Back home, a great bowl of soup was whatever your grandma made when you were sick. Las Vegas does it differently. Here, the best soup in town comes in a ramen bowl, and most of it sits within a few blocks on Spring Mountain Road.
Here is the part that surprised me. Four of these five picks are in or right next to Chinatown, and each one bets on a different broth. Pick the broth first and the ranking sorts itself out.
The Two Spring Mountain Classics
1. Monta Ramen, Chinatown. Monta started in Las Vegas in 2010, its own site says, and Visit Las Vegas credits it with revolutionizing the modern ramen scene here. The signature is Kurume style tonkotsu, a rich broth made by boiling down pork bones, pork fat, and collagen, in the style of Kurume in Kyushu, Japan.
Order the tonkotsu first, listed at $13.50 on the current menu. Find it at 5030 Spring Mountain Rd Suite 6, Las Vegas, NV 89146, open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
2. Ramen Sora, Chinatown. This is the Sapporo import. Visit Las Vegas describes its Sapporo style ramen as a thick miso pork broth with egg noodles, plus toppings like corn and butter, built for Hokkaido winters.
Order the miso, or the spicy miso if your day needs a reset. Find it at 4490 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102. It runs to 10:30 p.m. most nights and to 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The 24 Hour Bowl and the 20 Hour Broth
3. Shokku Ramen, Chinatown. Only in Vegas does the ramen shop never close. Shokku lists its hours as open 24/7 on its own site, and the menu lets you build a bowl from broths including miso, tonkotsu, tori, and a vegan shiitake mushroom broth.
Order the Shinigami if you are brave. The menu calls it the spiciest ramen, with tonkotsu broth, black garlic oil, pork chashu, kara-age, and a soy cured egg. The Da Oxtail signature mixes tonkotsu with house made oxtail broth. Find it at 3889 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102.
4. JINYA Ramen Bar, Rainbow. JINYA says its broths are simmered for 20 hours in house. That patience shows up in the JINYA Tonkotsu Black, with pork broth, pork chashu, garlic oil, garlic chips, fried onion, and thin noodles.
This is the pick when you are south of the Strip and do not want to drive to Chinatown. Find it at 7240 South Rainbow Blvd Suite A, Las Vegas, NV 89118, open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with happy hour daily from 3 to 5 p.m.
The Midnight Finisher, and How to Choose
5. Silverlake Ramen, Chinatown edge. Silverlake runs daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight, which makes it the reliable late bowl that is not a casino food court. Its own menu describes the Blaze as a spicy creamy pork broth with bean sprouts, spinach, green onion, seaweed, and a seasoned egg, with a choice of pork, chicken, or tofu.
Order the Blaze first, then the Garlic Truffle on a return trip. That one blends creamy pork and vegetable broth with garlic and truffle oil and comes with thick noodles. Find it at 3455 S Arville St #101, Las Vegas, NV 89102.
Quick picker, in plain terms:
- First ramen in Vegas: Monta, for the classic tonkotsu.
- Cold night, hearty bowl: Ramen Sora, for the Sapporo miso.
- 3 a.m. craving: Shokku, because it never closes.
- South side, no Chinatown drive: JINYA on Rainbow.
- Late, but not all night: Silverlake, until midnight.
Start at number one and work down. By the end of the list, you will not just have a favorite bowl. You will have a regular spot, and in a new city, that is worth more than it sounds.
