Guiding you to find the best and most authentic Japanese Ramen in Amsterdam. This guide is based on a two day trip to the Dutch city of Amsterdam in January and a one day stay in August 2023. The first trip was just a couple of months after Corona regulations have been reduced. Tourims and social life is restarted. Obviously restaurants had been strucked hard. On each Restaurant you can see signs saying “We are hiring”. So quality of food and service may vary. Keep in mind when reading that this guide is a snap-shot of the day of our visit and adheres personal opinions and taste. The second trip was right in the peak of summer vacation season. The city was packed and obviously restaurants were crowded and waiting lines were long.
Our mission is to find the best and most authentic Ramen in Amsterdam. So any of the places listed here we have visted and tasted.
Our Recommendations in this article for the best Ramen in Amsterdam
Further information in this article:
Ramen Guide – Recommendations
Let’s dive into the Ramen that the city offers. As Amsterdam is a very international and touristic city there is a wide variation of restaurants and also of Ramen. There are a couple of them offering authentic Japanese taste. Actually too many to taste them all in just two visits to the city. So in this guide we focus on some of them. Propably we’ll have another trip to Amsterdam soon and can extend this list of recommendations.
Best Ramen in Amsterdam #1 – Sora Sappora Ramen
Flavorful miso-based broth, fatty pork belly chashu, and heaps of vegetable toppings: That’s Sapporo ramen. In Amsterdam, you can get a pretty authentic experience at Sora Sappora Ramen.
The shop is located a bit outside the center, but well connected by two direct trams from Amsterdam Centraal as well as a metro line. The De Pijp station is only a two minute walk away.
The outside doesn’t make you expect a restaurant, so don’t walk by. They offer a few ramen dishes and their no. 1 recommendation is the Gokujo Sapporo Kuro Miso Ramen.
During lunchtime they offer sets where you can add gyoza to your ramen.
Their promise is authentic Sapporo ramen and they get the noodles from Japan.
Summary of our order:
Gokujo Sapporo Kuro Miso Ramen 19€
Japanese Green Tea 3,20€
Rating
Price wise, 19€ is the pain threshold we want to pay for ramen. However, the ramen was delicious and the amount was so much that it was hard to finish.
One of our favorite ramen ever was some Kuro Miso ramen served at a shop in Nagoya that unfortunately is gone forever. So when we hear Kuro Miso Ramen, we have a certain image in our minds. For others, it will be hard to catch up. The ones here at Sora were great and almost reached that level. For us, they could have been a little more intense in the miso flavor. However, that would probably scare off most European palates, as not everyone loves the miso taste as much as we do.
All in all, a great version of Sapporo ramen. Full and delicious. Perfect for a cold day, but of course eatable in any weather.
We’d visit again if we were in Amsterdam again.
Best Ramen in Amsterdam #2 – Ramen Kingdom
Ramen Kingdom is one of the most popular Ramen restaurants in Amsterdam. We visited on a Saturday in August around the peak of summer vacation season. There were about 15 people waiting in front of the restaurant. However, as the shop works very efficient waiting time was less than 15 minutes.
The inside is rather small having a couple of counter seats and a few tables for two people. The kitchen is open and can be well observed from the counter seat. All kitchen staff speaks Japanese while working. This makes it really an authentic Japanese atmosphere.
The menu offers four types of Ramen. Pork Basic, Spicy, Double Spicy and Veggie. Further a good range of toppings is available. A bowl of Ramen with two toppings costs 20€. As in every Ramen Shop in Japan water is available for free.
Ramen Kingdom is located directly across Amsterdam Centraal station. So it’s very easy to access.
Summary of our order:
Basic Pork Ramen including 2 Toppings (Chashu and seasoned egg), 20€
Rating of Ramen Kingdom
Ramen Kingdom is a true recommendation for authentic Japanese Ramen in Amsterdam. The pork based broth has a decent taste and is creamy and intense. It’s very close to a Tonkotsu which you can find in Japan. Noodles are firm, in a nice yellow color and cooked well. The chashu is very well seasoned, cooked soft, fatty and oily. It’s roasted before serving which we really like. The bowl is rather small so the 20€ are quite expensive. As conlcusion: Besides the price this dish at Ramen Kindom is a true recommendation and ranks on 2nd place of our favorite and best Ramen in Amsterdam.
