5 great-value Hong Kong ramen restaurants for a cool spring day
You don’t have to go far in the city to find one of our favourite foods – ramen - and these places serve some of the best bowls of Japanese noodles you can find
There’s something great about ramen restaurants in Hong Kong – wherever you go in the city, you’re never far from a steaming bowl of the hearty Japanese noodles. What could be better on a cool day like today? These places, all reviewed recently by SCMP.com, all made a good impression. Best of all, you can eat your fill at lunch or dinner for under HK$100 a head. Click on headlines to read our reviews in full.
Ebi Kin Ramen, Central
Going against the popularity of tonkotsu ramen, which uses as its base a strong broth of long-simmered pork bones, a new Japanese ramen restaurant in Central is making their stock from shrimp and crab. Ebi Kin Ramen opened in 2014 in Tsukiji, Japan, where the world-famous seafood market is located. The Hong Kong shop is their first overseas outlet. Its Japanese spring onion ramen (HK$85) with shrimp broth, pork fillet, egg, dried shallot and seaweed is an absolute delight.
Daimon Ramen, New Territories (three branches)
To stand out from the competition, Daimon Ramen makes its soup base in Japan, freezes it, then airfreights it to its restaurants in Tuen Mun, Tseung Kwan O and Sha Tin. The trademark Daimon ramen (HK$48) has thick, chewy noodles and the soup is sweet with a strong fish taste. The Taiwan abura soba, which has a raw egg, lots of green onion and minced pork, is also enjoyable – the mala spicy taste goes well with the thick and chewy noodles.
Jyuchu Ramen, Kennedy Town (CLOSED)
Jyuchu Ramen flies its noodles in from Hokkaido every day, so limited amounts are on offer. The ramen can be ordered soft, regular or hard, and only three types of broth are available; all are delicious, and include corn, leeks and half a soft-cooked egg.
Tetsu, Causeway Bay (CLOSED)
Causeway Bay is never short of ramen shops. Tsukemen (dipped ramen) specialist Tetsu recently added to the already fierce competition in the area by opening its first overseas outlet (the chain has 24 restaurants in Japan). Its Sendagi ramen is a pleasant surprise. Created especially for Hong Kong, with only 30 bowls served each day, the rich broth made with plenty of fish powder initially tasted too fishy. But soon, we started to enjoy the salty sweetness and the strong fragrance.
Torihana Tei Ramen, Wan Chai
The menu at Torihana Tei Ramen is a simple one-pager that lists five different ramen bowls and three side dishes. You show your preferences by ticking on the order sheet, which allows you to choose the type of noodles, the firmness as well as whether you want onion. The spicy chicken ramen (HK$80) is great for those who crave some heat. The flavour was similar to Shanghainese hot and sour soup and the cooks are not stingy with the chilli so be prepared to sweat.
