Gone are the days where ramen is only a dish for scrimping college students. Don’t get us wrong, it’s still an extremely cheap form of sustenance in most grocery stores, but it’s also a versatile noodle dish that many restaurants in the area have adopted as a unique meal experience. Ramen is often served as a noodle soup, adding all sorts of ingredients and spices that can really make it special. Just over the past few years, more and more Springfield eateries have started offering ramen on their menus. Here’s our take on the ten places in town who do it best!
Karai Ramen + Handroll
Springfield, Missouri 65807
 (417) 319-5225Karai is the new kid on the block in the Springfield ramen scene, but they’ve quickly made a name for themselves with a solid range of tasty options for enthusiasts. Karai is definitely the best place for lovers of spicy ramen. They’ve got several levels of spice that make it pretty easy to get your desired level of heat. The focus on 11 bold ingredients, offering plenty of variety and the added bonus of their delicious hand rolls makes Karai a fantastic destination for lunch or dinner.
OMO JAPANESE SOUL FOOD
(417) 755-7214
Omo really knows how to prepare a proper ramen dish, something that Springfield has longed for in foodie circles for years. They call their cuisine Soul Food because of the hearty portions and deft care they put into their food. Even if you’re not big on ramen, they have plenty of other options available in a traditional Japanese style, along with some fusion choices. The environment is really friendly and really fun, too. You’re guaranteed to be greeted with a smiling face and excellent service every time you visit the Chesterfield restaurant.
Golden Girl Rum Club
137 Park Central Sq
Springfield, Missouri 65806
(417) 425-5162
You might already know the Golden Girl Rum Club as that cool looking bar right next to the Tumbler on the square. Well, they serve more than just tropical cocktails. They also have a totally unique menu that includes some delectable ramen options! We recommend the House Ramen, which is Pork and chicken broth with pork belly and fried egg swimming around in an ambrosial broth that’ll make you feel like you’re hanging out with Dorothy, Blance, Rose and Sophia.
SKULLY’S FOOD TRUCK
505 W Commercial
(417) 298-2021The food truck phenomena is in full swing in the Queen City. Skully’s is one of the newest addition to the mobile food craze. They’ve put a big focus on being local, something we can appreciate quite a bit too. The meat they use comes from Horrman’s, a local butcher and the produce used in their dishes is also purchased locally as much as possible. Skully’s is another spot to find Ramen dishes, which have been featured in Feast and 417 Mag. They also create spring rolls, crab beignet and kim chi, all from scratch.
Lucky’s Market
3333 S. Glenstone
Springfield, Missouri 65804
 (417) 889-0779
Lucky’s is a grocery store, yes, but it’s also a great place to grab lunch. Trust us. It’s only a block away from our office. We have lunch there all the time! There are plenty of choices for lunch at Lucky’s, one of which is the ramen bar! There are several dishes to choose from on the menu, but the real fun here is choosing your own ingredients and getting the exact flavors you want. Plus, you can grab that gallon of milk while you’re at it!
KORIYA
4121 S Fremont Ave Ste 128
 (417) 882-0077
Koriya delivers a high quality, fresh Korean flavors for people looking to make healthy choices. They can accomodate gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian diets with ease! We recommend the spicy shrimp ramen. It’s a great choice for a lunch that won’t leave you feeling overly full, but you won’t be hungry either!
KAI AFTER DARK
 (417) 832-0077
Kai After Dark has been the go to sushi and Asian fine dining spot in downtown Springfield for a long time. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but don’t miss out on their three awesome ramen dishes on the lunch menu. We recommend the Lobster ramen, because there’s nothing else like it in town. It’s got pork dumplings, bok choy, and 6oz. lobster tail in a lobster broth. Oishii!
LEONG’S ASIAN DINER
1540 W Republic Rd
 (417) 887-7500
Photo courtesy of tripadvisor.com
Leong’s is pretty famous. No big deal, but they kinda invented cashew chicken. Obviously, it’s pretty tough to go there and get something other than the original Springfield-style cashew chicken, but they have a ton of other great dishes too. The Noodle Bowl is a Leong’s take on ramen that features a zesty broth, your choice of beef, pork or chicken, mushrooms, onions, carrots, kim chee and a fried egg. You can always get a cashew chicken for dessert!
NOVO ASIAN BISTRO
2025 W Sunshine St
 (417) 719-4141
Novo is quickly becoming a west side favorite for lovers of Asian cuisine. They have a robust menu, offering tons of variety. Nestled under the noodle section is the chicken ramen, which has a dropped egg, veggies aplenty, grilled chicken and noodles in a spicy broth. Sorry, we couldn’t find a photo! You’ll just have to go in and see it for yourself!
Tasia
4728 S Campbell Ave
Springfield, Missouri 65810
(417) 890-6789
Tasia, AKA Taste of Asia is conveniently located on south Campbell. They’ve got basically any kind of Asian dish you can think of, including a versatile ramen situation. You can get three different proteins, tofu, chicken or seafod, plus there’s an all veggie version. The broth can be spicy or not, depending on your mood. The dish also has two kinds of onions, carrots, napa, snow peas, bean sprout, mushroom and zucchini.
Source: New feed
