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Ramen Gaijin, Sebastopol: When ramen is in the name of the restaurant, it better be good. And it is. Unquestionably the best in the area, with freshly made noodles, well-sourced ingredients and a full bar. 6948 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, ramengaijin.com. (Courtesy of Ramen Gaijin)
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Spicy Tan Tan Ramen with Sapporo noodles, sesame, scallion, pork belly chashu, spicy ground pork, charred cabbage, woodier and a 6 minute egg from Ramen Gaijin in Sebastopol. (John Burgess)
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Shiitake Miso Ramen at Ramen Gaijin with sapporo noodle, fried tofu, bok choy, woodear mushroom, wakame, scallion, buttered brentwood corn, and 6 minute egg. (Courtesy of Ramen Gaijin)
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Taste of Tea, Healdsburg: One of Chef Nez’s signatures is Miso Ramen ($14) made with vegan kombu broth — a traditional ramen base. Topped with bbq pork, a shoyu-marinated egg, bamboo shoots, and nori, it’s a bowl of warmth and deeply satisfying flavor. 109 North St., Healdsburg, 707-431-1995, thetasteoftea.com. (John Burgess)
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Suite D, Sonoma: Each Wednesday night (from November to March), Chef Sondra Bernstein’s crew serves up piping hot ramen at her pop-up spot from 5 to 7:30 p.m. with a sake, beer and wine bar to boot. Super casual, super tasty. 21800 Schellville Road, Sonoma, thegirlandthefig.com/ramen. (Courtesy of the girl & the fig)
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OSO Sonoma: Thursday nights are ramen night, from 5 to 10 p.m., reservations highly recommended. 9 East Napa St., Sonoma, ososonoma.com. (Courtesy of OSO Sonoma)
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Miso Good Ramen, Santa Rosa: Our fave? Miso Butter Veggie ramen. Though we’re pork lovers through and through, the veggie-centric ramen made with fermented soybean broth and piled with okra, corn, sprouts, mushrooms, and garlic seaweed, gets a bit o’ butter making it over the top delish. 507 4th St,. Santa Rosa, misogoodramen.com. (John Burgess)
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Raku Ramen and Rolls, Santa Rosa: Minimalist fast-casual izakaya featuring tonkotsu (pork), shoyu and vegan ramen bowls ($15-$16) with high-quality ingredients, along with rice bowls and a small selection of rolls and salads. We loved the cloudy tonkotsu with braised pork belly and organic veggies. 2424 Midway Dr., Santa Rosa, rakuramenandrolls.com. (Heather Irwin)
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Bird and The Bottle, Santa Rosa: Though it’s not exactly traditional, Chef Mark Stark’s matzoh ball soup with barbecued chicken thigh in ramen broth is as comforting as bubbie’s hugs. 1055 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, birdandthebottle.com. (Heather Irwin)
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Qimura, Windsor: Top-notch beef or pork chasu shoyu ramen are best bets here. 8960 Brooks Rd. South, Windsor, qimura.us. (Lorene R / Yelp)