I just want to eat ramen!! A lazy guide to Japanese ramen shops around Taipei City Hall

▲ The broth of Ippudo Ramen is simmered using sweet shrimp heads. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Xinyi District in Taipei City has many department stores, plus the Vieshow Cinemas, making it a popular spot for weekend shopping and movie-going. Thanks to the crowds, it’s also an area where many restaurants set up shop. When it comes to Japanese ramen, there are as many as 11 options, including Hokkaido’s Bai Guang Xuan and Ippudo Ramen, as well as well-known Japanese chains like Kagetsu Arashi and Ippudo. In addition, near the exit of Taipei City Hall MRT Station, there’s also a long-standing ramen shop with 16 years of history—Rose Garden Annex.

Ippudo Ramen
The broth of Ippudo Ramen is simmered using sweet shrimp heads, giving it a sweet and savory taste that’s quite different from typical pork bone broth. On average, 60 kilograms of shrimp heads are used per day (enough for about 600 bowls of ramen). Why use shrimp heads for ramen broth? Lin Chih-chi, the head chef at Ippudo Ramen with over 10 years of experience, shared that back when he was at Okura Mountain Ramen, the owner encouraged everyone to get creative and develop unique ramen flavors. Since seafood is a specialty of Hokkaido, they tried using crab, scallops, and clams to make broth, but ultimately found that shrimp heads produced a remarkably special flavor—leading to the founding of Ippudo Ramen in 2009.

Address: 1F, No. 22, Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City (Neo19)
Phone: 02-27235578


▲ Shoyu Miso Ramen. (Photo / Huang Shih-yuan)

Bai Guang Xuan (Taipei 101 Branch)
The ramen shop Bai Guang Xuan from Asahikawa, Hokkaido, expanded to Taiwan in 2012 and has since opened three branches in Taipei 101, Banqiao Fuzhong MRT Station, and Tainan Dream Mall. The fourth branch has moved to Far Eastern Department Store in Taoyuan. Bai Guang Xuan’s broth is prepared in Hokkaido, Japan, then frozen and air-freighted to Taiwan. Now, residents of Taoyuan can enjoy authentic Hokkaido ramen without traveling all the way to Taipei.

Address: B1, No. 45, Shifu Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8101-8011


▲ Limited edition: Tiger Cave Garlic Ramen from Menya Musashi Tiger Cave. (Photo / Provided by Xiongmao Rudy)

Menya Musashi Tiger Cave
Located at Breeze Songgao, Menya Musashi Tiger Cave is the sixth branch of the Menya Musashi chain. Its standard ramen style is more subtle, based on a dual fish broth and pork bone broth foundation, simply paired with salt, soy sauce, and miso flavors. There are also Korean-style options such as Kimchi Pork Ramen, Silver Sprout Chicken with Korean chili sauce, and Korean-style Pork Rice. As for the limited edition at Tiger Cave, it’s the Tiger Cave Garlic Ramen, combining garlic flavor with the dual broth base.

Address: B2, No. 18, Songgao Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City (Breeze Songgao)
Phone: 02-2722-5500


▲ Akamaru flavor. (Photo / Provided by Ippudo)

Ippudo (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A8)
Ippudo has been in Taiwan for four full years now!! There are currently 8 Ippudo branches across Taiwan, with the ninth branch, “Taroko Outlet Mall,” set to open on May 9th. Ippudo’s pork bone broth is simmered for 14 hours and then aged for another 24 hours. However, over its 30-year history, Ippudo has upgraded its recipe more than 20 times, and the Taiwanese branch is the first overseas location (apart from Japan) to implement the “broth upgrade.” In addition to incorporating secret ingredients, the simmering process and timing have been continuously refined to make the pork bone broth even smoother.

Address: No. 12, Songgao Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2725-1222

Taiyang Tomato Ramen
Address: No. 11, Songgao Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8780-6882

Menjia Sanshi
Address: No. 12, Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-7737-5188

Kawanami Ramen (Vieshow Branch)
Address: No. 20, Songshou Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2729-2128

Sankai Ramen (Uni-President Times Square Branch)
Address: B2, No. 8, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8789-3030

Mitabatake Noodle Shop (Uni-President Times Square Branch)
Address: B2, No. 8, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2773-3330

Kitamusou Ramen
Address: No. 17-1, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2767-0650

Rose Garden Annex (Xinyi Branch)
Address: No. 1-10, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2769-1877