Like many Brisbanites, here at Urban List we approach ramen with the same reverence and inquisitiveness that others approach art. A good bowl of ramen happens when the broth, noodles, and fixings come together to create a mouth-watering dish, and lucky enough for us, Brisbane/Meanjin is home to a huge variety of the good stuff.
Whether you're a fan of collagen-heavy, rich tonkotsu or a lighter, miso broth, we have assembled our definitive list of Brisbane’s tastiest ramen hangouts. Get ready to slurp the best ramen in Brisbane.
Ramen Danbo
52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane | 3/38 Wharf Street, Brisbane CBD | 4/22 Gowan Road, Sunnybank Hills
Cult ramen chain Ramen Danbo has come a long way from Chikushino, on one of Japan’s southern islands. Now they're officially in three locations across Brisbane, staking their claim to the city's best ramen. It's all about the silky tonkotsu pork ramen here: an insane, slow-cooked broth that uses the highest quality pork bones. It's creamy, porky, and you will get meat sweats. Vegos, they haven't forgotten you either—Ramen Danbo makes a pretty convincing miso-based vegan ramen.
Taro’s Ramen
154 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane | Level 2/480 Queen Street, Brisbane CBD | 1/145 Racecourse Road, Ascot | 16 Old Cleveland Road, Greenslopes
Taro’s Ramen is often regarded as some of the best ramen in Australia, and you'll understand why when you taste their tonkotsu ramen. Using only the finest locally sourced produce (such as Bangalow pork and Wagyu beef from their local butcher), and with noodles prepped in-house, a bowl of Taro’s ramen is like a cosy, warm hug. Their DIY take home packs also mean you can whip up an incredible bowl of ramen at home, complete with juicy pork slices and marinated egg—frankly they are the best thing invented since sliced bread.
Beppin Ramen
62 Charlotte Street, Brisbane CBD
With no fewer than 13 different ramens on Beppin Ramen's menu, they even do ramen variations for the soup haters (crazy, but they're out there), including ramen salads and ramen rice bowls. The classic tonkotsu is, of course, a signature, which you can ramp up with black garlic if that's your thing, but there's also a schmancy Wagyu ramen after 5.30pm if you're keen to splurge.
Genkotsu Ramen
51 Sherwood Road, Toowong
Genkotsu Ramen is authentic. Honestly. From the team to the 12-hour brewed broth and overnight-marinated eggs, everything about Genkotsu feels traditional. Choices here include all the classics of shoyu, shio, gyokai and miso, which you can vary up with black garlic, spicy broth, and even cold noodles with dipping soup rather than the usual noodles in broth. Also, their ramen starts at just $13 a bowl (for soup and noodles), which is a winter lifesaver.
Hakataya Ramen
Various Locations
Our first experience with ramen was at Hakataya in Sunnybank, and we've been hooked ever since—especially since you can get them all over Brisbane, with six stores across town. Their menu is simple, allowing them to focus on perfecting their broth and noodles, which come in seven different flavour variations with varying degrees of spice, all of them topped with tender charsiu pork. Hakataya is a ramen icon, so don’t sweat the long line—it moves quickly.
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Ramen Tensho
258 Warrigal Road, Runcorn
Image credit: Ramen Tensho | Facebook
A cosy, traditional Brisbane ramen spot that will transport you to the streets of Japan, Ramen Tensho is worth the drive south. Basic options include shio, shoyu, miso and gyokai ramens, but you can level things up with the addition of spice or black garlic, or opt for one of their signature soups, which include flavours like miso butter and spicy sesame, and toppings like soft shell crab, grilled eel and chicken katsu. We also love that you can order extra toppings like corn, bamboo, bok choy and bean sprouts, because personalisation is everything.
Ramen Works
3/391 Montague Road, West End
If our recommendation isn’t enough and you need more proof Ramen Works is one of the best ramen joints in Brisbane, they’ve got a 4.9 star rating on Google—and we hope we don’t need to tell what an achievement that is. Small it may be, but the flavours coming out of the kitchen here are large, with a variety of pork bone broth ramens on offer. Hungry sorts will want to opt for their signature Works Ramen, topped with extra slices of pork charsiu AND chicken karaage, plus egg, wood ear mushroom, seaweed, bean sprouts, leek and spring onion. Vegetarians are covered here too with a vegetable broth variation topped with deep fried eggplant, mushroom, tomato, beans and garlic.
