Fodor's Expert Review Afuri Ramen

When the acclaimed Japanese ramen chain Afuri decided to open an outpost in the United States in 2016, it chose food-obsessed Portland—specifically, a modern, high-ceilinged dining room on the trendy Central East Side. They chose Portland, in part because the exacting culinary team appreciated the city's pristine, glacially fed water supply, which plays a significant part in the steaming, savory bowls of yuzu shio (with chicken broth, yuzu citrus, shimeji mushrooms, seasoned egg, chashu, endive, and nori), one of a half dozen deeply satisfying ramen bowls. The kitchen also turns out flavorful skewers of shishito peppers and chicken thighs, pork dumplings, sushi, and other izakaya-style fare, all of it consistently exceptional.