10 Crazy Bowls of Ramen Across America

Mussels usually come with toast to sop up all that sweet sea broth. But who needs bread when you can have ramen? That's the thinking behind the Musclemen at Chicago's Oiistar; it's mussels in a bed of onion, chili, scallion, and bonito miso broth — and plenty of noodles to go with, of course.

Not a mussels person? That's OK. Oiistar also boasts other fusion ramen bowls, including a chicken tikka masala-inspired take as well as pozolmen, an Asian take on Mexican pozole with pork loin, jalapeño, red onion, and tomato.

The ingredient list at San Francisco's Hapa Ramen is enough to make your brain explode. We'll spare you the exhaustive full list of add-ins; all you really need to know is that uni, bacon, Ibérico ham, whipped lardo, chorizo gravy cooked in chicken fat, and a cheeseburger are involved.

Top Chef winner Paul Qui is taking Tex-Mex to whole new level with his offering of chicken tortilla ramen at East Side King at Hole in the Wall. Think bacon dashi, a tom yum soup base, confit chicken, corn, avocado, tortilla chips, and tom yum oil. This is not your grandmother's tortilla soup, folks. (Not in Austin? Try re-creating it yourself at home.)

If you're at East Side King and feeling adventurous, hit two birds with one stone and try the seasonal squid ink ramen. This briny version of the Japanese favorite starts with a squid curry paste and is topped with fried calamari, tomatoes, fried potatoes, Italian parsley, parmesan cheese, and Japanese pickles.

Savor la dolce vita while slurping at Brucie, a restaurant in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill that's been known to serve Italian-style ramen. It starts with a bacon-parmesan broth and textured homemade linguine. Add smoked short rib meatballs, two soft-boiled eggs, marinated chicken, a confited tomato, and a Sicilian garnish of pistachios and pickled raisins, and you've got a bowl that's molto bene. The best part? The beer and Negroni shot that goes along with the price.