Since 2013, I’ve been compiling an annual list of the varieties I’ve not liked. Well, beyond not liked – abhorred, found wretched, disgusting; not palatable. I’ve dedicated this year’s edition in memory of my good friend Jamie who truly reveled in how bad noodle varieties could be and had a shortlist of terms they would use that were clear indicators of how bad they were probably going to be; such terms as ‘inspired, authentic, and the like. These usually meant that they were anything but. You’ll find that terminology running rampant in here. This list is current up to review 5150. I should note that these are my opinions and so if you like these or manufacture these, keep that in mind. Let’s now peruse The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Worst Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Worst Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition
Video Presentation
A video rundown of The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Worst Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Worst Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition
#10: Panda Signature Ramen Noodle Soup Chili Lime Flavor – United States
A reader from Montana sent me a wide variety of this brand’s range. It replaced a popular brand at Walmart, and since I’ve done the unboxing video, people have been commenting abou their dislike. Well, some weren’t so bad, but this one really rubbed me the wrong way. It smelled like an air conditioned in a motel room that hadn’t been turned on in a year and tasted the same way. As for the spiciness, it wasn’t there. Not to my liking at all. Original review
#9: That’s Asia Pad Thai Sauce With Noodles – United States
The noodle was slightly mushy. The sauce was a very acidic and sickeningly sweet concoction. In short, this ain’t Asia. It also ain’t pad Thai by any stretch of the imagination. Original review
#8: NeoStar Ramen Delight Savory Shrimp – United States
Here’s one that’s bad due to the instructions. While the noodles aren’t anything to write home about, the broth is. Perhaps a letter about salt – it calls for far too little water and wouldn’t fit enough in the bowl to make it a reasonable level of saltiness. I could just call this violently salty, and it really is. Original review
#7: Maruchan Bariuma Goboten Udon – Japan
Do you like earthy things? Like dirt? Maybe throw a ton of salt on it – does that do the trick for you? This one has just huge amount of burdock root. Burdock is great in small amounts, but this much just turns this variety into a bowl of something that just screams salty dirt. A full frontal assault on the taste buds that leaves me wondering if when they made this if they tasted it. Original review
#6: Dr. McDougall’s Vegan Pad Thai Noodle Soup – United States
Where do I begin. Well first off, when one in the United States thinks of Pad Thai, they think of what they might find at a Thai restaurant. Okay so the rice noodles came out nicely – short, flat and broad and well hydrated, but they’re short and cut like egg noodles.. Now for the broth. Thin. Nothing like pad thai. Has a little lime flavor and a kind of herbal taste. The floating bits of tofu are a lot like the marshmallows you get in the hot chocolate that comes with marshmallows. This is as far from pad thai as I can even express in words. It’s like someone gave a broken description of pad Thai to someone who has short term memory problems and no taste buds a week prior and told them to make it. I kind of feel personally violated and offended. Original review
#5: Simply Asia Singapore Street Noodles Classic Curry – United States
A nice looking package with the enticing words of ‘classic curry’ brings an image of something really special. This isn’t the case though. Rice noodles come out very mushy, but curry with slightly soggy noodles wouldn’t be so bad if it tasted like curry. Basically the flavor is a lot of lemongrass and strongly lacks authenticity. It’s like if you went to a restaurant, ordered some french fries, and they brought you a soda that said french fries on it. Just wrong on so many levels. Offensive in the highest – almost. Original review
#4: Sugakiya Men Dokoro Inosho Kansyu Kara Kara Uo Ramen – Japan
This one looked really nice at the outset, and I was particularly enamored with that little pile of powder. I figured it’s neat and must be a real asset. Indeed, the noodle and broth were excellent – it really would have been a contender for the top ten bowls list. Well, then along comes that little powder mountain of funk and blows it all out of the water. Yep – imagine an oil drum with of dead fish, gym socks and dog breath in the sun for a month. Without it, wonderful. With it, on the bottom ten. Original review
#3: Annie Chun’s Japanese Style Yakisoba Noodle Bowl – United States
Yakisoba – a fried soba noodle, traditionally with a tangy sauce with tamarind notes, much like Worcestershire sauce. Well, this isn’t that. First, we have their ‘Hokkien’ style noodle. Hokkien noodles are usually egg noodles. These are your run of the mill pouch noodles much like udon except a thinner gauge. The flavor is mostly sugary with a little acidity. This bears as much resemblance to yakisoba as a grilled cheese sandwich – on wait – less resemblance as the grilled cheese is usually fried. To top it off, they recommend adding cilantro. Just a train wreck word salad that left me speechless. I thought the previous number one wouldn’t be pushed down, but this is so inauthentic on so many levels to merit it the worst of The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. Shame! Original review
#2: Omsom Saucy Noodles Chili Sesame – United States
Boy, I guess I shouldn’t make claims like in the last one on this list that there couldn’t be worse, but I found something; in fact, a few somethings. First, I must say that the packaging of these it really neat – little boxes. Upon opening you find a noodle that looks like a Taiwanese dry noodle. Also, a big liquid base sachet – I was stoked! Well, it was mushy noodle and Italian vinaigrette. ‘For reals life’ as my daughter would say. It just baffles me. They all taste about the same except for a coconut curry I tried last in hopes it would be the best. Well, it certainly wasn’t; bland and mostly lemongrass. At around $5 per fancy box, I was left very disappointed and quite honestly stupefied. Original reviews
#1: Ajumma Republic XL Ramen Bul Jjajang – South Korea
With a tray the size of a box of cereal, this variety isn’t only horrible, its a whole lot of horrible. Its almost like the flavor reacted with the foam packaging, but I’m not sure if that’s the deal or not. Either way, the noodle and sauce mixture is just as funky as can be, along with a little bit of spiciness. Their Hot & Spicy however was quite enjoyable, so there’s that, but this one… Wow. If you click on original review you can see the video where I prepare and sample it. If you eat one of these massive trays of horrible noodles, you should get some kind of prize. Original review
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