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The Ten Best Places to Warm Up With Ramen This Winter

By Danielle Lirette

Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at 9:30 a.m.

Danielle Lirette Spicy miso ramen at Osaka Ramen. 1/50

Danielle Lirette Osaka Ramen is located at 2611 Walnut Street in RiNo. 2/50

Danielle Lirette Osaka Ramen opened in May 2015. 3/50

Danielle Lirette Chef/owner Jeff Osaka also owns the upscale 12@Madison and three Sushi-Rama locations. 4/50

Danielle Lirette Osaka Ramen is located belowground, but the neon sign can be seen from Walnut Street. 5/50

Danielle Lirette Tonkotsu ramen (left) and tan tan men at Misaki@Superior. 6/50

Danielle Lirette Misaki@Superior is located at 402 Marshall Road in Superior. 7/50

Danielle Lirette This is the second Misaki from owners Charlene Thai and Robert Thai and chef Jesus Silva. The original is at Stanley Marketplace. 8/50

Danielle Lirette Misaki@Superior opened in spring 2018. 9/50

Danielle Lirette Misaki@Superior also serves sushi. 10/50

Danielle Lirette Spicy pork shoyu ramen at Udon Kaisha. 11/50

Danielle Lirette Udon Kaisha is located at 191 West South Boulder Road in Lafayette. 12/50

Danielle Lirette Udon Kaisha has served noodle bowls and sushi in Lafayette since 2012. 13/50

Danielle Lirette As the restaurant's name suggests, the udon bowls here are as good as the ramen. 14/50

Danielle Lirette Udon Kaisha is simple and straightforward, as a noodle house should be. 15/50

Danielle Lirette Green chile ramen is a seasonal specialty at Bones. 16/50

Danielle Lirette Bones is located at 701 Grant Street. 17/50

Danielle Lirette Bones was opened in 2009 by restaurateur Frank Bonanno, who also owns Mizuna, Luca and Vesper Lounge on the same block. 18/50

Danielle Lirette Bones marries ramen tradition with modern techniques and Colorado ingredients. 19/50

Danielle Lirette Bones has been a Governor's Park neighborhood staple for nearly a decade. 20/50

Danielle Lirette Rich, pork-based tonkotsu at Katsu Ramen. 21/50

Danielle Lirette Katsu Ramen opened in Aurora in 2015 at 1930 South Havana Street. 22/50

Danielle Lirette Aurora was so starved for good ramen that there were lines out the door for months when Katsu first opened. 23/50

Danielle Lirette Katsu has sinced settled into the diverse Aurora dining scene but remains a popular favorite. 24/50

Danielle Lirette Katsu Ramen displays plastic replicas of the food served inside, much like some restaurants in Japan. 25/50

Danielle Lirette Tonkotsu ramen at Ototo. 26/50

Danielle Lirette Ototo is located at 1501 South Pearl Street. 27/50

Danielle Lirette Ototo is the third restaurant from the Kizaki brothers, who also run Sushi Den and Izakaya Den across the street. 28/50

Danielle Lirette Ototo opened in 2015 as a reboot of a previous version of the restaurant. 29/50

Danielle Lirette Ototo serves robatayaki (skewers grilled over oak charcoal) and other Japanese bar food. 30/50

Danielle Lirette Seafood tonyu ramen (front) with chicken curry tsukumen (cold dipping) ramen noodles and side dishes from Domo's lunch set. 31/50

Danielle Lirette Domo is one of Denver's most stunningly appointed restaurants, with a Japanese country house motif. 32/50

Danielle Lirette Domo is located at 1365 Osage Street and has a Japanese garden, martial arts training center and small museum on the property. 33/50

Danielle Lirette A replica of a Japanese country home gives visitors a glimpse into family life 100 years ago. 34/50

Danielle Lirette Domo's entrance is set off the street, making it a pleasant surprise in a semi-industrial setting. 35/50

Danielle Lirette Spicy dashi ramen with sesame pork belly at Sera's Ramen Enclave. 36/50

Danielle Lirette Sera's Ramen Enclave is located at 3472 West 32nd Avenue in West Highland. 37/50

Danielle Lirette Sera's Ramen Enclave was opened by Sera Nguyen in 2015. 38/50

Danielle Lirette Sera's took over the space occupied by Bang! for twenty years. 39/50

Danielle Lirette The kitchen at Sera's is visible through the front windows, but the dining room entrance is located in the back. 40/50

Danielle Lirette Spicy chicken ramen at Uncle. 41/50

Danielle Lirette Uncle is located at 2215 West 32nd Avenue in LoHi. 42/50

Danielle Lirette Uncle's tiny kitchen serves a dining room that's packed to the windows nightly. 43/50

Danielle Lirette Uncle is owned by Tommy Lee, who also runs Hop Alley in RiNo. 44/50

Danielle Lirette There's almost always a line at Uncle. 45/50

Danielle Lirette Shio ramen at Tokio. 46/50

Danielle Lirette Tokio is located at 2907 Huron Street, behind Coors Field. 47/50

Danielle Lirette Owner Miki Hashimoto opened Tokio in 2014. 48/50

Danielle Lirette Hashimoto can often be seen behind the counter at Tokio. 49/50

Danielle Lirette Tokio is a hidden treasure trove of Japanese cuisine. 50/50

The Ten Best Places to Warm Up With Ramen This Winter

Hearty meats, a mound of springy noodles and a steaming basin of broth make ramen the perfect dish for the winter months. Often, a slick of oil traps in the heat to keep your ramen piping hot down to the last spoonful, and added ingredients — from soft-cooked eggs to piles of fresh veggies — make ramen a filling one-bowl meal. Here are ten of the best noodle houses in metro Denver serving a variety of ramen styles. All photos by Danielle Lirette.

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