they've only been open a few weeks but pickerel is a real frontrunner in my mind. i've been 3 times and felt like everything was of a really high quality, not to mention that the cocktails and desserts were especially good too.

Save your time and don't go to Ganko Ittetsu Ramen on Thayer. Went last week, it's filthy inside, the staff is really inexperienced (not their fault, but it was really rough), and the food wasn't anywhere near good enough to try it again. Made me sad

Ebisu at the intersection of Pontiac and Reservoir right on the Providence/Cranston line.

Somebody inevitably will say Wara Wara. I would question where else they've been, because I would not put that at the top of any list.

I was recommended Wara Wara on hope st. last year by the lovely folks on this sub, it's been the only place my partner and I have gone for ramen ever since. Excellent staff, funky atmosphere, wide range of options and some stupid good pork belly buns to boot. Highly suggest it.

Ganko on Thayer st

Edit: though I haven't been in a minute. Sounds like quality went downhill from another commenter :(

Guess I have to try out some of these other suggestions!

Surprising considering their really solid rating on google. I've been to their brookline location and it was quite good. Might have just been an off day there for you :/

Where’s the good place at then?? If you’re gonna knock one place at least offer up a better one

Y noodle bar, same plaza as beer on earth and slow Rhode. So good.

My go-tos lately have been either Ebisu or Pho Saigon (yeah I realize it's not ramen), both in Cranston.

Would not say pho Saigon is ramen, it’s pho (I’m Cambodian) Ebisu is really good

I like Tori Tomo, if you can get a table.

yes, please.

Ebisu also has a location on Warren Avenue in East Providence right off exit 1D on I195E

Ken’s Ramen

What are the best places to buy Pho?

Pickerel in Luongo Square!

Was just there last week. Staff comment is on-point, but I’d still recommend it. I don’t get the Ganko hate, it must be a seasonal staffing thing? Their ramen is so much better than what I’ve had at Wara Wara.

Would not recommend the tan tan men. The pork was really dry and unseasoned. Was a really disappointed. :(

There’s a new spot on the west side called Pickeral that looks pretty great. In the old Big King/North spot off Carpenter Street.

That’s not quite how recommendations work tho is it……

No longer go to Wara due to their recent controversy (see reviews). Gonna stick with Tori Tomo or Genko.

It was pretty surprising. It was the dirtiest front of house I've seen in a long time. Don't want to think about the areas I couldn't see. It doesn't get that dirty if there isn't serious issues in staffing/mgt.

I haven't had any in PVD that is consistent and delicious enough to recommend. I was giving a warning.

Edit words

Not familiar with the controversy and I'm not finding anything on their yelp page or through google reviews. Got a source?

Wara Wara on Hope St is excellent. I really like the tomato ramen (vegan if you want). Another decent place (though I had an issue the second time I went there) is Ganko Ittetsu Ramen on Thayer St near Brown. Not as big a menu as I'd like, and service can be slow (they also absolutely do NOT do takeout). Let us know how it goes!

Idk, the ramen was only ok, with really fatty meat and a pretty small portion (I know it's supposed to have fat, this was not that). I just think it's overpriced when you can get the same quality product elsewhere

Didn't they close a while ago?

Ebisu hands down

Tori Tomo

Their cold open was all over my IG feed when it came around a few weeks ago, really gotta go check it out. Looks pretty damn good from the photos.

If they did, I am behind lol

Pickerel in Luongo square hands down. Make all the noodles in-house, small-ish menu so everything is really cared for and done right, great rotations of soups, and house made ice cream!

Y noodle bar is always my go to

Pickerel really is the only answer, I know they haven’t been around long but it’s the best in the state….maybe beyond.

Not ramen per say - but Jah Hunger

Owner is outspoken against the hope st. trail (signs on front door and on tables) and when he gets called out on it in reviews, he denies it or tries to play it off.

People can support him if they want but I've lost too many people in Providence and I definitely don't appreciate his lying and ignorance of the situation.

When a business gets in politics, they should expect this.

This place was great.

Kens Ramen used to slap but I think they moved

They closed 3-4 years ago haha

Really? I’ve had it twice and it’s been phenomenal both times. Wonder if you went on a bad night or if I just have poor taste 😅

I believe the owners of Wara Wara also own Tori Tomo…I think they also originally opened Ebisu, but have since sold it.

