- Sydney Travel Guide rounds up the best ramen restaurants in Sydney.
- Sydney’s best ramen restaurants have very few things in common, showcasing the incredible diversity of the Japanese dish.
- Gumshara, Chaco Ramen, Ryo’s Noodles and RaRa Ramen are the top picks for anyone looking for ramen in Sydney.
There’s nothing more soulful than sitting down to a big bowl of ramen on a rainy day. Thankfully, there’s plenty of spots around Sydney where you can do just that, from Chinatown to Crows Nest. I’ve rounded up my favourite ramen restaurants below based on my personal tastes as well as Google reviews and critical acclaim. I’ve also been to Tokyo many times, so prefer ramen restaurants that have the look and feel of an authentic ramen spot you’d typically find in the backstreets of Shibuya.
Where is the best ramen in Sydney?
Editor’s Pick: Chaco Ramen, Darlinghurst
Best for value: Ryo’s Noodles, Crows Nest
Best tsukeman: Ramen Zundo, CBD
Best vegan ramen: RaRa Ramen, Redfern
Best for experimental ramen: Umami Dojo, Pyrmont
1. Gumshara, Haymarket
You’ll be walking much slower after you’ve finished a bowl of Gumshara’s thick, weighty ramen. Loaded with garlic and salt, these unquestionably unhealthy bowls of broth are the result of absolute precision by Japanese expat Mori Higashida and his apprenticeship at Kyoto’s Muteppou.
For over 10 years, Higashida ran this popular stall from the now-shuttered Eating World food court in Chinatown, but moved to a standalone in 2023. Now you’ll find relentless queues poking out of Kimber Lane in Haymarket, full of empty stomachs desperate to slurp down these almost gravy-like pork broths that are so intensely packed with flavour that there’s simply nothing else like them in Sydney. Or Australia, for that matter.
Higashida hasn’t changed his technique. The base soup uses two tonnes of fresh pork bones, carefully monitored over days so that each and every slurp is densely packed with umami while chewy, toothsome noodles soak up the flavour. Remarkably, Higashida uses no MSG or thickener to dial in that consistency, instead relying on age-old practices that set Gumshara apart from all the other ramen restaurants in Sydney.
For the full-tilt, go for the Super Mega Ramen Noodle ($30) which comes loaded with spare rib, BBQ pork, pork skewer and egg in a thick tonkatsu soup. It’s the porkiest thing in Sydney. If light is what you’re after, try the hakata ramen noodle ($13.50), which is much more manageable for the average palate.
Address: 9 Kimber Ln, Haymarket NSW 2000
Contact: 0410 253 180
Opening Hours: Tuesday (5pm – 10pm); Wednesday – Sunday (11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm);
2. Hakata-Maru, Chatswood
With its original location in Chatswood and a recent extension in Darling Harbour, Hakata-Maru is an easy pick when you’re looking for Sydney’s best bowls of ramen. Consistency counts for a lot here, and the strong following this brand has built over the years is almost entirely based on the simple selection of Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen.
Hakata-style ramen favours simplicity and is generally much more well-balanced than broths that are either too light or too heavy. The perfect middle ground results from using thinner noodles and lighter toppings, placing the focus on the milky broth’s rich umami flavour.
The traditional ramen-ya also just feels like an escape into a Tokyo hole-in-the-wall, relying heavily on its nostalgic atmosphere filled with the sounds of hungry patrons slurping up the every last drop.
Chatswood Address: 1/475 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067
Contact: (02) 9884 8861
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (11:30am – 2:30pm, 5pm – 8:30pm)
Darling Harbour Address: 6/8 Nicolle Walk, Haymarket NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 7903 0733
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 8:30pm); Friday (11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 9pm); Saturday (11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm); Sunday (11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 8:30pm)
3. Chaco Ramen, Darlinghurst
Chaco Ramen is often the first suggestion you’ll get when asking any discerning local where to find the best ramen in Sydney. Staunchly tethered to tradition, the small Darlinghurst ramen-ya is driven by technique with a consistently crowd-pleasing shoyu base that’s springy and full of flavour.
