Where to find the best ramen restaurants in Melbourne

From secret ramen bars without signage to cult-status broth brewers and iconic foodie mainstays, here’s where to warm up with a giant bowl of Melbourne’s best ramen.

Unabara Lobster and Oyster Bar

Fresh Aussie seafood, cooked with Japanese precision. Unabara in Melbourne Central simmers its ramen broth for 16 hours, infusing it with lobster bisque and akamiso (red soy bean paste). Flex your creative flair with the DIY ramen. You can customise your bowl to perfectly suit your palate from broth to toppings. Add on half a lobster tail, enoki mushrooms or slices of tender pork belly. Then dial up the spice level.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

Established in 1970, this ramen chain has since gone global, including here in Melbourne. Australia’s first Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen is the perfect place to get a bowl of Japanese noodle soup just how you like it. There are oodles of options, including several types of broth, noodle textures, extra toppings, and even vegetarian and vegan versions.

Kajiken  

Famous Japanese noodle bar Kajiken has found a new home inside Melbourne’s Southern Cross train station. Before you dash to your platform load up on the signature aburasoba (soupless ramen) bowl. This quick and budget-friendly meal is loaded with pork chashu, bamboo shoots, green onion and nori. Then dig into side dishes like $9 plates of takoyaki or pan-fried pork gyoza.  

Mensho Tokyo 

Japan’s Michelin-awarded Mensho Tokyo has found a new home in Melbourne on 166 Russell Street. Pull up a stool watch the ramen masters at work. The broth is delicate, the noodles are chewy and the meat melts in your mouth. Go for the classic shio ramen with a clear pork-based soup and big slices of tender chashu. Try the toripantain ramen that comes with a creamy chicken soup base. Or be bold and order the signature matcha ramen. It’s packed with umami and loaded with slices of duck.

Tokyo Motto

At the entry of one of Melbourne’s coolest hidden arcades is Tokyo Motto. Here you’ll find a bunch of classic Japanese street food dishes but the star of the show has got to be the ramen. This steamy bowl of noodles in a spicy miso broth is unexpectantly topped with a soft serve ice cream cone. Yup, that’s right, an ice cream cone! Drop in to this casual diner for a quick lunch or head in after dark when it transforms into buzzing izakaya.

Supernormal winter ramen special

Craft ramen fans, rejoice! Winter is back, and so is Supernormal's seasonal ramen. Over two days, the chefs work to create a light bone broth. It's topped with grilled chicken, prawn and chicken dumplings and the ultimate topping – a soy-marinated egg. For those looking to upgrade their weekday power lunches, the special will be running all winter long.

Sara Craft Ramen

A new ramen spot has entered the chat. Quickly gaining 'must try' status, this Little Lonsdale Street noodle shop serves delicious flavours like duck yuzu, clam shoyu, and spicy tonkotsu. Choose from artisanal straight noodles or the two weeks aged wave noodles. Looking for something extra? Opt for the spicy crab karaage, or the few pieces of blowtorched wagyu sushi. 

Ippudo QV 

Born in Japan and imported to the mouths of Melburnians in 2018, visit QV for Ippudo’s world-famous ramen. The chefs do ramen three ways but the go-to dish here is the shiromaru motoaji. A creamy pork bone tonkotsu broth with the signature secret dashi, thin noodles and melt-in-your-mouth pork. Leave room for sides like seared salmon sushi rolls.

Onsen Japanese

Looking for a trip to Tokyo without the airfares? Visit hidden gem Onsen Japanese. With its signature flavour-packed tonkotsu ramen - you can choose the spicy version if you like things fiery. Or try 'soupless' mazeman ramen, crispy karaage fried chicken, katsu curry and more classic izakaya bites.

Little Ramen Bar

Look no further than the Little Ramen Bar for an authentic ramen experience. From the melt-in-your-mouth chashu to essential add-ons like knobs of butter and corn. One steamy slurp will transport you all the way to the snowy peaks of Hokkaido. If you're feeling extra famished, go for the Godzilla option to upsize your meal with extra noodles and soup. And of course, what's a bowl of ramen without a side dish of gyoza? These little fried dumplings are made fresh on site with pork, chicken or veg.

Hakata Gensuke 

When a world-famous ramen joint has opens a branch devoted to its chicken broth, you know it's good. The laser-sharp focus at Hakata Gensuke’s QV location is best seen in the signature tori ramen, a $19 simple-seeming bowl adorned with spring onion, bamboo shoots and chicken chashu. Looking for OG-style pork ramen? Head down to its original Russell Street shop for the richest of broth and chewy noodles.

Parco Ramen

Parco is serious about ramen with its homemade noodles, distinct flavours like yuzu and truffle and perfectly-gooey dashi eggs. The signature dish is a perfect flavour balance. It features a chicken broth base with charred pork belly or chicken thigh, bean sprouts, nori and egg finished with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.

Mr Ramen San 

Hidden in one of Melbourne’s most underrated arcades, Mr Ramen San is a cosy spot serving some of the city’s best ramen. Their soup is made in the traditional Kyushu style, with pork bones in white broth. Charsu (roast pork) is char-grilled with peppercorns before serving. Vegan and vegetarian options are also available.

Musashi Ramen

This Chinatown eatery will transport you to the izakaya bars of Japan. The team at Musashi Ramen have been perfecting their family recipe for ramen for over 25 years. Try the black tora with pork broth and black garlic oil. It’s a punchy symphony of rich, aromatic flavours. Or roll up your sleeves for the midnight ramen. It comes on a portable grill so you can simmer it to the perfect temperature to warm your belly. 

Mugen Ramen

What’s cooler than a tiny robot-themed laneway bar projecting anime from the ceiling? The neighbouring ramen shop with a secret basement bar. Located down Bligh Place off Flinders Lane with essentially no signage, it’s not hard to skip right over Mugen. But it’s worth a detour for their classic ramen and tsukemen (dipping ramen). Order side dishes to share and crack a few bevs downstairs.