Visited on August 19th, 2023.
Best Ramen in Amsterdam #3 – Ramen-Ya
Located pretty much in the heart of the city and the nightlife district is a place called Ramen Ya. They offer something that is in our experience quite difficult to find in Europe: Hakata Ramen.
Hakata Ramen noodles are unique. They are extremely thin, long and harder than typical ramen noodles. Since they are hardly offered in Europe, we assume that they are difficult to make. It can’t be their taste, because they are delicious. You must try them.
Ramen Ya is easily reached by trams that stop at the station called Dam. There are a lot of shopping and entertainment around it. So you can stop by during your other activities. They are open until 22:00, which seems to be the latest for any ramen in Amsterdam.
The entrance to the shop is around the corner from the Dam Straat. The restaurant itself is in the basement and the entrance is easy to miss. So be sure to look at the map.
The interior is clean and hip. More like a regular bar than a ramen restaurant.
The noodles are made fresh every day without any preservatives or artificial additives, all according to the authentic Japanese Hakata recipe. The Hakata soup is a tonkotsu made from rich pork bones using only natural ingredients.
They have a wide variety of ramen dishes. Since Hakata Ramen is their specialty, we chose them. For us, Hakata ramen has to be rich and full of flavor, so we went for the miso version.
We didn’t make any additions to the toppings, but added a warm sake due to the cold weather outside.
Summary of our order:
Hakata Miso Ramen for 15,25€
Ozeki Sake 5,00€
Rating
The noodles were as good as advertised. Long, thin and cooked to perfection. I have never seen such beautiful Hakata ramen in Europe.
The soup was a dark brown color. Incredibly creamy and perfectly absorbed by the noodles. There was a large amount of bamboo pieces. The pork belly was hidden among the other toppings. It was very thinly sliced, but delicious.
Because of the incredible and rare Hakata-style noodles, this is a truly recommended dish and restaurant to visit.
Best Ramen in Amsterdam #4 – Hinata
Hinata is located in the western part of the city center. From Centraal it ccan be reached by a nice walk of about 17 minutes which passes by couple of the famous canals and typical Amsterdam streets and houses. In front of the Restaurant is a market for all types of goods. Could be interesting for some people.
The Restaurant is in an old building. It has spacious and industrial style interior which offer a nice atmosphere. We reached at 12 sharp and where the only ones. But it filled up couple of minutes after.
There menu offers a couple of Ramen dishes. Two of them are not served each day so you have to hope them to be the “Today’s Special”. In our visit the “Hinata White” as the special. So we choose it. It’s a clear and bit white chicken broth topped with pork chashu. We added a half-boiled egg to the half-one that was already there and ordered also a small water.
Summary of our order:
Hinata White: 15€
Egg: 1,50 €
Water: 2,50€
Total: 19€
Rating
The noodles are light in color and flavor. Texture and firmness were good, but I felt a bit of flavor was missing. The soup was clear, light and tasty. Nothing to criticize in quality. But our personal taste is a bit different. The ramen is topped with pieces of yuzu. This gives them a fresh taste and goes well with the soup. Doesn’t fit our image of ramen taste too much.
The prices are on the upper standard for Ramen dishes in Europe we’d say. For their quality and taste those prices are acceptable.
All in all a good and tasty dish. A recommendation for lovers of light and clear (and maybe healthiers) soups.
City of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and is just short of 900.000 inhabitants. Compared to other capitals that is rather small. But it makes a special charme since most attractions are very close and easy to reach. There is a good public transport system withing the city compromised of bus, tram and metro. Keep in mind that distances in the city are short. So you might considere talking a walk to soak up the city atmosphere, the old buildings and canals even more. While walking, watch out for bicycles. I guess in the Netherlands the bicycle is the most prefered thing to get around. There are special lanes all over the city and those people are rushing fast. Make sure the watch carefully when crossing streets and not being used to so many cyclists.
For tourist Amsterdam is packed with attractions. The city itself with its canals is already an attraction. So taking a canal cruise is the the first recommendation to do. Boats are departing right in front Amsterdam Centraal, the main train station. There are different options for the tour regarding lenght, route, etc. In the evening taking a cruise serving wine and cheese is a considerable option. Making a investigation which one to choose in advance is a good idea.
