BEST RAMEN IN SAIGON
WHERE TO FIND THE BEST RAMEN IN HO CHI MINH CITY
Spread out in multiple lanes around the seedy nightlife area of Le Thanh Ton in District 1, are a cluster of exceptional Ramen restaurants in Saigon mainly catering to the businessmen that frequent this Japan Town area. After an intense and hard fought negotiation with a local client, they tend to work up an appetite and head for one of these authentic noodle shops to quench the insatiable itch.
Lured by the promise of traditional Japanese broth, a new crowd of locals and tourists have begun to descend on these HCMC alleys, not only for pleasures of the flesh, but also pleasures of the fleisch. Unsurprisingly, a few craft beer bars began to pop-up a few years ago, and Le Thanh Ton is slowly turning into a major destination for Saigon night-time activities.
If, like us, you love nothing more than slurping ramen noodles at 2am, then take a Grab motorbike and set your compass to anywhere on the Google Map links below.
Whilst Tonkotsu style ramen seems to be the prevailing favourite in Ho Chi Minh City, there are a couple of Shoyu and Miso restaurants a few blocks outside the main spider web. If you regard Japanese ramen as a weekly human right (daily?), then follow our steps and sip yourself through an odyssey of Saigonese ramen epiphanies.
Hit one, hit them all! Here is our list of the 5 best ramen in Saigon!
TORISOBA MUTAHIRO
You're never finding this place by accident, tucked in the furthest corner down prostitute lane, but if you ever need a deliriously slapping bowl of ramen in Saigon, then this is your jam. Deep umami hits, perfectly tender meat, solid noodles and a divine egg. Heaven in ramen terms doesn't get much better.
MISO CHIKURA RAMEN
Heavier than Electric Wizard played through an oil spill, this ramen is as authentic as you'll find outside of Japan. Whether or not you want to eat it where the average temperature is 32 degrees is another question. We did.
RAMEN DANBO
A chain ramen restaurant that serves up superb bowls of goodness. We have visited their branch in Okinawa and would be pulling teeth to compare them.
ITTOU RAMEN
A thicker, creamier version of Tonkotsu than Danbo offers, and yet somehow slightly less flavoursome. If you're in Japan-town and have eaten at all the others, then this is a fine alternative.
CHOI OI
Twenty meters away from the agreeable 7 Bridges bar, Choi Oi is constantly awash with noodle-hunters. Expect to wait in line if you arrive at peak times.
Ask for the spicy tantanmen. Prepare for fire!
