Ichiran

I’ve been coming here since they first opened in 2013 and it seems the hype never dies down as the queue to get in is still damn long. Each time I’ve eaten here, it was always in the wee-​hours of the night (2−3am) and we still waited a good 20 minutes.
Do note that once you’re inside, you’ll be seated in your own individual booth. Hard to socialize with your friends if you’re with a big group but you’ll be slurping that ramen so save the chitchatting for later after you finish eating!
If you’re a sucker for carbs, don’t forget to add extra noodles on the side. Just don’t drink all the broth! It’s like having a second bowl of ramen. And adding an egg is a must with your order! Sesame oil and extra spice will give your noodles that extra kick. Add extra char-​siu to your order too if you are in need of more protein!
Again, come late as you’re going to be queuing for ages anytime before midnight!

My friends who had went to Japan the previous year have been raging about this good ramen they had. They had found out there are 2 locations, 1 newer in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, 1 in Causeway Bay. Since we were in the area after finishing our visit to Ocean Park, we decided to come here for dinner afterwards because one was leaving a day early and would like to have him eat something he likes (at least to have something memorable for him, if not anything else in HK Lol…) Close 5 – 10 minute walk from the MTR station out of either B or C exit.
When we had arrived, we went in the first door we had saw, and was redirected down the street. Apparently this location has two stores next to each other. Maybe they didn’t open that side yet since it was still a bit early in the evening.
This was my first experience to eat at a ramen shop with individual «stalls/​cubicles». Each spot has its own water spout, ordering guide, call button, and «window» where they will «deliver» the food and if assistance is needed.
For someone as wide as i am (no im not that fat, i just have broad shoulders), it was a little tight. My friend had told me the japan location had optional folding separation panels vs the built in non-​movable ones here.
Waitress hands you a «menu» where you get to pick Flavor Strength (Weak, Medium, Strong), Richness (None, Light, Medium, Rich, Ultra Rich), Garlic (None, A Little, Regular, ½ Clove, 1 Clove), Green Onion (Without, Thick Green Onion, Thin Green Onion), Sliced Pork (Without, With), Ichiran’s Original Red Sauce (None, Half, Regular, Double, or X times where X is number you’d like [3−10]), and noodle texture (Extra Firm, Firm, Medium, Soft)
I had ordered Medium flavor strength, Rich richness, 1 clove of garlic, green onions, with sliced pork, #3 ichiran original red sauce (because anything higher is dry red peppers anyway) and firm noodle texture with extra noodle refill, extra pork, and egg. Hey. might as well go all out right? LOL
Noodle had great firmness and cooked perfectly. The soup flavor was amazing but if i were to pick again, i may go 1 step lower on the richness (stomach didn’t hold so well later that night…). Egg was amazing with a super runny rich yolk. Pork is not what i am used to in the states. Its not like a roasted roll but actual slices of pork from like pork belly. Pretty good ! Not too fatty like what we get in the states but it also is smaller… definitely recommend the extra sliced pork.
Overall, great place for some japanese ramen if you in the area. Pretty quick service. Clean and simple.
Side note, their bathrooms have multiple rolls of toilet paper on the wall. Its actually kind of funny. No not 2 rolls. like 9+ LOL

Ichiran will be opening up two locations in NYC!’ One in East Williamsburg and one in Chelsea!

The first time that I’ve had Ichiran was in Osaka and I simply fell in love with it. I loved their flavor, I loved their customization, and I loved their whole system all together. It was very refreshing and very different from America. When we found out that Ichiran was in Hong Kong, we immediately knew we had to go – just to get a little taste of Japan that we missed so much.
It looks as though Ichiran owns two restaurant spots? They are right next to each other. When we went to the first location, we were redirected to the other spot which was just a little bit down the street. They must get really busy for them to have two locations next to each other! We noticed that they kept Ichiran somewhat true to the original with how it was set up: separate eating stalls with the folding blind at the front of the stall where they get you your food.
So when you sit down, you get your own stall. You will be given a piece of paper and on that paper, you can circle your preferences for your ramen as well as any extras that you want. You can choose the flavor of the broth, the level of richness (oiliness), level of garlic, level of spice, and how you like your noodles: soggy to perfectly cooked (extra firm, firm, medium, etc.) I went with a strong soup flavor, light in richness, strong garlic, level 3 in spice, and firm noodles. For the spice level, they use dried red pepper flakes for anything over a level 3. which is why I just did 3. I LOVE spicy but I prefer not to cover my bowl in dried pepper flakes. I want their original spicy sauce.
At the bottom of the paper, you’ll be able to choose extras ranging from egg, seaweed, extra noodles/​half noodles, etc. My boyfriend and I decided to share an extra order of noodles afterwards because everything was just so delicious. Also, ordering one to share is cheaper than ordering two half orders of extra noodles.
Everything at Ichiran was as delicious as we remembered it to be. The only things different between the Hong Kong location and the Japan location were: the dividers between stalls do not fold, the price, and the kitchen.
There are wooden panels between each stall and in Japan, they were capable of folding. So if you weren’t eating on your own, you could fold it and have some social interaction with your friends. Of course if you are alone, you can keep them up. The price is a tad higher in Hong Kong but that’s probably due to cost of living/​rent and what not. In Japan, the kitchen was right in front of you, which was why there were blinds there. They cooked right in that area and when it was ready, they’d put it in front of you. In Hong Kong, the kitchen is elsewhere and the area in front of you is barren. It seems to be a huge waste of space by having that empty but maybe due to health rules, they can’t have that there? Not sure.
Overall, Ichiran is a great place to grab a quick bite. From what I hear, there are long lines but when we went, there was no line at all. They are also opened 24H so I’m sure if you’re hungry in the middle of the night, you are totally capable of grabbing a bite here. If you can’t easily travel to Japan all the time and you’re in Hong Kong, definitely give Ichiran a go!!! :)

