Where’s the best ramen in the Triangle? Vote now for your favorite
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Readers nominated local ramen restaurants across Raleigh, Cary and Durham.
- Organizers will run six elimination rounds from Oct 13 to Oct 27, 2025.
- The contest excludes chain restaurants with more than 25 locations to enforce local focus.
There’s something so sweet about slurping up a nice, savory bowl of ramen.
With so many delicious spots to get your fill of the fan-favorite dish, we want to know which is the very best — based on your recommendations.
We’ve collected nominations for restaurants around Raleigh, Cary, Durham and the surrounding area. Now it’s time to put it to a vote in another spicy showdown for this month’s food and dining poll.
Here are the details:
- The first round will determine the Top 15 (Note: A tie means 30 restaurants were picked). It will be live from 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13 until 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15.
- The second round will determine the Top 12 (Note: A tie means 13 restaurants were picked). It will be live from about 2 p.m. Oct. 15 until 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17.
- The third round will determine the Top 8. It will be live from about 2 p.m. Oct. 17 until 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20.
- The fourth round will determine the Top 4. It will be live from about 2 p.m. Oct. 20 until 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22.
- The fifth round will determine the Top 2. It will be live from about 2 p.m. Oct. 22 until 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24.
- The final round will determine the winner. It will be live from about 2 p.m. Oct. 24 until 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27.
Note: We were looking for local recommendations, so chain restaurants that have more than 25 locations have been excluded.
Top 2
1. Sono
2. Miso Ramen Bar
Top 4
1. Waraji
2. Gen Ramen
3. Miso Ramen Bar
4. Sono
Top 8
1. Waraji
2. Gen Ramen
3. Miso Ramen Bar
4. ISO ISO Ramen
5. Bul Box
6. Sono
7. Noodle Blvd.
8. Dashi
Top 13
1. Gen Ramen
2. Miso Ramen Bar
3. ISO ISO Ramen
4. Masa Sushi & Ramen
5. Waraji
6. Hokkaido Ramen
7. Bul Box
8. Yatai
9. Sono
10. Daijobu
11. Dashi
12. Hawkers
13. Noodle Blvd.
Top 30
Location: Multiple
Location: 101 Park at N Hills St, Raleigh, NC 27609
Location: 8030 Renaissance Pkwy, Durham, NC 27713
Location: Durham Food Hall, 530 Foster St ste 1 d, Durham, NC 27701
Location: 170 E Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Location: 415 E Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
Location: 2330 Bale St # 112, Raleigh, NC 27608
Location: 201 S Estes Dr #400A, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Location: 4051 Davis Dr, Morrisville, NC 27560
Location: 402 Oberlin Rd Suite 120, Raleigh, NC 27605
Location: 370 E Main St, Carrboro, NC 27510
Location: 737 9th St #210, Durham, NC 27705
Location: 730 9th St, Durham, NC 27705
Location: 3524 Davis Dr, Morrisville, NC 27560
Location: 919 N Harrison Ave, Cary, NC 27513
Location: 8450 Honeycutt Rd #112, Raleigh, NC 27615
Location: 311 Holland St Suite B, Durham, NC 27701
Location: 2757 NC-55, Cary, NC 27519
Location: 970 High House Rd #128, Cary, NC 27513
Location: 2409 Crabtree Blvd #104, Raleigh, NC 27604
Location: 5319 New Hope Commons Dr Ste 104, Durham, NC 27707
Location: 1718 Walnut St, Cary, NC 27511
Location: 15 Seaboard Ave, Raleigh, NC 27604
Location: 1026 Ryan Rd, Cary, NC 27511
Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings & Sweets
Location: 121 N Gregson St, Durham, NC 27701
Location: 319 Fayetteville St #101, Raleigh, NC 27601
Location: 3307 Watkins Rd, Durham, NC 27707
Location: 3612 Rogers Branch Rd Suite 101, Wake Forest, NC 27587
Location: 8711 Six Forks Rd #101, Raleigh, NC 27615
Location: 4104 Surles Ct UNIT 4, Durham, NC 27703
Location: 5910-147 Duraleigh Rd, Raleigh, NC 27612
Location: Transfer Food Hall, 500 E Davie St suite 108, Raleigh, NC 27601
This story was originally published October 13, 2025 at 9:00 AM.