Ramen is one of the most warming and delicious value-for-money meals out there. Melbourne is a diverse and big city, with lots to do, and lots to eat. With so many restaurants to check out it can be tough to know where to start. Well, luckily for you, we’ve put together a list of the best places for ramen in Melbourne.
Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, served with Chinese-style noodles in a meaty broth, with meat and vegetables of your choice. It is hearty and healthy, and though it’s difficult to get totally wrong, there’s world of difference between good ramen and average ramen.
So to help you to avoid a dud bowl of noodles, here are best places to eat ramen in Melbourne. We’ll warn you; you’ll be hungry after you’ve read this!
Location: 225 Russell St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Ph: (03) 9654 0989 See Website For Further Locations
Shujinko translates to ‘hero’ in Japanese, and they certainly take pride in their cooking and service.
This eatery serves authentic Tonkotsu Ramen, which is known as Tokyo’s soul food. It is an authentic ramen restaurant, buzzing with atmosphere.
Shunjinko uses a special recipe for their broth, and it tastes is like no other. Over twelve hours of preparation goes into making each batch of broth. Needless to say, they only use the best ingredients. This obsession with perfection which can certainly be tasted in their ramen.
Interestingly, they also make handmade Gyozas, as well as their own noodles. This is rare for a ramen restaurant, but Shujinko takes pride in their other dishes.
Some of their entrees include those homemade Gyozas, Takoyaki (octopus balls), Tonkotsu (fried pork with sauce), Ebi fry (fried prawns), Edamame, Karaage (fried chicken), Baby Tako (baby octopus and wasabi mayo), and Seaweed Salad.
Their signature ramen comprises a Tonkotsu Broth (pork), bok choi, spring onion (scallions), bean sprouts, egg, and grilled pork belly. They also serve Black Ramen, which is spicy, with special black powder and special seasonings.
If you’re heading up to Bendigo, make sure you pop in to the Harpoon Social Club for some ramen. Read more about them here.
Location: 168 Russell St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Ph: (03) 9663 6342 See Website For Further Locations
Hakata Gensuke is a warming ramen chain situated all around Melbourne. They were founded in 2014, and they serve authentic Tonkotsu Ramen. This is a small, homely restaurant, with a sociable feel and plenty of seating.
They take pride in their Gensuke original pork broth that is rich, full-bodied and packed with flavour. It is served with homemade thin noodles, pork cha-su, black fungus, and spring onions.
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They also serve their signature Black Tonkotsu, which comes with pork, noodles, black fungus, spring onions, as well as black sesame paste with special fried garlic.
One of their top ramens is ‘God Fire’, which is a bright, spicy pork broth, along with the usual toppings. Needless to say, it is delicious. There is options to customise your ramen with a marinated egg, bamboo shoots, seaweed, cabbage or extra noodles/pork.
They also have some great sides, such as Hakata Hitokuchi Gyozas, Chicken Karaage, Onsen Tamago Cha-Shu Gohan (pork with rice and a poached egg), and Japanese Steamed Pearl Rice.
Coming in next on our list of the best places for ramen in Melbourne is Mr Ramen-san.
This is a restaurant which serves authentic ramen straight from Hakata, paired with exceptional service. In fact, this dining spot has a wonderfully friendly atmosphere and everyone is welcome.
The chefs at Mr Ramen-san make their own noodles, along with their broth, in their kitchen. Their thick broth is made from pork bones, and is heated for hours to create a umami-rich, full-bodied broth. Finally, their pork is steamed for hours, and is always delicious.
At Mr Ramen-san, the choice is all yours. Firstly, you have to choose your protein. They serve Char Siu Pork, Teriyaki Pork, Beef, Spicy Chicken and Seafood, as well as vegetarian options.
Then, you choose your broth. The choices are classic Tonkotsu Broth (pork), Black Tonkotsu, Shoyu (chicken), Miso, Spicy Tonkotsu and Spicy Miso.
