Real Ramen. Real Good.

Did you live off those $.15 bags of ramen in college? Ready in three minutes and packed with enough sodium to last you all week, those things sure came in clutch when you pulled an all nighter.

But that is not the kind of ramen I’m talking about. I’m talking about real food and a unique culinary experience at Otaku Ramen, with locations in the Gulch and West Nashville (plus a super-convenient to-go window in East Nashville). With its cozy neighborhood vibe, this spot offers traditional Japanese ramen, snacks, and bubble teas that will tantalize your taste buds.

Start yourself off with a Seaweed Salad (sour carrot and radish, puffed rice, and a sesame ginger dressing—which is one of my favorite dressings, by the way), University Potatoes (aka Daigaku which is a crispy sweet potato with honey and sesame), Edamame Gyoza (a pan-fried dumpling with ginger chili sauce, oh yum), a Pork Gyoza (a pan-fried dumpling too, but with pork and lemon ponzu), or the Hot Chicken or Pork Buns. Or buy one of each for the table and pass things around to try. Then you won’t get too full so you have plenty of room for the main course. (That’s how you really win.)

What kind of main course? Glad you asked. It’s time to pick from one of the incredible noodle offerings like the Tennessee Tonkotsu (with a pork bone broth, pork confit, mayu, woodear, scallion, and egg), the Shoyu (with a clear chicken broth, dashi, pork belly, scallion, and a soy-marinated egg), or the Spicy Miso (which has a pork bone broth with miso and Korean chili, ground pork, kimchi, roasted corn, scallion, and . . . you guessed it . . . egg). Also, did I ever tell you I love Miso? Well, now I have.

That’s just three of the many.

And the authentic flavors don’t stop there. Wash it down with one of their awesome Boba Teas (a Hokkaido milk tea with tapioca pearls), hot or cold green tea, Pokka brand milk coffee (a popular canned beverage from Japan), or a Ramune in various flavors. (The peach and lychee are the best, in my humble opinion.) They've also got regular American soda, if you'd prefer. But, you should grab one of the Japanese drinks and go full on with the dining experience. (Don’t worry. If you become obsessed with Ramune, you can buy more on Amazon to keep up with your new love.)

As you can see, this is not your college self’s $.15 ramen. And if you’ve never had the real deal (or if you’re a huge fan of real ramen and love trying all the spots), get yourself to one of the three Otaku Ramen locations pronto!

Have you already been? What did you order? What did you think? I love hearing from you!