Where to eat in Osaka—8 Amazing Ramen Shops

Maido! Osaka Bob here♪
Osaka is famous for amazing food. And ramen is, believe it or not, one of the dishes you just have to try!
New ramen shops seem to pop up every day. And the city has plenty of long-standing ramen restaurants and beloved hole-in-the-wall spots too!
Competition is hot. And stores compete to see who makes the best bowl of noodles in Osaka. Here are 8 of my favorites. See what you think, and feel free to add your own comments and reviews on Maido。

1. Ichiran—Signature Red Sauce is their claim to fame

This is the famous Ichiran ramen. In the middle of every bowl, a dollop of their famous spicy red sauce spices up the looks and the flavor.

The red sauce is made from 30 different seasonings and only a handful of people in the whole world know the exact recipe. And this tightly kept trade secret isn’t just about the exact proportion of ingredients, but also how it is aged. Mix the red sauce, aka Hiden no tare, into your soup and let the spice and umami diffuse inside your bowl.

ingredients, but also how it is aged. Mix the red sauce, aka Hiden no tare, into your soup and let the spice and umami diffuse inside your bowl.

7 different choices to make your bowl just the way you like it! Order in English, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese

When you order you choose from 7 different flavor profiles and variations on an order sheet to make a bowl that’s perfect for your palate. The menu is already translated, making ordering a breeze for non-Japanese speakers too.

2. Kinryu Ramen—The dragon marks the spot

This beloved Osaka ramen spot has been in business for 40 years! They started making tonkotsu ramen (pork broth ramen) in Osaka before it was cool. And with their late-night hours, this shop became a staple of nights out in Namba.

Here the noodles are straight and thin, complimented with sliced green onions, bean sprouts, and char siu. The broth is so subtly flavorful you’ll want to drink down every drop.
There are only two things on the menu—ramen (¥800) and char-siu-men (¥1,100), but you can customize your bowl with as much kimchi, garlic or Chinese chives as you would like. That’s part of the experience at Kinryu. This ramen joint is known for both its delicious noodles and the ice cold beer! It’s popular with the late drink crowd too.

The dragon billboard is the landmark sign that lets you know you’re here!

This bold sign notifies ramen-lovers that they have indeed arrived at their destination–Kinryu Ramen.
It’s pretty great to have a ramen spot open 24-hours a day!

3. Ramen Jinsei JET—Intense chicken flavored umami

The neighborhood where Ramen Jinsei JET opened, Fukushima, used to be a fairly working-class area, but now it is a renowned restaurant zone in Osaka. Fukushima still shows signs of its past. And this is where Ramen Jinsei JET got its start and has grown into one of Osaka’s best known restaurants. By the way, Ramen Jinsei means “ramen life” which shows you the kind of dedication they have for good noodles.

The deep flavor of the broth is so intense because the chicken bones are stewed for 10 hours with grated daikon and chili. The soup with added seafood in the broth is incredibly flavorful.

Everything I’ve tried here has been excellent, but I recommend you try tsukemen (dipping noodles) for your first bowl. Any ramen lover will undoubtedly fall in love with JET.

As it turns out, they know what they’re doing with noodles too. Their handmade noodles are straight and of medium thickness. The extra chewy noodles go great with the house-made soup.
Be aware when you visit, that this store can get busy, depending on what time you visit. It’s been featured on TV and other media many times. You may have to wait in line, but I promise it is good!

4. Mitsuka Bose—Vegan-friendly & Minoh Beer

There may be a lot of shoyu broth and pork based ramen out there, but Mitsuka Bose walks a different road–specializing in miso ramen. White miso, red miso, spicy miso, vegan miso, there are so many kinds of miso broth to choose from and the flavors are all amazing and different. They use locally fermented miso to bring out the best flavors in seasonal ingredients.

Keep in mind that if you visit during lunch time between Wednesday and Saturday, the menu is all Shrimp Miso Curry Ramen.

Stop in on your trip through Itami Airport

Besides the great ramen, Mitsuka Bose offers a great selection of Minoh Beer and sell bulk ingredients as well.

The incredible selection of miso ramen is what put this restaurant on the map. And plenty of customers come for the vegan ramen. They moved locations in 2022 and are now located near Hotarugaike Station on the Osaka Monorail and Hankyu Takarazuka Line. It’s right on the way to Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport), so it’s a great place to stop on your way to or from the airport.

5. KING-emon—The makers of Osaka Black

The flavors from the dark soy sauce that goes into their famous Osaka Black soup is underlined with prawn oil. And the thick flat noodles that KING-emon are ideal for this type of broth.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the famous Fuji Black Ramen, well this is Osaka Black Ramen and it’s won its own share of ramen awards.
The noodles are thick and chewy, but firm. Their ramen has a robust soy sauce flavor and is well-balanced so it won’t overpower you. Even ramen-lovers who prefer light flavors will like the ramen at KING-emon.
It actually ranks No. 1 on the Japanese gourmet website Tabelog for the best ramen in the whole country. So you know it’s got to be good!

6. Menya Godairiki—Specialty ramen reminiscent of pasta

This ramen is complimented by flavorful consommé and the presence of mutton. The chef blends styles of French and Italian cooking to make a broth of select meats, vegetables, and egg whites simmered slowly for 7 hours.

You absolutely have to try the pesto style ramen. It resembles its pasta cousin and really shows off the chef’s talents. Its complimented with a layer of jelled consommé.
In summer, the cold noodles are dipped in a bowl of vichyssoise for a totally new twist on traditional tsukemen.

The restaurant interior looks a little more European than your normal noodle shop.

7. Menya Aozora—Unbelievable selection

Serving everything from very light ramen to the thickest of thick broths, there’s a lot of variety on the Menya Aozora menu. While this isn’t an exact number, I feel like the menu has at least 50 different kinds of ramen to choose from.

This is a new take on Nara ramen. Noodles from Nara are bathed in a broth specially made by Aozora’s chef who trained in the Hakata style pork soup (tonkotsu). Chinese chives and extra garlic give this ramen a little kick, while the pork belly grounds the flavors. This is the kind of ramen that will leave you feeling invigorated. You can select your level of spice ranging from regular to ultra-spicy.

While most restaurants have a particular kind of ramen that they specialize in, Aozora does a little bit of everything. But that doesn’t mean they can’t do a good job. They serve each bowl with pride. So have fun deciding what to order!

8. Bakatono—Rich flavor with a garlicky punch

The soup is a thick soy sauce broth. And the charred garlic gives this pork-based (tonkotsu) ramen an extra boost.

The curly chichire noodles are medium-width and they pull in the flavors of the rich broth so well. You’re in for a treat with the deliciously seared char siu.
If you like richly flavored ramen, this is sure to be one of your favorites. I recommend eating their ramen together with a bowl of rice.

Beware of the hot noodle! Extra ramen info

Like other noodles in Japan, ramen is served piping hot. And so is the soup! If you leave your noodles sitting in soup for too long they will absorb the soup and the texture changes. So how do you eat your noodles quickly but without burning your tongue? Therein lies the art of slurping ramen noodles. Don’t be afraid to make a little noise as you eagerly transfer your ramen from chopstick to mouth. It is absolutely acceptable to slurp in a ramen shop. It’s easier than you think. Just give it a try!