How to Choose Delicious Ramen

1. Choose by Soup Flavor

The soup is what defines the taste of ramen. While there are various types including miso, soy sauce, salt, tonkotsu (pork bone), chicken paitan, and tantan, the methods of preparation vary wildly from shop to shop. Ramen soup is made by diluting a concentrated base called "kaeshi" or "tare." The combinations of this base and the broth are infinite; you could say there are as many combinations as there are ramen shops.

It takes time to create a truly delicious ramen soup. Shops that start preparing the day before, or even several days in advance, dedicate the time necessary to slowly simmer their ingredients. Ingredients include animal-based sources like pork bone and chicken carcasses, seafood-based sources like niboshi (dried sardines), bonito flakes, mackerel flakes, salmon flakes, and kelp, as well as vegetables like greens and root vegetables.

While some shops simply dilute mass-produced commercial soup bases with a basic broth, it is clearly different from a handmade soup that has taken time to craft. A ramen shop where you can see large stockpots bubbling away with ingredients in the kitchen from your seat is likely making their soup from scratch, and they will almost certainly serve a delicious bowl. This is the kind of shop you want to look for.

Tonkotsu (Pork Bone) Ramen

Tonkotsu ramen soup is made by slowly simmering pork leg bones, ribs, and backbones over high heat. The fats and moisture released from the bones and marrow emulsify, resulting in a white, cloudy, and richly flavored soup. Originating in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, this style is primarily enjoyed in Kyushu, as represented by Hakata ramen and Kurume ramen.

Tonkotsu broth is often used not only for Kyushu-style ramen but also as a base broth, frequently combined with soy sauce or miso tare, or blended with chicken or seafood stock to create a "double soup."

Soy Sauce (Shoyu) Ramen

Soy sauce ramen is said to be the oldest style of ramen in Japan. Ramen referred to as "Chuka Soba" or "Shina Soba" is also essentially soy sauce ramen. The flavor evolves in various directions depending on the richness and type of soy sauce used, leading to many branches of this style.

While early soy sauce ramen typically relied on chicken or pork bone broth, many shops nowadays use ingredients like flying fish (ago), dried sardines (niboshi), or shellfish like clams and shijimi. Many of these are relatively light and easy to eat, offering a well-balanced taste that achieves both depth and approachability.

Seafood-based Ramen (Niboshi, Shrimp, Shellfish, etc.)

Seafood-based ramen uses broth made from dried fish flakes, dried sardines, shrimp, and more. This was a common type of broth in coastal regions. Because these flavors are so familiar to the Japanese palate, they provide a nostalgic, gentle, and comforting taste.

Recently, "Niboshi Ramen"—so-called "Nibolar"—has been on the rise. The thick, sludge-like, heavy style using a large amount of dried sardines became so popular that it created a legion of addicts. Lately, it has been evolving in various directions, including lighter versions and those combined with animal-based stocks.

Salt (Shio) Ramen

Salt ramen is made using a simple salt-based soup. Because the flavor is simple, it pairs well with any broth, and the hallmark is that you can taste the deliciousness of the broth itself. It is recommended for those who prefer a light soup over a rich one.

For better or worse, the flavor of the broth comes through directly, making it a seasoning that offers no place to hide. Shops that serve excellent salt ramen often have an intense dedication to their broth and are of the highest quality.

Miso Ramen

Miso ramen is a uniquely Japanese style of ramen that uses miso for the seasoning (tare). While miso is a traditional condiment that Japanese people have eaten for ages, it wasn't used in early ramen. Developed in the 1960s starting in Sapporo, Hokkaido, following a suggestion from the president of a Swiss food manufacturer, it gradually spread throughout the country.

The level of miso ramen in Sapporo is among the highest in the nation, and many owners of popular miso ramen shops in Tokyo and beyond got their start in long-established Sapporo shops.

In miso soup, the flavor of the miso is sometimes kept pure, while other times it is roasted or smoked, resulting in a truly diverse range of tastes. The harmony between the deep richness of the miso and the umami of the broth, resulting in a profoundly savory soup, is the greatest appeal of miso ramen.

Chicken Paitan/Chintan Ramen

Chicken Paitan soup is made by simmering whole chickens or chicken carcasses over high heat. The fats and moisture released from the bones and marrow emulsify, creating a white, cloudy, and richly flavored soup. It is characterized by a deep, concentrated flavor where the chicken umami comes to the forefront with great intensity.

Because it has a healthier image than pork bone, it has firmly established itself as a new genre of ramen in recent years.

Chicken Chintan soup is made by simmering whole chickens or carcasses over low heat. Unlike the high-heat Paitan, simmering over low heat creates a clear, elegant soup without clouding. It is best when you simply want to enjoy the flavor of the chicken.

2. Does the shop have noodles that match the soup?

Noodles are an essential element of delicious ramen. No matter how tasty the soup is, if the soup and noodles don't pair well, it won't feel delicious. For example, thin noodles pair well with light, thin soups, while thick noodles are better suited for thick, heavy soups. Strictly speaking, there are not just thin and thick noodles, but also "extra-thick" and "medium-thick," as well as "extra-thin" and "medium-thin." There are also variations in shape, such as "curly noodles" and "straight noodles."

Noodle firmness is also important; even with the same thickness, the feel when biting into the noodles changes depending on the moisture content (hydration level) used when the noodles are made. A higher hydration level results in firm noodles that the soup coats just right, while a lower hydration level results in noodles that absorb the soup for a cohesive taste. The firmness varies widely depending on not just the creation process, but also the boiling time.

A delicious ramen shop should have noodles prepared specifically to pair well with the characteristics of their soup, so choosing that combination is never wrong. While shops that offer many varieties of noodles are being thoughtful, I personally don't feel a strong sense of purpose in that. "Eat our ramen with these noodles"—that is where you can truly feel the dedication. You should choose a shop that is betting on just one or two types of noodles.

3. Does the shop have a dedication to toppings?

While the soup and noodles are the stars of the show, a truly delicious ramen shop definitely has toppings that look delicious. Roast pork (chashu), soft-boiled eggs, green onions, bamboo shoots (menma), garlic, wood ear mushrooms, and vegetables are staples, but the taste of each varies by shop. For chashu, there is pork belly as well as loin. There are versions slowly simmered to be melt-in-the-mouth soft, and others lightly seared for a rare finish.

Some shops are so focused on their toppings that they seem to be burning with an unparalleled obsession; the shop's dedication is truly packed into them. Whether or not there are attractive toppings is, in my opinion, a factor you cannot overlook when choosing a delicious ramen shop. That is how important the quality of toppings is, and they are an essential component of a great bowl of ramen.