Thanks for reminding me, I need to try them

personally i like tori tomo but wara wara is good too

Its not a political issue… imagine not eating ramen you love because the guy who owns the place has an opinion about a bike lane lmao

Mokban on Westminster St

RIP Ken's that place was umatched for New England ramen

Ah, good to know. I was walking down Hope St. this evening and saw a guy in a Jeep try to run a cyclist off the road while honking with one hand and holding a cellphone with the other.

Are they still around? I thought they closed?

Same here. I have had it multiple times and never an issue.

Oh.. gonna have to look into that, thank you.

Ahh, fair enough.

y noodle bar is super yummy

Can confirm, is pretty great. I had one of the owner's pop-ups a couple years back and no ramen after that was as good.

Seconded.

Pickerel gets an A. Tori Tomo gets a B. Everything else is fast food ramen. The duck ramen at Wara Wara gets honorable mention.

Rip kens

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They actually won best of Boston in recent years (other location is Brookline). I like other options a bit more, but if that's a testament to the pretty solid reviews it does tend to have in the larger area.

Amazing! And good to hear. I need to get down there soon to check it out.

Pickerel!!!!!!

I do enjoy their ramen, but honestly credit where it is due for a range of traditional Japanese foods. I was thrilled to find a traditional curry that I haven't even seen on a menu outside of Japan and okonomiyaki isn't impossible to find state-side, but very well done there. They're really solid at their niche.

Y Noodle Bar, hands down.

How is that “getting political”? God forbid a business prefers to have more parking in front of their establishment

Ganko on Thayer Street. Skip Y noodle.

> Its not a political issue… imagine not eating ramen you love because the guy who owns the place has an opinion about a bike lane lmao

I suggest you read on what 'Political' means. It absolutely is political as it involves policy and public affairs.

Because it involves public policy hence it's political.

>God forbid a business prefers to have more parking in front of their establishment

To me, sacrificing 1-2 parking spots in front of your establishment for a safer, better community that can improve your business because it's now more accessible is a pretty obvious choice to me.

More on the safety thing: Ask anyone who walks, bikes, using scooters, is disabled, etc., if they know anyone who has died doing so in Providence and how many close calls they had that day. Perhaps that alone will change your mind.

Oh my bad, just learning what political means rn… def don’t eat there because of his politics, I get it now thank you locksmith pitiful

I’m just saying, they presumably are taking their stance on the matter solely based on the business they own and less so based on their views on public policy more broadly.

They must believe they get more customers who drive to their establishment than bike there, and so they want to preserve the parking that exists. It’s not like these businesses have their own private parking lots.

I like the idea of making providence more bike friendly in general, but if I were a business owner I’d probably be against it too purely for business reasons

>I’m just saying, they presumably are taking their stance on the matter solely based on the business they own and less so based on their views on public policy more broadly.

It sounds like you're suggesting they care more about their business than the community. Can you clarify?

>They must believe they get more customers who drive to their establishment than bike there, and so they want to preserve the parking that exists. It’s not like these businesses have their own private parking lots.

It is unfortunate they don't look at the evidence. From the reviews, it's costing them. They put out a public stance against the community, the community reacted. They're also losing business only catering to cars in a huge non-car user area, oh well... shrug

>if I were a business owner I’d probably be against it too purely for business reasons

Just like many other businesses on Hope who support it, I'd support it as well. It's been implemented in cities throughout the world and every single time, there's a few businesses who complain and are proven wrong -- every, single, time. More people walk, bike, use scooters, etc, than these businesses care to consider.

I may be biased because I live around the corner. The issue is about the lack of parking and the bike lane taking a lot of it away. I’m all for the bike lane except for when inconsiderate people block my driveway because there’s no where else to park. Maybe the group of restaurants could start a valet parking service? I dunno it’s a tough issue.

> I may be biased because I live around the corner.

Same!

>The issue is about the lack of parking and the bike lane taking a lot of it away.

Well, that's what a few of the businesses against it claim. Studies have been done in the area showing otherwise, and anecdotally and talking with friends, we've never had issues parking. The issues we've had however, are with cars running non-car users off the road.

Genuine questions: I literally nearly get clipped every time I'm on that street, people in the community meetings also share the same issue around safety, are we waiting until someone dies? Why are we catering to a few businesses while many in the area support it? Why are we catering exclusively to cars and not non-car users, students, disabled people, etc? Is 1-2 parking spaces per business worth the safety risks, pollution, community betterment, stopping families, kids and non-car users from accessing the road? Is this not the definition of "NIMBY thinking"?

