Shigezo is a Japanese chain that for some reason chose Portland over cities like Seattle and San Francisco for its first mainland location. (It also has a location in Hawaii.) I approach chains with skepticism, but the ramen here is easily the best item on its menu and clearly among the best bowls in Portland. Shigezo has three broths: the tonkotsu, a rich, pork-permeated broth with a funky undertone and without some of the sweetness that can dominate other pork broths; the miso, which is flat and flavorless, an unfortunate miss; and the "Tokyo Ramen," a chicken and shoyu broth with a light, well-balanced flavor reminiscent of soba dashis but with more meatiness. All noodles are made in-house and are the best in this roundup. The noodles in the miso ramen and tonkotsu ramen are slightly thicker than average, which works better with the robust tonkotsu than the limp miso broth. The thin noodles in the Tokyo Ramen work well with the subtler soup. Both types of noodles are firm without being chewy, and a pleasure to eat. The tonkotsu comes with few toppings, just seaweed, green onion and chashu. The chashu is tender without much complexity, and even the large bowl comes with only two small pieces. The Tokyo Ramen, a regular item on the specials menu, comes with sprouts, seaweed and green onion as standard. However, the specials menu includes a list of additional ramen toppings: boiled egg, butter, corn, cheese, nori and kimchi. The miso ramen comes with a garden of vegetables not worth listing—they just further muddle an already lackluster bowl. $9.50 for a regular bowl, $13.75 for a large bowl (only slightly smaller than a football helmet). Additional ramen toppings range from 50 cents to $1.