When I moved to DC a few years ago, I decided I was going to find the best ramen restaurant around. I’ve tried out many places, but my favorite one so far is Oki Bowl @ Georgetown. Oki Bowl @ Georgetown serves mouth-watering ramen for a relatively inexpensive price. Located on 1608 Wisconsin Ave (on the corner of Wisconsin Ave. and Q St. in Georgetown), this restaurant opened last July, a sister restaurant to Oki Bowl & Sake located in downtown DC.
From the outside, the restaurant is easy to miss: It’s in a small, brick building, with the only sign being a big menu in the window. The front door is a fire-engine red, and all the tables and chairs are an assortment of bright reds, oranges, and teals. Bright, geometrically shaped lights hang from the ceiling next to floral bucket hats and fake flowers. The sunlight from the front window shines onto the eclectic assortment of items on the wall, from red window shutters to delicately painted statues of Buddhas and cats. The frenzied decorations all surprisingly work together to create a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. Customers happily chat over steaming bowls of ramen.
I immediately looked through the menu, which boasted traditional Japanese appetizers such as edamames ($6), as well as their kimchi ramen ($12), which incorporates the korean pickled cabbage into the dish. Oki Bowl also serves rice bowls and dessert, if you’re not in the mood for ramen. I ordered the miso ramen bowl ($13), which came in a bowl bigger than my head! The rich miso soup tasted heavenly with the tender, salty chashu pork (marinated braised pork belly) and thin, slightly chewy noodles. The rich, orange yolk from a perfectly cooked half of a soft-boiled egg dripped onto the crunchy bamboo shoots and roasted sweet corn. The ramen was garnished with scallions, bean sprouts, and nori (dried seaweed). The whole meal exceeded my expectations, and the portion size was very filling, giving you a lot of food for what you paid for. The staff were all friendly and efficient, and the food came within ten minutes of ordering it.
I definitely recommend trying a bowl of ramen at Oki Bowl @ Georgetown. The ramen is delicious and worth your money. I am excited to go back and try their other dishes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA SAENZ
