Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this along! This is an interesting one – I had a chat with my friend Jamie some time ago about Marmite and instant noodles. He sent me some little containers of the stuff and recommended it on toast – and it’s pretty good I must admit. Maybe in the future I’ll get some and make some noodles and mix it in. This on the other hand in Vegemite which sounds like the same thing – the leftover sludge from making beer. Let’s cook it up and see what it tastes like!
So as I type this, it’s Cinco De Mayo. My eyes are watery and I’m sneezing. Really allergied out. This variety was chatted about with friends in the Section 42 mod group – the admins for Ramen Junkies. I decided I’d re-review it; new package, over ten years… Last time, it made my bottom ten. Oh wow – more than ten years – it was review 161! So that’s 15 years ago. Sheesh! This one’s made in South Korea and packaged for US sale. Let’s give it another try – maybe I’ll like it now?
Well, here it is – the spiciest one as well as the one I’m most curious about – tonkotsu. I’m hoping for a rich, creamy and savory base with a ruthless beatdown of heat. Let’s give it a whirl.
I’ve been looking forward to this one! Rapokki is a combo of ramyun and tteokbokki – tubes of chewy rice flour. That rose flavor though is something else – a combo of sweet and savory and creamy and wow. This should be great stuff – let’s hit it.
This one is the second level of the Hot Ones bowls trifecta from A-Sha. Really love the noodles in the bowls- non-fried and work really well. Let’s see how hot this sucker is!
Here’s another from Pher Engi – thanks! So Vit’s is a very long-lived company in Malaysia and have been making noodle products for ages. This is a dry variety with a shrimp paste and spicy nature. Sounds good to me – let’s give it a try.
Hey look at this one! Big thank you to my wife Kit for getting me this! Only at Walmart. So, haven’t we gone through this before? Yes and no. Yes, it’s identical in every way to the pumpkin spicy flavor Cup Noodles – except one little thing. The name. They changed the name from spice to pie – why? I don’t know. New barcode now as well. To see both and a myriad of weird things to do with it, check out my definitive guide here. I’m gonna do it up real pretty. Let’s do it up!
Big thanks to Pher Engi for this one! So what I’m getting is that this is a curry – and that’s about it. I don’t get anything from translation for kaw except kay and that’s unhelpful. All I know is I like curry from this part of the world – even got a mint plant a few minutes ago. Let’s give it a whirl.
A few reviews ago, I had a different collab from A-Sha – a Taiwanese Beef Noodle and it was insanely good. This one sounds spicy – let’s give it a go!
Another from S*Mart! When I opened this pack the smell of garlic was real strong – curiosity has me in its grips… Last time I had a crayfish flavor variety from China it was violently spicy… Let’s give it a whirl!
Here’s a new non-fried variety from A-Sha! A beef noodle, which is the signature dish of Taiwan. It’s a collab with 88Rising, a record label featuring Asian artists. This is pretty cool – let’s see how it tastes!
This one looks interesting – check out that yelling guy! Mashed potato and tomato – alright that’s different. Let’s go!
Thanks to James from Lakeside, California for sending this one! Never heard of this brand or range before. What’s interesting too is it’s squid as well – I like squid. Let’s try it out!
I’m really not sure about this one. It’s rather heavy and I’m having trouble finding instructions on its preparation – but I’ll get t the bottom of it.
Here’s the last one of these, sent by James of Lakeside, California – thanks again! This is a prison ramen – lots of clear pack everywhere. Time to cook it up!
Well, this is the last one of the Totino’s / Old El Paso things. Honestly, I’m hopeful we might have one that gets more than a zero here. Fingers crossed.
Frank over at 5am Ramen sent me this in a box of varieties – thanks! He’s got some really premium stuff like this for sale – and he does guides and tours over in Japan as well! This a spicy dandan variety, so should be thick stuff! Let’s give it a try.
The second of the Jin Ramen bowls from Otoki. Excited to try this with my new add-in! Let’s hit it!
Here’s the second of the two pizza ‘ramen.’ I’m not expecting much but I’m hopeful – so far this and the Old El Paso stuff have netted a zero star. Pray for the pizza noodles. Let’s begin.
This is the third review of the day and this is a fingers crossed situation of saving the best for last. I love rapokki – ramyun is paired with tteokbokki with a sweet and spicy sauce. This can go awry though, especially if the cooking instructions are iffy. I’m hoping we’re gonna make something rad. Let’s start.
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Let’s up the celebration with a cup of cheesy ramen! This ramen features a rich, savory white chicken broth that is made even richer with the 3- cheese powder, combining parmesan, emmental and gouda! Perfect for a fun hanami celebration!”
The last one of these I tried was the Totino’s Cheese Pizza. Unfortunately, that one got a rather low score. The idea of these products being ramen is quite a stretch – I will say these are a lot of fun nonetheless. I jokingly said I bet this is made with semolina flour on the last review – it is. It also says in the ingredients that this is pasta. Let’s see what fajita noodles are like.
