Ramen-Ya in Las Vegas for the Drunk and Hungry
"Ramen-Ya!" is also what I sound like when hungry and yelling in Spanish.

With most of our buzz having worn off somewhere at 550ft, late-night food was in order. I hadn’t really eaten anything all day, minus the tiny nibbles of chocolate chip cookies while hiding in a Meow Wolf bathroom (cookies that somehow made it past security, along with my camera and bottle of water).

I was legitimately starving, silently praying I could find something Jo and I would both enjoy. We had ducked into a warmly lit alley, past rows of construction, when we found the answer to our call: a tiny ramen shop, packed full and reasonably priced.

I asked Jo if ramen was ok with her, and she let out the most contented sigh, followed by a hearty chuckle.

“I was hoping you’d ask me that”.

Relieved, I laughed with her as we sat down. Apparently, we’d both been silently craving it all day. And let’s be honest, it’s hard enough to agree where to eat with people you know, let alone a stranger you just met a few hours ago. 

It took us all but less than 2 minutes to decide what we wanted. The no-nonsense, straightforward menu made it easy to choose.

I had the Yokozuna Miso ramen, which had chashu (pork belly), karaage (fried chicken), and gyoza in a miso broth. If this doesn’t give you some insight as to how indecisive I can be, nothing will.  

I don’t love hard-boiled eggs; I prefer the jammy-er versions found in most ramen shops. But to their credit, they do state on the menu that these are hard-boiled eggs, something people on Google reviews seem to have missed. The pork belly was soft but not as flavorful as I expected. The chicken was crunchy and perfectly seasoned, and the gyoza was as crispy as dough skins can be when submerged in liquid. The broth itself was tasty, not too salty or fatty. And I can’t forget the noodles, which were stretchy and chewy and had soaked up the flavor well. All in all, a solid B+.

Jo got the Vegetable ramen, loaded with green onion. It wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it did look and smell absolutely fantastic.

Through slurps and gulps, we bonded over our shared love of travel, our work experiences, and even a love story or two.

With full, happy bellies, we wandered out onto the bright neon streets, ready for wherever the night would take us next.

Ramen-Ya is located in Bally’s Grand Bazaar Shops on 3615 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Open every day from 11:00 to 23:00.