Where to find the most comforting bowls of ramen in Hong Kong

Michelin-starred Konjiki Hototogisu opened its first branch at IFC in 2019 and quickly took off, spreading across both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. 

The chain introduces the pigeon shoyu ramen to the menu from September 22 across all its Hong Kong locations. The dish spotlights beloved Cantonese roast pigeon—we’re talking slow-cooked breast meat with crispy skin served on top of Konijiki’s signature speckled noodles. The luxurious broth is a combination of pigeon stock, simmered for hours, and fish broth made from three varieties of Japanese dried fish. Each bowl is completed with pigeon oil, duck breast, maitake mushrooms and spring onions. Yum!

Konjiki Hototogisu
Address: Shop 3020, 3/F, IFC Mall, 1 Harbour View St, Central; Shop A, G/F, Fashion Walk, 57 Paterson Street, Causeway Bay; Shop 25, LG2/F, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong; G/F, H Zentre, 15 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; Shop LG 19, The Southside, 11 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang; Departures Hall, Level 5, Hong Kong International Airport

With four locations spread across the city, from the original, tiny space in Happy Valley to a spot in Central's funky BaseHall, Zagin Soba has positioned itself as one of the city’s top ramen restaurants due to its impeccable bowls of chicken broth ramen. The menu offers three choices: chicken broth ramen, chicken broth tsukemen (dipping noodles) and seafood-based ramen. However, if you want to do the restaurant justice, order the two signature chicken broth noodles for your first visit. 

The soup is thicker and creamier than most; due to the restaurant’s “cappuccino” technique for frothing up the soup, the top layer foams up lightly, giving an airier feel. All ramen are topped with the store’s own deep-fried burdock root which gives the bowl an extra layer of texture and bite. 

Zagin Soba
Address: 7 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong ; 13A King Kwong Street, Happy Valley, Hong Kong ; BaseHall, Shop K15-16, B1/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central; G505 & G508, G/F, Ning On Mansion, On Shing Terrace, Taikoo Shing

If you prefer fish soup, Zagin’s sister restaurant Maru De Sankaku is the place to go. Located around the corner from Zagin’s Central branch, with another outlet in Tin Hau, Maru features Zagin’s signature cappuccino foam broth but in the form of a fragrant fish broth rather than chicken soup. 

Like Zagin, Maru also keeps the menu short and simple, with a small number of options, as well as some limited-edition items. The classics area clear fish broth paired with two slices of crispy fish skin; and an eight-hour creamy white fish soup ramen, which can also be ordered as a tsukemen (dipping ramen) that is available on a first come, first served basis. If you’re looking for a a little drama alongside your dinner, the tsukemen noodles are served over dry ice, creating a fog effect as your bowl is delivered, and just long enough for those Instagrammable moments. Interestingly, the noodles resemble wider Chinese knife-cut noodles than most you find in tsukemen. 

Maru De Sankaku
Address: G/F, 13 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong ; 77 Electric Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong

Shugetsu comes highly recommended by gourmands including Michelin, and so usually draws a big crowd—of tourists and locals alike. With two locations in Hong Kong, the chain’s popularity can be attributed to its use of 18-month-old fermented soy sauce in the shoyu broth, mixed with ingredients such as mackerel, sardines and kombu. 

The menu is bigger than most, serving a variety of spicy and non-spicy tsukemen options, as well as the option to order extra pork belly alongside your noodles. The original Shugetsu tsukemen is the crowd-pleaser, with a refreshingly acidic taste to the soup and up to 300 grams of noodles to go with it. 

Then there’s the trademark Shugetsu ramen with its soy sauce soup, shio salt ramen and abura (soupless) ramen. All bowls are customisable—go nuts with additional toppings—and there's a selection of side dishes if you’re still hungry. 

Shugetsu
Address: 5 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong ; 30 Hoi Kwong Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

If you’re not in a hurry and don’t mind lining up, pay a visit to Ramen Taifu, the ramen restaurant that’s notorious for its long queues at the weekend. Founded in Tokyo in 2007, the first Hong Kong branch opened in Tsuen Wan in 2012, followed by the popular locations in Mong Kok and Wan Chai; the latter closed and relocated to Tai Kok Tsui in 2025. 

