With all this extra time at home, we did try our hand at making ramen. We figured it couldn’t be too difficult to make a delicious broth with pork, garlic, ginger, and onions. But at 2am, during the eighth hour of broth skimming, we fell asleep at our kitchen counter, and subsequently woke up to a pot of dry bones. So take it from us - skip this Brothers Grimm-like experience, and order ramen from one of these places instead.
The Spots

Tsurumen in Davis Square normally has an ever-changing ramen selection, but all the bowls we’ve tried are extremely flavorful and well-balanced. Now, this place is continuing its tinkering habits with a number of takeout options - from a ramen burrito to kombu dashi ramen. Orders must be placed ahead of time on Uber Eats for pickup between 4:30-7pm.

No one could’ve predicted that, one day, we would want strangers to interrupt our ramen eating experience with their implausible dreams. To fill our need for human connection, we recently pre-ordered a Yume ramen bowl for takeout, put “Don’t Stop Believin” on repeat, and held our cat tightly while we consumed our noodles. It still wasn’t the same.

Brooklyn Ramen, located inside the Japanese grocery store Maruichi in Brookline, is a pretty unique spot. They serve wagyu beef with their ramen, there’s okonomiyaki available from their sister restaurant, and, if you decide to order takeout, you can also pick up a large variety of Japanese snacks from the grocery aisles. Of course, staying home and ordering delivery in your PJs is acceptable too.

Pagu, the Japanese-Spanish spot in Cambridge, has both a mushroom and "Guchi's Midnight" ramen available for takeout (or patio dining, if you prefer). The Guchi version comes with some great pork that's both crispy and soft at the same time, which is quite a textural conundrum for our minds. We wish there was more pork in the bowl, but that's also a viable reason to order more than one serving.
Itadaki
Ramen at Itadaki normally goes for around $20 a bowl, but it’s now only $12 on a variety of delivery platforms. We’ll be the first to admit that math is not our strong suit, but this still sounds like quite a deal. We’ll happily place a few orders while the accountants figure it out.

Isshindo Ramen
Isshindo is located within the large Super 88 complex in Allston, and they have the largest conceivable menu of spicy bowls of ramen available. Almost every ramen type can be transformed into its sweat-inducing evil twin, which is useful for the 99% of us who don’t have home saunas, but still need some detox heat. Place an order for delivery here.

The Coolidge Corner Arcade, where Ganko Ittetsu is located, has plenty of historic charm. It’s tiled floors and miniature storefronts make you feel like you’re somewhere other than Boston, which is a nice feeling to have as you grab your ramen to-go. It’s also nice that Ganko Ittetsu makes all different styles of ramen - from miso to shoyu to shio - so lunch can look different every day. Place your order by calling the restaurant at (617) 730-8100.

Pikaichi is located right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, and there’s no other restaurant within a half-mile. It’s an odd location, but it also makes social distancing pretty achievable. At the moment, Pikaichi is only open for takeout through their website, and their hours do change week to week - but we’re willing to deal with small hassles for their extremely spicy Jigoku ramen.

One Ramen
One Ramen may not have our favorite bowl in the city, but it does have a pretty unusual kimchi miso ramen. While purists may scoff, the kimchi actually provides a nice spice and vinegar punch to the broth. It’s a good way to switch up your current meal routine, in a way that tastes better than Dijon mustard on pinto beans. Orders are available for delivery here.

Soup Shack
Soup Shack has two locations - one in JP and one in Brookline - and both are open for takeout and delivery on Uber Eats. The shoyu and miso broths are on the lighter side, but are still flavorful - which means there’s no need for an immediate nap after lunch (though current work conditions are ideal for those). If you’re not in the mood for ramen, Soup Shack also has phở, Thai noodles, and various rice bowls available.