> I’m all for the bike lane except for when inconsiderate people block my driveway because there’s no where else to park.

People have everywhere to park. This infrastructure also encourages non-car use which decreases the need for parking. And frankly, people really ought to get off the " car only"mentality -- everyone drives these huge SUVs which take up to 2 spaces and is ignoring the effects of climate change which also doesn't help.

>I dunno it’s a tough issue.

With all due respect, it really, really isn't. If we want this city to evolve, the answer is clear.

Pickerel, great ramen even better people. And Ebisu.

>It sounds like you're suggesting they care more about their business than the community. Can you clarify?

What is there to clarify? If you own a business and your livelihood is tied to that business, then you’ll tend to oppose proposals if you think they’ll harm your business. Not much of a hot take.

>It is unfortunate they don't look at the evidence. From the reviews, it's costing them. They put out a public stance against the community, the community reacted. They're also losing business only catering to cars in a huge non-car user area, oh well... shrug

I’m not sure that a small sample of recent reviews can be used as broader evidence. It’s usually just the loudest people like yourself who will complain in public forums.

>Just like many other businesses on Hope who support it, I'd support it as well. It's been implemented in cities throughout the world and every single time, there's a few businesses who complain and are proven wrong -- every, single, time. More people walk, bike, use scooters, etc, than these businesses care to consider.

It’s an interesting question to see if the policy would help or hurt business. Keep in mind that Hope St is not some crowded downtown area where walking/biking/public transit may be significantly more convenient. Although I would personally think the loss of parking would be a negative for business, I’m not so smug to imply I know what’s best for them and their business with 100% certainty. Perhaps you should be the next Mayor.

> If you own a business and your livelihood is tied to that business, then you’ll tend to oppose proposals if you think they’ll harm your business. Not much of a hot take.

Well, if they ignorantly think it'll harm their business and go against the community, well, they reap what they sow.

>I’m not sure that a small sample of recent reviews can be used as broader evidence.

Uh... you realize that the US Department of Transit, the entire Urban Transit and planning fields, and even the United Nations supports this infrastructure due to the overwhelming evidence, right? This isn't just reviews, there are thousands of peer reviewed studies and case studies on this. It's been implemented around the world, this ain't new. What's next, wind turbines cause cancer? Come on.

>It’s usually just the loudest people like yourself who will complain in public forums.

The loudest people are the minority against it. Demonstrated in full force at the community meetings.

> Although I would personally think the loss of parking would be a negative for business

Please cite your evidence.

>I’m not so smug to imply I know what’s best for them and their business with 100% certainty. Perhaps you should be the next Mayor.

Perhaps you should read the evidence instead of basing your opinion on feelings.

Lastly, you keep harping on the business point and ignoring people actually fucking dying and being too scared to even go on Hope St. Why? What about everyone else in the area who doesn't drive cars? What about climate change? Is this worth 1-2 parking spots per business?

Pho Horn is my favorite place to go.

Glad we weren’t the only ones unimpressed by it. Very mid food, can’t say the service or cleanliness was that bad though

Will plug Ebisu as a much better experience completely.

Bóru in Newport

I would disagree, not really a fan of their ramen

I miss them 😭😭

I actually found out they don't make the noodles in house (the owner told me)—but I believe they are special / from a renowned chef, and they do plan to make their own at some point!

>Well, if they ignorantly think it'll harm their business and go against the community, well, they reap what they sow.

Assuming you're correct and they're not. Which may or may not be true.

>Uh... you realize that the US Department of Transit, the entire Urban Transit and planning fields, and even the United Nations supports this infrastructure due to the overwhelming evidence, right? This isn't just reviews, there are thousands of peer reviewed studies and case studies on this. It's been implemented around the world, this ain't new. What's next, wind turbines cause cancer? Come on.

Let's see these peer reviewed studies you speak of. I can almost guarantee you're extrapolating the results of some studies that analyze densely populated urban areas to the East side of providence which is more of a suburban part of a small- to mid-sized city.

​

>The loudest people are the minority against it. Demonstrated in full force at the community meetings.

It's the minority tho. Doesn't mean that they represent the average resident.

>Please cite your evidence.

Which part?