At the Mong Kok location, tsukemen and ramen are available at separate times—the former is only available for lunch, while the latter is served for dinner. The different stores offer different soup base choices, so check their social media ahead of time to make sure you get what you’re in the mood for. 

Options might include a popular shrimp broth ramen or black garlic ramen that has been stealing all the thunder on Instagram, while both the original and sesame broth are delicious for dunking tsukemen. 

Ramen Taifu
Address: G/F, Kin Wong Mansion, 39 Fife Street, Mong Kok; Shop 9, G/F, Po Shing Mansion, 85 Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan;  G/F, 22B, Pok Man St, Tai Kok Tsui

Fans of mala numbing spice should make their way to Kikanbo. Promising to “delight all five senses” using red peppers and fragrant numbing oil in their pig bone, chicken bone and vegetables-infused broth, Kikanbo allows diners to choose their level of spice and numbness, as well as a range of toppings to create a unique, customised bowl.

If you’d rather keep sensation in your tongue, there’s still plenty to enjoy—in particular the pork belly, which comes thickly cut, braised and oozing with flavour. 

Kikanbo
Address: 530 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay; G/F, 20 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui; G/F, Sun Kong House, 2J-2Q Sai Yeung Choi South Street, Mong Kok 

Opened in 2019, Ramen Cubism is celebrity ramen chefs Hayashi Takao and Matsumura Takahiro’s first international ramen store. Hidden away down a staircase off Wellington Street, you might miss the restaurant if you’re not looking carefully, but it’s worth the hunt.

The curated menu features soy sauce and white broths, and might sometimes offer the likes of seafood, mackerel and shio versions.

Portions are on the smaller size, and since the signature bowls here are shio- or shoyu-based, not particularly filling. Luckily, there is a good range of side dishes, including takoyaki, chicken wings and dumplings—or you could always order a second bowl.

Ramen Cubism
Address: Basement, Yuen Yick Building, 27-29 Wellington Street, Central

Named after a mountain in Japan, Afuri was founded in Japan but has since opened international locations in the US, Singapore, Canada, Portugal and Hong Kong. Fans of citrusy flavours will love this ramen restaurant, as they’re known for their yuzu broth ramen.

The star flavour comes in the form of yuzu shio broth, yuzu shoyu and yuzu-tsuyu tsukemen if you’re keen to try their star flavour. For sides, get the soft-shell crab bun, some karaage and a few of the crispy, fried gyozas. 

Afuri
Address: 6/F, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay; L2, The One, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

If you’re in need of a late-night nibble between drinks in Central, Nojo is a ramen and izakaya spot that stays open until 1am on Friday nights (and a little earlier on other days; maybe it’s for the best). It’s an ideal place to chow down on Japanese snacks, sushi, sake and ramen for when you’re done with the club but not quite ready to head home. 

There is a great range of ramen options to choose from—spicy dandan, yuzu, tomato and shrimp miso, for example, as well as more familiar soy sauce and clear chicken soup. The popular soy sauce ramen comes with a whole chicken leg; but don’t sleep on the soupless tossed ramen, a colourful, flavourful bowl with spicy minced chicken, noodles, veggies and a raw egg yolk to tie it together. 

Nojo
Address: 45 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong

If you need a really late late-night ramen option, Ichiran is a must. The first Hong Kong branch opened in 2013, the first-ever overseas location of the famous Japanese ramen chain. Known for individual seating booths that help bring interactions with other people to a minimum, each booth comes with its own water tap for ice cold water, a button to call the staff, and a curtain from behind which your ramen magically appears. 

But it’s more than a gimmick. The classic tonkotsu ramen comes with just noodles, soup, green onion and sliced chashu pork. Modify your bowls in terms of spiciness, richness, garlic level and dashi seasoning, then pile on additional toppings such as a half-boiled egg, seaweed, extra pork and noodles. 

