22 Ramen Spots Across Taiwan: My Favorite Japanese & Taiwanese-Style Ramen in Taipei and Taichung
I actually started eating ramen a loooong time ago, and I’ve slowly gone from a total ramen newbie to someone who at least knows a thing or two about what makes a good bowl. So I figured I’d round up all the ramen posts I’ve written over these past nearly two years and share them with you all! One quick heads-up before we dive in: the full-article links below all point to my “personal website,” because Dcard’s features are pretty limited (you can’t embed maps or use headings of different sizes there), so I went ahead and polished up the old posts and put them on my own site. Handle with care!
Google Maps list
https://www.google.com/maps/placelists/list/voOhSQetBhLNbFuID2QzmFDQHhb2Kw
1. Eagle Ryu Tokyo Tonkotsu Ramen – Gokujou (Japanese-style ramen)
This is my heart’s favorite spot, and it’s also the very first ramen I can remember eating. Their signature trait is being super, super rich, and the portions are huge too.
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Free noodle refills
❤️Great value
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food014/
2. Kakurega Ramen – Gongguan branch (Japanese-style ramen)
Kakurega Ramen is a pretty divisive spot. Some people call it a godly shop, others call it a dud. But for me, it’s a place with real personality. Their Golden Chicken tastes different from anywhere else, and that refusal to play it safe is probably exactly why it’s become one of those famous places with a queue out front.
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Free noodle refills
❤️Affordable Japanese-style ramen
❤️Friendly staff
Full article here: https://mydondon.net/food019/
3. Moyou Ramen (Japanese-style ramen)
Moyou Ramen’s lineup is a bit different from most ramen shops. They mainly sell two kinds of ramen: a shellfish-based one and a foam-based one. The shellfish broth packs a mouthful of umami in every sip, with absolutely no instant-packet taste whatsoever, it’s all the real deal.
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Free noodle refills
❤️Grab a number ticket, no queuing
Full article here: https://mydondon.net/food018/
4. Ichinoana Ramen (Japanese-style ramen)
Ichinoana Ramen is a beloved spot for a lot of ramen lovers, some even say they need a bowl every single day just to find the motivation to keep on living. Personally, I think their niboshi (dried sardine) broth is really different from everyone else’s, much richer and with a tiny bit of grit. It’s a lot like almond tea: when you drink it, you get that slightly gritty feeling at the back of your throat. This bowl is just like almond tea too, some people love it, some don’t.
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Rich broth
❤️Free noodle refills
Full article here: https://mydondon.net/food013/
5. Ichinoana Tsukemen Specialty Shop (Japanese-style ramen)
Run by the same owner as Ichinoana Ramen, this place serves cold noodles with a hot dipping sauce, and every single ingredient is dialed in just right. Even the dipping sauce is carefully designed so that adding hot water afterward gives you a whole different experience. And the cold noodles don’t get that soggy texture like regular chilled noodles, they actually keep a nice springy bite.
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Thoughtfully crafted
❤️Consistent quality
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food004/
6. Menya Musashi – flagship store (Japanese-style ramen)
Menya Musashi also holds an unshakeable place in my heart, the very first time I ever ate tsukemen was at this shop. At first, naive little me assumed tsukemen would be pretty much the same as cold noodles, but after one bite I was blown away. The seafood and chicken hit the golden ratio in the dipping sauce without being too salty, simply a perfect bowl of ramen, not a single thing to nitpick!
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Friendly staff
❤️Unique flavor
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food020/
Limited-edition oyster ramen:
https://mydondon.net/food023/
(The third post hasn’t been uploaded yet)
7. Nagi – Zhongxiao branch (Japanese-style ramen)
Nagi is a shop full of delicious contradictions, every bowl is its own thing: the visual punch of the Black King, the rich texture of the Pork King, and the perfectly judged heat of the Red King. Every bowl is crafted just right, giving curious customers who want to try something new plenty to dig into. I can only tip my hat to them.
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Friendly staff
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food009/
8. Yamaarashi Ramen – Gongguan branch (Japanese-style ramen)
Yamaarashi Ramen’s tonkotsu is one of the more unusual ones I’ve come across. Their pork comes in chunks floating on top of the broth, kind of like the braised pork you’d see over rice, and every single piece is deeply flavorful. It’s a bit like beef noodle soup with half tendon and half meat, except the pork version. Once you add the extra-green-onion option, the scallions pile up so high it’s almost scary, and every bowl that lands in front of you makes you want to snap a million photos!
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Visually stunning
❤️Distinctive char siu
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food007/
9. Douraku Ramen – Dabei branch (Japanese-style ramen)
You could call this the king of value in my book. The silky-smooth texture paired with that pretty, blush-pink sous-vide pork is simply top-tier! If you’re a ramen-loving budget warrior, you’ve got to find time to come grab a bowl at this place!
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Great value
❤️Free noodle refills
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food016/
10. Menya Ittou (Japanese-style ramen)
Menya Ittou is a shop that chases perfection to the extreme. Sure, it doesn’t have wildly fancy plating or an out-of-this-world broth, but every little detail is absolutely on point. The atmosphere inside is super comfortable and never too cramped, letting you enjoy your bowl of ramen in total ease.
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Consistent quality
❤️Comfortable setting
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food022/
11. Gonokami Ramen (Japanese-style ramen)
Gonokami Ramen is famous enough that I probably don’t even need to introduce it, right? Their signature shrimp ramen and shrimp tsukemen draw customers no matter how far away they live, which has turned it into one of those super-packed shops with a queue out the door.
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Free noodle refills
❤️Comfortable setting
Full article here:
(Site not updated yet, check back a bit later!)
