Located right next to the airport in Hillsboro, Ninja Ramen is the suburb’s first dedicated ramen spot. Owner Hitsumoto Taka graduated from ramen school in Tokyo, and even has a photo of his certificate on the business’s Yelp account. Ninja carries a wide range of ramen, including sukiyaki-topped tonkotsu and a tonkatsu-tonkotsu (a bowl of pork ramen topped with a fried pork cutlet); however, the star of the show is definitely the garlic ramen, with its ideally jammy soft-boiled egg.

At this Beaverton ramen shop, the menu only focuses on a tight selection of broths, with a not-too-heavy tonkotsu, as well as an immaculate shoyu and a few miso variations. But the restaurant’s mala ramen, topped with swirls of tingly chili oil, is likely the move here. On the “bites” side of the menu, find dishes like tempura calamari, garlic edamame, and veggie gyoza.

This polished, Japan-based ramen franchise is hidden in a fancy Beaverton strip mall, where diners can choose from 13 bowls, including a vegetarian shiitake broth, tsukumen dipping ramen, or the extra-creamy garlic tonkotsu shoyu. The shop offers add-ins from more than a dozen additional toppings, or noodle refills for those in it for the carbs. There’s also a Kizuki location within the Portland Food Hall, for those unwilling to trek to Beaverton.

Tigard’s standout ramen spot 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 tofu curry ramen made with a Willamette Valley hazelnut broth. Traditionalists can choose between bowls of tori paitan or a pristine shoyu chintan, as well as shio and miso bowls.

After being located in Beaverton for about half a year, Ramen Ippo relocated to Nob Hill Food Carts, home to top-performing carts like Bing Mi. After working as a sushi chef in Las Vegas for more than 15 years, owner Daisuke Kondo decided to finally open his own ramen place in Portland as a cart. The main ramen here is a savory paitan (chicken broth) ramen, but there are also vegan and vegetarian options such as the creamy vegan potage ramen and the seasonal tomato ramen with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

The star of the show at chef and Osaka native Kayoko Kaye’s airy ramen counter is the mala, made with Sichuan peppercorns and a helping of dried chili peppers, though the restaurant also serves a smattering of other traditional and inventive bowls. Almost all entrees are available in vegan form, and the restaurant offers no-carb or low-carb noodle options featuring julienned and blanched zucchini and daikon.

This new 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.

At Ryan Callahan’s “Northwest noodle house,” all of the noodles are house-made with Camas Country Mill wheat or barley. Tucked under the Hawthorne Bridge, the shop is the ideal spot for a quick weekday lunch. Decor is minimal, but diners may spot a tub of sous vide chicken on the counter or a batch of eggs marinating in the cooler. For a taste of land and sea, the shop’s Santiam Shio is a marriage of chicken and salmon stock with chicken breast and a salmon meatball atop.

Counter-service style Kinboshi Ramen — formerly Marukin — is known for the incredibly creamy and rich Hakata-style tonkotsu broth and the sublime ramen add-ons. With chef Mayumi Hijikata at the helm, the ramen shop has continued to improve its ramen and gradually widen its offerings, including creamy, vegan, soy-milk-based ramens. The sides here are not to be missed, especially the tebasaki chicken wings, which are a rare find in Portland.

This super fashionable Tokyo outpost — with its industrial chic Southeast location, quick-service sister restaurant in Southwest Portland, ramen lab in Slabtown, and Beaverton izakaya — 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.

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 and miso, which can be made “red” with the addition of chili oil, spicy miso, and vegetarian. No matter which soup diners select, they can expect toothsome noodles and a perfectly jammy egg. Nama also serves poke and izakaya small plates like agedashi tofu.

Heat-seekers, this is the spot to visit. Baka Umai’s unconventional bowls range from habanero tonkotsu to ghost pepper miso, with add-on pepper “mashes” to bring additional spice to any given bowl. The flavors here are intentionally and proudly loud, even in less chile-heavy bowls like the yuzu miso or lime shio.