Hakata tonkotsu ramen is the cloudy pork-bone broth poured over thin straight noodles. Born in Fukuoka around 1941, it now anchors 800-plus ramen counters across the city's wards.

The cloudy tonkotsu broth was born around 1941 at a dockside stall in Nagahama. Mitsugu Sugimoto's Sankyu and Hizo Tsuda's Ganso Nagahamaya are the most-cited origin candidates. The thin straight noodle, the kaedama refill, and a tare poured into the bowl before the broth all emerged together. Tonkotsu spread across Kyushu through the 1950s, with regional variants in Kumamoto (garlic-laced) and Kurume (richer). Today Hakata Issou, Ippudo Daimyo, Hakata Ikkousha and Shin-Shin run the canonical Fukuoka counters, and the Hakata format has since exported worldwide through chains like Ippudo and Ichiran.

Where to eat Hakata tonkotsu ramen in Fukuoka

5 editor picks for Hakata tonkotsu ramen in Fukuoka, ranked by editorial score. All Fukuoka signature dishes · Hakata tonkotsu ramen across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 46 hrAdvanced

Ingredients

  • 1kg pork bones (femur and trotter)
  • 500g pork back fat
  • 30g ginger, sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 60ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
  • 30ml mirin
  • Sea salt
  • 400g thin straight Hakata-style ramen noodles
  • Toppings: 8 slices chashu pork, 4 soft-boiled marinated eggs, sliced scallions, beni-shoga pickled ginger

Method

  1. Blanch pork bones and back fat in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse off scum.
  2. Return bones to a clean stockpot with 4 litres cold water, ginger, garlic and onion. Bring to a hard rolling boil, do not simmer.
  3. Boil hard for 4 to 6 hours, topping up water to keep the bones submerged. The broth must roll constantly to emulsify the fat into the water. Strain when the broth runs creamy and pale.
  4. In each bowl, combine 20ml shoyu and 10ml mirin as the tare base, plus a pinch of salt.
  5. Cook the thin noodles for 60 to 90 seconds in fast boiling water (firmness to taste), drain hard.
  6. Pour 350ml hot tonkotsu broth over the tare. Lay the noodles in, top with chashu, halved soft egg, scallion and a small mound of beni-shoga. Serve immediately.

Editor tip. The broth must roll hard the entire cook to emulsify the fat into the water. A gentle simmer makes a thin clear broth and not a tonkotsu.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Pork, Egg.