LONDON’S HOTTEST UDON & RAMEN SHOPS

Every week a new noodle soup shop seems to magically manifest in the capital, with legions of slurp-devotees spilling out of the restaurant and into the street. From grassroots crowdfunders like Supa-Ya Ramen to heavyweight chains like Tonkotsu and Kanada-Ya, there seems to be more places than ever to get your head into a bowl of broth. We’ve got the lowdown on all the new noodle spots so you know where to head for a steaming bowl of ramen or udon.

1. Supa-Ya Ramen

Luke Findlay has finally taken his cult ramen supper club Supa Ya Ramen permanent with a 20-cover spot on Kingsland Road. The menu features four bowls of ramen, including his chicken soup, Iberico pork fat, salt beef & pickles ramen and the confit tomato broth with sesame miso, fried cabbage & parmesan ramen, alongside a rotating special. There’s also be a selection of small plates, like roast chicken skin with fermented chilli & onion mayo and cold fennel & hot pepper sausage with pickled mayo.

499 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AU
@supa_ya_ramen


2. Ramo Ramen

Filipino-Japanese ramen joint Ramo Ramen have opened their second joint in Soho. The restaurant is known for putting a Japanese spin on Filipino classics like kare kare and sinigang whilst nodding to co-founder Omar Shah’s Filipino-Muslim upbringing, meaning they don’t serve pork-based broths. What results is dishes like oxtail kare kare with a peanut beef broth & pulled oxtail; chicken sopas with a chicken broth, crispy chicharrones & pulled adobo chicken; and sinigang with a seafood taramind broth, king prawns, roasted tomatoes & enoki mushrooms. They also do their own take on katsu curry, karaage chicken, gyoza and edamame.

28 Brewer St, London, W1F 0SR
ramoramen.com


3. Koya Ko

When the original Koya opened on Frith Street back in 2010 it was a very welcome addition to London’s restaurant landscape. With its minimalist interiors and short menu focused on udon noodles, it was something we hadn’t really seen before. The Broadway Market outpost, Koya Ko, is a more casual version of the udon noodle spots in Soho and the City. Inspired by the train station noodle bars in Japan, Koya Ko brings the country’s tachi-gui (that’s standing while dining) culture to East London, with a standing counter alongside both indoor and outdoor tables. The menu includes plenty of Koya classics, including the English breakfast udon, curry udon and prawn tempura rice bowl.

10-12 Broadway Market Mews London E8 4TS
koya.co.uk


4. Marugame Udon

Marugame Udon, the world’s largest udon noodle restaurant, has landed in London right near Liverpool Street. It’s a canteen-style set-up, so you work your way around the open kitchen where you can see the noodles being rolled, cut and cooked. You choose your dish – the menu includes the likes of kama age, beef nikutama with short rib & onsen egg, two pork tonkotsu with chashu & spicy miso pork, chicken katsu curry udon, kimchi yaki udon and salmon donburi – before hitting the tempura station, and the condiment station where you can pimp your noods with ginger, chillies, tempura batter and other toppings. And once you’ve slurped to your heart’s content, hit the unlimited vanilla and vegan matcha soft serve ice cream.

114 Middlesex Street, London E1 7JH
marugame.co.uk


5. Tonkotsu Ramen

The legendary ramen chain Tonkotsu have opened their 15th restaurant in Kentish town this month. As expected from a ramen restaurant you can find their signature bowls on the menu, including their acclaimed tonkotsu ramen with a pork & lardo broth, a vegan mushroom miso ramen for our plant based friends, and their iconic chilli chicken ramen, a chicken & sea salt broth pimped up with Tonkotsu’s addictive Eat the Bits Chili Oil. The fun doesn’t end there either, with mouth-watering starters like crisp fried chicken kara-age, Eat the Bits chilli chicken wings and the new vegan-friendly cauliflower wings also on the menu.

323 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2AA
tonkotsu.co.uk


6. Kanada-Ya

One of our favourite ramen spots has a brand new spot in Carnaby and another on the way in Ealing’s new Filmworks development site. When it comes to the menu, Kanada-Ya’s signature Tonkotsu ramen is featuring on the menu at both new sites, as well as other favourites like Hiyashi Cold Yuzu Ramen (a cold yuzu broth, firm tonkotsu noodles, aburi style pork collar, spring onions & a whole hanjuku egg) and the veggie ramen with a shiitake mushroom & porcini-soya milk broth, asparagus & spring onion.

28 Foubert’s Place, Carnaby, W1F 7PR
56-61 New Broadway, Ealing, W5 5AH
kanada-ya.com

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