We ran across this place on our first day in Hong Kong. There was a line out the door all afternoon. On our 2^nd day in HK, we were up early and decided to give this place a try. Much easier to get a seat at 7:30am. Fantastic noodles. It’s no wonder it is so popular at lunch.

First time eating here, maybe I ordered wrong? Had the medium noodles but they seemed slightly over cooked for my taste, not al dente. But I did enjoy it very much! =)
I did really like the bit of spicy they threw in which helped add to the broth. Not super rich, which I like.
To really find your preference, you have to order kaedama or just go back very often to find your right combination. All in all I had a good meal and look forward to the New York branch to open up this year

There are always long lines in Ichiran, Causeway Bay — and it doesn’t happen by accident! We luckily managed to only wait for about 30 minutes before being seated. By the time we finished eating, the lines were twice as long. At Ichiran, the experience emphasizes the self. You are seated individually in private stalls, and even the staff cannot see you face-​to-​face, and work quietly behind the wooden curtains. The ramen is to your liking, from the firmness of noodles, to the richness of the broth, and selection of toppings and add-​ons. Enjoy your meal privately (or sneak up on your companions’ booth). Must try: the bitter (yet delicious) authentic Matcha Annin Tofu to balance your meal nicely in the end!

I like this place a lot because it is one of the most authentic ramen places I’ve been to in Hong Kong not to mention this place is 24 hours (and situated right next to Wan Chai).
For the authenticity:
— Staff seem to have good Japanese language knowledge beyond the normal greetings (almost feels like you’ve stepped into Japan). So for me it’s a good opportunity to practice my japanese without hopping on a plane to Japan.
— Efficient style ordering system. Japanese style. Customize your own order and preferences, and get it delivered out to you.
— Privacy cubicals for food. There’s even privacy blinds. It feels like a university study room.
Then finally in all Hong Kong style, It’s 24 hours, where you can head here either 4pm for a late lunch or 4am after a late night — it’s available. My visit was at 4:30am, and the place seems to still have activity.
This place also takes credit cards too (including Union Pay!), so no need to worry about not having enough which is also important after a big night out.

The first thing you should know is that there’s only one style of seating: individual booths. I walked into here not knowing that & was a bit taken back.
After the initial confusion, I settled into my booth for one. It can be awkward eating individually with a group, but soon, everyone was devouring their ramen so it didn’t really matter.
The actual food is all about customization — from firmness of your noodles to richness & spiciness of your broth, which at the recommended novice «medium,» was spot on for me. If you like spicy, get 3+ for the spicier dried seasoning.
The soft-​boiled salted egg ($ 14 extra) with its creamy yolk was a perfect compliment. If you like pork, I’d suggest ordering extra slices because the bowl only comes with ²⁄₃ slices.
All in all, a good, comforting bowl. Not the best I’ve ever had, but good.

The place to be for the jet lagged and hungry. Open ²⁴⁄₇. You sit in individual stalls and mark off your order. There are instructions in English for first timers. They have suggestions for what to choose but I got medium flavor strength, rich richness, green onions, with pork, 1 spice level (½ was recommended but probably could’ve gone a 2 or 3), medium noodle texture, added egg and mushrooms.
I’m telling you this hits the spot. It’s so good. Little interaction with workers other than for them to give you your cup for water so you can self dispense in your stall, to take the order once you hit the call button, and to bring you the bowl. There are hooks by your knees for purses and hook behind you on the wall for your jacket. There’s napkins and toothpicks located there too. Pay at the register and you’re done! Highly recommended.

