Visiting Nagoya is different from visiting the crowded cities of Tokyo or Osaka. In fact, Nagoya gives you a true experience of Japan, much more authentic than the popular tourist spots. Nagoya offers many beautiful tourist attractions in the city and the surrounding area.
The culinary scene is also special and unique. There are many foods that cannot be found anywhere else in Japan such as Misokatsu, Hitsumabushi or Misonikomi Udon.
The local ramen scene is also worth diving into. There are several unique restaurants and dishes to be found in the city. Taiwan Ramen and Taiwan Mazesoba originated in Nagoya and are still popular specialties here. Especially Taiwan Mazesoba is a must try.
The following is a list of some of the best ramen in Nagoya. So that you can make sure that you taste great food while you are visiting Nagoya.
The 14 Best Ramen in Nagoya
Mazesoba Otori – an expert for Mazesoba
Menyashinmei – the taste of Kyushu tonkotsu in Nagoya
Gyu Jiro – get some variation with beef bones baased soup
Niboshi Ramen 88 – ramen for lovers of fishy taste
Hinode – junky Ramen in a positive sense
Hanabi – The inventor of Taiwan Mazesoba
Jinmaru Nishiki – oxtail Ramen open till late
Shishimaru – simply beautiful snow white chicken based soup
Shachirin – burning hot spiceness
Dandanmenya Tenbin – soupless spicy tan tan men
Arashi Mazesoba – soupless noodles at its best
Niku Soba Keisuke – the extra portion of meat
Tsukemen Honmaru – an price awarded Tsukemen expert
Karamiso Fukurou – spicy miso as their speciality topping
The restaurants above are in the order of my visit with the latest on top.
Remark: As prices are recently also raising in Japan the listed ones below might have already changed
Mazesoba Otori
This restaurant is a mazesoba only one. Mazesoba are ramen noodles without soup, just with sauce. Ingredients are placed separately on top of the noodles and you have to mix them before eating. I have never seen such a wide variety of mazesoba dishes in one restaurant. It ranges from typical ramen toppings to very rare ones. Some of the real specialties are Mentaiko (spicy cod roe), cheese curry, bacon carbonara, and shirasu (whitebait).
Regular toppings such as chashu and seasoned egg are available for any of the mazesoba bowls.
For the regular price you can choose between 200, 300 or 500 grams of noodles. 700 grams is an extra 200 yen, and for the really hungry, 1000 grams is an extra 350 yen. Everything is measured after cooking. For me, 300 grams was a good choice to not get too full. Mayonnaise, garlic, spicy oil, vinegar and pepper for topping are freely available for self-service.
The shop is located in the business district of Fushimi. It’s about a 10 to 15 minute walk from Nagoya Station and maybe 3 minutes from Fushimi station on the Higashiyama and Tsurumai subway line. The shop is rather small and narrow, with only counter seating.
The huge selection of mazesoba variations is very unique and makes this shop one of the best ramen shops in Nagoya.
Special Mentai Garlic Butter Mazesoba 特製明太ガリバタまぜそば 1000 Yen
Location: Fushimi
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XUaQJBybYyr767qp6
Menya Shinmei
Menya Shinmei opened its first store more than 50 years ago. They currently operate 5 stores in the Nagoya metropolitan area. One of them is located in the center of Sakae in the Skyle Building. It is a very clean and new shop that offers counter and table seating. So it’s very suitable for families.
Their specialty is tonkotsu ramen. The soup is actually made in Kagoshima on the southern island of Kyushu, where tonkotsu ramen is very popular. After mixing, it’s quickly frozen and vacuum packed using the latest freezing technology. This keeps it perfectly fresh until it is served in Nagoya. They don’t make the soup themselves, but it doesn’t affect the taste.
This tonkotsu ramen is amazingly creamy and very intense in flavor. You can opt for miso in the soup which makes the color brown. This is then different from the usually white tonkotsu soups. The noodles are thick and chewy. They soak up the soup nicely and bring a lot of flavor to your mouth. A nice thing about the topping: there is not only the seasoned chicken egg, but also a quail egg.
