MELBOURNE | If you’re looking for the best ramen in Melbourne these days, you’re spoiled for choice. Gone are the days when just a single bowl of ramen was hard to find in town – today there are more ramen places from which to get your tonkotsu, shoyu or tsukumen fix from that you could have ever imagined. There’s a lot of quality out there, but we’ve narrowed things down to what, in our mind, are the best spots in Melbourne to get a bowl of ramen. Some of the places listed are large, some are small. Some focus solely on ramen, others offers a range of Izakaya style Japanese food. Some are traditional, other are anything but. All that matters to us is that the food tastes great, and uses quality ingredients. So without further ado, here’s the list. We’d also love to hear from you in the comments section below. What’s your favourite type of ramen? Is your favourite spot on this list?
Mr Ramen San
Mr Ramen San is the brainchild of owner and head chef Head Chef Roystan, who spent several years in Japan perfecting his Kyushu tonkotsu ramen. Roystan cares a lot about providing proper ramen at his shop. The broth is cooked for at least 10 hours, the noodles are handmade on site daily and if you want a larger than standard serving of noodles, you don’t have to pay extra (not that you need them, the servings are generous), a half egg is included in the base price, not as an option. There are things that are essential, the way it is in Japan, yet not always common in Melbourne. Ingredients are, where possible, fresh and sourced locally. The tonkotsu ramen is the star here, but the sides here are fantastic too. Try the gyoza or, if you’re feeling adventurous, the assorted mushrooms with natto.
Mr Ramen San
Shop 12, Mid City Centre
200 Bourke Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Hakata Gensuke
Hakata Gensuke has built quite the cult following as one of the best ramen spots in town and it’s not uncommon to see a queue forming at lunch time each day. While you wait for a table to sample Fukuoka master chef Kousuke Yoshimura’s tonkotsu ramen you’re handed a sheet on which to write your order – one of 4 types of tonkotsu ramen with a choice of noodle thickness, a variety of additions (like nori, soft boiled egg) and a choice of gyoza or chicken karaage on the side.
Once you’re seated the food arrives with Japanese efficiency and is on point. The tonkotsu ramen is what this place is most famous for, with the flavour and creaminess of the broth being exactly what you expect from a tonkotsu ramen. Serving sizes are on the small side, and you’ll probably want extra noodles or meat but overall, it’s obvious why their are lines. The karaage here is fantastic too.
Hakata Gensuke
168 Russell Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Fukuryu Ramen
Partnering with one of Asia’s top ramen chains, Fukuryu ramen is a lot larger than many of the other ramen places in Melbourne, which means that it’s generally easier to get a table here than at the other popular spots. Fukuryu offer a range of classic ramen dishes but also offer ramen not commonly found in Australia such as Red Dragon Ramen, Dry Oil Ramen and Tsukemen. There are even completely non-traditional ramen dishes such as squid ink ramen and minced pork ramen. Purists might not be happy but for us it’s all about taste and generally Fukuryu delivers. We’re particularly fond of the tsukemen at Fukuryu, and for those who consider themselves spice fiends, the Red Dragon Ramen is the one for you.
Fukuryu Ramen
22-26 Corrs Lane
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Shizuku Ramen
Collingwood’s Shizuku Ramen offers not just ramen, but a decent selection of other Japanese dishes as well as an extensive craft beer menu. The pork bone tonkotsu broth, which takes 24 hours to prepare, is luxuriously creamy and has the undeniable smell of pork emanating from the bowl when it’s placed in front of you. It’s one of the stronger tasting bowls of ramen in town and if we had to find one criticism it’s a bit on the salty side but still a fantastic ramen. The rice bowls here are really tasty too.
On the craft beer side of things, there’s an impressive list of craft beer bottles and cans from Australia, Japan and the USA, making Shizuku a must visit for fans of ramen and craft beer.