Came to Ichiran at the recommendation of a friend. What an interesting dining experience. The line up to get a seat was long, but moved quickly. Then your taken back to the seats which are small individual booths. They give you a order form and there’s even an instruction pamphlet on how to order. Everything is customization and I mean everything. Add toppings, amount of fat, firmness of the noodles, spiciness levels, I went with the recommend choices but upped the spiciness to 3. Before I knew it the bamboo screen in front of me rolls up and unknown hands appear with a bowl of piping hot ramen. Broth is tasty and bright red from the special chili sauce. Everything prepared to my liking exactly as noted on the ordering form. Noodles cooked well, but too thin for my liking. My friend swear you can get wider noodles, but I double checked the form and could not find it. I ordered the additional noodles and was extremely satisfied.
I really enjoyed the seating at the restaurant, but the individual booths don’t lend themselves to eating with others. I was by myself, so it didn’t matter. I don’t know if there are other seating arrangements in the restaurant as I did not look around. The booths are also quite narrow. One man who was a larger fellow, after waiting 20 mins for a seat, saw the booth, said «what is this» and promptly walked out.
Great ramen & reasonably priced! Easy to see why this chain is so popular.

4.5 stars for many reasons. Strong suggest to visit, always looking forward to coming back!
Part of eating in Asia is to eat in obscure side streets, long lines, and anticipated experience. Well, this branch of Ichiran delivers on all of these.
This random street we looked down and saw a long line and knew it was it. Outside you may be 15 – 20 deep and then you look in and see a continuation of the line. The inside line is a skinny «U» where the window side sits while the far side stands and waits to progress to the window side. Typical asian design or lack of forethought where you stare directly across to each other while you wait. Thank goodness for phones!
Then it’s your turn to get seated. If it’s your first time you’re in for a unique surprise. All seats have dedicated stalls! Is this to be unique? Or is it the embodiment of Japan’s current culture of millineils sticking to themselves and totally uninterested in relationships? SIDE FACT: Japan’s population is to be cut by ¹⁄₃ in 25 years because nobody wants to get married. Anyways I digress. These stalls add to your experience and I guess makes you really focus on the bowl of Ramen you’re about to eat! Great idea!
Water: Ichiran also markets that part of great ramen is great water. They show their intricate water filtration in the menu and each stall has their own water tap and they encourage you to drink. I indulge and it does taste good. Or is it all in your head? Nah. I’ll buy it.
Menu/​Service: Rather customizable. Be careful with the spiciness of their «special hot powder.» If you are timid don’t go past 1. 2 was perfect for me without getting teary or sweaty. Broth richness, garlic, noodle texture, pork slices, can all be tweaked from the menu. Also here is where you can checkmark another bowl of noodles. What is quite popular here is that people finish their noodles, not the broth and get another batch of noodles. For me it was unnecessary. This one bowl of Ramen kept me full for hours. When ready, just ring the bell and then your shade is raised by mysterious hands confirming your order and they’re off. 5 – 7 minutes later comes your hot bowl.
Ramen: I like my broth rich so I chose that customization in the menu. First slurp, delicious. The combination of «premium water» garlic, tonkatsu, egg, pork slices, green onion was just
. I thought of this ramen for hours, days later. That’s all I can say. I also love thin noodles for my ramen and these were thin, firm, deliciois.
Come back? Absolutely for everything from the experience and the ramen.

They are open 24 hours! Therefore, I happened to come here at 4am after having a few drinks over at TST. I love that you’re able to choose and customize your bowl of ramen from the firmness of your ramen down to the richness of the soup and any additional toppings you may or may not want. You fill out their form so it’s easy for them to get your order correctly without anyone repeating anything (especially with a language barrier).
My bowl was made exactly the way I wanted – it was perfect. What more can I say?

This the HK branch of the Japanese ramen chain. Everything is reassuring similar to Japan. We came during mid-​morning so no queue.
The richness of the soup, the slight spiciness. The soup base is really the winner for me. The noodles are well cooked with good texture. However, the noodles are slightly too thin for my liking.
The major difference between HK and Japan is the the egg (extra order) comes with the shell peeled, whereas one has peel the shell in Japan.

Ichiran is one of my new favorite ramen spots! Absolutely amazing because it’s open ²⁴⁄₇ too! Their ramen starts at HKD $ 89.
Don’t even know where to begin because I’m so excited about this discovery. The pork they use isn’t pork belly so it’s not like you’re eating pure fat (which I LOVE). They use thinly sliced pork that’s just meat.
If you’re not someone who can tolerate spicy, I definitely don’t recommend going above a 1 on the spiciness level because they are not joking around with it. I’m someone who can eat an entire bag of hot cheetos puffs without water, and level 5 was really intense for me. Their level 5 spiciness shot down my stomach, demonstrating its great quality in spices but also making sure I felt it the rest of the day.
The noodles are great quality, and the broth is delicious! I would recommend getting medium (or even less in terms of richness) because it just gets oily after that.
Also, they don’t let you take away leftovers! Just a heads up.
LOVE this place! I highly recommend it :)

