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Nara Ramen - Top 3 Ramen Shops

For Nara ramen, you have to visit these three shops! They're all located in Nara City and are the cream of the crop.

The Best Nara Ramen - Three Fantastic Shops

Nara Ramen - Heavy Hitting

Nara ramen comes in different delicious shapes and forms. But it often tends to be on the heavier side. This is also the case for the three shops below!


Menya Noroma

Menya Noroma is famous to the point that people from all corners of Japan flock to it. Its relatively central location in Nara City certainly helps. Their signature ramen is visually stunning, with the soup striking a balance between richness and gentleness in terms of flavor.

Menya Noroma's Main Bowl

It's shoyu, or soy sauce based, and is anchored by pork and chicken bones. Complementing the savory soup are medium-thick noodles, crafted in-house from premium wheat flour sourced from Hokkaido and Nagano.

Outside Menya Noroma


Mitsuba

Mitsuba does a similar bowl to Norma's. They're just as famous. But I give the slight edge to Mitsuba. The drawback is that they're a bit more out of the way (from central Nara). The soup at Mitsuba is chicken bone velvety and also has a rich shoyu base. But there's a foamy layer at the very top.

One of the best Ramen in Nara City

This isn't so much a game changer as it is a modern touch. The soup overall is amazing - creamy without feeling heavy. Additionally, the firm, high-hydration flat noodles are a delight. There's the option to opt for whole wheat flour noodles too.

Outside Mitsuba


Butanohone / Nara Gamushara

It's gets pretty easy to spot ramen bowls from the Muttepou ramen group. Let's just say that they love using a lot of pork bones to make a hefty pork based soup.


Despite the deep brown hue imparted by the shoyu in Gamushara's main ramen, the shoyu flavor remains subtly in the background. In other words, it's all about the pork bones here.

Heavy Pork Ramen at Nara Gamushara

Make no mistake - this is one porky ramen, with the calories to match. You can even personalize your dining experience by choosing noodle thickness, soup richness, and the quantity of spring onions added. Lastly, this ramen shop is also a little more remote.

Outside Nara Gamushara at Sunset


In summary, make sure to visit these three shops for the best of Nara ramen!

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