The signature Fat Soy ramen ($20) is the best of them, topped with a cluster of chashu pork, half egg, black fungus, nori and shallots. More innovative takes include the yuzu scallop ramen ($24) with its Hokkaido scallops swimming in a milky broth, complemented by flaky John Dory and prawn wontons, black fungus, leek and mizuna, and the veggie veggie ($20) with tomato broth and a selection of rich vegetables.
Chef-owner Keita Abe took a big risk when opening this tiny shopfront in 2014, betting big a new wave of a ramen sweeping the streets of Sydney. It’s gotten so popular that he has extended to the yakitori-focused Chaco Bar in Potts Point and another Chaco Ramen in Bondi.
Address: 238 Crown St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Contact: (02) 9007 8352
Opening Hours: Monday — Sunday (11:30 am — 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm — 8:30 pm)
3. RaRa Ramen, Redfern
Long, thin noodles made in-house are crafted in such a way that they absorb flavour much easier. When they come swimming in RaRa Ramen’s signature tonkotsu broth, they carry flavour unlike any other type of ramen noodle you’ll find in Sydney. The nuance is small but makes a big difference, earning this Redfern ramen-ya its large following and easily placing it near the top of the crop as far as Sydney ramen restaurants go.
Husband-wife owners Scott Gault and Katie Shortland spent many years learning the craft of Japanese noodles before opening this shop in 2018, immediately pulling in the type of acclaim restaurateurs would spent years trying to achieve. The queues haven’t die down since, with particular love for the kitchen’s vegan-friendly ramen and creamy chicken tantanmen.
The demand pushed Gault and Shortland to open another outpost in Randwick in 2020, with both locations equally revered amongst ramen enthusiasts.
Redfern Address: 66b Regent St, Redfern NSW 2016
Contact: (02) 9698 9994
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (12pm – 9pm); Thursday – Saturday (12pm – 9:30pm); Sunday (12pm – 8:30pm)
Randwick Address: Shop1/162- 164 Barker St, Randwick NSW 2031
Contact: (02) 9310 0932
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (12pm – 8:45pm); Thursday – Saturday (12pm – 9pm)
4. Ramen Zundo, Sydney CBD
Ramen Zundo may fly under the radar when compared to Sydney favourites like Ryo’s Noodles and Gumshara, but this small World Square ramen restaurant is nothing if not remarkably consistent. The shop serves some of the best value ramen in Sydney, although the kitchen is just as well known for its dry, soupless ramen, or tsukemen.
Go for the standard tonkatsu broth ramen ($20) if you can’t make a decision but it’s worth paying a bit extra and getting the chicken karrage ramen with a choice between tonkotsu ($26.50), shio ($26) or miso ($28) broth.
World Square Address: 644 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 9264 6113
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (11:30am – 9pm); Friday – Saturday (11:30am – 10pm); Sunday (11:30am – 9pm)
Chatswood Address: Chatswood Place, 260 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW 2067
Contact: (02) 8065 8099
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 8:30pm); Friday (11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm); Saturday (11:30am – 9pm); Sunday (11:30am – 8:30pm)
5. Ryo’s Noodles, Crows Nest
Ryo’s Noodles is a cult classic for ramen lovers and is now even more accessible with the Sydney Metro. Stepping into the small ramen-ya is like finding a local favourite tucked away in the backstreets of Ebisu, resting on its authentic ambience and interesting design. Look around and the walls are plastered in butcher’s paper scribbled in kanji
The kitchen specialises in both pork and chicken-based ramens with several options to choose from, including the signature spicy chicken ramen ($19.50) topped with roast pork, egg and shallots. Chef Ryo, who was born in Fukuoka, has achieved a consistency only a few other Sydney ramen restaurants can equal.
Address: 125 Falcon St, Crows Nest NSW 2065
Contact: (02) 9955 0225
Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday (11:40am – 2pm, 5pm – 8:30pm); Thursday – Sunday (11:40am – 2pm, 5pm – 8:30pm)
6. Umami Dojo, Pyrmont
Evoking the ambience of old Tokyo, Umami Dojo feels entirely out-of-place in Pyrmont, a suburb not exactly known for its culinary offerings outside of The Star’s signature restaurants like Sokyo and BLACK Bar & Grill. The shack only has space for 16 slurpers at a time, all of which bear witness to owner Keiji Mizuno’s eccentric techniques.
