The Top 10 Best Shoyu Ramen in Manila, Ranked

(SPOT.ph) When it rains, it pours, and when it pours… don’t you just want a good bowl of soup and noodles? Burgers, tacos, and pizza are all well and good when we’re graced with fair weather, but in a country like ours—where the seasons are set to either “scorch” or “drench” with very little middle ground—a dish like shoyu ramen is always a welcome suggestion.

It’s not difficult to see how we got here. We’re a nation of weeaboos (a deserved roast for non-Japanese people a little obsessed with Japanese culture) despite Japan’s rather colorful history on our shores. And while we think of ramen today as strictly Japanese and may even mistake it for something ancient, the records don’t quite align thusly.

The Japanese initially saw it as cheap food from Guangdong immigrants, and for that reason isolated it to Yokohama Chinatown until after World War II, when rice shortages and returning troops accelerated the evolving tastes of the nation. From there, instant noodles and changing attitudes led to what we have today: a plethora of ramen shops and offerings in nearly every major city, including the umami-bomb sensation that was Ukokkei Ramen Ron back in the 2010s. That place shot to fame and went out in a blaze of glory—but we’re still feeling its ripple effects to this day.

The long, laborious processes required for ramen make for deeper flavors, and the intentionality in even one bowl means that everything contributes—there’s no room for a frivolous ingredient, and nowhere to hide. Our own cover girl, stylist and creative director Daryl Chang, has this to say about the dish: “Nothing in the bowl is an afterthought. All the elements come together in a way that the whole is greater than its parts.”

So we’ve spent all of July hunting down the great bowls of shoyu ramen, names both new and old, and weighing them based on taste, texture, quality of service (because you have to dine in for it, obviously), and value for money. And, yes, we did rate the eggs separately–you’d be shocked how many don’t quite get both right.

With that, here are our Top 10 shoyu ramen spots in Metro Manila.

All SPOT.ph Top 10 lists are researched, paid for, tested, and selected by the writers and editors. No prior notice is made to the establishments or their owners.

You know that here on Team Spot, we love a bit of a hole in the wall—at least, the Marikina branch of this shop is. Their take on shoyu ramen with a larger-than-life name (for some, anyway) is a bestseller for a reason; it’s well-balanced, the noodles have great texture, and not one element truly overpowers the others. Even the chashu isn’t the star, though it tends to become that in other places. For just a little over P305, you get a great bowl that could easily feed two—but your heart will say it’s definitely just for one.

Ramen Gorudo is at 1811 Lilac Street, Marikina City, and 271 P. Tuazon, Cubao, Quezon City.

What can we say? Marikina is kind of smashing this exercise. Despite a shift in management (and moving a floor above) since our last sniff around, the Crazy version still hits and earns every return visit. It’s not super traditional, but the Hokkaido-inspired touch of corn adds a sweetness that you won’t say no to. On a casual Saturday, take that long drive to Lilac Street and order this bowl. It’s just the thing to do.

Crazy Ramen RoughMix is at 2F 88 Lilac Street, Marikina City.

This one looks loaded, and is—for P430 in BGC, this bowl of ramen is a great deal. But more than the price, the flavor of the meat and broth plus the texture of the noodles meet a platonic ideal that will leave one pleasantly surprised. It should; founding chef Keisuke Takeda wouldn’t settle for less.

See a list of Ramen Keisuke Tori King branches.

The spiritual successor of the OG Ukokkei isn’t one to rely on track records or old names. If they’re going to slap the name on a bowl of ramen, it had better live up to it—and this certainly does. It has a lot of bells and whistles, like ultra-crispy beef fat and the whole ceremony of pouring the broth over the beef and noodles, but none of these things are a smokescreen. You get full-bodied flavor and then some at Ramen Ron.

See a list of Ramen Ron branches.

The only reason this doesn’t rank even higher is that the main protein is chicken—but if this was the only ramen you’ve ever had, you wouldn’t know what you were missing. The salty-smokey char on the chicken does so much to this rich, comforting bowl that it almost makes one wonder why we’re so into pork in the first place. Emphasis on almost. 

See a list of Ramen Marudori branches.

For under P300 in the heart of Makati (among other places), Kawa serves up something truly impressive. The broth is a great middle ground between creamy and clear, the chashu just-tender, and the egg is on the right side of cooked. The noodles have a bit of a squared-off quality to them which adds a lot to the texture. And, remember, number five on a list of the 10 greats is not mid in the slightest.

See a list of Kawa Ramen branches.

We’re back in Marikina as we get closer to the end. There’s something so smart about this place; opening hours are from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., as if to avoid the lunch rush but still get the crowd stumbling home in need of protein and lifted spirits. The free stir-fried vegetables while you wait are a great bonus, but what you’re really here for is the thick, savory broth, and the perfect whole egg. Everything about this just works so well, and we honestly hope to see more branches. Until then, we’ll be making the trek back whenever we can; it’s that good.

Saikouno Ramen is at 33 East Sunrise Building, Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue, Marikina City.

We almost missed this for a couple of reasons—limited seating was one—but destiny let us through the doors of Zagin, anyway. This dark horse of a contender has everything it needs under its belt to safely land in the top three the way that it has—a Japanese chef at the helm, a clean but deep chicken broth, and perhaps the perfect soup-to-noodle ratio. This little corner of Salcedo is set to be a blockbuster, and for good reason. P75 for an egg on the side, though? We had to think about it a little longer, but ultimately, our love for the main bowl won out.

(Addendum: Despite the soba label, this is ramen. Although typically associated with buckwheat noodles served cold, the word 'soba' is the general term for 'noodles.' Zagin Soba themselves explain as much in an Instagram post.)

Zagin Soba is located in Salcedo Village, V.A. Rufino cor. Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

Right off the bat, what puts Ippudo over the top is the service. Dinner rush on a Friday night and you’ll barely see a missed order; when a companion at our table wasn’t present, it was the staff that offered to delay the order so that the ramen could still be enjoyed hot. And said ramen hits all the right notes—again, that correct balance of richness and depth, all textures and layers of flavor working together for a cohesively delightful experience. Did we mention they’ve been throwing in free extra noodles? Talk about a deal.

See a list of Ippudo branches. Note that this item is not available on the Ippudo Ramen Bar (BGC) menu.

Is anyone really surprised? Taste, check. Texture, perfect. Service, everybody wins. And while it does tend to be on the slightly pricier end of the local ramen spectrum, all of these things add up to something well worth the money, right down to the heated bowls that allow you to enjoy your ramen for longer without overcooking a single element. There’s only so much to say before we start to sound like we’re just echoing the hype, but that hype really did come about for a reason. Let’s just let people enjoy good—no, excellent—things.

See a list of Mendokoro branches.