Daikaya Izakaya Ramen, Chinatown, DC

My second stop in DC was at Daikaya Izakaya for a ramen lunch with Jenny and Lisa. We put our name on the list and accidentally missed their call while wandering around, but they managed to squeeze us in after we realized what had happened. I haven’t had a good bowl of ramen in a few months, and Lisa was visiting from New Orleans so who knows when she last had the good stuff. On this trip, I learned that Lisa apparently reads my blog regularly. HI LISA!!! <3

Daikaya serves sapporo style ramen, plus a non-traditional vegetable ramen for people like me. Jenny ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen and Lisa got the Shio Ramen. Both bowls looked good and were served promptly. My friends were almost done eating by the time my ramen came out. It was well worth the wait though! Daikaya’s Vegetable Ramen ($13.50) is actually 100% vegan, but since I was on vacation, I decided to add a marinated soft boiled egg ($1.50).

Bouncy noodles in a vegetable shio broth that’s finished in a wok, which gives it a nice roasted complexity. The toppings included brussels sprouts, bean sprouts, snow peas, carrots, onions, wood ear mushrooms, and braised shiitake mushrooms. The shiitakes were so deliciously juicy. The broth was very flavorful and almost creamy. I drank every last drop and didn’t feel like I was run over by an MSG train.

Save