Top 10 Most Popular Ramen Shops – Tonkotsu King Takes the Crown, Menya Musashi Second, Kagetsu Arashi Third

▲ Black King Ramen, one of Tonkotsu King's Four Heavenly Kings. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

In recent years, Japanese ramen shops have been popping up one after another in the Greater Taipei area, especially with the arrival of Japanese ramen chains, which has been a boon for many ramen enthusiasts. DailyView’s online sentiment meter, based on the volume of online discussions, further investigated the top ten most popular ramen shops with the highest ratings and discussion among netizens. Taking the top spot was Q Poga Tonkotsu King Ramen, Menya Musashi came in second, and Kagetsu Arashi ranked third.

1st Place: Q Poga (Tonkotsu King)

The tonkotsu ramen “Q Poga (Tonkotsu King)” already has seven directly operated stores in Tokyo and five branches in Taiwan. Its biggest feature is the launch of a limited-edition ramen every week, and even from June 2006 to March 2009, the Shibuya store evolved into a “One Ramen Per Day” concept, creating a thousand different ramen flavors. In Taiwan, you can customize your own favorite flavor, which caused a craze online. In addition to the Four Heavenly Kings flavors, there is also a daily limited “King Limited” edition.

▲ Menya Musashi has opened six stores in Taiwan. (Photo / Provided by Menya Musashi)

2nd Place: Menya Musashi

The popular Japanese ramen brand “Menya Musashi” officially entered Taiwan in mid-2013 and has since opened six branches. In addition to offering dual broths, each Menya Musashi branch has its own personality and style, and they continuously develop new limited-edition dishes. Recently, Menya Musashi also launched two curry rice set meals at the Huxiao branch.

3rd Place: Kagetsu Arashi

Kagetsu Arashi, which rapidly expanded its presence to penetrate the Taiwanese market, can be seen in many locations. With numerous branches and most situated in busy areas such as train stations or department stores, it enjoys high online discussion. However, due to its rich and heavy broth, it may be a bit much for those who prefer lighter flavors.

4th Place: Tonchin Ramen

Tonchin Ramen is a ramen from Tokyo, Japan. In 2011, Tonchin expanded its business to Taiwan. Its noodles are handmade medium-thick curly noodles, and the broth is made primarily from pork bones with soy sauce added. Service is a key emphasis for Tonchin Ramen, so many customers are quite satisfied with the quality of service.

5th Place: Ippudo

When Ippudo entered Taiwan, it sparked a wave of long queues. Although online reviews about the service are positive, opinions are divided on the side dishes and flavors, especially regarding the specially made red oil bean sprout char siu, which is free in Japan but charged for in Taiwan.

6th Place: Yamatani Ramen

Speaking of Yamatani Ramen, many might mispronounce it as “Volcano Head” or “Fire Head Mountain.” Established in 1988 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, Yamatani arrived in Taiwan in 2012 and now has over 51 branches across Japan and globally. One of its features is its rich, milky-white broth simmered from pork bones, vegetables, and dried fish.

▲ Fish broth tonkotsu char siu ramen from Menyuki. (Photo /Orange Dog Loves CandyProvided)

7th Place: Menyuki

Menyuki is a ramen shop from Osaka, and currently, there is only one branch in Taiwan. Surprisingly, many people find the char siu rice even tastier than the ramen itself. Another highlight of Menyuki is that it does not charge a “service fee.”

▲ Tsukemen from Santoumi. (Photo / Provided by Chen Tzu-yin)

8th Place: Santoumi Noodle Shop

Santoumi Noodle Shop calls itself a tsukemen (dipping ramen) specialty shop. Its noodles are thicker and chewier than regular ramen noodles, and it has three branches in Taiwan. Its broth is simmered from “fish broth tonkotsu” for as long as 12 hours—from 8 AM to 8 PM—making both the shop’s “broth” and “tsukemen” extremely rich in flavor.

9th Place: Eagle Ramen

Eagle Ramen, originating from Takadanobaba in Tokyo, has been in Taiwan for two years and is a popular ramen shop in Taipei’s East District. If you pass by the intersection of Section 3, Bade Road, and Yanji Street recently, you’ll see long queues—these people are all there for the “Eagle Ramen Tokyo Soy Sauce Ramen. Ranmaru.” However, Ranmaru has only six seats, and with the large crowds, those wanting to try it should be prepared.

▲ Plum Light Ramen’s three types of broth: miso, soy sauce, and salt—all very delicate in flavor. (Photo / Yoyo Yu Photography)

10th Place: Plum Light Ramen

Mei Guangxuan is a popular ramen shop from Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, which expanded to Taiwan in 2012. Known for its firm noodles and rich soy sauce broth, this nearly half-century-old ramen brand brings a mellow depth to the dish through slow simmering, adding a new warmth to Taiwan’s autumn season.


Note:
DailyView Network Thermometer noted after releasing the survey results that the ranking was based on further investigation following initial online discussion volume among netizens. Some lesser-known eateries favored by food connoisseurs did not make the list—not because they aren’t delicious, but due to insufficient online discussion.