In Charlotte, a hot bowl of ramen is always in season.
In recent years, Charlotte restaurants have elevated your old dorm room staple into much more elevated versions of the dish.
And that’s where you come in. Our first Readers’ Choice poll of 2024 will answer the question: Where is the best ramen in the Charlotte area? We asked you for your favorite places, and we’ve compiled your favorites. Now it’s time to vote for the best of the best.
Here are the details:
Round 4 is complete, with the Top 2 ramen shops named:
Location: 222 E Bland St., Charlotte, NC 28203
Chef Michael Shortino opened Futo Buta in 2015 in South End, before ramen shops became prevalent in Charlotte’s dining scene. Shortino passed away in September 2023, but the restaurant with a dedicated following has carried on.
“Ramen shops are heavily influenced by the area that they occupy, so we found it was a perfect opportunity to source local ingredients and regionalize farmers to then kind of blend our version of a Southern lowcountry ramen,” Courtney Estes of Futo Buta told CharlotteFive.
“It just feels really great to know the city recognizes what we’re doing. I know that we’re not a super traditional shop, but we do approach this cuisine in a very traditional way. And we put a lot of man hours into making these bowls, and it feels good to know that people love it,” she said.
Location: 1508 S. Mint St., Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28203
YUME Ramen Sushi & Bar opened in Matthews in July 2016, then closed that location and moved into in South End in August 2018. Before arriving in the Charlotte area, its chef-owners Tony Yum and Patrik Tong spent years perfecting their craft in San Francisco.
Yum told CharlotteFive, “We enjoy the crowd and we enjoy making good food — great food, ramen, sushi — in Charlotte for everybody.”
“We want to continue to thrive, and we want to continue to get the support and love from all our customers. And we always have the consistency on our food, so we’re just not going to disappoint anybody,” Yum said.
Top 4
- Futo Buta
Saru by Bow Ramen
YUME Ramen Sushi & Bar
Bao and Broth
Top 10
- Futo Buta
- YUME Ramen Sushi & Bar
- Saru by Bow Ramen
- JINYA Ramen Bar
- Menya Daruma
- Ramen Bar Kazoku
- Sheng Ramen
- Bao and Broth
- Co
- Roppongi Ramen Bar
Top 18
Location: 1115 N Brevard St Suit #5, Charlotte, NC 28206
Location: 4201 Park Rd D, Charlotte, NC 28209
Location: 7416 Waverly Walk Ave suite h-4, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 360 Exchange St NW #110, Concord, NC 28027
Location: 222 E Bland St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 601 S Tryon St Unit 132, Charlotte, NC 28202
Location: 4401 Barclay Downs Dr Suite 134, Charlotte, NC 28209
Location: 8625C Lindholm Dr, Huntersville, NC 28078
Location: 1941 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28204
Location: 10110 Johnston Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210
Location: 1100 Metropolitan Ave suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28204
Location: 9882 Rea Rd F, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 7828 Rea Rd B, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 9626 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28270
Location: 15201 John J Delaney Dr B, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 1801 N Graham St, Charlotte, NC 28206
Location: 2041 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 8694 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, NC 28027
Location: 929 Park Center Dr #101, Matthews, NC 28105
Location: 2173 Hawkins St A, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 4435 Park Rd #300, Charlotte, NC 28209
Location: 1508 S Mint St Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28203