I went to an Ichiran in Tokyo and when I came back to visit Hong Kong from the States it was going to be the closest I’d be to eating a great bowl of ramen.
Ichiran ramen is simple, rich, and always tasty. Firm noodles, pork, scallions, garlic, spicy spicy, and always a great addition, a boiled egg. From the broth to the noodles, the meal exemplified every aspect I had in Tokyo, except the super thin pieces of pork.
Ordering is always simple and you always wonder who is behind the curtains serving you amazing ramen. Granted it’s a great job if you want minimal human contact but it’s efficient and private.
It’s convenient that you have your own water tap and of course when making ramen as the restaurant says must require the best water. I thought it was great tasting and nice and cooling after a hot bowl of tasty ramen.
Read the menus people! It tells you how the restaurant works and how to use the tap of you don’t know.

Really interesting place. Seriously this place is famous in China. Some people fly to HK just for this ramen. Get to try it last night. It is really cool that you can customize every tiny ingredient in your ramen. But I feel like it’s more like a chain restaurant. A «ramen McDonald’s», in a good way. You can tell from the super thin sliced chashu pork. It’s more like a ramen you can get from a Japanese vending machine.
Like the flavor. Worth to try. But for me, I want some ramen with more soul, made by a ramen chef. Not some ramen made by some random worker following the instruction. And with a famous Ichiran sign on it. Btw it is 24/​7, good choice for late night food!

You come here for a culinary experience of Japanese ramen where you customize into detail the amount for each ingredient you want in your bowl. With that also includes a solo seating with walls on your left and right side sheltering from your partner sitting next to you so you can have absolute privacy when eating your ramen.
The place is great for people coming here solo, singles, loners and not for groups.
The line is very long so is the waiting time as well. For the tasting, its very good but also very pricey. I ordered everything normal size but left the place still hungry.
Another overrated place to check off from your bucket list when visiting H.K.

WOW. Gone are my memories of making instant ramen packets in my college dorm room! This place really rocked my socks off! Not sure exactly how a «when in Rome…» comment could end up bringing me to a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong… but it did. And I am thrilled it did!
The sheet to order every component was a fun thing for this American to do, and the «try our delicious water» was a hoot. My noodles and broth came out exactly as ordered and tasted so delicious! If the first bowl hadn’t been so filling I’d have ordered their optional 2^nd bowl of noodles to use with my remaining broth. Instead I simply slurped down every drop, which was completely acceptable since everyone is in their own little mini-​private booth-​bar!
A few thoughts: the pork was perhaps the underwhelming part of this bowl, and other than being a nearly-​tasteless protein filler you could likely skip it. I would instead highly recommend the soft boiled egg and some seaweed, which really helped to make the soup sing.
And like other places in Hong Kong, make sure to bring your own pack of tissues with you because they will not be giving you any napkins in this establishment.

Sometimes, you just want to go to a nice, clean restaurant. Sit at your personal booth, order your food and eat in peace without interruptions.
This is the perfect place for that!
Four stars! One for each of the things that do it for me, Service, ambience, food and «Will I come back?» Zero stars for the price. Expensive for a small selection and noodles.
You get your own little booth, and your interactions with the service staff is MINIMAL. Though the times when you HAVE to, the service in this place is efficient and very polite.
There is a tap right in your booth for your drinking water needs. A little label above the tap says «Try the delicious water». It is delicious.
You order by circling what you want on a slip of paper. When you are ready to order, press a bell in your booth and a hand will magically appear to whisk the slip of paper away and prepare your order.
It took barely 5 minutes for my noodles to appear. And it took barely 5 minutes to finish my ramen.
Burp.
Now, the ramen!
The pork broth is thick and tasty. For some, the broth might feel a bit oily. However, for me, I found it just fine.
The broth was on the slightly salty side and the drinking water tap in the booth served its purpose well.
I like my noodles not too mushy, so I circled «firm» on my order slip. The noodles I received was perfect, not soft nor hard. Chewy with just the right texture.
I also ordered an egg to go with my noodles. Came in a separate bowl and was chilled. When I bit into it, the yolk was still runny. Yum.
Cost:
Basic ramen in pork broth — HK$ 89
Extra half portion of ramen — HK$ 16
Egg HK$ 14
Mushroom topping HK$ 22
Seaweed HK$ 12
I grabbed some instant ramen packets to bring home too.
Pork broth and ramen (3 servings) HK$ 240
Soy and citrus sauce and ramen (5 servings) HK160
Pork broth and ramen (5 servings) HK$ 160
Overall, a very pleasant experience. I have come back a few more times after this.
It is pricey for ramen, but for the anti-​social diner, this is a small price to pay.