My favorite style of ramen is finally flourishing in the Bay Area

My favorite style of ramen is tsukemen.

I love the thick, chewy noodles. I love the intense, deeply concentrated broth you dip them in. I love the process of eating the dish: When every bite feels intentional, I appreciate each one so much more.

Tsukemen, often called “dipping ramen,” was born in Tokyo in 1961, spreading across Japan and, more recently, the U.S.

There are logistical advantages to the style: Because everything but the broth is served chilled, the ingredients retain their integrity throughout the meal. The springy noodles don’t get soggy. The jammy egg doesn’t overcook if you try to save it for your last bite. If there are crunchy elements, they stay crunchy.

Eating tsukemen feels like an event, and you get an encore. Just when you think you’re done, you can ask for a little hot water or dashi. A server will stream it into your remaining dipping sauce, turning it into a slurpable soup to warm your insides just a little longer.

The first time I tasted it was at Tsujita LA, the first American branch of a famed Japanese restaurant and routinely referred to as the best ramen spot in Los Angeles. For years, I searched for a version in the Bay Area that scratched the Tsujita itch.

Until recently, it was rare to find a restaurant here that served tsukemen at all. I found temporary relief at Ramen Shop in Oakland, where the chefs quietly served a rotating tsukemen on Monday nights before the pandemic. I fondly remember a squid ink version crowned with black cod — it was so different than Tsujita, and so full of personality.

While the pandemic took that Monday special with it, it also brought a few new ramen restaurants that specialize in tsukemen. I wouldn’t say tsukemen is “having a moment” or trending — I wish it were the case! — but it is an unusually beautiful time to be a lover of dipping ramen.

Taishoken, a Japanese chain that arrived in San Mateo in 2019, opened its first San Francisco location last summer. The restaurant is known for its slightly nutty buckwheat noodles, like if soba and chewy wheat noodles had an extremely well-behaved baby. The broth, a thick blend of chicken, pork and bonito, is rich with umami from dried anchovies.

Then I tried Obaitori Ramen, which also opened last summer, and I couldn’t decide which one I liked more. At this Milpitas restaurant, the house-made noodles get dunked into a seafood paitan broth that’s creamy, extra briny and generally hard to stop eating.

But then Shugetsu opened in December, bringing yet another great ramen destination to San Mateo. Here, there are multiple broth options for tsukemen, including a deeply savory, spicy miso version. Even the standard feels special, swimming with charcoal-grilled char siu pork that lends an unusual and startling smokiness.