Explore the colorful world of ramen noodles at unique Japanese noodle restaurants in Little Japan.
If you want to take an “express” trip to explore the culture and cuisine of the Land of Cherry Blossoms right in the heart of Saigon, then Japantown, also known as Little Japan, is “the ticket”, let’s explore 5 delicious ramen noodle shops that any Japanese food lover should not miss.
1. Danbo Ramen
A famous ramen restaurant chain from Japan, Danbo has more than 30 branches spanning the Land of the Rising Sun and other countries such as the US, Australia, Canada, and now Vietnam. Danbo shop in Alley 8A Thai Van Lung serves tonkotsu ramen, with typical Fukuoka flavors.
The highlight of each bowl of Japanese noodles at Danbo is the broth extracted from pork marrow bones, fragrant, sweet, and opaque white-like milk cream, which, according to Ms. Cuc – the restaurant manager – shares, is “not available anywhere”. Here, you can choose your bowl of noodles from 3 unique flavors. The first is classic ramen in which the broth is combined with pork fat, which helps bring out the richness and enhances the milky sweetness of the broth. The fat chosen to use is shoulder loin fat, boiled with wine and spices, then ground, so the taste is very fragrant and does not create a greasy feeling.
Tip: At Danbo, you will be able to choose the spiciness and saltiness of the broth, the softness of the noodles, as well as less or more onions. For those who are trying ramen noodles for the first time here, choose a mild salty level because Japanese people’s taste is usually quite saltier than Vietnamese people.
Address: 8A/7B1 Thai Van Lung, District 1
Opening hours: 11:00 -15:00 | 17:00 – 01:00
2. Tomidaya Ramen
The sight of diners patiently lining up at lunch and dinner hours is not uncommon at Tomidaya. Under the leadership of the Japanese owner and head chef Tomiday, the restaurant has become one of the top addresses in the hearts of gourmets in Saigon when looking for a delicious bowl of ramen noodles with Japanese flavor.
Shoyu ramen, which means Japanese noodles flavored with soy sauce, is a “regular” dish on Tomidaya’s menu. The “divine” broth is the result of many hours of stewing chicken, pork bones, and vegetables during the day. When serving, the above liquid will be combined with soy sauce, helping to create a mild salty taste, perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the bones and vegetables. “We also add a little boiled pork fat to each bowl of noodles. Just sift it under the hot broth and the fat will melt and float to the surface,” shared Mr. Dung – Tomidaya’s manager. “This method makes the broth more rich and fragrant, but not greasy, while also highlighting the sweet aftertaste of traditional soy sauce.”
Tip: Tomidaya is usually closed every Thursday. Now the shop has moved to a new, more spacious and spacious address, replacing the previous small and pretty space at corner 8A/1C1 Thai Van Lung.
Address: 15B/79 Le Thanh Ton, District 1
Opening hours: 11:30 – 14:00 | 18:00 – 24:00
3. 75TD Ramen
75TD is the “brother” of Tomidaya, Japanese chef Tomiday opened the first store at 75 Thao Dien – District 2, this is also the inspiration for the name of the store. In Japantown, the second branch of 75TD is located in the old space of Tomidaya noodle shop, on the right corner of alley 8A Thai Van Lung.
At first glance, 75TD’s bowl of ramen seems simple, but behind it are strict principles that are carefully followed in the preparation stage. Except for menma bamboo shoots, all fresh ingredients are processed during the day to preserve the natural sweet aroma. The broth and char siu meat must be cooked at the correct temperature and time to produce clear broth and tender meat with flavor. Thanks to that, 75TD and Tomidaya are both successful with delicious, flavorful bowls of Japanese noodles day after day.
Small tip: The shop only has a capacity of 8 seats, so you may have to wait in line to wait your turn. 75TD is usually closed every Thursday, so please keep that in mind when planning your dining schedule.
Address: 8A/1C1 Thai Van Lung, District 1
Opening hours: 11:30 – 14:00 | 18:00 – 22:00
4. Tori Soba Mutahiro
Mutahiro is the first branch in Vietnam of one of the most-rated ramen restaurant chains in Japan. Established in 2011, Mutahiro has up to 8 branches in Tokyo and Osaka and one branch in Seoul (Korea). Launched at the end of 2017, Mutahiro quickly received a warm response from Japanese noodle lovers in Saigon, simply because it serves ramen with chicken broth that is completely different from most other noodle shops. in Japantown.
To create a delicious bowl of ramen noodles, every day the shop stews chicken bones for many hours to create a light, golden broth with a bit of fat from the chicken skin fat. “The flavor of the broth here is neither too salty nor too bland, very fragrant and just right, suitable for both Japanese and Vietnamese diners,” shared Shumpei Takamura – Mutahiro’s manager.
Small tip: Mutahiro is open until two in the morning, so this will be a great “lifesaver” when you’re hungry late at night. Don’t forget to ask the waiter about the loyalty card to get a free bowl of ramen after 10 bowls.
Address: 8A/G8B Thai Van Lung, District 1
Opening hours: 11:00 – 14:00 | 18:00 – 02:00
5. Daiichi Ramen & Curry
If the Japanese noodle shops mentioned above focus mainly on ramen, then Daiichi Ramen & Curry offers more choices for you when there are also udon noodles, curry rice, stewed beef rice (gyudon)… on the menu. Mr. Hoang – Daiichi’s chef shared that the ramen noodles here have the typical flavor of the Yokohama region, where “the first bowls of ramen were born”.
The broth of Yokohama ramen is quite similar to tonkotsu ramen. Every day, Daiichi stews the bones for 8 hours to produce a milky white broth, with a particularly unforgettable aroma and fatty taste. Diners can choose between soy sauce or salt flavor. Soy sauce ramen (tonkotsu shoyu ramen) has a sweeter taste, suitable for chewy and thick noodles. Salt-flavored ramen (tonkotsu shio ramen) has the salty taste of salt water cooked with shiitake mushrooms, enhancing the fatty taste of the broth, and served with thin, smooth noodles.
Tip: You can request different noodles for your broth. Don’t forget to tell the chef to reduce the saltiness if it’s your first time coming here to enjoy ramen noodles.
Address: 8A/2b2 Thai Van Lung, District 1
Opening hours: 10:00 – 23:00