12. Turkey Ramen (Japanese-style ramen)
“Shichimenchou” means turkey, and Turkey Ramen is a bowl absolutely loaded with turkey! I can guarantee you this is one of the thickest, richest bowls of ramen I’ve ever had, and on top of that, its distinctive turkey flavor is something you’ll never forget after just one taste.
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Number-ticket system, no stress about waiting
❤️Consistent quality
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food005/
13. Chunyi Ramen (Japanese-style ramen)
In my mind, Chunyi Ramen has always been a shop that “isn’t into fat”, meaning the broth doesn’t taste like you’re drinking salad oil (even though that can feel oh-so-satisfying). The broth has clearly been tweaked a little for Taiwanese palates, but it does so without losing its essence as ramen!
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food017/
14. Citrus Shinn Duck & Scallion (Japanese-style ramen)
If Turkey Ramen is the turkey variant within the chicken-paitan family, then Citrus Shinn Duck & Scallion is the masterpiece representing duck, and not only that, they even work fruit into the dish! These two elements that seem to have nothing to do with ramen somehow, in the chef’s skilled hands, come together into a bowl that’s so harmonious and delicious. All I can say is, color me impressed~ That said, a few of their noodle dishes carry a heavy hit of Chinese herbs and alcohol, so if that’s not your thing, take a moment when you order.
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Rich broth
❤️Signature dish worth queuing for, no waiting stress
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food012/
15. Menya • Hagane (Japanese-style ramen)
Menya • Hagane is a recently opened ramen shop whose headliner is black-bone-chicken chicken-paitan ramen, yet another shop making chicken paitan with a different breed of chicken! After trying all three of these different birds, I think the difference between them comes down to subtle variations in the broth’s flavor, you can tell they taste different, but you can’t quite put your finger on how. If you’re collecting all sorts of chicken-paitan ramen shops, don’t miss this one~
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Free noodle refills
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food029/
16. Eagle Ryu Tokyo Shoyu Ramen – Ranmaru
Ranmaru and Gokujou are run by the same owner. On top of Gokujou’s extra-rich tonkotsu, Ranmaru also serves a clear-broth ramen built on a shoyu base. The whole shop is super close to the MRT station, which is also why the seating inside is on the smaller side, but that doesn’t dock the ramen a single point! The clear-broth ramen’s sweetness, without being deathly salty, keeps you going for one bite after another, and the toppings are top-notch too. That said, I personally feel the broth is a touch one-note, so it’s worth adding an extra ball of noodles to go with it. (You absolutely have to order the SP!!!)
❤️Free noodle refills
❤️Consistent quality
❤️Visually stunning
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food035/
17. Shengwang Ramen
Shengwang Ramen was once one of those famous queue-out-the-door spots, a shop that brings together all sorts of uncommon toppings in one bowl, yet none of it feels out of place, it all comes together harmoniously instead. The broth is great too. I ordered the rich niboshi ramen, but I never felt like any one flavor was too strong or any topping too salty. The whole bowl deliberately strives for variety so it never feels stale or cliché.
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Consistent quality
❤️Free noodle refills
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food030/
18. Buta-jin Ramen – Taiwan flagship store
My first impression of Buta-jin was that they really are a shop run by Japanese folks, because when we were ordering they couldn’t quite understand what we were saying, and even got our meaning mixed up. But their ramen is genuinely delicious and genuinely rich, so rich that my family couldn’t even finish it. At the same time, they showed me that spicy stir-fried dried tofu really can be added to tonkotsu ramen without clashing one bit. I can only tip my hat.
❤️Great value
❤️Unique flavor
❤️Free side dishes
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food010/
19. Yanhe Ramen (Taiwanese-style ramen)
Yanhe Ramen is what I’d call a no-regrets Taiwanese-style ramen. How so? Yanhe Ramen offers great value, you only need to spend a little to get really good quality, making it a perfect spot to bring along that friend of yours who isn’t a fan of the rich, heavy ramen.
❤️Affordable prices
❤️Spacious seating
❤️Great value
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food015/
20. Buta-ou Ramen (Taiwanese-style ramen)
Buta-ou Ramen is another spot you can bring your friends to for a satisfying craving fix, and it stays open really, really late. I’d often be halfway through writing my homework in the middle of the night when a sudden craving for a late-night snack hit, and that’s when I’d head to Buta-ou for a bowl of ramen, no guilt and no damage to the wallet. After all, 300 NTD for a bowl of ramen is honestly a little hard to swallow for a college student.
❤️Budget-friendly
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
❤️Taiwanese-style flavor
Full article here:
(Site not updated yet)
21. Yatai Ramen (Taiwanese-style ramen)
Yatai Ramen is one of the better Taiwanese-style ramen shops I’ve tried, boldly experimenting with different kinds of flavors and backing it up with solid quality, which makes it a tasty Taiwanese-style ramen. That said, the prices are a touch high and you’ll have to wait quite a while, so if you’re a fellow Mai-Mai thinking of going, you might want to give it a little more thought.
❤️Creative flavors
❤️Spacious setting
❤️Affordable prices
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food011/
22. Jiutangwu Ramen – Penghu branch (Taiwanese-style ramen)
A super affordable ramen shop, yet you can still taste the owner’s genuine pursuit of Japanese-style ramen. The toppings aren’t plentiful, but I really love their spicy ramen, though the white broth is honestly a tiny bit bland. Beyond that, there are plenty of creative ramen options waiting for you to try.
❤️Creative flavors
❤️Affordable prices
❤️Knee-friendly (won’t break the bank)
Full article here:
https://mydondon.net/food006/