Shizuku Ramen
309 Victoria Street
Abbosford
Victoria 3067
Australia
Shujinko
The ramen at Shujinko (formerly Menya Sandaime) is very good. Not the best in town but perfectly acceptable. More importantly, and what elevates it to a position on this list is the fact that it’s open 24 hours a day. That’s right, you can get a bowl of Shujinko ramen whenever the craving hits you. The sake selection is great and the space is a whole lot of fun. Very modern and sleek with an anime kind of vibe about it. Go for the black ramen with its beautifully creamy tonkotsu and shellfish combination broth. If you’re visiting after 9pm, there’s a great range of izakaya dishes too. The agedashi nasu (deep fried eggplant with dashi) is great.
Shujinko
225 Russel Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Ramen Misoya Sake Bar
The ramen at this Brunswick venue is a bit different than the other Melbourne ramen spots, focusing on a miso based chicken stock rather than the more popular tonkotsu pork bone broth based ramen. The result is a ramen that has a thinner broth than most are accustomed to in Melbourne, but by no means any less flavoursome. The ramen is very tasty, but do note that any extras such as some extra chilli or garlic, you have to pay for. Regardless, it’s still great ramen, with the noodles in particular having the perfect amount of spring to them.
Also make sure to try the karaage, which is very moist and tender with a light crispy coating and a shiitake mushroom sauce.
Ramen Misoya Sake Bar
165A Sydney Road
Brunswick
Victoria 3056
Australia
Shop Ramen
Shop Ramen is a popular spot in Collingwood for ramen and, while the quality of the food can swing between merely good and excellent, it’s generally on point and satisfying. The main attraction at Shop Ramen are the hand cut, wheat noodles, the carefully sourced ingredients and the non-traditional menu items. While there are traditional ramen options on the menu, you can also find milkshakes, bao, and organic tofu ramen with cashew milk to name just a few things. Traditional it is not but when it works it’s really good. If it is a more tradtional ramen you’re after, the tonkotsu ramen hits all the right notes, with a beautifully creamy broth and free range grass fed pork.
Shop Ramen
329 Smith Street
Collingwood
Victoria 3065
Australia
Mensousai Mugen
Robot is one of our favourite Melbourne bars, and is one of the mainstays of Melbourne’s laneway bars so when we heard that owner Yoshi Kurosawa was opening a ramen joint in the same laneway we had high hopes. Thankfully these hopes were met and whether you’re slurping ramen or tsukemen on the top floor or eating something from the more varied izayaka menu downstairs you won’t be disappointed. The ramen here is great, but you have to try the tsukemen at least once as it’s fantastic. Tsukumen involves dipping thick, cold noodles in a pork, chicken and dried fish sauce. Once done, add some dashi to the sauce and you’ve got a tasty broth to drink.
A good range of drinks is also offered, including sake, spirits and some Japanese craft beers. Get the sweet potato brewed Coedo Beniaka beer, it’s super tasty.
Mensousai Mugen
11 Bligh Place
Victoria 3000
Australia
The Dojo Ramen Bar
It’s all about the broth at Dojo Ramen, with the owners developing their broth directly with Ramen Masters in Tokyo, using the freshest local produce and secret ingredients imported directly from Japan. The space itself uses a lot of wood and is quite minimalistic. Tonkotsu isn’t the focus here – we recommend the Shoyu (Soy Sauce) ramen which mixes shoyu tare with the Dojo’s secret broth and is topped with cha shu pork, ajitama egg, spring onion, nori seaweed & bamboo shoots. There’s also a good selection of bar snacks/starters – the “JFC” – karaage dressed in ponzu and radish is fantastic.
Being a bar, there’s a good range of alcoholic beverages from which to choose from too, including Japanese craft beers. In fact you could easily visit Dojo and just enjoy a drink and some bar snacks without even needing to eat the ramen – but we really do recommend you get the ramen.
The Dojo Ramen Bar
333 High Street
Northcote
Victoria 3070
Australia