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The 10 Best Ramen Shops in Manchester
When we think of noodles nowadays, it’s hard not to think of ramen. As one of Japan’s unofficial national dishes, it’s undeniable how well-known it has become, thanks to countless animés (the Japanese form of cartoons or animation) and even social media!
Surely, you can get some pho instead, but imagine this: the hot steam coming out of a ramen’s creamy broth, its savoury smell, and the tantalising arrangement of tasty toppings—isn’t that more exciting? We don’t know about you, but it is for us!
So, we searched around the city to bring you our top picks for proper mint ramen across Manchester. Choose your fighter!
Maki & Ramen Manchester
Media from Maki & Ramen
Address: 11 York St
Contact details: 0161 470 7019
Operating hours:
- Sunday to Thursday – 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM
- Friday and Saturday – 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Pricing: ££
Maki & Ramen is a Japanese restaurant that’s been around since 2015—its Manchester branch opened in 2023. The shop specialises in hot bowls of tonkotsu (pork bone), miso (fermented soybean paste), and curry-based ramen.
Like most of its patrons do, get the Black Garlic Tonkotsu—a mix of eight-hour broth, chashu (roast pork shoulder) slices, half a tamago (egg), black garlic oil, the usual ramen veggies (spring onions and bamboo shoots), and chewy noodles made in-house.
For a solid kick of spice, try the aptly named Seafood “Hell” Tonkotsu ramen, which is infused with a generous portion of quality chilli oil.
| Pro tip: Not a fan of meat or chicken? All types of ramen at Maki & Ramen are available in a vegan version. |
WAZUZHI (formerly Wasabi)
Media from Wazuzhi Ramen & Sushi
Address: 63 Faulkner St
Contact details: 0161 228 7288
Operating hours:
- Monday, Wednesday to Sunday – 12:00 PM to 9:30 PM
- Tuesday – CLOSED
Pricing: £
Manchester’s Chinatown isn’t just all about Chinese food—it’s also a haven for other Asian cuisines, including the Japanese flavours from WAZUZHI.
This restaurant started in 2008 as “Wasabi,” a conveyor-type sushi shop, and has since grown into one of the best bang-for-the-buck ramen joints around the city.
Although the only broth it uses is tonkotsu, WAZUZHI mixes things up by offering around nine types of ramen bowls—tastefully done through the idea of varying toppings and other ingredients!
The safest bet is the original Pork Tonkotsu ramen. It’s available à la carte or as part of the shop’s weekday lunch set menu.
| Pro tip: Get the most value for money at WAZUZHI by getting a lunch or dinner set. You’ll have an option of either having six plates of sushi or a sushi–main dish (including ramen) combo. |
Shoryu Ramen – Manchester
Media from Shoryu Ramen
Address: 1 Piccadilly Gardens
Contact details: [email protected]
Operating hours:
- Sunday to Tuesday – 11:30 AM to 10:30 PM
- Wednesday to Saturday – 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM
Pricing: ££
Shoryu can be considered a superstar when it comes to ramen in Manchester, having been featured countless times in different food reviews throughout the years. It specialises in the Hakata style—creamy white tonkotsu (pork) broth and thin noodles.
With native Japanese restaurateurs at its helm, no wonder the bowls are repeatedly praised for authenticity.
To experience the proper Shoryu bowl, we highly suggest getting its signature ramen—the Shoryu Ganso Tonkotsu. The broth is simmered for half a day and is topped with char siu (roasted pork), spring onions, mushrooms, and soft-yolked tamago.
| Pro tip: Customise your ramen further by ordering extra toppings or changing the firmness of your noodles. Shoryu does charge a couple of quid more for the toppings, though. |
New Wave Ramen – Tib Lane
Media from New Wave Ramen
Address: 16 Tib Lane
Contact details: 0161 711 0710, [email protected]
Operating hours:
- Monday – 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Tuesday to Saturday – 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Sunday – 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Pricing: ££
New Wave promises a refreshing, neat take on ramen. Its original branch is in the bustling food hall of Mackie Mayor, but for a more comfy setting, head to its standalone shop at Tib Lane.
Get to enjoy shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), or miso-based ramen. No need to dodge the place if you’re not in the mood for pork-based broth, since New Wave prefers to use chicken bone broth in its bowls.
But if you’re still wondering what’s the best one to try, it’s the Lamb Tantanmen. This bowl has a spicy chicken broth, minced lamb and egg for the protein, ramen veggies, as well as noodles made fresh daily at the shop’s kitchen.
| Pro tip: If you want to reserve a table at New Wave Ramen, don’t aim for Mondays or Sundays. The restaurant can only accommodate your request if it’s for any day between Tuesday and Saturday. |
RAMENSHOP (formerly Tokyo Ramen)
Media from RAMENSHOP
Address: 55 Church St, Northern Quarter
Contact details: hello@tokyoramen.co.uk
Operating hours:
- Wednesday to Saturday – 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Sunday – 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- Monday and Tuesday – CLOSED
Pricing: £
Skater-turned-ramen-chef Janven and his crew whip up tasty ramen bowls with equally tasty toppings at the reinvented Tokyo Ramen shop in the NQ (now simply called RAMENSHOP).
It offers four types of ramen—three having a chicken broth base and one made with mushrooms (the vegan version). A typical RAMENSHOP meal includes a bowl of the hot Fire Ramen and a side of soft shell crabs, washed down by beer.