Even though they do not serve freshly made soup, the creaminess makes this tonkotsu ramen one of the best ramen in Nagoya.
Creamy Tonkotsu Shinmei Specialクリーミーとんこつ神明スペシャル 1140 Yen
Location: Sakae
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9RgmPjyMarKTgYfB6
Gyu Jiro
Something rare in the ramen world is the use of beef. Here at Gyu Jiro they do. Their ramen is a beef bone broth that has a nice brown color and tastes different than other ramen, but intense and delicious. They have two different chashu toppings, roasted beef and pork tenderloin. The noodles are medium thick and soak up the soup perfectly.
Ordering is done on a tablet computer. You choose your base dish. Then you get various choices such as flavor (shoyu or shio), amount of noodles, soup concentration, additional flavors. Lunch set and toppings. Payment after eating is also done at a machine. Basically no need to talk to anyone.
Another funny thing on the menu that I didn’t try: Beef Bone Carbonara Pasta. On the picture it looks like a mixture of Italian pasta and mazesoba. It’s on my list for next time.
The restaurant is about a 5 minute walk from the back exit of Nagoya Station.
The rarity of the beef bones and their special flavor make this ramen one of the best in Nagoya.
Special Beef Bone Ramen 特製牛骨ラーメン 1150 Yen
Black Taste (Black Garlic Oil, Black Beans) 黒味（黒マー油、黒豆板）150 Yen
Location: Nagoya Station
https://maps.app.goo.gl/R7Vg9aUsd7yavhDy6
Niboshi Ramen 88
This is a recommendation for those who like a fishy taste. As the name suggests, they use niboshi for their ramen. Niboshi and especially Niboshi dashi (soup stock) are very popular for many Japanese dishes. And so it is used for ramen. Niboshi are actually dried small fish. The fish used to make it can vary, including anchovies, sardines, round herring, or Pacific sand lance. This definitely gives the ramen a very strong fishy taste. So if you do not like fish, this ramen is not for you. On the other hand, if you do like fish, this is delicious.
The soup at Niboshi Ramen 88 is very creamy and super intense in flavor. The noodles are thin and straight. They soak up a lot of the soup. Also the amount, taste and quality of the chashu is great.
As a European and especially a German, you might be shocked about the 88 in the name of the restaurant, as this has a historically negative meaning. However, this has nothing to do with the meaning in Japanese culture. Here the number 88 is a symbol of luck and longevity.
Niboshi Ramen 88 is located only a few minutes walk from the back exit of Nagoya station.
For fans of fishy tastes, these ramen are definitely among the best ramen in Nagoya.
Special Niboshi Ramen 特製煮干しラーメン 1250 Yen
Location: Nagoya Station
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GGomDDS1rA85ZPFf8
Hinode
Hinode is my absolute favorite for junk ramen. And I mean junk in a good way. The expertise here is also in soupless ramen. So that’s the choice for the order. Their highlight is the balls of various ingredients that are placed on top of the noodles. These balls have a very intense and great taste. It’s best to mix them under the noodles. These noodles are thick and straight and cooked perfectly al dente.
My order here is always the ガッツ麵デラックス Gattsu Men Deluxe, which is their take on Abura Soba. It comes with three of these balls on top: Cha Mayo, Spicy, and Seasoned Back Fat. Not sure what any of that means. But the taste is great. Give it a try. As a service where you can opt for large quantities of noodles at no extra charge.
Hinode has a few shops in the greater Nagoya area. The one I visited is just 2 minutes from the back exit of Nagoya Station.
Their unique flavor balls make Hinode the best junk ramen in Nagoya.
ガッツ麵デラックス Gattsu Men Deluxe 850 Yen
Location: Nagoya Station
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KUCs6RCTvmC7PiN19
Hanabi
Menya Hanabi is the originator of Taiwan Mazesoba and therefore the first choice if you want to eat this local Nagoya ramen specialty.
