The Best Ramen Shops in Europe

Queues at the door

Most of the European shops are small rooms that take no reservations, so the wait happens on the pavement. At Ato Ramen in Łódź and Mochi Ramen Bar in Vienna it can last up to an hour, and at Koku Ramen in Brussels staff hand out menus, drinks and blankets to the people in line. Manzoku Ramen Bar in Luxembourg replaces the line with a QR code that puts a party on a digital waiting list.

Where booking works

A few places do take bookings. Ramen Kotsu x Kotsu in Madrid recommends one because the room fills soon after opening, and Nanban in Luxembourg holds its tables for about an hour and a half. Kabuto Ramen & Bistrot in Pisa has few tables and is often fully booked; its entrance near Piazza dei Miracoli has no sign, only a white noren curtain.

Pork bone broth

Tonkotsu, a cloudy broth boiled from pork bones, leads most menus. Bariuma Ramen in Edinburgh serves a thick one with noodles made in house, and Koku Ramen cooks its Iekei-style pork broth for two days. At S’j Ramen in Bielefeld each bowl arrives with a card that explains the dish. Vegetarian and vegan bowls are common beside the pork: Goemon Ramen Bar in Brighton makes a soymilk ramen and a vegan tan tan, and Matsudai Ramen in Cardiff keeps both kinds on a short menu.

Counters and order forms

Several shops seat diners at a counter around the open kitchen. Wafu Ramen Bar in Budapest has about nine such seats, and guests fill in a paper form with their broth, protein, spice level and toppings, each topping charged separately. At Ato Ramen the counter rings the kitchen, and smoke from the grill clings to clothes. In the United Kingdom a service charge is added to the bill at Bariuma Ramen and at Matsudai Ramen.