Taipei's Top 5 Ramen Restaurants

The Top 5 Ramen Restaurants in Taipei

Ever get a specific craving?

We’ve all been there. 

It’s 2022, you are in Taipei and you’re looking for quality ramen. You open google maps, and find yourself in a situation where there are more than 200 ramen shops around the city. How in the world can you choose just one? 

I’m glad you asked! 

My life-mission is to eat the highest quality food imaginable. I have spent 5 years eating in Taipei so you don’t have to! In this blog you get only the best suggestions from those years of hard work. 

Especially for you, I have composed a TOP 5 list of THE best ramen establishments in Taipei. Each shop has something slightly different to offer, be it the soup, the noodles or the sides but I promise you one thing. They are all exceptionally good. 

Without further ado, the top 5 ramen spots in Taipei: 

🍜 No. 5 Totto Ramen – (鳥人拉麵) 

Totto is all about that chicken. As much as I love pork-broth, there is nothing more soothing than a bowl of smooth chicken ramen broth. Each bowl they serve is exceptionally tasty, but if you want to get the classic Totto experience, I recommend the:

“Deluxe Chicken Paitan” ($230NTD). Egg is not included, so I highly recommend adding it for an additional $30 NTD. 

Now it’s time to choose your “main meat” – I love their chicken breast, but to be completely honest, pork is the way to go. It is such an impressive hunk of meat, and since it's pork, it creates a great contrast of flavor with the silky chicken broth. The deluxe version comes with cute lil' chicken meat-balls that pair perfectly with the soup. 

If the “classic” is not your style, you can always try their “Miso Paitan” or their “Spicy Paitan”.

Since Totto is all about that chicken – don’t forget to order the fried chicken, served with Japanese mayo for an extra kick. Crispy, juicy and amazing– welcome to chicken paradise.

📍 Totto Ramen – (鳥人拉麵) – They have a couple of locations around town, I love to visit the one in the heart of Dong Qu (東區), close to Zhong Xiao Fu Xing MRT Station (Blue Line)

No. 9, Alley 5, Lane 107, Section 1, Fuxing S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106

🍜 No. 4 Ramen Nagi 

We are staying in the same lovely district of Dong Qu (東區) but this time we are serving something completely different. If you are looking for a very intense bowl of ramen, and very instagrammable content for your social media, look no further than Ramen Nagi.

There are 4 different bowls that you can choose from: 

1. Original King Butao (basically your classic ramen) – $210 NTD

2. Red King Akao (Garlic, chilly oil, cayenne pepper topped with minced pork) – $240 NTD

3. Black King Kuroo – (blackened garlic and squid ink, with a ball of black sesame) – $240 NTD

4. Green King Midorio – (Fresh basil and olive oil, grated parmesan) – $240 NTD

These are all satisfying in their own way. One thing to remember - if you do not like “intense” experiences, then your only choice is the original King Butao. It comes with a superbly rich pork-broth, topped with scallion, and pork chashu (pork slices).

If you are here to check out some “out-of-the-box" ramen recipes, then you have plenty of choices. My personal favorite is the “Black King Kuroo”. You have no idea how rich, flavorful, and astonishingly filling this bowl of ramen is! You can expect; hand-crafted noodles, a gigantic meat-portion,  dried onion toppings, a whole lot of garlic, black sesame, and the centerpiece of the bowl – the black ink. Man, this bowl is intense! The flavors work well together, and it creates a very soothing sensation in your mouth. It is indeed a very powerful punch, so be careful if you cannot handle that much in one sitting. The ramen is not spicy, but the combination of all the ingredients can definitely make you feel like you just got rocked in the tastebuds. It’s a must try! 

When choosing your ramen, you will need to go through the classic “ramen check-list”

• What soup you want

• How rich you want it to be

• Special sauce

• Garlic

• Pork

• Vegetables 

• Level of spiciness

• What noodles you want

• Addons 

I always choose the “recommended” therefore – “normal” level of everything, but you are welcome to adjust it to your liking. I recommend choosing “1 Spicy” and the noodles hard, not soft. The rest is up to you!

📍 Ramen Nagi – they have a few locations around town but I frequent the following: 

106, Taipei City, Da’an District, Lane 75, Section 1, Da'an Rd, 5號1

Conveniently located in between two MRT stops (Blue Line) of Zhong Xiao Fu Xing and Zhong Xiao Dun Hua.

🍜 No. 3 麵屋武藏-神山 (Mian wu wu cang – shen shan) 

Number 3 on my list is something a bit different. They serve your classic “pork broth ramen” – and it is great, but that is not the reason we are here. We are here to discover something sour and spicy at the same time. 

