This strip mall ramen-ya in downtown Hillsboro, sandwiched between a Subway and a neighborhood watering hole, is the sort of hidden gem that ramen fiends love to talk about. Dimly lit by chochins with J-pop videos blasting on the TV, Ninja Ramen offers the usual suspects: tonkotsu, miso, and vegetarian broths. The standout bowl here might well be the tantanmen, with its silky broth, crispy bits of seasoned ground pork, and nutty nuances. All bowls here are also arrive as combos with sides or donburi.

Koku brings the contemporary Korean-Japanese restaurant model to Beaverton, and it brings along with it some solid bowls of ramen. The bowls here — such as the mala tonkotsu, its midweight broth blotted by chile oil — stand on their own just fine; however, quirky accompaniments like “cocktail sacks,” fruity and floral adult Capri-suns, along with the beautiful modern wooden décor, ultimately contribute considerably to Koku’s lure.

This upscale, Japan-based ramen franchise now has two locations in the Portland Metro, and it hosts a sizeable ramen menu, including tsukumen dipping ramen, vegetarian shiitake broth, or the extra-creamy garlic tonkotsu shoyu. The shop offers add-ons from more than a dozen additional toppings, or noodle refills for those in it for the carbs. Kizuki also brings in seasonal bowls throughout the year, making revisits worthwhile.

Tigard’s best ramen bar specializes in tori paitan ramen, a creamy chicken-based broth, but it does more than that: Mugen’s menu offers a number of unconventional bowls, including a lemongrass-scented spicy shrimp with tempura prawns, or a vegetarian ramen made with Oregon hazelnuts. The move here is decidedly the curry ramen, which combines the tori paitan with red curry paste, finished with shimeji mushrooms, corn, and crispy egg noodles. Seating can be limited, so small parties would be the best strategy to avoid a lengthy wait time.

This trendy and bright South Korean chain boasts more than 200 locations back on home soil. Now it has a location on either side of the Willamette to add to its portfolio. Come for the big, crispy chicken wings and Korean-style corn dogs, and stay for the ramen. The bowls here are bold and distinctive — the ox bone ramen is a ramen-ified Korean seolleongtang, and the hangover cure ramen packs a capsaicin punch and is teeming with shrimp, mussels, and squid.

Overlooking the marina on the Columbia River from its stilted perch, Menjiro is an alluringly cozy ramen-ya and the ideal place to hide out from the cold and drizzle of the cold months. This spot has all the charm of a quaint mom-and-pop ramen shop, and the move here is the kobe beef ramen: Made with either the tonkotsu or shoyu broth, the bowl comes with a house-made beef patty incorporating a hard-to-pin-down seasoning blend and diced onion. It’s hard to find something like it anywhere else.

Osaka expat Kayoko Kaye runs this an airy ramen spot (which also features heated and covered outdoor seating) where the star of the show is the mala, a bowl infused with tongue tingling Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers. Nearly all the entrees are also available in vegan form, and Kayo’s offers no-carb or low-carb noodle options that use julienned and blanched zucchini and daikon radish. The creamy tantanmen is another beloved stalwart.

This Nagahama ramen shop, in the former Noraneko space, has fine-tuned its rendition of the celebrated tonkotsu style in its shockingly brief tenure. The broth has the distinct richness typical of tonkotsu, but it doesn’t come across as unnecessarily heavy; instead, it almost undetectably coats the thin noodles, which retain a satisfying bite. The chashu slices hew thick, juicy with a slight sear, and the shop doesn’t skimp on the sesame seeds and green onion. This isn’t the kind of place where diners can stack their bowls with a laundry list of add-ons and toppings, but it doesn’t need to be: What it does simply is simply exceptional. For variations, diners can opt for a tonkotsu miso, or a vegetarian mushroom tantanmen.

This super fashionable Tokyo outpost — with its industrial chic Southeast location, quick-service sister restaurant in Southwest Portland, ramen lab in Slabtown, and Beaverton ramen and dumpling outpost — is famous for its delicate and refreshing yuzu shio ramen. However, the real hit, especially in the cooler months, is the spicy, sesame-miso-based tantanmen, available with a fatty tonkotsu broth or vegan hazelnut base. Seasonal specials often please, be it a Valentine’s Day tori paitan with chicken chashu or a clam-laden asari shoyu.

This cozy spot in Sellwood cooks with the philosophy of less is more, inspired by the Japanese word “nama,” which can mean “unedited,” or “as it is.” Bowls of ramen come in four different soup bases: shoyu, miso, spicy miso, and vegetarian. No matter which soup diners select, they can expect toothsome noodles and a beautifully jammy egg. Nama also serves poke and izakaya small plates like agedashi tofu.

Hapa, which began as a food cart, has established itself as a brick-and-mortar with its distinct blend of ramen, Hawaiian cuisine, and Japanese whiskey. The restaurant prides itself on its distinctive proprietary noodle recipe, featuring thick and wavy noodles that stand up well to it broth. The menu offers classic ramen options such as tonkotsu, shoyu, and miso, alongside Hapa’s original creation, the G-Special: a rich pork belly-based broth with succulent chunks of pork belly, complemented by spicy sprouts and shiitake mushrooms.