ST. LOUIS — A south St. Louis City ramen shop lands on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in US 2024.

Menya Rui is No. 2 on the nationwide list, which has 4.5 stars and 134 reviews on Yelp. Popular dishes include pork shoyu ramen, chicken shoyu ramen, Japanese fried chicken, karaage chicken, tantanmen ramen, among others.

Restaurant owner and chef Steven Pursley was named among Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America last year. The article says he studied ramen in Okinawa, Japan, where his mother is from and where he spent part of his childhood.

Menya Rui opened in April 2022 in Lindenwood Park. The 26-seat restaurant draws long lines, but Yelp reviewers say the food is worth the wait.

“I’ve practically become a resident; three visits in just seven days. Brace yourself, though – this place is cozy with only 26 seats, but the aroma wafting through the neighborhood while you wait is like a teaser for the flavor extravaganza inside,” Sean P. said in a November Yelp review.

“The staff was quick at telling us the essentials and taking great care of us to help us have the best experience. We got the chance to sit up front and watch them as they made all of the great food. What an amazing experience those spots are! Highly recommend!”

Yelp reviewer Frances S. said the ramen shop is reminiscent of ones in Japan. The reviewer tried the chicken shoyu ramen, cucumbers and chicken karaage.

“The ramen broth was very flavorful without being overly salty or oily. The chashu was tender, and the noodles had a nice bounce. The cucumbers were a refreshing side dish, and the karaage was pretty good — I think the batter could have been a little more crispy but overall, not bad. But the star of the show was the ramen,” Frances S. said in her January Yelp review.

“Staff was friendly and ambience was just as you would imagine a ramen shop — buzzing with energy with folks slurping downright good ramen. Definitely a keeper on our Yelp bookmarks.”

Menya Rui is located at 3453 Hampton Avenue.