Ramen has been a staple of Japanese cuisine for over two hundred years, beginning in 18th century China and traveling to Japan in the late nineteenth century. Due to its carefree packaging, effortless shipping, and simple preparation, ramen’s popularity has spread like an epidemic.
Ramen’s global acclaim has led to many different brands and variations being produced. These brands are either sold in bulk, with low prices and easy cooking, or in refined restaurants, with elegant seating and high-quality food.
The diversity of ramen variations proposes the question: which is the best? Of course, I felt this question was up to me to answer, kicking off my mission to find who really has the best ramen in Omaha.
The journey began in my own home. Quick and easy ramen has become a household classic for lazy nights, as this dish is swiftly prepared and ready to enjoy.
After bringing four cups of water to a boil, I placed my Shin Noodles into a pot along with a packet of earthy red seasonings. Four minutes later with only minimal stirring, the ramen was ready to serve.
Before me, perfectly cooked noodles soaked in a mahogany broth. The vapors wafting from the steaming bowl carried delicate hints of red pepper and garlic that only enhanced my appetite.
The first bite consisted of perfectly cooked noodles and a rich and robust broth. The broth itself was beefy and salty with hints of subtle spice. The noodles were neither too thick nor too thin and offered just a dash of salt that wasn’t too overpowering. Altogether, the dish was delicious.
However, my opinion changed as I continued to eat. The flavors soon became repetitive. While the meal itself was adequate, it was deprived of any playful variety. Noodles and broth are both inherently delectable, but the consistent nature of the dish made it passionless and dull.
Of course, the price Shin Noodles presents cannot be ignored. At Costco, you can find 18 packages of noodles for merely 16 dollars, making each meal cost only about 89 cents.
On top of its cheap price, the dish takes a surprisingly short amount of time to make. Although Shin Noodles possesses a lack of quality and diversity in its dishes, it still presents itself as a viable option for late nights.
In the end, I found myself gifting my brother the remains of my bowl and indulging in a sweet treat.
My next stop was Jinya Ramen Bar. Across town on 70th and Dodge, Jinya Ramen is a small yet elegant restaurant with kindly dimmed lights and a serene atmosphere. Their menu is grand and assorted with various cuisines, consisting of mini tacos, salads, divine appetizers, and of course, ramen.
Their ramen was a spicy chicken soup with thin, al dente noodles, spinach, crunchy bean sprouts, and diced scallions.
The scarlet-colored broth was delightfully fragrant, smelling of rich chicken and red peppers. The crunch of the bean sprouts and scallions, as well as the firmness of the noodles, all of which were drenched in the savory broth, brought the course to near perfection.
However, the meal had its faults. For starters, the details of the ramen stated the soup would be spicy whereas, in my opinion, it was not. Jinya’s signature hot sauce and some flavorsome chili oil were a necessity to bring out the level of spice promised in the description.
Along with its insufficient spice, the noodles seemed slightly too thin for my liking. The noodles also lacked the pinch of saltiness the Shin Noodles had, and they were rather dry.
Finally, the price of the bowl. As Jinya is of higher quality, it’s expected you have to pay a little more. Nevertheless, the price of Jinya’s ramen is nearly 20 times the amount of Shin Noodles, with one bowl being $17.50.
Of course, you get your money’s worth. The immense size of the bowl forced me and my mom to split between ourselves. And even though we shared one meal, we still had some ramen and broth left over due to the sheer size of the dish.
Even though there were areas that could’ve used improvement, Jinya Ramen was still scrumptious and rich and, in my opinion, ranked above Shin Noodles.
My final destination was Ika San, a welcoming, quaint place in Village Pointe. The menu was descriptive and wide, with several courses catching my eye as I searched.
The dish I ordered was called the Plain Jane, which wasn’t a very fitting name. The ramen contained a rich, flavorsome broth with radish, roasted chicken, scallions, citrus, and a medium-boiled soy egg. The noodles were perfectly firm and thick and absorbed the earthy broth.
The chicken was well cooked and well-distributed in the dish, moist and soaked in the delicious soup. The egg was mediocre, but I’m surely biased due to my indifference to eggs. The swirling flavors and the sublime scents kept the food thrilling after each bite. It didn’t need any condiments to enhance the taste.
The price and size were relatively the same as Jinya’s Ramen Bar. The bowl of soup was heaping. However, no bit of this ramen was left to waste.
After careful consideration, taking into account the size, price, and quality of the ramen, I determined that Ika San at Village Pointe was the best ramen. Its prices and sizes were comparable to Jinya, however, its quality was superior in areas that Jinya was lacking. While Shin Noodles is easily accessible and convenient, its repetitive flavors and low-quality place it at the bottom of the list.