People in Spokane have opinions about Yummy Teriyaki & Ramen, and those opinions are mostly that it doesn’t look like much from the outside. It’s on Division, in a strip mall, next to a cell phone repair place. I drove past it twice before I figured out the parking situation. None of that matters once you’re inside and the broth arrives.
I should say upfront that I’m particular about ramen. I’ve had too many bowls in this city where the broth tastes like it came out of a packet — thin, salty, missing that low-and-slow depth that makes the whole thing worth eating. What Yummy does differently is simmer their tonkotsu-style stock long enough that it coats the back of a spoon. It’s cloudy, faintly sweet from pork bone, and there’s enough fat in it to leave your lips slightly glossy. That’s what you’re paying for.
The bowl I keep coming back to is the spicy miso ramen. It runs about $14, which is fair for the portion. They load it with chashu pork that’s been braised until it barely holds together, a soft-boiled egg with a jammy yolk, bamboo shoots, nori, and a tangle of noodles that have enough chew to hold up in the broth without going soft by the time you’re halfway through. The spice level is real but not aggressive — it builds rather than hits.
They also do teriyaki, obviously, and I’ve watched enough regulars order the chicken bowl to believe it’s worth trying. The rice is steamed correctly (not gummy, not dried out), and the sauce has some brightness to it rather than just being straight-up sweet. But the ramen is the reason I’d steer a friend here specifically.
Service is quick and no-frills. It’s a small room with maybe eight or ten tables, and it fills up around noon on weekdays because there are offices nearby. If you go for lunch, go before 12:15 or expect a short wait. Dinner is calmer. They’re open seven days, which matters more than you’d think in a city where a lot of independent spots close Sunday and Monday.
One thing I appreciate: the menu doesn’t try to do twenty things. Ramen, teriyaki, a few appetizers including gyoza that are pan-fried to order and genuinely crispy on the bottom. That focus shows in the execution. A lot of small restaurants spread themselves too thin, and the food suffers for it. This one seems to know what it’s good at.
It’s not a destination restaurant in the sense that you’d plan a special occasion around it. It’s better than that — it’s the place I go when I want something that will actually make me feel like I ate well, without spending $40 or waiting 45 minutes for a table. For ramen in Spokane, I haven’t found anything that takes the stock more seriously.
