South Miami’s restaurant boom continues with InRamen, a casual spot touting made-to-order ramen available at fast-food speeds (and prices). It specializes in Chinese ramen, not the well-known Japanese noodle soup, which actually originated in China. Similar in taste and texture, the Chinese soba (or wheat noodles) are pulled, stretched and formed by hand on the spot. Diners can choose to enjoy them in one of 10 different soup varieties—think unctuous chashu ramen in tonkatsu broth or the vegan mushroom in a light shiitake brew—or slurp them dry and pan-fried with crispy pork and other toppings.
Bao buns, poké bowls and a number of small plates and appetizers, like Japanese-style disco fries covered in spicy mayo and bonito flakes, round out the Asian street-food menu. It’s not just the food that’s done a little differently here, ordering is too. Instead of receiving a paper menu or placing their order with a server, diners are prompted to flash their phones at the QR code on the table, which pulls up a digital menu with the option to click, order and pay right from their seat. The traditional method is available too, but talking to people is overrated. Save your energy for the ramen.
