What do you get when you combine long-simmered broths and hand-pulled noodles? One of Japan’s finest delicacies, of course. Now a mainstay across a plethora of Asian countries, and having gained huge popularity in the West, ramen originated in the 19^th century as a cheap meal for the working classes. Today, ramen is one of the country’s most prized national dishes, and many regions have put their own spin on what appears to be a deceptively simple bowl of broth and noodles. Naturally, many ramen masters (and their prized recipes) have set up shop in the capital – here’s where to get your hands on the best ramen in London. 

Shoryu Ramen, across London

Images: Shoryu Ramen

Shoryu Ramen specialises in cuisine from the southern Hakata district of Japan, where, traditionally, tonkotsu ramen is crafted with a base of thick, rich, white pork broth and thin straight noodles. Chef Kanji Furukawa was born and raised in Hakata and brought Shoryu’s signature recipe to the UK with the help of restaurant founder Tak Tokumine in 2012. Now with eight restaurants in the capital, one in the Japanese city of Fukuoka, and others in Manchester and Oxford, this is easily one of the most authentic ramen joints in the country. 

Choose the firmness of your noodles – ranging from futsu (standard) to barikata (very hard) – and then opt for the miso-infused tonkotsu, chicken katsu ramen or the kimchi prawn. There’s also a number of vegan options and ippin (small plates) to complete the experience. The takoyaki – crispy octopus balls, japanese mayo, okonomi sauce and aonori seaweed – is not to be missed. 

Visit shoryuramen.com

Bone Daddies, Soho

The Bone Daddies story began in 2012, blending the founders’ love of ramen and Japanese rockabilly of the 1950s to create a Soho restaurant that serves delectable food and funky tunes in equal measure. It has since evolved into one of London’s most beloved ramen hotspots and now encompasses two sister restaurants: Flesh and Buns, specialising in bao, and Shackfuyu, which serves Japanese delicacies with a Western twist. Back at Bone Daddies, however, order the Big Daddy – crab and pork bone broth, charred chashu pork, softshell crab, burnt garlic, chilli, black sesame and noodles – as well as an array of pork, chicken and vegetable broth iterations, all served against a soundtrack of Queen, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. 

Visit bonedaddies.com

Tonkotsu, across London

Ken Yamada and Emma Reynolds met in 2002 and became great friends over their shared love of travelling and food,specifically Japanese food and, in particular, ramen. In 2012 Tonkotsu Soho was born – and the brand now boasts a portfolio of 15 restaurants in London, as well as outposts in Birmingham, Brighton and Bristol. Since the early days, Tonkotsu has made everything that goes into its bowls from scratch, ranging from noodles and broths, to katsu curries and gyoza. 

All ramen are made with Tonkotsu’s fresh noodles, crafted in-house daily using mid-century machines imported from Tokyo and cooked for exactly 32 seconds to ensure the correct firmness. The autumn special is teriyaki pulled pork – pork broth enriched with lardo and a soy sauce base, topped with thin-cut tonkotsu noodles, teriyaki glazed pulled pork, choy sum, menma, nori and sesame – while there is also a range of chilled hiyashi noodle salads, known as summer ramen for their lack of broth. 

Visit tonkotsu.co.uk

Kanada-ya, across London

With outposts spanning Ealing to Angel, Kanada-ya was born in Japan nearly two decades ago after its founder, Kazuhiro Kanada, suffered a life-changing sports injury and turned his hand to perfecting the ancient art of ramen. After tasting many broths, he opened his first shop in the small city of Yukuhashi with a meticulous recipe of 18-hour pork bone broth, chashu pork, nori, secret sauce, hand-pulled noodles, wood ear fungus and spring onion. His ramen soon won awards, and before long, Kanada expanded to the British capital. 

Today, the menu still features his signature ramen, as well as spicy yuzu, kinoko truffle and chashu chicken options. A bowl here will set you back about £20, but that does mean you can pick the firmness of your noodles and choose a complimentary topping, ranging from roasted seaweed to pickled ginger. 

Visit kanada-ya.com

Taro, across London

Taro is a ‘TaishuShokudo’, which in Japanese means ‘an everyday dining room’. It was founded by Mr Taro, who first visited London in 1979 with a dream of making authentic Japanese cuisine accessible to all and, in 1999, he opened the first Taro on Brewer Street and quickly gained a loyal following. Now the brand spans Balham and Kennington to Walthamstow and Brentwood, and is renowned for its extensive Japanese menu of sushi, curries, bento boxes and, of course, ramen. There’s eight different bowls here, but we recommend the signature seafood ramen, featuring stir-fried seafood with teriyaki sauce, seaweed, carrot, spring onion and sesame seeds.

Visit tarorestaurants.uk

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