10 picks

The Best Pho and Ramen in the Twin Cities

When it is cold here, and it is cold here a lot, a good bowl of noodle soup is the whole point. The Twin Cities has family-run pho houses that have anchored Eat Street and University Avenue for decades, a handful of serious ramen-ya, and hand-pulled noodle shops doing beef noodle soup from scratch. Here is where we go for the broth.

1 Quang Restaurant Whittier (Eat Street), Minneapolis The Eat Street pho fixture since 1989, big bowls, fast service, and a menu that runs deep. 2 Trieu Chau Frogtown, St. Paul A University Avenue mainstay locals quietly send each other to for pho and hu tieu. 3 Hoa Bien Frogtown, St. Paul Bun bo Hue and pho from a kitchen that genuinely pays attention to its broths. 4 Pho Tau Bay Whittier (Eat Street), Minneapolis Generous, reliable bowls of pho right next door to Quang on Eat Street. 5 iPho by Saigon Frogtown, St. Paul A deep pho menu in a brighter, bigger University Avenue room, good for a group. 6 Ramen Kazama Kingfield, Minneapolis Long-simmered tonkotsu in a tiny Kingfield shop doing ramen as the main event. 7 Tori Ramen West Seventh, St. Paul St. Paul's first proper ramen-ya, built entirely on chicken broth, and worth the weekend wait. 8 moto-i Lyn-Lake, Minneapolis Ramen and steamed buns with sake pulled from their own tanks, a Lyn-Lake landmark. 9 Master Noodle Frogtown, St. Paul Hand-pulled noodles and beef noodle soup made in view of the room on University Avenue. 10 Meet Up Noodle Whittier (Eat Street), Minneapolis Northwest-regional hand-pulled noodle soups on Eat Street, bowls that come out fast.