In the mood for noods? Here is a list of Brisbane’s best ramen spots
Once the mercury starts to drop, our craving for bone-warming broths and chewy noodles spikes. Forget all about your five-pack of instant noodles – Brisbane’s ramen scene is jam-packed with a bunch of phenomenal options. We’ve compiled a list of the best spots to get your slurp on, which we reckon is worth a hearty (r)amen! Read on to see which places made the cut.
Taro’s Ramen, various locations: One of the longest-running Brisbane ramen institutions, Taro’s is a must-try for those seeking some of the best ramen in Brisbane. Taro boasts four locations in Brisbane – one inside the 480 Queen Street building, one in South Brisbane, a spot in Stones Corner and one on Racecourse Road in Ascot. Taro’s popular ramen (every single component of which is made from scratch) often features high-quality ingredients, such as succulent Bangalow sweetpork, organic free-range eggs and Australian durum wheat.
Lulu Ramen, Paddington: Nestled in Rosalie Village, Lulu Ramen is a bright and welcoming ramen restaurant that specialises in chicken-based broth. The passion project of two long-time hospitality professionals, the recipes here have been long honed in home kitchens until the perfect balance and depth of flavour was reached. Of the chicken-based selections, two are made using chintan broth –a clear soup lovingly crafted over a 12-hour process – and two featuring a paitan-style broth, which is a creamier white broth. There is also two vegan options and one dry variety served with succulent duck breast.
Ramen Danbo, various locations: Us Brisbane ramen fiends breathed a sweet sigh of FOMO-induced relief when beloved Japanese ramen chain Ramen Danbo finally opened its doors in our city. Following the raging success of its Gold Coast siblings, Ramen Danbo’s three Brisbane locales (Brisbane City, South Brisbane and Sunnybank) dish out mouth-watering broths in six perfect varieties. In addition to the signature tonkotsu pork broth, one can select a negi-goma ramen with sliced spring onions and toasted sesame, miso tonkotsu, and a vegetarian soup that is made using a miso and konbu blend.
Beppin Ramen, Brisbane City: Highly regarded by broth-and-noodle aficionados as one of the best bowl slingers in town, Beppin Ramen should be one of the first spots you check out on your ramen hunt. The menu boasts a jaw-dropping selection, including standard creamy tonkotsu and black-garlic tonkotsu varieties, as well as tongue-tingling hot chilli ramen and a spicy mabo tofu ramen. If you’re not a fan of pork, don’t stress – Beppin also serves clear-broth slow-cooked chicken ramen.
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Hai Hai Ramen, Paddington and West End: A heavy-hitter in the Brisbane ramen scene, Hai Hai Ramen quickly established itself as one of the most creative joints when it comes to bowls of noodle soup. The concise menu features three kinds of ramen boasting two types of broth – soy or salt-based. A must-try is the vegetarian ramen with kelp and shiitaki broth, tofu and greens – even carnivores will be greedily sipping every drop.
Genkotsu, Toowong: If you live in Runcorn or Toowong then you are one of the lucky few to boast a Genkotsu in your suburb. The chefs at Genkotsu use traditional recipes and methods when creating their bowls – broth is boiled for more than 12 hours and the flavoured boiled eggs are marinated overnight. Choose a salt, soy or fish broth or go all out and add soft-shell crab or prawn.
Ramen Tensho, Runcorn: Inspired by the traditional cosy ramen shops of Japan, Ramen Tensho looks to give diners an authentic ramen-eating experience. Operated by a chef with more than 25 years of industry experience, Ramen Tensho’s menu is flush with classic options, with its core range boasting shio-, shoyu-, miso- and gyokai- (fish) based broths, as well as a clutch of signatures. Pop in for ramen with grilled eel, chicken katsu, miso butter and soft-shell crab, but we recommend the black-garlic ramen – a Ramen Tensho specialty.
Ramen Champion, Sunnybank: Those looking for a seriously big bowl of ramen should know that there is one place in town that caters to humungous appetites. This Sunnybank spot offers Brisbane’s only giant ramen challenge – an impossibly large bowl of broth, noodles, meat and egg that only ten percent of eaters finish. If you are only after a regular bowl, Ramen Champion serves up plenty of those as well with the pork bone soup ramen with black sauce and flame-grilled chicken ramen being certified standouts.
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Neon Ramen, Everton Park: If you’re looking for a soup spot with a twist, then Neon Ramen is one worth a try. Not only does this ramen joint boast a vivid anime and cyberpunk interior aesthetic (complete with neon lights and cherry blossoms), but the entire menu is plant based. Diners are free to make their own ramen bowls, picking their own broth (miso, shiitake and tan tan), noodles (white, yellow or gluten-free noodles) and protein (salt and pepper tofu, alternative char sui pork, alternative katsu chicken or alternative smoked duck). Then, go hard on toppings like braised mushrooms, edamame, shredded seaweed, kimchi and marinated bamboo shoots.
Hakataya Ramen, various locations: Sunnybank Market Square, Westfield Garden City, Queen Street Mall, the Myer Centre and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre are large hubs of retail activity. If shopping makes you hungry (or if you need to rest your feet for a spell), Hakataya Ramen is on hand to replenish fuel reserves with its selection of tasty ramen. Try the Japanese spicy pork noodle soup with a side of gyoza – it’ll get you energised for more window shopping in no time.
Ikkairo Ramen, Underwood: If you’re looking to slurp up a more experimental broth, Underwood’s Ikkairo Ramen has a tasty variation you need to try. Taking inspiration from French bisques, Ikkairo dishes up an inventive prawn-based broth, mixing milky tonkotsu with tiger prawns, chashu pork and hand-made noodles.
Men Ya Go, Brisbane City: City slickers flock to both of Men Ya Go’s inner-city locations at lunch for its ramen. You can’t beat the classics, and Men Ya Go’s shoyu tonkotsu is as tasty as it gets. Adventurous types can sample chicken shio and spicy minced chicken ramen. The best thing about Men Ya Go? Extra kaedama (noodles) are free.
Gung Ho! Dumpling Ramen Bar, Fortitude Valley: Situated in the heart of The Valley’s nightlife precinct, Gung Ho is a great spot to fill up before painting the town red. The specialty here is the tri-garlic ramen, which boasts a ten-hour-simmered broth infused with black-garlic oil, golden-fried garlic and more garlic, as well as chashu pork, free-range egg, bamboo shoots, black fungi, shallots and seaweed. Other highlights include the miso tonkotsu ramen, red ton ramen and chicken katsu ramen.
Ramen Works, West End: They say good things come in small packages, we’ve found this is especially true where ramen joints are concerned. Although it’s on the cosy side, this joint serves a pretty stacked menu featuring ramen (of course), sides and booze. When visiting for the first time, we suggest going for the Works Ramen – a loaded bowl boasting pork bone-broth soup, pork char siu, chicken karaage, wood ear mushroom, flavoured egg and bean sprouts. Other slurp-worthy picks include spicy miso leek ramen, classic tonkotsu ramen and the vegetable ramen with deep-fried eggplant.
Motto Motto, various locations: This popular Japanese kitchen concept serves a large range of tasty morsels, but its ramen selections are especially slurp-worthy. The tonkotsu ramen soup comes with 12-hour pork superstock, pork belly and egg, which also comes in a spicy variety for those that prefer to live on the edge (we like your style).
Honourable mentions: We’ve also heard many good things about Fortitude Valley’s Wagaya and Tatsu Ramen & Gyoza Bar, Ramen Kann in Woolloongabba, Ramen Ye in Jamboree Heights, as well as Okuman Karaage & Ramen Bar in South Brisbane.