Where to Eat Ramen Around the World

Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori 24h ★ 4.8

The 24-hour neon dragon ramen on Dotonbori: ¥800 tonkotsu-soy at any hour under one of Osaka's most famous illuminated canal signs, always busy.

TipAt 02:00 the canal is quieter and the ramen tastes better for it.

Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori ★ 4.8

A ¥800 bowl of tonkotsu-soy ramen beneath the mechanical neon dragon on Dotonbori, open 24 hours. Osaka's most famous value meal on its most famous street.

TipOrder at the vending machine inside; the basic ramen is ¥800, add extra chashu for ¥100.

Hanamaruken Ramen Namba 24h ★ 4.6

The 24-hour happiness pig tonkotsu ramen in Namba, serving the heaviest kotteri broth in the city around the clock with an extra-marrow option.

TipThe extra marrow is ¥100 and non-optional at any hour; it matches the bowl from good to essential.

Bakudanya Honten ★ 4.5

Bakudanya is the Shintenchi shop that pushed Hiroshima tsukemen beyond the city: cold noodles dipped in a chilli and seafood-stock sauce you grade yourself.

OrderHiroshima tsukemen, choosing your own heat level

TipThe dipping sauce comes in graded heat steps, so order low on a first visit and add chilli powder at the table.

Chukasoba Youki Eba Honten ★ 4.5

Chukasoba Youki has cooked one dish in Eba since 1958, and its soy and pork-bone bowl is exactly what Hiroshima people mean when they say chuka soba.

OrderChuka soba, the only thing the kitchen makes

TipThe Eba flagship shuts on the 1st, 12th, 13th and 26th of each month, so check the date before crossing the river.

Shoyu Shop at Strange Bird ★ 4.5

Shoyu Shop at Strange Bird in Irvington, Indianapolis pours deep shoyu broths and runs tantanmen, with a tiki cocktail program from the host bar.

OrderA bowl of shoyu ramen and a Tantanmen to share, plus a tiki classic.

TipClosed Monday. Strange Bird's bar runs late on weekend nights.

Mugen Ramen ★ 4.5

Mugen Ramen on Rue Fénelon in Nantes pulls its house noodles through a pork and seafood broth simmered twelve hours, behind burnt wood panels.

OrderTonkotsu shoyu, its pork and seafood broth simmered twelve hours

Why locals goVictorien Gicquel and Guillaume Dallas came home from four years at Menma in Brussels and open four days a week only, behind burnt wood panels and a two-century-old oak counter.

TipIt opens Wednesday to Saturday only and the last bowls go before 21:30; takeaway is possible when the counter is full.

Musashibo ★ 4.4

Musashibo serves Hiroshima's broth-free tantanmen a short walk from the Chudenmae tram stop, ordered by vending machine and graded by heat at no extra cost.

OrderShirunashi tantanmen, stirred thirty times before eating

TipHeat runs on a four-step scale with level two as the house standard, and stepping up costs nothing extra.

Ramen Jun ★ 4.4

Ramen Jun built Frankfurt's ramen standard from a small Westend dining room near the Messe, broth simmered in-house daily and queues to match.

OrderTonkotsu with ajitama; add the gyoza while you wait

TipSolo counter seats turn over fastest at peak; the Altstadt sibling Ramen Jun Red on Fahrgasse runs later evenings.

Lucky Belly ★ 4.3

Lucky Belly is the Chinatown Honolulu ramen and bao shop Dusty Grable and Jesse Cruz opened in 2012, the room that ushered in the neighborhood's modern.

OrderThe Belly Bowl ramen and the pork belly bao.

TipKitchen runs to 23:00 Friday and Saturday. Across the street is The Tchin Tchin Bar, run by the same team for a nightcap.

Nagahama Mangetsu ★ 4.2

Nagahama Mangetsu cooks Hakata-lineage tonkotsu ramen on Busan's Haeridan-gil, a Bib Gourmand counter that is the shop's first outpost in Korea.

OrderThe Hakata-style tonkotsu with an order of gyoza; noodles come thin and firm.

TipRegister on the in-store tablet queue, then browse Haeridan-gil until your number is called.

Otaku Ramen ★ 4.2

Sarah Gavigan's Division Street ramen shop in The Gulch, Nashville opened 2014 and remains the Gulch's reliable bowl. Walk-in friendly, kid-friendly.

OrderTonkotsu Original with the runny egg, karaage to share.

TipThe private karaoke room books for groups of six; happy hour 16:00-19:00 runs $5 small plates.

JINYA Ramen Bar ★ 3.9

JINYA Ramen Bar on N Western Avenue brings Japanese ramen craft to Oklahoma City with tonkotsu and vegan broths and high-quality toppings daily.