Menya Hanabi is very popular and now runs many shops in the greater Nagoya area. But it has also expanded to Japan and other Asian countries. My favorite shop in Sakae has closed. In central Nagoya, however, there are others. The Takabata store is their origin. But I haven’t been to that place yet.
Even though they have other ramen on their menu, Taiwan Mazesoba is the dish to order here. I always go for the “DX Taiwan Mazesoba” which is the deluxe version.
Taiwan Mazesoba is a soupless ramen variation. Typical ingredients are Taiwan mincemeat (spicy mincemeat with garlic, chilly and soy sauce), fresh chopped chives/green onions, fish meal and egg yolk. All the ingredients are served on top of extra thick noodles. These noodles are sticky to mix well with the other ingredients.
The dish is spicy, but they also offer a non-spicy version. When ordering, the staff will ask if you’d like garlic. Even if you do not like garlic very much, adding it makes the dish even better.
Being the originator of the local Nagoya specialty Taiwan Mazesoba, and serving it with perfect quality and taste ever since, makes Menya Hanabi one of the best ramen places in Nagoya.
DX Taiwan Mazesoba, DX台湾まぜそば 1450 Yen
Seasoned Egg 味玉 150 Yen
Location: Takabata, but also across Nagoya e.g. Nagoya Station, Fushimi
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ciH2g2XFAvM6pLjXA
Jinmaru Nishiki
Jinmaru is recommended for evenings and late nights as it is located in the center of the nightlife area of Nishiki and Sakae and is open until 4 am.
Their specialty is Tail Ramen. This specialty is made with a flavorful soup made from beef tail, bones, and vegetables that have been slowly simmered for over 10 hours. They offer several variations including miso and soy sauce. As they say, the most popular are the spicy ones. The “Super Spicy LMFAO” looks bright red and is extremely hot.
Jinmaru also has a lot of side dishes that go well with a drink, such as steamed tail and gyoza. Very rare for a ramen shop, but Jinmaru also has champagne on their drink menu. It’s the real champagne from the French region, not just a sparkling wine. Prices start at 12,000 yen and go up to 65,000 yen for a bottle.
Tail ramen is a rarely made variation of ramen, making Jinmaru one of the best ramen places in Nagoya.
Tail Ramen Miso テールラーメン味噌, 1100 Yen
Location: Sakae
https://maps.app.goo.gl/y2YmvTC6HRNiVgbA6
Shishimaru
Shihismaru is located near Nagoya Station, about a 5 minute walk from the rear exit. The restaurant is very neat and chic, which makes it popular with women, as they say on their website. There is no set menu as they try to use seasonal and local ingredients. However, you can be sure that all their bowls look absolutely lovely and beautiful.
My choice was the Paitan Ramen. This is a light chicken broth with a fine snow-white foam on top. It’s not as heavy as a pork soup, but no less flavorful. The bowl is beautifully arranged and topped with two kinds of chashu (pork and chicken), some scallions and a few red Sichuan peppercorns. You can feel and taste the quality of the ingredients and their preparation with every bite.
As this shop is located in the business area of Nagoya Station, it can be very crowded during the peak lunch hour,
The beauty of the bowls and the quality of the ingredients make Shishimaru one of the best ramen in Nagoya.
獅子丸白湯らーめん Shishimaru Paitan Ramen, 900 Yen
チャーシュー２種鶏+豚, Chashu 2 Kinds, Chicken + Pork, 250 Yen
Location: Nagoya Station
https://maps.app.goo.gl/WXwpPwBL2sycNxBm6
Shachirin
This is a recommendation, but only for those who can handle spicy food. Their specialty is a blend of chili peppers with three different characteristics: hot, sweet and spicy.
They also have ramen and mazesoba on the menu. They have a vending machine with a nice screen that shows the dishes to order. After selecting the dish, you are asked to choose the spiciness. It ranges from normal, which is level 0, to 5. Note that 0 (normal) is already spicy. I think you cannot order with no spiciness. I chose 2 because I thought that might be a good level. However, it was already quite spicy and hard to eat. If it’s your first time there, I recommend starting low and going up with each visit. Each level of heat adds 20 yen.
