For the past 3 years, I've been on the search for good ramen in the Valley and have been disappointed to say the least. If I had to choose, the best ramen I had found was at Fujiya Market. Unfortunately, they only makes 25 bowls of ramen at 11am on Saturdays.
However, earlier this year, Tampopo Ramen opened on Southern & McClintock to show Tempe how ramen is done. This place is great — they make their own noodles daily and have good toppings (bamboo shoots, corn, soft egg, bean sprouts, mushrooms, onions, chicken, shrimp, pork, and scallops) and sides (gyoza, takoyaki, chicken karaage). Now, I LOVE ramen and have had the opportunity to try a variety of different noodles (thick, thin, crimped, chewy, etc.). But Tampopo actually offers something I haven't had before — spicy ramen NOODLES that are pinkish-red. Therefore, not only can you order a spicy broth, but now you can have spicy noodles too!
My favorite thing to order at Tampopo is the spicy miso ramen with kakuni. Kakuni is braised pork belly flavored with shoyu (soy sauce), which is super tender and delicious! The ramen also comes with char siu (also pork belly), bean sprouts, a soft egg, ginger, and negi (green onions). I always add corn and bamboo shoots to my ramen, as well. I normally end up saying "kaedama", which is how you ask for another serving of noodles.
So, in conclusion, if you are a ramen lover in Phoenix and haven't tried Tampopo yet, what are you doing??? Have no one to go with? Try it alone! Tampopo is set up like the traditional Japanese ramen shops, some bar seating for eating alone, a long community table, as well as a few individual tables. I finally found a place to get my ramen fix, and it's in Tempe no less!
Or, if you're feeling even more adventurous, try making ramen on your own!