house-made spice blends, fried rice, beer, and sake at their 24-hour operation in the heart of Las Vegas’s Chinatown.

Shokku Ramen

Chatime

Taiwanese global mega-chain Chatime quietly opened near Belmont early on in the COVID-19 shutdown — majorly upgrading Nashville’s takeout game with soup dumplings and bubble tea. Sliding into the former home of Levant Mediterranean in Nashville, the brand created in 2003 has grown at a rapid rate, operating more than 1,000 locations in 30 countries, including New York, Boston, and Miami. They specialize in bubble tea here, but the devil miso and tonkotsu ramen are also worth noting — in addition to the fact that they’re one of the only places in the city to find xiao long bao (soup dumplings).

Chatime/Facebook

Otaku Ramen

The city’s first dedicated ramen shop, Otaku opened in 2016 and has one of the most extensive ramen menu in the city — with steaming bowls of shoyu, tonkotsu, and (brothless) mazeman all available for slurping. They also follow traditional ramen house rules, encouraging diners to order and eat quickly, then head to the Inryo whiskey bar in back. Owner Sarah Gavigan has become such an expert on the art of ramen-making that she released her own cookbook on the matter.

Otaku Ramen
Tennessee Tonkotsu
Otaku

Lauter

Nashville’s homegrown beer maker, Southern Grist Brewing Co., just opened a new Eastside oasis, and there’s a new menu from chef Andrew Coins (formerly of Miel) that offers a single ramen option. Slurp hot bowls filled with a hybrid pork-chicken broth, smoked pork, kale charred in chicken fat, hearts of palm, a proper soy sauce egg, and plenty of house-made ramen noodles from either of the new taproom’s two large patios or the spacious wraparound bar. Ramen is first come, first served at Lauter, so get there early to grab a bowl.

Souther Grist Brewing Co./Facebook

Two Ten Jack

Izakaya and ramen house Two Ten Jack offers a few different ramen variations with a number of add-ons for customization. Pork broth-based tonkotsu ramen is the most popular, with stewed pork (chashu), bamboo shoots, mushrooms, garlic, and a soft egg.

Two Ten Jack

Subculture Urban Cuisine and Cafe

Hidden in a strip mall on Nolensville Pike, Subculture’s smart “secret menu” hot chicken ramen started bringing out Nashville hot chicken enthusiasts in droves. It’s not such a secret anymore, so they’re making bigger batches to satisfy the masses. In addition to the hot chicken ramen, they also offer regular ramen made with chicken dashi and a pulled pork variety.

Pulled pork ramen
Subculture [Official Photo]

Umami Asian Fusion

Owned by Michelle and Steve Kang, Umami’s menu offers foods inspired from Korean and Japanese tradition, including sushi, bibimbap, Korean-style fried chicken, and yes, ramen. The restaurant flies in spices from Asia and uses local sources where appropriate. Ramen options include pork shoyu, beef miso, and spicy seafood ramen.

Pork shoyu ramen
Umami/Yelp

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