What makes a good bowl of ramen? It really comes down to preference, but there is a checklist of sorts: a deeply flavoured broth, fresh springy noodles, and the perfect balance of toppings, which typically range from tender pieces of charshu (grilled pork belly) and a marinated, soft-boiled ajitama egg to seasoned bamboo shoots, spring onions and nori.

From Hataka- and Tokyo-style tonkotsu to shoyu, shio and miso broths (and vegie equivalents), here are some of Melbourne’s best to get you started.

Mr Ramen San

Queues snaking out of Midcity Centre into Chinatown are not an uncommon sight at Mr Ramen San. Priding itself on Hakata-style ramen (the pork bone broth known as tonkotsu is one of the most famous in Japan), Mr Ramen San makes fresh noodles daily, stews its roast pork for several hours until it reaches melt-in-mouth consistency, and boils pork bones and shiitakes over high heat for 10-plus hours until the broth assumes a thick, creamy cloudiness. Kae-dama (extra noodles) are free.

Must-try ramen: Charshu ramen, where ultra-thin, springy house-made noodles topped with roast pork, leeks, spring onion, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, crisp sheets of seaweed and a jammy half-egg sit in a rich, savoury broth.

12a/200 Bourke Street, Melbourne mrramensan.com.au

Hakata Gensuke

Hakata Gensuke also specialises in tonkotsu ramen – add fried garlic and black sesame paste, brave the spicy fire blend, or opt for the lighter shio or miso tonkotsu. Fukuoka chef Kousuke Yoshimura is behind the six Melbourne branches, of which the always-packed Russell Street store is the flagship. A special master stock is the basis of the broth while the noodles, slightly chewier and flatter than typical Hakata noodles, are made in a climate-
controlled room and available from “soft” to “very hard”.

Must-try ramen: Signature tonkotsu, where a full-bodied and collagen-rich pork bone soup is served with house-made thin noodles, tender pork charshu, black fungus and spring onions.

168 Russell Street, Melbourne (and other locations) gensuke.com.au

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen

Nestled in a bright and airy city basement, Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen serves up house-made Chikuho noodles (known for being thin and straight) and 18-hour slow-cooked tonkotsu broths. The level of customisation is unparalleled – you can choose from “light” to “heavy” ramen oil; “normal” to “extra rich” broth, spring onions or none, “light” to “normal” soy sauce, pork cuts that range from grilled pork to slow-cooked pork belly to pork ribs, and “soft” to “extra hard” noodles, on which there are free refills.

Must-try ramen: Yuzu kosho tonkotsu, which has a pleasing citrus undertone.

27 Russell Street, Melbourne ikkoryu.com.au

Shujinko

Shujinko initially made headlines for being open 24/7, but alas the pandemic put paid to that. Nonetheless, the cosily lit, wood-adorned ramen destination is still open later than most. While most ramen restaurants in Melbourne specialise in Hakata-style tonkotsu with a salt-based broth, Shujinko sells Tokyo-style tonkotsu, which features a soy-based broth boiled for more than 12 hours. Highlights include the signature Shujinko ramen, spicy karakuchi ramen, the
black ramen with a special shellfish seasoning and a vegetarian ramen.

Must-try ramen: Black ramen with spicy seasoning and a special black powder, served with bok choy, spring onion, bean sprouts, a marinated egg and signature grilled pork belly.

225 Russell St, Melbourne; Shop 13/276 Flinders St, Melbourne; 235 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley shujinko.com.au

Mensousai Mugen

Mensousai Mugen was one of the first to serve tsukemen, a dish with similar ingredients to ramen but where cold noodles are served separately and dipped into a rich broth, cooked for 48-hours at Mugen from pork, chicken and dried fish. Mugen chef Yoshi Kurosawa (and owner of adjacent Robot Bar) has experimented with different flours and moisture levels to create the perfect noodles, which you can find in four separate variations of tsukemen, with
the option for it to be served warm.

Must-try ramen: Wafu tsukemen with a dashi and soy sauce broth, house-made thick noodles, slow-cooked pork, bamboo shoots and seaweed.

11 Bligh Place, Melbourne mensousaimugen.com

Gogyo

Gogyo is from the same people behind international ramen franchise Ippudo and people flock to it for its theatrically made Kogashi (“burnt”) ramen. A piping-hot wok of pork lard is heated over a high flame, miso paste is added and set on fire, and chicken broth is poured in, lending the rich brown broth a fragrant bittersweetness. Gogyo is a Buddhist term illustrating the five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water – and Japanese artist Kentaro Yoshida’s exterior mural depicting this is worth a look.

Must-try ramen: Kogashi miso with a charred miso base, chicken broth, half a jammy soft-boiled egg, pork belly chashu, and medium-thin bouncy wheat noodles.

413 Brunswick Street , Fitzroy ippudo.com.au/gogyo

Neko Neko

Neko means “cat” in Japanese and cats love fish, which explains cosy Fitzroy restaurant Neko Neko’s pescatarian focus – though for plant-eaters, it’s known as a go-to for its varieties of vegan ramen. Tofu pockets, soy meat and tofu are stand-ins for grilled pork belly, while soy sauce and sesame broths take the place of bone-based soups. Co-owner Saori Kawasaki is vegan and has crafted broths made from 20 ingredients, featuring hand-made noodles made without egg.

Must-try ramen: Vegan tan tan ramen with a creamy sesame broth and soy meat

83A Smith Street, Fitzroy nekoneko.au

Dojo Ramen

Rumour has it that Northcote’s Dojo Ramen’s pork broth comes from a secret recipe inherited from a Japanese ramen master. For those who prefer lighter ramen varieties compared with the porky tonkotsu, Dojo has several kinds of broths: shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), chilli miso, and then vegetarian and vegan equivalents of all three. The top-selling ramen, however, is the tan tan men, enlivened with a sesame paste chilli bean tare (with tare being the primary seasoning agent of any ramen).

Must-try ramen: Tan tan men, featuring a deliciously creamy eight-hour cooked broth topped with spicy ground pork, spring onions, an ajitama egg, leek, bok choy and chilli strings.

333 High Street, Northcote dojoramen.com.au

Kissaten

A kissaten is a quiet place for writers and intellectuals to gather and drink tea or coffee, and the light-filled interiors, expansive courtyard and Japanese-themed garden of this Alphington local typify this spirit. Though not the sole offering on a menu studded with breakfast items, there are four different, high-quality ramens at Kissaten: a tonkotsu, the decidedly inauthentic breakfast ramen (with pork sausage and roast tomato), summer ramen (a dry noodle) and a vegetarian yasai ramen.

Must-try ramen: Tonkotsu ramen with chashu pork belly, ajitsuke tamago, kale, miso tare, spring onions, sesame and nori with egg noodles in a yasai broth.

538-540 Heidelberg Road, Alphington kissatenalphington.com.au

Parco Ramen

Chefs Federico Congiu and Manato Deleon opened a ramen pop-up during the 2021 lockdown – the precursor to this Moonee Ponds 25-seater. Half the ramens are made using Parco’s signature 12-hour tori paitan (chicken broth), the umami comes from house-cultured koji and the straight, thin noodles are made with kinako, roasted soybean flour. The bestselling lobster ramen is made only once a week on a first-in, first-served basis, and thanks to a newly obtained liquor licence, you can enjoy it alongside a beer or sake.

Must-try ramen: Signature lobster ramen made with South Australian crayfish, lobster, bean sprouts, spring onions, marinated egg, bamboo shoots, roasted nori and sesame.

17A Hall Street, Moonee Pondsparcoproject.com.au