The dish itself was great. They use pork and chicken for their soup. The noodles are made in the same factory as the Hanabi noodles, but are custom made for Shachirin, so they are also perfect for a mazesoba dish.
The shop is located in Sakae, so it is a good choice if you are out for the night. Remember to get a drink with your ramen to help with the spiciness.
This unique style of spiciness and chili pepper blend makes Shachirin one of the best ramen to try in Nagoya.
旨辛赤まぜそば Spicy Red Mazesoba, 950 Yen
2辛 Level 2 Spicy, 40 Yen
Location: Sakae
https://maps.app.goo.gl/f8giytChfehQBeDa7
Dandanmenya Tenbin
If you are looking for another very rare and unique style of ramen, then Dandanmeny Tenbin is a great choice for you. Their specialty is a soupless version of Tan Tan Men. Normally, Tan Tan Men are ramen in a spicy soup with sesame seeds. But as Dandenmya Tenbin shows, they can also be served soupless.
Their dishes focus on the taste and quality of just a few ingredients. The crispy roasted beans are particularly delicious. A small dessert is included as a bonus. The level of heat can be chosen. A medium level is recommended for the first time.
The restaurant I visited was near Shinsakae station. However, it is closed now. They have two other shops a little outside of Nagoya in Kuwana and Yokkaichi. Even though this is no longer a real ramen in Nagoya, I still want to mention it in this list because the taste of this ramen was really special and great to me.
Since soupless Tan Tan Men is very rare, Dandanmenya Tenbin is a great recommendation as one of the best ramen in Nagoya.
Location: Kuwana
https://maps.app.goo.gl/h5y5561tJTCP2SNY6
Arashi Mazesoba
Just outside the back exit of Nagoya Station is another mazesoba specialist, Arashi Mazesoba. For those looking for Nagoya’s special Taiwan Mazesoba, this is one of the places to go. But they also have other mazesoba variations on their menu.
On my visit, I chose their “house-style” mazesoba, which is a nice bowl of noodles topped with beautiful colors of green leaves, white garlic, brown katsuo powder, and red chilly. If your not into garlic and spiciness, be carfeull when your ordering. The sauce is fantastic and the noodles are thick and perfect for soaking up the soup. Chashu comes in large junk, tasty and greasy.
Since the restaurant is within walking distance of Nagoya Station, it is recommended to visit after arrival or before departure, or even after a day of shopping.
看板のまぜそば Kanban no Mazesoba, 950 Yen.
Location: Nagoya Station
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JmasjbCmvKHtUxGZ9
Niku Soba Keisuke
Niku Soba Keisuke is located next to Nagoya Station in the basement of the Dai Nagoya Building. It can be reached directly from the station by going underground. The Dai Nagoya Building has been completely rebuilt. There are many restaurants in the basement, all new and nice. The location makes it a good place to visit before leaving or after arriving in Nagoya.
The Japanese word “Niku” means meat. “Soba” actually stands for special buckwheat noodles, but is often used to refer to noodles in general.
Meat is the name of the game here. Especially if you choose the extra meat topping like I did. Orders are placed at the vending machine here.
To get the dish in the picture, you have to buy two tickets at the machine. First the Niku Soba Shoyu, which is a soy sauce based ramen. Then you have to add the “Special Topping”), which adds a lot of chashu in different kinds. What you get is a wonderful bowl full of meat and noodles in a delicious, strong and dark brown soup. It’s a really tasty and intense shoyu ramen. And the meat will definitely fill you up. Also worth mentioning is the super dark colored seasoned egg, which is very intense in flavor.
This huge amount of meat combined with a great shoyu soup makes Niku Soba Keisuke one of the best ramen in Nagoya.
肉そば醬油 Niku Soba Shoyu, 880 Yen
スペシャルトッピング Special Topping 500 Yen
Location: Nagoya Station
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rPrGiinaJrAov7r79
Tsukemen Honmaru
Here at Tsukemen Honmaru you can get the best Taiwan Mazesoba in Nagoya in my opinion. As their name suggests, they are experts in tsukemen, a variation of ramen where noodles and soup are served separately. They have even won awards for their tsukemen in the past.
