Last Saturday I had the pleasure of experiencing Hiro Ramen, a BYO ramen noodle restaurant in Center City, Philadelphia. Located on 11^th and Chestnut streets, this small gem is the perfect spot for all your ramen cravings.

The Japanese-style eating space is suited for small groups, but our group of six girls happily squeezed into a corner table. The restaurant is BYO, so we brought our favorite bottle(s) of red wine to enjoy with our meal.

The menu has various options for ramen as well as some great appetizer choices. I started with the Yaki-Gyoza, pork-stuffed dumplings and the perfect amount to start me off. My friend tried the Tako-Yaki, which included octopus and was a little too adventurous for my taste that night.

For my ramen entrée, I got the Pig and Miso, which is pork belly chatsu in miso broth and, of course, the famous curly noodles. I also added an egg for good measure.

For anyone who hasn’t tried traditional ramen, not the microwavable college staple, I strongly recommend this dish for those starting out.

Fair warning, ramen is a messy meal, so don’t be afraid to look silly eating it!

The more experienced ramen-goers at my table opted for spicy bomb shots and the very spicy Gates of Hell Ramen — they seemed to enjoy that form of torture.

Although the shop stops serving at 9:30 p.m., our waitress was more than willing to let us linger over our wine and conversation, which we very much appreciated. Keep in mind, Hiro Ramen is cash only, with an ATM machine conveniently located at the front door.

—Allie Menzione, intern