For those who don’t like the idea of alcohol for lunch, the shop also has the internet-famous ramune, a Japanese soda sealed by a marble instead of a metal cap.
| Pro tip: RAMENSHOP’s bowls might be an acquired taste for some, especially those who aren’t accustomed to intense flavours. |
LÜCKY – Ramen | Sushi
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Address: 13 Blossom St, Ancoats
Contact details: [email protected]
Operating hours:
- Monday – 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Wednesday to Saturday – 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Sunday – 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- Tuesday – CLOSED
Pricing: ££
If you’re in Ancoats and craving for a hot bowl of noodles to warm you on a chilly day, then we recommend checking out LÜCKY. This ramen and sushi house is pretty small and looks very cosy, tucked at a literal street corner.
LÜCKY has the most types of ramen flavours we’ve seen so far—a whopping 10 kinds of bowls, ranging from pork, chicken, seafood, and vegan—ready for ramen runs. One standout bowl is the Gyokal ramen, which features soft shell and imitation snow crabs.
You might want to throw in a side, though, as the ramen serving could feel inadequate for bigger appetites. We suggest the house signature Black Cod Croquettes.
| Pro tip: LÜCKY has a pretty small floor area. If the inside of the premises already feels cramped, there’s an option to dine al fresco at its outside terrace. |
Shogun Ramen & Bar
Media from SHOGUN RAMEN & BAR
Address: 55 Manchester Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Contact details: 0161 218 0509, [email protected]
Operating hours:
- Monday to Thursday – 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- Friday and Saturday – 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Sunday – 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Pricing: £
Shogun is a neighbourhood ramen joint in the suburbs of Chorlton. Albeit a small shop, it’s making waves in the ramen category for its truly creative noodle bowls!
The shop uses different types of stock—pork, chicken (which is halal), miso, curry, and mushroom broths pave the way to make bowls for different tastes and dietary needs.
That said, Shogun shines with its creative bowls. A notable one is the house’s Shogun Tonkotsu ramen—easily the shop’s gold standard in presentation and taste, while another is the Naruto “Ichiraku” ramen, its quirky homage to the Anime food classic.
| Pro tip: Love ramen so much that you can eat a boatload? Beat Shogun’s SUMO Ramen Challenge by finishing the HUGE bowl of ramen in under 10 minutes—it’s 100% on the house if you succeed! |
Garden of Peach Taiwan Ramen
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Address: 279 Barlow Moor Rd
Contact details: 07542 601357, [email protected]
Operating hours:
- Friday to Sunday – 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Monday to Thursday – CLOSED
Pricing: £
Garden of Peach (GOP) is a simple Asian restaurant in Chorlton. It isn’t the tidiest of all the shops we’ve ever seen, but it has this welcoming ambience that just lights up your day.
The restaurant specialises in Taiwanese cuisine, which includes the famous beef noodle soup. The quirkiest thing is that it categorises this soup in the menu as “ramen.”
Yes, we understand that if we’re being strict, Taiwanese beef noodle soup doesn’t fit the criteria for “proper” ramen—but hear us out! We’re willing to make an exception this time, because the food is just that banging.
Try a bowl—thinner broth but still full of flavour!
| Pro tip: Garden of Peach is open for only two days a week. Book a table in advance for guaranteed seats! |
House of Fu – Manchester
Media from House of Fu
Address: 113–115 Portland St
Contact details: 0161 388 3535, [email protected]
Operating hours:
- Monday to Thursday – 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 9:30 PM
- Friday and Saturday – 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM to 1:00 AM
- Sunday – 11:30 AM to 8:00 PM
Pricing: ££
For a hip take on Japanese cuisine, head to House of Fu, near St Peter’s Square in the city centre. The shop’s vibe is proper cool, mixing soft peach and cherry blossom pink colours with the Victorian England aesthetic.
House of Fu serves seven types of ramen dishes—mainly of tonkotsu (pork) broth.
Its signature Original bowl is interesting, because it mixes both shio (salt) and shoyu (soy) tare (sauce) in the recipe—the “normal” way is to only use either in a serving. The finished product, surprisingly, has a well-balanced flavour.
| Pro tip: The vibe is always alive at House of Fu, thanks to its downstairs cocktail bar, called Hello. Check out its socials for the schedule of in-house events like the popular karaoke nights! |
Suki Suki Street Food & Bar
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Address: 227 Deansgate
Contact details: 0161 834 1391, [email protected]
Operating hours:
- Sunday to Thursday – 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- Friday and Saturday – 12:00 PM to 12:00 AM
Pricing: £
Suki Suki celebrates Asian street food. Its menu has a healthy assortment of Thai, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, and we’re all for it!
Speaking of Japanese food, there’s, of course, edamame (beans) and karaage (fried chicken), but ramen is the main show. Suki Suki allows its diners to customise their bowls—mix and match four different broths with four types of toppings!
However, if you aren’t feeling adventurous, you can get the house signature Suki Suki Ramen, which has a tonkotsu (pork) base topped with soft shell crab and karaage—a splendid marriage of the earth and the sea.
| Pro tip: Suki Suki has a lovely, calm ambience on most days. It transforms into a lively one every first Friday of the month, with banging DJ music from 11:00 PM onwards. |