味玉叉燒辛辣拉麵 – wei yu cha shao xin la la mian – is the reason we are here. ($310 NTD) 

It’s pleasantly spicy and weirdly sour, but oh my goodness was it an eye-opening experience! When you are looking for variety, something you’ve never tried before or you’re a ramen veteran like me, this is your spot. Served with mind blowing egg (see pictures below, for real!), a fatty slab of pork and thick hand-made noodles. This bowl is definitely something different. The soup is creamy, tangy on the tongue but it’s not really that spicy. I can’t handle anything more than “medium spicy – 中辣” but this soup was the perfect balance in between what I can handle and what I like. They have plenty of amazing sides. I have heard good things about all of them, but to be honest, the fried chicken is the way to go. I wish I had a video of how juicy that chicken was inside, just look at it!

📍麵屋武藏-神山 (Mian wu wu cang – shen shan) – located 5 minutes walking distance from Zhongshan Station MRT (Green Line). It’s a perfect reason to go discover this lovely neighborhood.

No. 18號, Lane 121, Section 1, Zhongshan N Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, 104

🍜 No. 2 Ichiran Ramen (一蘭)

Coming in at number 2 we are eating at one of (if not the most) famous ramen establishments in all of Taipei.

Ichiran is one of those places where you either know when to visit, or you are mentally prepared to wait, I kid you not, up to three hours for a bowl of ramen. There are two Ichiran’s in Taipei. Both are situated close to one another in the infamously, up-scale Xin Yi district. 

Assume that dinner time (6-9 P.M.) on any given day of the week is going be packed. The only way to queue is to get a number at the counter, which gives you access to a website where you can track your position in line. Last time, I had 247 people in front of me so I decided to try my luck at a later date. 

My advice is to go during random hours (one of the spots is open 24/7 and the other one until 4 am - perfect drunk eats ) or go during a moody, rainy day. That is my go-to. It’s often way less crowded, you can usually walk right in and grab a seat. 

More about the experience:

It’s flippin’ awesome. Borderline authentically Japanese. It’s fast and convenient. I have visited Ichiran in Tokyo in the past, so I know how close the Taipei experience is to the real thing. Another interesting thing about this spot is that seating is made for just one person, with barriers blocking your left and right line of vision. Perfect for introverts.

More about the food:

Good ramen doesn’t need to be complicated. Simplicity is key. On the menu you can see that there is just “the ramen” and you can only choose how it is served and what comes with it. 

My preference is to add 3 pieces of meat and an egg to it, so that you always have something to chew on.

Try the Asahi beer on tap for an additional $138 NTD for some extra fun. 

I go for the firm noodles, but the choice is up to you! The broth? Thick, creamy and delicious.

Look out for their spicy sauce. They don’t warn you but its spicy AF. 

🍜 Ichiran Ramen (一蘭) – Located in the center of Xin Yi shopping district, walking distance from Taipei 101 MRT (Red Line). 

No. 97號, Songren Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110

📍 No. 1 柑橘Shinn - 鴨蔥

With so many ramen shops to choose from, I thought it was going to be next to impossible to choose my top restaurant – a spot that rises above all others. Then there was Shinn. 

This bowl of ramen changed me, my entire life, and the way I look at ramen. My dear sweet Mother of Jesus, they have THE best bowl of ramen I have ever had in all my years of eating in Taiwan. 

When it comes to the menu, they have 4 different types of ramen (including dry ramen noodles). I have tried every single one, and they are all amazing, but there is one that rules them all! 

*drum roll please*

踩雷霸王 (pronounced "cai lei ba wang”) coming in at a very reasonable $290 NTD. 

Why is it my favorite?

It’s a combination of 3 things:

The broth - Its base is made with different types of oranges. Man, I know it sounds odd, but pinky-promise it is totally worth it! 

The foam - They top it off with a dense foam – no clue what it is made out of, but that’s what differentiates this dish. 

The add ons - High quality noodles, very generous on the meat, and you can also pay extra for clams. The portion itself is not the biggest, but I promise this will be a memorable visit.

If you rage scrolled all the way down just to check out the Number 1 spot, try it! You will not be disappointed. 

One last pro-tip; if you arrive 5-10 minutes before their everyday opening hour of 5 P.M., you can easily find a seat. 

📍 柑橘 Shinn - 鴨蔥 – located a brisk, 5 minute walk from MRT Liu Zhang Li (Brown Line).

No. 228-6, Section 4, Ren’ai Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Did I miss anything? Hit me up on instagram with your suggestions or feedback on those spots, I am always down to try something new! @wojtosocho