Stocks are filtered through coffee siphons that line the small bar, all bubbling away to result in broth that’s slightly smokier than you’d expect from a bowl of ramen. The umami flavour is overwhelming, especially if you go for the dried sardine and chicken stock, moving away from the familiar flavours of tonkotsu towards something equally as heavy but vastly different in flavour.
Address: 48 Harris St, Pyrmont NSW 2009
Contact: (02) 7900 5857
Opening Hours: Monday (5:30pm – 9pm); Thursday – Sunday (5:30pm – 9pm)
7. Ramen Auru, Crows Nest
Hatena Group opened its first dedicated ramen hall in early 2024, gifting Crows Nest something Sydney has never really seen before. Walk inside the small square restaurant and you’ll see a residential-like tatami dining area with low tables and tube lighting, unadorned with a distinct 1980s aesthetic. You’d be mistaken for thinking you’re on a cultural exchange program and are being hosted by a traditional Japanese family.
The transportive design recalls the ramen halls of Tokyo instead of the flash shopfronts you’ll find scattered all across Dotonburi. Owners Chris Wu, Tin Jung Shea and Mitomo Somehara have even installed a custom-built shokken ticket machine, much like the ones you’ll find scattered Japan. And yes, it only takes cash.
There are only three ramens on the menu, each treated with a similar quality and consistency that belies the hushed techniques of Japanese cuisine. You’ve got yuzu-shio chicken ramen with its rich stock and simply ingredients, a unique prawn bisque ramen that’s almost like a bouillabaisse, and a familiar tonkotsu option. Sides like gyoza and kimchi are also available.
With Hatena Group’s popular yakitori restaurant, Yurippi, located on the ground floor of the three-level building, with sports bar Ichiro on top, Crows Nest is reclaiming its crown as the best suburb for Japanese food in Sydney.
Address: 6/8 Falcon St, Crows Nest NSW 2065
Opening Hours: Monday (5pm – 12am); Wednesday – Saturday (5pm – 12am); Sunday (5pm – 10pm)
8. New Yamanishi, Crows Nest
For years, Iwao Yamanishi ran Willoughby’s local food scene with Spanish Sakaba, a remarkable blend of Japanese and Spanish flavours that gave Sydney its most unique bowls of ramen. The North Sydney community lost a bit of light when the small ramen-ya shuttered in 2022, but thankfully Iwao has pivoted to a new concept, the eponymous New Yamanishi.
The vintage izakaya sets itself apart from other Sydney ramen restaurants with three oxtail ramens that are only available for lunch. Everything else on the menu is prepared to exacting standards as well, from the curry and yakitori to the Japanese comfort snacks, best washed down with a big gulp of Sapporo.
Address: 0434 247 529
Opening Hours: Monday (5:30pm – 10pm); Thursday – Friday (5pm – 10pm); Saturday – Sunday (11:30am – 2pm, 5:30pm – 10pm)
9. Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown
It’s all about the breakfast ramen at Rising Sun Workshop. This unique fusion of a ramen restaurant overlooking a (working) motorbike repair shop peaks in the morning, when Newtown locals come flooding in for a taste of that deep, delicious breakfast staple where the broth is made from buttered toast and then topped with noodles that deliver that rich smokey flavour all across the palate. The bowl is finished off with an onsen egg, crisp bacon and a charred potato, pulling it in all kinds of directions and giving a very unexpected flavour profile.
Service is a fast and buzzy, keeping in line with Newtown’s casual cool. There are standard ramens that pop up further in the day, and they are well worth the punchy price, but there’s really nothing like Rising Sun Workshop’s breakfast ramen.