>Perhaps you should read the evidence instead of basing your opinion on feelings.
>
>Lastly, you keep harping on the business point and ignoring people actually fucking dying and being too scared to even go on Hope St. Why? What about everyone else in the area who doesn't drive cars? What about climate change? Is this worth 1-2 parking spots per business?

Not based on feelings. I feel like you're the one who will back any position that fits your personally preferred outcome without evidence. I live right off of Hope St and have not seen or heard of any deaths or severe injuries during my time here. That kind of alarmism makes for a good "holier than thou" argument tho, so kudos on that.

And climate change? Give me a break. People aren't going to be biking 5-10 miles to go out to eat, and using or not using 0.1 gallons of gas isn't going to have any real impact. Hope St. parking gets crowded as-is without closing off one side of the street.

>Let's see these peer reviewed studies you speak of.

No. This is a consensus. You can use Google scholar, look at the US dept. of transportion website, or simply google and find many, many resources.

> I live right off of Hope St and have not seen or heard of any deaths or severe injuries during my time here.

So do I and I have been fucking chased, threatened, and run off the road - on Hope. I've had friends die in Providence. People who went to be community meetings also told similar stories.

Everything else you said reeks of pure ignorance and lack of empathy for noncar users and thus is not worth my time. Also not going to humor anti-science propaganda around climate change.

Pretty much all prior studies examine whether it impacts businesses in crowded city areas, not in more suburban areas like the east side. Also, parking on Hope st can already be a pain sometimes. I can only imagine how bad it would be if you take away half the spots.

Hope st is a very crowded area, especially with the huge student population, in one of the most dense cities in the US.

We did the trail for a week and it was fine, more people were able to access Hope, families, kids, the disabled, etc, finally felt safe and could commute and ride around. As per studies and my observation, there's an over abundance of parking. And again, this infrastructure reduces parking needs as it encourages noncar transport.

We cannot keep catering to only cars especially in the wake of safety hazards, a growing dense city, climate change, and everything else.

If a business cannot survive losing 1-2 parking spots (even though all evidence shows it increases business), that's on them.

You can choose wherever you want to eat or shop. There's places I support because of their stances and politics and shops I don't support because of their stances and politics. It goes both ways for me.

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Hope St is not that crowded if you’re comparing it to any city area. If you’ve never ventured outside RI, take a trip to NYC or any major city and tell me how similar it is to Hope St.

If you’re Wara Wara, KG Kitchen, or any other sit down restaurant on Hope St, your typical customer is not coming via bicycle.

> If you’re Wara Wara, KG Kitchen, or any other sit down restaurant on Hope St, your typical customer is not coming via bicycle.

A typical customer absolutely is... well, they won't be because Hope St. is literally a death trap. Very few I know in the cycling community go down Hope for that reason and people in the community meetings have said the same. You've surely been to them and heard this, right?

You've also yet to convince me that 1-2 parking spaces is worth the lives of non-car users, climate change, accessibility, losing business, that this infrastructure won't reduce car use and thus parking needs, etc. I've also provided you with details around local and urban planning studies but you simply dismiss it all. This feels like I'm arguing with those anti-vaxxers or evolution deniers again.

This feels like I’m arguing with someone who makes AOC look like a tea party conservative.

It’s great that you bike everywhere and hang out with other like-minded cyclists, but that doesn’t mean you represent the standard resident or potential customer. The average person is not completing the Tour de France prior to sitting down for tapas and cocktails.

You literally ignored all my points, again.

>This feels like I’m arguing with someone who makes AOC look like a tea party conservative.

What are you... you're literally playing the typical republican, car obsessed American here.

>It’s great that you bike everywhere and hang out with other like-minded cyclists, but that doesn’t mean you represent the standard resident or potential customer.

Most people own bikes and have families, and they want the Hope St. bike trail according to surveys, again, primarily for safety reasons as stated in the community meetings.

>The average person is not completing the Tour de France prior to sitting down for tapas and cocktails.

Huh...? Bro. I have a cheap bike I sometimes use to commute short distances like many others. I drive, I bus, I walk. The typical resident in the area likely doesn't even own a car as students may be the majority on the East Side, but that's not the point.

>What are you... you're literally playing the typical republican, car obsessed American here.

Our cities aren’t designed to get around solely by walking, biking, and relying on public transit. You can call me car obsessed all you want, but I don’t see any other way that I could practically survive while living on the East side.

