Albuquerque, NMJapanese

Nagomi on Juan Tabo Boulevard NE is run by Masahito and Kelly Sano. Masahito's family has run a Tokyo restaurant for a century, and he cooked as executive chef at Albuquerque's Japanese Kitchen before opening here. Gil Garduno described a tonkotsu ramen built on hours of pork bone broth, a trio donburi of tuna, yellowtail, and salmon, and assorted tempura in a light golden batter. Order the tonkotsu ramen or the trio donburi, and start with the tempura.

Naruto near UNM on Central Avenue SE comes from Hiro and Shohko Fukuda, who opened New Mexico's first sushi bar in Santa Fe in 1975. Gil Garduno rated it Excellent and called the tonkotsu ramen porcine perfection, an intensely porky elixir from pork bones simmered into an opaque broth. The miso ramen is thick and nutty, the shoyu lighter and clear. Order the tonkotsu ramen and a side of gyoza, and save room for the tempura green tea cheesecake.

Japanese Kitchen in Uptown's Park Square is one of Albuquerque's older sushi houses and a pioneer of teppan grilling in the city. Gil Garduno rated it Excellent and pointed to the sushi, including an albacore green chile roll that pairs roasted green chile with wasabi, and a crunch roll wrapped in fried tempura batter. Order the albacore green chile roll and a teppanyaki plate off the grill.

Mr. Tokyo has served the Duke City since 1994 as a family-owned Japanese kitchen offering teppanyaki-quality beef, chicken, and seafood without the showmanship or the high prices. Gil Garduno praised the value and quality across a short menu of tempura, hibachi, grilled udon, and combinations. Order the shrimp tempura with mixed vegetables or the chicken yaki udon, and pair a teriyaki plate with vegetable tempura.