Ichiran
Address: Shop F-G, G/F, Lockhart House Block A, Jaffe Road 440, Causeway Bay; Shop B, Basement, 8 Minden Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui

Known for its its Japanese Wagyu ramen, Mashi No Mashi—a spot beloved by football legend and Netflix star David Beckham—has a total of only four food items on the menu: spicy samurai bomb tsukemen, a spicy, wagyu ramen; tokusei Wagyu tsukemen, which comes with Wagyu beef, bamboo shoots, cabbage and one soft-boiled egg; Wagyu donburi; and Wagyu gyoza. 

Each bowl is served to you by a Mashi No Mashi chef using one hand, the bowl raised to the level of your camera and their baseball cap tipped downwards to keep an air of intrigue. After you’ve finished slurping down the noodles, finish off with a drool-inducing Wagyu rice bowl—if you still have space. 

Mashi No Mashi
Address: Guardian House, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai; Kiosk 12-13, BaseHall, LG/F, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central

See also: Leading Nation co-founder Gerald Li on creating a Japanese hotspot favoured by David Beckham and looking up to Richard Ekkebus and Vicky Cheng

Butao has been leading Hong Kong’s ramen scene for years. All the ramen is served in the chain’s famous, tonkotsu soup base, but if you’re tired of the basic-but-delicious pork-forward recipe, there is also a Black King ramen, which features a squid- and black-garlic-flavoured soup that will almost certainly leave you looking more Goth than when you walked in.

If hot and spicy is more your speed, check out the Red King—with chilli powder, spicy sauce, miso, sesame oil and minced pork, it’s warming on more levels than one. Or, if you want to take a walk on the mild side, try the Green King, which combines basil and parmesan in the broth for a take that may sound more Genoa than Yokohama but is nevertheless delicious.

Butao
Address: G/F, Fortuna Building, 69 Wellington Street, Central; Shop L2-21, 2/F, V Walk, 28 Sham Mong Road, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon; Shop G25, G/F, Popcorn, 9 Tong Yin Street, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories

Part of the famed Ippudo chain, Metro Tonkotsu Base specialises in noodles served in tonkotsu soup base. Inside, you’ll find modern red, black and white decor, as well as thoughtful details such as the hanging hooks on the side of the wall for customers to hang up heavy coats during winter.

Expect elevated versions of Ippudo’s signature broths here: think Singaporean spicy tomato and crab meat ramen for a sweet and spicy combination, or a rich shrimp and lobster broth for bargain luxury.

Metro Tonkotsu Base
Address: Shop G101A, 1/F, Telford Plaza, 33 Wai Yip Street, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong

Tucked inside K11 Musea, set among the art and luxury boutiques, Takano is a little piece of Tokyo that prides itself on its homemade broth, which makes the most of local chicken and umami-heavy niboshi fish, and delightfully chewy noodles, made from four different kinds of Japanese flour.

The critically acclaimed chain offers a hearty reset in the form of spicy sesame ramen and the mineral-rich Aguni Island Salt ramen, while if you prefer tsukemen, try the popular duck broth rendition. 

Tokano Ramen
Address: 220, 2/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui; Shop 167, 1/F, New Town Plaza, Phase 1, 18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin; Shop 1026, 1/F, YOHO MALL I, 9 Long Yat Road, Yuen Long

Tsukemen Mitaseimenjo is a Japanese chain restaurant that serves warming bowls of chewy tsukemen ramen, served in an intensely flavoured broth brewed from pork bones and fish. The menu is heaving with options when it comes to toppings, and doesn’t stint on the appetisers and side dishes either. Close your eyes, breath in the fragrant brothy scents, and for a few minutes make believe you’re down a Tokyo alley, sat elbow-to-elbow with local salarymen. 

Tsukemen Mitaseimenjo
Address: Soundwill Plaza II Midtown, 1 Tang Lung Street, Causeway Bay; G21-22, G/F, K11 Artmall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

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