The ramen at the Ramen Shop deserves the accolades, but so do the cocktails. The drinks are balanced and interesting, while still being food friendly. The excellent Japanese whiskey collection also lets you drink like they do in Japan -- in a highball with soda water accompanied by delicious food.

The warm noodle bowls at Ramen Shop aren’t the only thing that’ll keep you warm. You’ll love the cozy, sultry atmosphere in this Oakland gem, too. Sit at the bar directly across the open kitchen or enjoy an intimate, dimly lit dinner at a table for two.

This impeccably hip spot does steaming bowls of ramen – ranging from green garlic beef shoyu broth to a vegetarian bowl – as well as rice dishes, served…

It’s been a long and delightful day, wandering, tasting and exploring, and now you’re probably ready for a nice cocktail and an early dinner. Just head north on College two blocks to Ramen Shop for the Bay Area’s best ramen (and best fried rice and donburi, too!) But be careful — it’s easy to pass it by since the signage is quite subtle: look on the east side of the street just north of Jules Thin Crust. It’s not a bad idea to arrive a little early to Ramen Shop (they open at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on weekends), as they don’t take reservations and this place is very popular!

Mind Blown.” “Mouthgasm.” Such words don’t come easily from Ramen lovers on Yelp, but since Ramen Shop (pictured top) opened in late 2012, the Rockridge spot has become the gold standard for ramen in the East Bay. Whether it’s the Chez Panisse pedigree, the Japanese noodle machine or the expertly paired cocktails, these guys are doing something right, as evident by the long lines to eat there. In August, it was reported that they’re taking over the former luggage shop next door, and expanding both the dining and bar space.

When you love Ramen noodles and Asian cuisine is much as we do, you’ll definitely make the Ramen Shop at 5812 College Ave. in Oakland a regular stop when you’re hungry and decided to grab a bite to eat. The best part about this restaurant is it recently expanded, taking over the luggage shop next door. The restaurant is much bigger now and they even have a bigger prep kitchen, a bar, and they even have their own noodle room as well, which makes the dining experience that much better.

A relative newcomer to the Oakland restaurant scene, the Ramen Shop has taken College Avenue by force — which is saying something, since it’s right across the street from Zachary’s Pizza. The restaurant sources a lot of their produce locally, which is immediately apparent in the quality and taste of the food. Be prepared to spend quite a bit on this meal — ramen bowls cost over $18 and the perfectly-crafted cocktails are $10 and up.

And if you’re wondering, we didn’t find a soul who doesn’t adore the ramen made by former Chez Panisse chefs at the Ramen Shop on Oakland’s College Avenue. Walt French, a Wagner opera enthusiast, gave us thumbs up on the shop’s “so incredibly rich” miso ramen, adding that the place is “open late, so we culture vultures can get a bite after an evening of Das Rheingold—tho not Götterdämmerung.” ♦

Despite the Bay Area’s never-ending appetite for ramen, there isn’t another restaurant making ramen quite like Ramen Shop. For more than five years, Chez Panisse alumni Jerry Jaksich, Rayneil De Guzman and Sam White have put out gleaming bowls of unique, Northern California-style ramen. There are three on offer each day, each swimming with snappy, thin noodles and pristine ingredients.

Not your typical Japanese ramen shop, this joint has more of a hipster vibe. Located in Oakland’s trendy Rockridge neighborhood, the Ramen Shop is known for putting its own California-quirky spin on this traditional Japanese dish. For example, vegetarians usually opt for the Veggie Meyer Lemon Shoyu Ramen.

Classic Shoyu Ramen with ginger scallion chicken breast, seasonal veggies, half shoyu marinated egg and greens. Broth is COLD- please reheat and pour over noodles. (broth contains poultry and fish) contains gluten noodles contain egg vegan noodles upon request

Over in the Rockridge neighborhood, you can get your ramen with a dash of street cred since the team behind Ramen Shop brings their knowledge from having worked at Chez Panisse. People go for the garlic shoyu ramen but stay for the cocktails and small bites!

Fresh" is the first word that comes to mind when eating at Ramen Shop. You can taste the efforts of using fresh ingredients and flavors. Their noodles at legit hand made with that perfect chewy texture and consistency.

Yes, the head noodle maker—a Chez Panisse alum—studied under a ramen master in Japan. Yes, the chefs infuse the dishes with seasonal ingredients like Meyer lemon and Dungeness crab. No, they don’t take reservations.

The third was Ramen Shop, the Oakland eatery started last year by three ex-chefs from Chez Panisse. Ramen Shop has probably the most talked about west coast bowl, and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.