Frank over at 5am Ramen sent me this in a box of varieties – thanks! He’s got some really premium stuff like this for sale – and he does guides and tours over in Japan as well! Here’s what he had to say about this variety – “Seasoned with salt, shio ramen is an unsung hero in Japan’s ramen world. Furthermore, it isn’t easy get right because the seasoning is normally light. But they get this one oh so right! The word “Fuyu” means winter in Japanese and this is a shio ramen perfect for winter. The salt base makes way for a sticky rich soup that has a spicy kick to it. The Nappa cabbage make for a great topping too.”
It isn’t often I hear about varieties that I had no idea existed. When it does, I’m usually on the hunt – but these are hard to come by. Luckily, the folks at hongkongfoodies.com have all these neat ones – and more! Check out the video!
This one is particularly interesting. They changed the package design – and the brand. This has been Ottogi for years but now it’s Otoki. Perhaps a way to get westerners to pronounce the brand name correctly? Well, let’s give it a try!
We found this one at the new T&T Supermarket in Bellevue, Washington. It was out first visit and found some neat stuff there, although I really expected their noodle aisle to be so much more impressive than it ended up being. Did find a nice array of things, though. Let’s try this interesting little box.
It should be noted that this is being posted on National Noodle Day – October 6th, 2025. I didn’t really see anything pointing for the reason for the inception of this day. All I find are things about noodles. Anyways, I guess every day is National Noodle Day over here.
Well, this is it. The last of the Momofuku varieties. I’ve been waiting to do this one and as this is Thanksgiving eve eve, hopefully I’ll be doing this one tomorrow. On with the pre-turkey noodling!
Here’s one I found at S*Mart – shop smart, shop S*Mart! Awhile back I reviiewed some varieties that were much like this and were incredibly good. Fingers crossed. Actually, today is a big day – this week, I shot the video for six top ten lists – all in one session. Just got the 2025 global top ten all ready for release as I type (it’s 4/17/25 today so you can see it already), and the last time I did a regular review was twenty days ago. So, I’m pretty stoked to do some reviewing again. Let’s give this one a try!
This is another new packaging variety from Prima Taste of Singapore. Different package and size – possibly different flavorings? Let’s find out.
So I’m going to be very upfront on this one – this is the absolute BEST BIRRIA INSTANT I’VE TRIED. It’s really quite wonderful. If that’s enough to perk your ears up, the seafood variety is no slouch either. If ya want to check these out, head over to Cielo Fresh Foods’ website. Enjoy!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “Let’s start the season of love with this sweet and spicy ramen! This collab with Mode Gakuen features a tasty yukgaejang-style broth with a beef base and plenty of red chili and garlic. And with the honey butter oil, this cup is lovely from start to finish”
This is something I’ve very excited about – was contacted by a reader who asked if I’d like to try Polish varieties and of course I answered yes. A ton of really great ones and it’s really hard to find this stuff here. Let’s check ’em out!
Thank you to Pher Engi for sending this along! This brand isn’t familiar but I must say I like the logo with the duck in the letter D. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These boxes are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “After a night of haunts and scares, you’re going to need some comfort! This pack of abura soba is sure to provide a bit of comfort! Get tons of flavor too with non-fried noodles with a hint of garlic and a tasty soy sauce tare with hints of sesame oil, bamboo and grilled pork!”
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! These are discontinued, however you can find their stuff at MiauMall – here is what they said about this one – “We had to end our list with more Pokémon fun! This tasty ramen pack features ramen noodle in a spicy soup with a spicy miso-based soup. This soup has great spice with chili paste and chili powder and tons of umami with hints of beef and gochujang in the broth!”
Another shroomy one from James of Lakeside, California – thanks! The first one of these I reviewed I was very surprised by insofar as I actually liked it. I’m not a fungi (well, my wife thinks I am at least) and have never really been all in for mushrooms. She is though – bI have seen her devour them with such zeal; I feel kind of left out of the spore thing. But I digress; let’s see how it goes with a rice noodle version.
Frank over at 5am Ramen sent me this in a box of varieties – thanks! He’s got some really premium stuff like this for sale – and he does guides and tours over in Japan as well! Here’s what he had to say about this variety – “The city of Tenri in Nara is known for two things – the Tenrikyo religion…and RAMEN! The local ramen is referred to as “Stamina Ramen”. It’s rather unique. For one, the shoyu (soy sauce) seasoned soup is packed with Chinese cabbage, or hakusai. Hakusai is a topping you rarely see in ramen. Alongside the tangy shoyu base, the soup is a bit spicy from togarashi spice and broad bean chili paste. You’ll also notice the strong presence of garlic. In summary, this is an underrated, delicious ramen that hits the spot any time of year.”
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this along! These are really neat varieties and they come with braised egg or braised quail egg! Let’s see what is in there!
Here’s one from James of Lakeside – thanks again! He sent two of these – one with bean thread, one with rice vermicelli. Let’s see what’s within.