As we like food and trains, regular tourist attractions are not our expertise. Just to summarize Amsterdam has e.g. faboulous art museum like the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh as well as the historical Anne Frank House.
The Netherlands are famous for cheese. So cheese tasting is a great idea. The well-known companies such as Reypenaer or Old Amsterdam offer tastings of their cheese including comprehensive explanations and wine. Depending on the season those could be very poplular and reservations are recommended.
Getting in to Amsterdam
Schipol Airport right outside of Amsterdam is one of the major hubs in Europe served well by european and international flights from all over the world. As we like trains we of course prefer another option to get to Amsterdam. The main station called “Amsterdam Centraal” is located in the city center. It is served by local trains as well as long distances connections. The long distance offers are great. Coming from Germany there is an ICE International runnign from Frankfurt via Cologne and Duesseldorf to Amsterdam stopping also Duisburg, Oberhausen, Arnheim and Uitrecht. It’s called an “express” however the rail is not made for high-speed so the travel is quite slow but relaxing.
There is a Thalys service to Paris in about 3 hour and 20 minutes via Schiphol, Rotterdam and Bruessel. And, really cool, an Eurostar service to London St. Pancras which takes 4 hours and 10 minutes. As the trains are stopping right in the city center it might be more convinant then taking a plane. Not to fortget the environmental aspect.
Hotels in Amsterdam
Hotels in Amsterdam can be tricky if you are on a low or reasonable budget. There are cheap ones that are cheap for a reason. Others are in shitty locations or just offer a room in the basement with no windows. If you are on a party trip, a hotel near the red light district might be your choice. But for many, having a bunch of drunk people around is not preferable.
Since public transportation is good, you can consider hotels a little further out.
We have stayed in several hotels so far. We would recommend two of them with restrictions.
The Social Hub Amsterdam City
The Social Hub is a mixture of hotel and co-workings spaces. So this hotel is a recommendation in case you are mixing a visit to Amsterdam combining it with some work to do. In the lobby there are couple of tables and desks you can use for work. There is also a small counter offering coffee, tea and snacks. Also co-working desks and office can be rented on the upper floors.
The rooms itself are basic and not very special. But quality wise nothing to complain about. We stayed there on a weekend in the peak of summer vacation season for a 160€ per night. This was actually too much for this hotel. However, other available places in Amsterdam at the time of booking already above 200€ per night.
The Hotel is located right next to Wibautstraat subway station is which directly connected to Amsterdam Centraal station in about 6 minutes. An Albert Heijn supermarket is also across the street. All in all the hotel is a recommendation in Amsterdam due to the location and its concept. However, be aware to book in advance for a better price.
Hotel Jakarta
Hotel Jakarta comes up with a unique concept at a quite a price. It’s located in Java Eiland, an island diagonally across Amsterdam Centraal, reachable by about 10 minutes walk from the station. Around the hotel it’s less crowded then in other places around Amsterdam.
Inside the hotel there is a palm tree garden that gives it a Indonesian atmosphere. Walls are covered with wooden light panels. The rooms are spacious, modern at a entry luxury level.
We paid about 250€ per night at a day during the week in June. Assuming there might be better deals as well as more expensive ones in the peak of travelling seaons.
In case you are not on a budget travel and link unique experiences Hotel Jakarta is a good choice for you.
Ibis Amsterdam City West
Typical Ibis business hotel, clean and nothing missing. You have to take the bus from Amsterdam Centraal for about 10 minutes. This may be inconvenient for some.
Hotel Espresso City Center
Great deal for what we paid. The rooms are very small hard so impossible for families but ok for singles and couples. Clean but not perfect. Good location. Couple of tram lines topping within 2 minutes. A 5 minute walk to the Leidseplein which is served by even more tram lines and offers many restaurants. The famous museums are also within walking distance.
Paid 69€ for the standard double room and 7,43€ additional city tax on January 23rd 2023.
Conclusion
These three ramen shops Ramen Ya and Sora really fitted our taste. For Hinata there is nothing to complain about the quality. Just the light soup doesn’t fit our taste too much.
As Hakata Style Ramen is rare in Europe and Ramen Ya offers a really great version of it, we would choose them as the prefered one of those three. The authenticy of Sora’s Sapporo Ramen is also awesome. So they would be the second choice.
There are a couple of more Ramen shops to check out in Amsterdam on our list so we will be back surely to try them soon.