This Camden restaurant may be low-key in its vibe but it delivers big when it comes to ramen. With miso, shoyu, and tonkotsu ramens available, as well as veggie broths on offer instead of chicken and pork broth, there’s a bowl to suit all tastes – all you need is some gyoza on the side and you’ve got yourself a very good meal. And even better, it’s friendly on the wallet too, with the lunch options being a particularly good cheap eat.
"No frills, casual Japanese dining spot that is off the radar for most. Avoid any hype trains and get straight up delicious ramen and izakaya-style dishes."
Ippudo is a massive ramen chain in Japan and, just as chain restaurants should, it provides a consistent and reliable ramen every time you go in to one of its four London branches. Tonkotsu, with pork belly chashu, sesame kikurage mushrooms, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and spring onions, is Ippudo’s speciality, which they’ve upgraded with the likes of miso paste and garlic oil (to make the Akamaru Modern bowl) and spicy miso, sansho pepper and roasted cashews (to make the Karaka-Men bowl). You can get these signatures with a range of different toppings, as well as add additional ones, with dishes like takoyaki, gyoza, karaage, hirata buns and donburi also on the Ippudo menu.
"Step into any Ippudo branch and you get a feel for Japan with their decor and “irasshaimase” greetings from the staff. Despite this being a multi-country chain, I’ve always had a very enjoyable meal and time here."
"A banging little independent spot with unapologetically experimental ramen that always packs a heavy punch. The owner, Luke, is a noodle nerd, so don’t expect anything mass-made here. A fudgy, marinated egg is a must in any ramen for me, and Supa Ya has mastered the art of it. I was there for Luke’s first ramen supper club in his flat and have supported him ever since. Londoners need to know!"
Ramen Moto, from the same team behind Moto Yakitori & Sake Bar in Hong Kong, menu centres around a selection of authentic ramen bowls and Japanese small plates. Expect chewy, 100% Hokkaido wheat flour noodles and creamy, miso and shoyu broths, including the likes of creamy chicken (with soft chicken, pork chashu, seasoned egg, deep-fried burdock, spring onion, sliced fungus and onion); yuzu (with yuzu paste, soft chicken, pork chashu, wakame, spring onion and sliced fungus); spicy miso (with soft chicken, pork chashu, seasoned egg, wakame, sweetcorn, spring onion and sliced fungus); and veg/ spicy veg (with a kombu & mushroom broth, miso/spicy miso, konnyaku, sweetcorn, deep-fried burdock, deep-fried bean curd and nori) Plus, there are smaller plates and snacks like onigiri with truffle butter, chicken karaage and crispy shrimp rolls.
"New kid on the block serving up rich, creamy chicken-based ramen, which is a welcome change from the saturated tonkotsu (pork) market. I’m more than happy that this place is now on the scene with its delicious ramen (and truffle butter onigiri) and clean, wooden Japanese aesthetic."
If you find yourself in the mood for Japanese food and you’re down Bermondsey way, you have to head for Hakata Ramen + Bar. This restaurant serves up a range of tonkotsu and other ramen plus small plates like chicken wings, bao buns and katsu sandos, all made with premium Japanese and British ingredients. You can pair all that with Japanese craft beer, sake or whisky, and Hakata also has a vegan wine list that features predominantly organic and biodynamic bottles from small producers. There’s even a dive bar in the basement if you want to make it a late night.
"Shoutout to my local ramen bar serving up solid tonkotsu and Japanese comfort food. Head to the dive bar downstairs for your sake and Japanese cocktail fix."
Located on the Clerkenwell side of Old Street, Monohon serves just six types of ramen, including three soup-less ones, one of which is served chilled. The Spicy Tonkotsu – creamy pork bone broth with thin noodles, bean sprouts, spring onions, slow cooked pork belly and spicy miso pork mince – is a winner and you can customise it to your liking, choosing level of spice, how hard you want your noodles and how big you want the bowl to be. Slurping = essential.
"This little independent ramen shop has been around for 7ish years now and has gained a loyal following, which is testament to its consistently good food. If you’re not a follower already, head to Monohon and you will be converted."
Tenmaru, which started in Finsbury Park in 2019 and has since expanded to a second site in Oxford Circus, aims to replicate the izakaya experience you’d find in Japan right here in London. And it does so through its menu of small plates like gyoza, cucumber salad, karaage and vegetable cakes, and its ramen selection. Tenmaru specialises in chicken broth ramen, including the tori paitan (with sous-vide chicken chashu, seasoned egg, black fungus, bean sprout and spring onion) but it also does a soupless mazesoba and a great range of vegan bowls, such as the spicy miso and tofu and the basil pesto ramen. If that sounds up your street, just remember it’s walk-ins only at both branches.
"I was introduced to this place by a Japanese colleague, who placed 6th in MasterChef, no less. So this was always going to be a winner. Come here for chicken paitan ramen, which still isn’t that common in London, and their top tier gyoza."
Starting from just one rock & roll ramen bar in Soho in 2012, Bone Daddies has grown into a mini-empire known for good broths, good noods and good sides. Slurp on ramen classics like the Tonkotsu, with a 20-hour pork bone broth base, and the nutty, spicy Tantanmen, with sesame, chilli, pork mince & chashu pork and get messy with sides like the insane pig bones and monster Korean fried wings.
"Good vibes all-round, from the food and drink to the music and (Japanese rock and roll) decor. Bi-monthly specials in collaboration with other restaurants always deliver punchy flavours, which keeps things interesting and you coming back for more. Don’t ever skip the yuzu margarita either."
Tonkotsu is the best of the ramen wave that swept London back in 2013 and testament to that, they’re still going strong and opening new sites all the time. The signature Tonkotsu ramen, with its thick creamy broth, fresh noodles (made in house), and slices of pork is a thing of beauty and has got us through many a day and night. One to come back to time and time again.
"My first ever tonkotsu (excluding the instant noodle type) was from Tonkotsu when they had only one branch in Soho over 10 years ago. It blew my mind. Here, I was introduced to this type of Japanese food by my now wife so I’ll always have a soft spot for Tonkotsu. They’ve now expanded into a big multi-city chain so they must be doing something right."
Kanada-Ya, one of our fave ramen joints, has grown from a small central London shop to five locations across the city. Many of them feature open kitchens, allowing you to catch all the action, and they all serve up the signature tonkotsu ramen alongside bowls like gekikara (with pork & corn fed chicken bone broth, beansprouts, chashu pork belly, spicy ‘tan-tan’ minced pork, spring onion, wood ear fungus and yuzu-shoyu) and truffle (with pork & corn fed chicken bone broth, chashu pork loin, spring onion, porcini truffle paste, white truffle oil and yuzu-shoyu). You can supplement your ramen with small plates or swap it completely for dishes like katsu curry, but really, the noodles are where it’s at.
"Porcini truffle paste ramen. ‘Nuff said. Londoners have been going wild for this since its introduction into the scene many years ago and it’s still going strong."