Address: 1C Whateley St, Newtown NSW 2042
Contact: (02) 9550 3891
Opening Hours: Monday (12pm – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm); Tuesday (12pm – 3pm); Wednesday – Friday (12pm – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm); Saturday – Sunday (10am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm)
10. Gogyo, Surry Hills
The charred kogashi miso ramen ($18) from Gogyo in Surry Hills is unlike anything else in Sydney, with the only other bowl of ramen coming close to its thick, weighty consistency the signature at Gumshara. Yet Gogyo is, remarkably, nowhere near as heavy as the Chinatown staple, firming up a legacy that first started in Japan’s Hakata at the turn of the century.
Ippudo founder and ramen maestro Shigemi Kawahara has opened his Sydney extension in 2018, arriving at a hard-won consistency with precision and technique, as all good ramen chefs do. A hotter-than-hot wok is fed a base sauce of miso before being topped with copious amounts of chicken broth to create the smokey favourite, which is then topped with wheat noodles, cabbage, a soft egg, chashu pork and naruto. It’s ugly but delicious.
Address: 52-54 Albion St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Contact: (02) 9212 0003
Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday (12pm – 2pm, 5pm – 8pm); Wednesday (12pm – 2pm, 5pm – 8:30pm); Thursday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5pm – 8:30pm); Friday – Saturday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5pm – 9pm); Sunday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5pm – 8pm)
11. Bones Ramen, Potts Point
Whatever ramen you order at Bones Ramen, make sure it comes with a side of that pitch-perfect biroche prawn toast. The crunchy side comes with a beautiful sweet and sour dipping sauce, but smart diners also use it to mop up the signature shoyu ramen, which is simple and delicious with a great deal of depth coming from pork chashu, soy egg, watercress and fermented bamboo shoots. The light broth uses pork bones and ribs, ham hocks, chicken feet and kombu, adding a complexity that immediately gives Bones Ramen its own identity
It’s a bit more expensive than most ramen joints in Sydney, but the quality makes up for the price. You also don’t get as much ramen as you would at nearby staples like Chaco Ramen and Gaku Robata Grill. Then again, it’s exceedingly difficult to finish an entire bowl of ramen anyway.
Address: 4/51-57 Bayswater Rd, Rushcutters Bay NSW 2011
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5pm – 9pm)
12. Sekka Dining, St Leonards
Sekka Dining is a top pick for anyone looking for ramen in North Sydney. Hideto Suzuki’s masterful ramen-ya sits in the other staid St Leonard’s Square, powered by its owners creative flair and attention to detail. Get the clear Hojicha smoked duck ramen ($28) for the best results. It’s light, highly flavourful and luxurious, with a velvety flavour profile that’s dialled in with just the right amount of tang coming off the tea-smoked duck breast.
You’ll find most options here hit the spot. The standard tonkatsu classic ($24) is like the margarita pizza of the ramen world, and typically the best way to judge any ramen-ya. Here it comes as a pork paitan broth topped with rich pork belly chashu, umami egg, black fungus, sesame and chives.
Address: 472-488 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW 2065
Contact: (02) 8054 9788
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Thursday (5:30pm – 8:30pm); Friday – Sunday (12pm – 2:15pm, 5:30pm – 9:30pm)
13. Gaku Robata Grill, Darlinghurst
It’s easy to get distracted by some of the best yakitori skewers in Sydney when you float into the quaint Gaku Robata Grill off Darlinghurst Road. The space swells with smoke and rests on its cinematic appeal, looking like an authentic Tokyo hole-in-the-wall with a full-throated party atmosphere that can get a bit wild as the night goes on.
But if you’re here for ramen then you’re only coming through for lunch. The ambiance is quieter and more considered, switching the raucousness for a procession of keen slurpers studiously dipping into bowls of spicy gaku ramen ($23) where light pork tonkotsu stock is spliced with umami konbu stock for incredible depth. If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, get the Japanese wagyu ($45) which is more like a consomme with sliced Japanese wagyu, citrus and black pepper sauce.
Address: 2/132 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Contact: 0426 229 254
Opening Hours: Monday – Tuesday (12pm – 1:45pm); Wednesday – Sunday (12pm – 1:45pm, 5:30pm – 9pm)
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