Lastly, you decide on your toppings. Options include beansprouts, eggs, cabbage, spring onion, seaweed, corn, bamboo shoots, fish cake, mushrooms, and pickled vegetables.
With so many combinations, you’ll never get bored of eating at this joint.
Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen is a premium ramen dining experience, promising a hearty, rich meal. The restaurant is a new and innovative concept from Yamagoya Ramen, established in 1970, so they have years of experience under their belt.
Their dishes are unique and of amazing quality, and are always carefully prepared.
Starting off, it is necessary to choose your ramen base. You can choose original Tonkotsu, Yuzu Kosho Tonkotsu (spicy citrus pork broth), spicy Tobanjan (spicy bean broth), Black Garlic, or Miso Tonkotsu. Personally, we love the zesty heat of the citrus spiked Yuzu Kosho Tonkotsu.
Next, you customise all the extras that make up a great bowl of ramen. So you can choose to have an extra rich broth, if you like. Or perhaps, you don’t want spring onion. Then there’s options around protein. For example, would you prefer Pork Ribs, or Char Siu-Style Pork?
After you have chosen this, you can choose additional toppings such as egg, seaweed, bamboo shoots, black fungus, extra noodles, kimchi, slow-cooked pork belly or pork ribs.
In addition, there is an extensive selection of vegetarian ramen made with white miso broth.
Their menu is straightforward, and ensures you will get what you order every time due to their tick-box menu style. It’s a simple but brilliant system.
There are amazing sides to choose from too, including Yuzu Salad, Karaage, Potato Pork Croquettes, Gyozas and Spring Rolls.
Location: QV Melbourne, 18 Artemis Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000 Ph: (03) 9654 9057 See Website For Further Locations
Ippudo is an elegant Japanese ramen restaurant with branches around the whole of the Australia. As with many chains, their menu is simple, and reliable.
For appetisers, they have Crispy Takoyaki (deep-fried octopus), Pork Gyozas, Chicken Karaage, and Yam Fries with Seaweed Powder and Soy Mayo.
Their classic Shiromaru Motoaji Ramen is a creamy Tonkotsu broth with thin noodles, secret dashi, pork loin, beansprouts, black fungus and spring onions. Want more? You can add an egg and other additional toppings.
Excitingly, they also have a modern ramen: a creamy Tonkotsu broth, secret dashi, umami miso, garlic oil, thin noodles, pork belly, beansprouts, black fungus, and spring onions. This ramen is popular, and is truly innovative.
Finally, there’s also a Spicy Minced-Pork Ramen, a Veggie Ramen, a Bonito Dashi Ramen, and a Chicken Ramen with chicken negi-oil and seasoned chicken breast.
Tora-san Ramen is an inexpensive and authentic ramen restaurant in the centre of the city. Their dishes are delicious and flavoursome, with exceptional sides, desserts and starters. So no wonder we’ve got it on our list of the best places for ramen in Melbourne.
Along with their ramen, they serve Karaage Chicken, Pork Gyozas, Chicken Namban, and Teriyaki Chicken. Their famous matcha cheesecake is delectable. Although the strawberry rice cake and taiyaki (fish shaped sweet cake) are also pretty good.
But back to the ramen. Their signature Tonkotsu Ramen has a rich pork broth, and the Tan Tan Ramen packs a warm sesame flavour. They also serve a signature Miso Ramen, and a range of Japanese Curry with Katsu chicken or fried chicken.
New kid on the Melbourne dining scene, Snow Monkey Ramen is already causing a bit of a stir.
Yes, the menu carries a number of standard favourites. The Chicken Karaage is delicious and there’s a great vegetarian-friendly bowl of noodles swimming in a fabulously savoury Miso Broth. But. The game-changer at Snow Monkey is their luxurious Lobster Ramen. Believe us when we say that this dish is worth making the trip to South Yarra for!
However, if that’s a bit too far for you to go, no worries. The team have plans in place to open another venue – this time within stumbling distance of Flinders Street Station. And as long as the menu carries that awesome Lobster version, we reckon it’ll be another of the best ramen places in Melbourne.
