Photo by Laurie Skrivan (Post-Dispatch)
Nudo House
The past decade's anticipated ramen boom in St. Louis ended up more like a ramen boomlet, if even that. (If I am touchy on the subject, it's because I am still mourning gone-too-soon Vista Ramen.) Call it whatever you like, at least the boom-that-wasn't brought us Marie-Anne Velasco and Qui Tran's Nudo House. Here you will find excellent tonkotsu, chicken paitan and mushroom ramen. (Unsurprisingly, given that Tran and his family run the iconic Vietnamese restaurant Mai Lee, you will find excellent pho, too.) I tend toward the spicy ramen, either the chile-enhanced O'Miso Spicy broth or, lately, the 'Nduja Bomb, tonkotsu with 'nduja salume from Salume Beddu. If not a boomlet, Nudo House now boasts two locations, the second of which opened in 2019 in the Delmar Loop.
Hours: Olive Boulevard: Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday);Delmar Loop: Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday)
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2017