This South End spot is CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice winner for best ramen in Charlotte
Where is the best ramen in the Charlotte area?
Our first Readers’ Choice poll of 2024 has answered the question on everyone’s mind during soup season: We asked you for your favorite places to get ramen, then compiled your favorites, and you voted for the best ones.
Gone are the days of dorm-room ramen eaten out of a coffee cup. These experiences are elevated, with complex flavor combinations. They are also uniquely Charlotte, and coincidentally, uniquely South End. In fact, the winner and the runner-up are located less than a half-mile walk apart. Ramen crawl, anyone?
Here’s the restaurant with the best ramen in Charlotte, according to you:
The best ramen in Charlotte: YUME Ramen Sushi & Bar
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.
Runner-up for best ramen in Charlotte: Futo Buta
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.
Best ramen in Charlotte
Don’t forget to read about all of the 18 restaurants you nominated for the best ramen in the area.
Read more on CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice winners:
- Best Coffee Shop
- Best Chicken Wings
- Best Doughnuts
- Best Burgers
- Best Ice Cream
- Best Brewery
- Best Pizza
- Best Sushi
- Best Tacos
- Best Food truck
- Best Bar
This story was originally published February 22, 2024 at 6:00 AM.