Shop Ramen is a homely Japanese takeout and dining spot in Melbourne. They serve authentic and warming dishes, as well as their hearty ramen.
One of the dishes that sets them apart is their white buns with delicious fillings. For example, the pork belly, cucumber, garlic and bulldog sauce bun is a hit with customers, as well as their brisket, peanut and kimchi bun.
All of their ramen is handmade, and finished with free-range chicken broth.
They have a Shoyu Ramen with pork belly, egg, oyster mushrooms, broccoli and yuzu oil, and a Tan Tan Men Ramen, with beef brisket, sesame kimchi, peanuts and a spicy oil. There is also a less authentic ramen, their Miso BBQ Chicken Ramen with burnt cabbage and buttered corn. Whilst it might not be by-the-book, it’s really tasty!
All of their dishes are rich, delicious and inexpensive. There are also some cold dishes to choose from such as their Salmon Rice Bowl with smoked salmon, an egg, cucumber, leek, edamame and a miso buttermilk sauce.
Musashi Ramen is an upscale, modern, classy ramen restaurant. Their ramen is made by head chef Rikisai Miyajima, who has twenty-five years of experience making authentic noodles and deeply savoury broths.
As you would no doubt expect, their noodles are handcrafted and are the perfect addition to their rich broth. One of their stand-out dishes is a Wagyu M9+ Sukiyaki Nabe accompanied by Udon Noodles. This glorious dish is served in a rich pork broth, with greens, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. Yum!
Their ramen is unique, yet still authentic. For example, they have a Pork Gyoza Ramen which features gyozas as the main body of the ramen. Then there is their Chicken Chashu Ramen which is chicken served in a rich pork broth with vegetables.
If you’re not in the mood for ramen, try their regular Gyozas, Donburi or Japanese ‘tapas’. Or perhaps opt for one of their fine-dining style dishes.
Other tempting plates include Salmon Sashimi, Gobo Chips, Fresh Vegetables, Seaweed Salad, Wagyu Tataki and Fresh Oysters.
Decked out like an authentic old ramen shop on Japan, Parco Ramen serves unique and hearty dishes. The menu here also includes one of our favourite Sides, their Parco Chips. These are crispy Hot Chips topped with Parmesan and Kewpie Mayo. Brilliant!
Their Signature Ramen comes with a creamy chicken broth, dashi egg, spring onions, sesame, nori, Charred Pork or Chicken Chashu. They also have a signature Truffle Ramen, with a rich truffle and shiitake broth with Chashu Pork, spinach, mushrooms and an egg.
Parco Ramen has a range of Donburi too, including a Chicken Karaage Don, a Chicken Chashu Don, and Beef Japanese Curry Rice. On top of this, the restaurant has an excellent selection of sides as well as beer and wine.
Continuing on with our rundown of the best places for ramen in Melbourne, we have Onsen Donburi. This Japanese restaurant serves classic Tonkotsu Ramen, as well as flavoursome Donburi.
Their Tonkotsu Ramen is served in a rich creamy pork broth with the classic toppings, and there’s a spicy option, too. They also have a Tan Tan Men pork broth with minced pork, along with a Mazemen Ramen without Soup, and a Miso Vegetarian Ramen with lots of vegetables.
Their Donburi dishes are popular too, especially their Karaage Chicken Donburi with Fried Soy Chicken and their Ebi (prawn) and Tartar Sauce Rice.
Location: Shop GD 13, Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Ph: (03) 9639 4101 See Website For Further Locations
Ajisen Ramen is a worldwide ramen restaurant, founded in 1968 in Japan by Takaharu Shigemitsu. There are over 800 branches of the restaurant globally, and their Melbourne restaurant was established in 2004. Clearly, we couldn’t forget this one on our list of the best ramen places in Melbourne.
Their goal is for customers to get the best quality food at an affordable price. The restaurant serves entrees, bento, donburi, ramen, vegetarian dishes and drinks.
