It’s Day 21 of eating my way through 100 Asian restaurants in Maryland, and this stop had me climbing the stairs inside Whole Foods Harbor East for a bowl I’m still thinking about. Ejji’s tucked upstairs in a grocery store, which sounds unassuming until you taste what chefs Ten and Oscar are doing up there.
Everything from the noodles to the broth’s made from scratch, and you can watch the whole thing happen from the counter. If you only order one thing, make it the Fiery Pit Beef Noods, charred pit beef over hand-pulled noodles in a spicy sesame sauce that genuinely builds the more you eat. This is Malaysian-rooted Asian comfort food with real technique behind it, and it’s easily earned a spot on my list of Baltimore favorites. Consider this your sign to go!
Another Baltimore spot that’s earned a place on that list: Empa511 in Fells Point, a Peruvian empanada shop from the Puerto 511 team that’s just a few minutes down the waterfront.
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What Makes Ejji a Standout Ramen Spot in Harbor East
Here’s what sets Ejji apart: the whole operation runs on scratch cooking, and you can see it happening. Chefs Ten and Oscar bring their Malaysian roots to the menu, turning out some seriously yum Asian comfort food with bold flavors and real technique.
The noodles are hand-pulled in-house and the broths simmer from scratch too, so every bowl tastes like someone actually cared about it. What I love is that this isn’t some trendy new gimmick either. Ten grew up around fresh noodles, his dad ran a restaurant that made egg noodles from scratch, so pulling their own dough is basically in his blood. When the people cooking have that kind of history with the craft, you taste it.
What to Order at Ejji
Here’s everything we got, including pricing, so you can walk in knowing exactly what to hunt for.
Fiery Pit Beef Noods ($18)
This dish is next level. It’s charred pit beef with scallions and the most delicious spicy sesame sauce, all piled over those hand-pulled beer noods. The beef has a smoky, charred flavor that hits instantly, and the spicy sesame sauce brings a rich, nutty heat that keeps building in the best way.
The noodles? Chewy, bouncy, and made for soaking up every bit of sauce. If you love bold flavors and a little spice, this one’s a must-order, you NEED to try it! Fun fact, Ejji’s whole pit beef thing started as a special that people loved so much it stuck around.
Tea Smoked Duck Ramen ($22)
Okay, quick heartbreak moment: this one was a special, so you can’t always get it, but they do bring it back from time to time and you should absolutely keep an eye out. Here’s why it’s worth the wait. It typically sells out in 2 to 3 days, and once you taste it you’ll completely get the hype.
The duck was ridiculously tender, the broth had so much depth, and the toppings pulled everything together, bonito flakes, scallions, and a miso egg. It’s one of those bowls where every spoonful feels like it has a new note. If you ever see it pop back up, consider that your sign to go ASAP.
If both of those are off the board, you’ve still got plenty of options. Ejji does a build-your-own ramen where you pick your broth, your noodle, and two toppings, plus signature bowls like the Tonkotsu Porky, the Chicken Shoyu, a Miso Corny ramen, and the Surfy Laksa, a Japanese-Malaysian mash-up the restaurant bills as a customer favorite. There are sesame sando buns and wings if you’d rather eat something handheld, and you can even grab broth by the pint to take home. If Ejji lands on your ramen rotation, RamenYa in Glen Burnie is another bowl worth the drive, with an all-day tonkotsu broth that hits just as deep.
What Are Ejji’s Beer Noodles?
If you’ve never heard of beer noodles, you’re not alone, they’re kind of Ejji’s signature. The team hand-pulls the noodles in-house and works local craft beer from Monument City Brewery, a Baltimore brewery, right into the dough. The beer gives them that chewy, springy bite that stands up to a heavy sauce like the one on the pit beef noods. It’s a small detail that tells you everything about how this place cooks. They could easily buy noodles, but they’d rather pull their own and make them a little bit Baltimore while they’re at it.
The Vibe and Experience
One of my favorite things about Ejji is the open kitchen. You can literally watch the team pull noodles and build your bowl, and it’s not just for show. And can we talk about the hospitality for a second? The team’s SO nice, the kind of warm, welcoming service that makes you want to come back before you’ve even finished eating. A++ across the board.
It’s counter service, so you order at the register and grab a seat, and there’s patio seating if you’d rather be outside. Tucked upstairs in Whole Foods, it’s an easy, low-key spot whether you’re eating solo, grabbing lunch with a coworker, or treating yourself after a grocery run.
If Japanese food in the greater Baltimore area is your thing, also keep Izakaya 68 in Hunt Valley on your radar, a Baltimore County izakaya with shareable small plates, agedashi tofu, and robot servers. If you’re rounding out a Baltimore day after lunch here, the Walters Art Museum in Mount Vernon is free and just a short rideshare away.
Good to Know
- Location: upstairs inside Whole Foods Market, 📍711 S Central Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202. This is the Harbor East location (the old Belvedere Square spot has closed), so head to the harbor.
- Hours: Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm.
- Price range: budget-friendly to moderate, roughly $13 to $22 a bowl.
- Ordering: counter service, walk-in only, no reservations needed. You can order online through Toast or get it delivered through DoorDash and GrubHub.
- Parking: use the Whole Foods garage at 1008 Aliceanna St, about a 3-minute walk. Other Harbor East garages run around $8 for the first hour, and there’s metered street parking nearby.
- Dietary: rice noodles or veggie noodles sub in for gluten-free, all the broths are gluten-free and most are dairy-free, and there are vegan picks like the Fiery Shrooms Noods. It’s not a dedicated gluten-free kitchen though, so keep that in mind if you’re celiac.
- See the full menu and order at ejjiramen.com.
Is Ejji Ramen Worth A Visit?
Of course! Ejji’s one of those spots that feels like a real find, the kind of place you discover once and immediately want to bring someone back to. Between the scratch-made noodles, the deep, flavorful broths, and the SO-kind team, it’s an easy add to my Baltimore favorites. If you’re building out a Baltimore eating list, Ekiben is another Asian-owned spot in the city I point everyone toward.
For Thai, add Mayuree Thai Tavern in Canton to that same Baltimore rotation, a sit-down spot with standout pad thai and a massaman curry worth going back for.
Have you guys been to Ejji yet?! Let me know what you order down in the comments, Nomsters, and if a friend’s been sleeping on Harbor East, send this their way. Happy slurping.