Ramen Kann
14 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba
Like all good ramen spots, Ramen Kann is underrated yet exceptional. Their signature is Nagoya-style (central Japan, roughly halfway between Osaka and Tokyo) chicken paitan. This creamy chicken broth comes topped with the classic slices of chashu pork, perfectly cooked boiled egg, and handfuls of bean sprouts. It’s different entirely to the tonkotsu ramen you’ll mostly find across Brisbane, so if you’re looking for a new style of ramen, get to Kann’s pronto. Do not miss their gyoza either. Perfectly crispy and oozey, you’ll be sure to find them on our best gyoza list too.
Okuman
6/220 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane
Image credit: Okuman | Facebook
Okuman in South Brisbane is dishing up some seriously good ramen. The noodles are made fresh and they are good with a capital G. The spicy tonkotsu ramen is our pick, served with pork cha shu, egg and vegetables in a pork broth with spicy chives. If that doesn't float your boat, try the seafood ramen, or the giant ramen with cha shu, onsen egg AND karaage.
Men Ya Go
4/123 Albert Street And Central Plaza, Brisbane CBD | Valley Metro, Fortitude Valley
Men Ya Go has so many variations of ramen and toppings available that you could go every single day for a month and never have the same bowl twice. Take your pick from four different broths and then decide if you want pork, chicken, tofu or minced chicken, and whether you want flavour boosters like spice, galic and melting butter. Add extra toppings (we're partial to corn and extra noodles ourselves) and get ready to slurp.
Hai Hai
102 Larobe Terrace, Paddington | 185 Boundary St, West End
Hai Hai is hugely popular with the locals, and it’s not hard to see why. The ramen servings are generous, the staff are friendly, the cha shu is rich, and if that’s not enough, the vegetarian ramen can be made vegan-friendly. Finally, something for everyone. We're not even done yet—on Mondays and Tuesdays they dish up an early bird special for $10 a bowl. In fact, the Hai Hai love is so great, the crew have just opened up a second location in West End so you can get the goods on the southside.
Ikkairo Ramen
15/21 Kingston Road, Underwood
Image credit: Ikkairo | Facebook
Ikkairo Ramen is an unassuming place, but its huge portion sizes and the authentically flavoured broth has earned it a loyal following among those who know a thing or two about ramen. They’re also the only Brisbane ramen spot where you’ll find prawn-topped ramen—seafood lovers take note. Standouts here amongst the extensive menu are the classic tonkotsu deluxe ramen topped with slices of tender pork, the black garlic tonkotsu ramen, and, of course, their signature chilli miso prawn ramen with prawn, which has a rich and creamy prawn and tonkotsu broth and comes topped with a tiger prawn.
Lulu Ramen
6/21 Nash Street, Paddington
Specialising only in chicken ramen topped with tender chicken char siu, Lulu Ramen is one to try when you need a break from pork slices. Not just a one trick pony, there’s multiple variations of the chicken ramen on the menu, from chicken and bonito chintan ramen, which comes in a clear chicken and fish broth, to the spicy chicken paitan ramen, which features a white broth spiced with chili oil and dried garlic. If you want to ramp it up, the chef’s special is their signature, taking the chintan ramen and loading it up with a soft boiled egg and black truffle sauce, while other options on the menu include two vegan ramens, plus a sakura mix dry ramen with duck breast if broth just isn’t your thing. Best of all, you can get unlimited noodle top ups with every variation, so come hungry.
Tatsu Ramen And Gyoza Bar
12/12 Duncan Street, Fortitude Valley
According to the crew at Tatsu Ramen and Gyoza Bar, the best accompaniment to ramen is—apart from the sound of slurping—a plate full of gyoza. The juicy, porky dumplings go as well with a crisp Sapporo as they do with what could be the best ramen Brisbane has in the Valley. Take your pick from the classic tonkotsu ramen (with a slice of tender pork char siu), miso, spicy or shoyu ramens and don’t forget the gyoza on the side—there’s pork, wagyu beef, vegetable, prawn or deep-fried cheese to choose from.
Ramen Champion
Sunny Park Shopping Centre, Sunnybank
Dining at Ramen Champion is as close as you can get to Tokyo without buying a ticket. If you’re feeling game, have a crack at the Ramen Champion Challenge—finish the equivalent of five serves of ramen (broth and all) for eternal bragging rights, your mega serve of ramen for free, and your photo on the wall for eternity. The ramen here is so good you'll definitely want to finish the massive bowl, though your stomach might think otherwise.
Neon Ramen
471 South Pine Road, Everton Park
Traditionally, the broth of a classic ramen has our vegetarian and vegan friends steering clear, but this neon-lit joint offers a completely plant-based menu (and plenty of gluten-free options too). Whether you opt for their array of vegan bowls or DIY your ramen, expect generous sizes across the board. Plus, if you've got a mate who is particularly fond of anime, the decor in Neon Ramen will certainly have their camera snapping.
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Image credit: Ramen Danbo | Website
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