They have a large selection of ramen. Amongst their winners are Chashu Pork Ramen, Tofu Ramen, Spicy Minced Pork Ramen, Tori Karaage Ramen, Volcano (spicy pork) Ramen, Spare Rib Ramen, Crab Ramen, Chargrilled Beef Ramen and so much more.
All of their broth is cooked for hours, and is rich and creamy. Their delicious entrees include Soft Shell Crab, Grilled Pork Cheek, Deep-Fried Eggplant, Tori Karaage, and Gyozas.
Yoku Ono Ramen + Sake is a modern Japanese restaurant, with excellent food and beautiful decor. The restaurant aims to transport those who dine there to a small street in Japan, whilst creating an authentic dining experience.
The dishes they serve are fine-dining worthy and are served in a casual, familial atmosphere. Their menu is simple, yet noteworthy.
They serve sides such as Pork Gyozas, Swordfish Bao Buns and Chicken Karaage, as well as osozai dishes such as Salmon Sashimi and Chicken Karaage with Yuzu Mayo.
Their Yoku Ono Ramen is served with either chicken thigh or pork belly, in a rich, aromatic broth with vegetables. They also serve a Miso Broth Ramen, Sesame and Spicy Pork Ramen, and a Fresh Tuna Sashimi Chilled Ramen with Wasabi Sauce.
Gogyo is a project restaurant founded by the owner of IPPUDO. It was established in 2003, and is defined as a casual-chic Japanese restaurant and ramen bar with a chilled atmosphere and a great bar. We love this combo, so had to pop it on our breakdown of the best ramen places in Melbourne.
They serve contemporary Japanese dishes that are intended to be consumed before ramen. This includes Pickled Cucumber, Wagyu Spring Rolls, Burdock Chips, Rock Potato, Pork Belly Bao Buns, Gyozas and Karaage Chicken.
They have a classic Tonkotsu Ramen, along with a Miso and Chicken Ramen and a Spicy Chicken Ramen with Minced Pork. Lastly, they have plenty of vegetarian options.
Location: Level 1, Melbourne Central, La Trobe Street Entrance, VIC 3000 Ph: (03) 9662 9009 See Website For Further Locations
Gyoza Gyoza is a Japanese Izakaya style bar and restaurant in central Melbourne. There are six branches across the city, and they serve quality, authentic Japanese food within a unique dining experience.
An izakaya is a type of Japanese pub, where small-sized dishes and great drinks are served in a warm atmosphere. All of their dishes are the same price, and there are over eighty to choose from before you eat your ramen.
Amongst their most popular options as a Lobster Ramen with a lobster broth. In fact, they have a DIY ramen process where you choose your broth, toppings, and noodles, with your lobster.
Last but not least on our list of the best ramen places in Melbourne we have Shonan Kamakura, situated in the heart of the city.
This gem is run by passionate chefs and restaurateurs who share a love for Japanese food. Their food is artistic and each dish is well-balanced.
They have a range of Japanese favourites, such as Chicken Katsu, Gyozas, Deep-Fried Tofu, Poke Bowls, Sushi and Salad, as well as ramen.
Their ramen is classic and divine. It is a Tonkotsu Ramen, served with seared Chashu Pork, with black fungus, spring onion, and other toppings such as eggs, bean shoots, and bok choi.
When it comes to great places to eat in Australia, the list really is endless. There are so many different restaurants, cafés, and chains to try that you really are spoiled for choice. From Italian food, to Japanese food, to a good ‘ole rump steak, the food options are endless.
This is why I decided to set up my blog, Eatability, to share the best food and drink spots in Australia with as many people as possible. Hi, my name is Dylan Cole, and I moved to Australia five years ago from England, UK.
Through this blog, I will be sharing and recommending some of my favorite places you need to visit, such as where to find the best pizza in Adelaide, and the best bakery in Brisbane. Whatever food you are fancying, I have got you covered!