But their mazesoba is just as delicious as their tsukemen. Especially Taiwan Mazesoba is a must if you visit Nagoya. And at Tsukemen Honmaru, they are made to perfection. The ingredients of Taiwan Mazesoba are spicy minced meat, onion, a kind of chives, bean sprouts, fresh garlic (optional), garlic chips and nori. And the yellow of a raw egg. The noodles are hidden underneath and mixed with the tare (sauce).
The restaurant itself is quite small and has only single counter seats. Just a traditional ramen restaurant for a quick but extremely tasty meal.
It is located in the center of Sakae and is easy to get to. Perfect for lunch while shopping or dinner when going out.
As mentioned, for me these are the best Taiwan Mazesoba in Nagoya.
本丸台湾まぜそば Honmaru Taiwan Mazesoba, 800 Yen
Location: Sakae
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iW1EbtkYtEm5zv5R8
Karamiso Fukuro
Also in the heart of Sakae is the Karamiso Ramen Fukurou restaurant. Their specialty is, as the name suggests, “Karamiso”. The Japanese word “Kara” means “hot”. When ordering, you can choose the level of spiciness. This goes from 0 to 6, with level 2 being the staff’s recommendation on your first visit. The red paste at the top of the bowl in the picture is the “karamiso”. I chose level 2. It was spicy, but not too much. So still good to eat and extremely tasty. There is both a ramen, or noodle soup, and a macesoba version.
The restaurant itself looks quite new and is bright and chic. It is within walking distance of the Sakae subway station.
The spicy miso topping makes their ramen very unique and definitely one of the best choices for ramen in Nagoya.
からみそまぜそばKaramiso Mazesoba, 920 Yen
Location: Sakae
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1hiosfV35tTTC9JHA
FAQ Nagoya Ramen
Which area is best for Ramen in Nagoya?
Most ramen restaurants can be found in the area of Nagoya Station, Fushimi and Sakae. Those are the nightlife and business destricts of Nagoya. So people go there at lunch, dinner and late night to get their bowl of ramen.
What is the local Ramen speciality in Nagoya?
Taiwan Ramen and Taiwan Mazesoba. First, there had been Taiwan Ramen. Nothing to do with the country tough. The special about it is a spicy minced meat topping. Later Taiwan Mazesoba has been invented. It’s the same ingredients, but without soup. There is only the noodels with some sauce. All the toppings are placed next to each other on the noodles. You must mix them yourself before eating. Taiwan Ramen is famous and shops are crowded. Taiwan Mazesoba is less popular but even tastier.
How much do Ramen cost in Nagoya?
That highly depends on the shop and dish. I guess you can still get a basic ramen starting at 800 Yen. It can go up to 1500 Yen when you go for the full toppings. Haven’t seen any 2000 Yen ramen yet.
What time of the day is best for Ramen in Nagoya?
This highly depends on the shop. Typically at lunch time shops are crowded. Beeing there e.g. at 11 or 11:30 AM when the shop opens saves you from waiting in line.
Several shops are also open till late in case you want to get some Ramen after a night out.
What other food should I try in Nagoya?
Nagoya has a couple of unique foods. Misokatsu is a pork cutlet (schnitzel) with special miso sauce as topping. Tenmusu are rice balls filled with a fried shrimp. Misonikomiudon are thick udon noddles in a special strong taste miso soup. And finally Hitsumabushi which is thin sliced eel on rice.
To be perfectly prepared for your visit to a ramen restaurant in Japan check out the complete Ramen FAQ and some hints that are good to know before eating ramen in Japan.
Conclusion
Nagoya may not be the most popular spot for tourists, but the culinary scene is a great experience and full of local and unique dishes. The ramen scene is also full of great restaurants and delicious dishes.
Depending on your taste, you should find something delicious in the list above. A must-try in Nagoya is the local specialty Taiwan Mazesoba.
Be sure to try it during your stay in Nagoya and be sure to try the best ramen in Nagoya.