>Most people own bikes and have families, and they want the Hope St. bike trail according to surveys, again, primarily for safety reasons as stated in the community meetings.'

Most people going out to dinner at Wara Wara are not biking there, with or without the bike trail. I’m not doubting that a number of very vocal people want the bike trail, but soon we will have a bunch of vocal people complaining about the lack of parking.

>Huh...? Bro. I have a cheap bike I sometimes use to commute short distances like many others. I drive, I bus, I walk. The typical resident in the area likely doesn't even own a car as students may be the majority on the East Side, but that's not the point.

Congrats! I’m sure your decision to bike 1 mile to Hope St instead of driving has really put a dent in global warming.

> Our cities aren’t designed to get around solely by walking, biking, and relying on public transit.

Wait, are you telling me Providence was built when cars were around or did we accommodate them over time while ignoring other modes of transit?

We just started putting in this accessible infrastructure a few years ago. We're currently catching up to other cities. Your suggestion to continue to cater to only cars is kinda fucking stupid and goes against modern urban planning and basic reasoning.

>You can call me car obsessed all you want, but I don’t see any other way that I could practically survive while living on the East side.

Proved my point about the need for accessible infrastructure 👍

>Most people going out to dinner at Wara Wara are not biking there, with or without the bike trail.

Most are but again, not the point.

>but soon we will have a bunch of vocal people complaining about the lack of parking.

oh no, they might need to walk 30 extra seconds!

>Congrats! I’m sure your decision to bike 1 mile to Hope St instead of driving has really put a dent in global warming.

"Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Rhode Island. Vehicles accounted for 35.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2017." - RI DEM

>Wait, are you telling me Providence was built when cars were around or did we accommodate them over time while ignoring other modes of transit?

We’re not moving back to less efficient modes of transportation as out primary means of getting around. It’d be nice to have more options, but I will still need to drive when I go to work in the morning.

>We just started putting in this accessible infrastructure a few years ago. We're currently catching up to other cities. Your suggestion to continue to cater to only cars is kinda fucking stupid and goes against all science and basic reasoning.

You continue to ignore the fact that Hope St is in the middle of a residential area, not a city downtown. There are many locals like myself that can walk to anywhere on Hope St, but people coming in from more than a mile or so away are going to drive.

>Most are but again, not the point.

This is an assertion of yours without evidence. Perhaps this is why many of the business owners see it differently than you. Presumably if they thought this change would help business, they would all be fully supportive.

>oh no, they might need to walk 30 extra seconds!

And possibly waste twenty minutes driving in circles looking for a spot while polluting the environment.

>"Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Rhode Island. Vehicles accounted for 35.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2017." - RI DEM

My point was that if you live sufficiently close that you have the option of biking or walking, your drive would be so short that the impact on emissions would be negligible. And if you live 5+ miles away, you’re probably not considering biking to dinner to begin with.

> I will still need to drive when I go to work in the morning.

No, when we build the accessible lane, you HAVE to use it. And since you drive, everyone else drives. eyeroll

>You continue to ignore the fact that Hope St is in the middle of a residential area, not a city downtown.

Residential areas have the most activity when it comes to non-car usage.

>but people coming in from more than a mile or so away are going to drive.

Tell how building an accessible lane is stopping you from commuting a mile.

>And possibly waste twenty minutes driving in circles looking for a spot while polluting the environment.

City and local studies have shown there's an overabundance of parking already that is never filled to capacity. You'll park on the corner and walk 30 seconds, boohoo!

I literally was there last night and found parking directly in front. I was there a few days ago again and found similar parking. In my almost 20 years here, I have never had an issue parking, lmao

>And if you live 5+ miles away, you’re probably not considering biking to dinner to begin with.

Interesting how other cities and countries people do that just fine... something, something... infrastructure? Naw, can't be! Surely, people don't bike/scooter/walk/bus commute in the smallest state in the nation because they're just lazy, not because they don't feel safe and would likely die because we only cater to cars.

>No, when we build the accessible lane, you HAVE to use it. And since you drive, everyone else drives. eyeroll

No idea what you’re even responding to here. I think you misinterpreted what I was saying.

Anyway, kind of tired of dealing with your pompous know-it-all attitude and self righteous manner of conversing. We clearly don’t see eye to eye and likely never will.

ill never see eye to eye with someone who only cares about cars and nothing else

I'll see you at the community meetings.