Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
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 – “We’re closing out our selection with a more traditional December choice, perfect for ringing in the New Year! This tasty mini-bowl combines tsuyu (a shoyu-based sauce) with delectable dashi for a tasty broth with yummy soba noodles and tasty tempura on top!”
This little square tray caught my attention at a local grocery store recently. I though it looked interesting, so we shall see. I must say the microwaved noodle usually is quite good in Nongshim stuff.
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 – “With all of these rich flavors, you’ll need something with a touch of freshness to it! That’s where this tasty bowl of yakisoba comes in with super refreshing yuzu from Japan’s own Kochi prefecture combined with a tasty salt-based sauce, perfect for a tasty, light bite!”
Another one from the big Nissin Germany Advent Calendar! Let’s quack up some duck!
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodle in 500ml water for 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
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 – “We’re dreaming of a white Christmas with this tasty cup of ramen! This cup is a fun twist on the Sichuan-style Tan Tan ramen with soy milk that adds amazing creaminess. But don’t worry! You’ll still get that classic Tan Tan kick from Sichuan-style spices and chili oil!”
This one came by way of Noodle Journey – thanks! Yes, this is made in South Korea, but everything on here points to being an export variety for the Indonesian market. Very curious… Let’s give it a go, and don’t forget to check out the mukbang below!
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 – “Next, let’s head to Hakata! This bowl features their famous tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen and is packed with savory goodness. The broth has tons of umami from pork, veggies and shoyu (soy sauce), and the springy noodles and mustard greens finish this bowl to perfection.”
Time for the new cups list! I’ve been doing these for quite some time and while some have been on the list a long time, there’s some new ones here you should check out. This list is current as of review #5155. Got something I’ve not reviewed? Please contact me! With that, let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2026 Edition.
This one sounds good – the Tapatio folks sent it along with two more varieties I’ll be reviewing in upcoming days. Let’s try it!
When I found out about these, I was skeptical. I’ve been preaching two varieties – pizza and taco flavored. But dill pickle doesn’t make sense to me; dill pickles aren’t served warm unless on a hamburger as far as I know. On the bright side, they were at Walmart at $1.18. On the sad side, if they did do media kits of these, they didn’t send me one and I’m truly bummed about that. I’m trying these out on July 3rd and will release this post on the 5th, skipping the 4th as I’m guessing you’ve got better things to do than hear my thoughts about instant noodles on the 4th of July if you’re in the states. I did release a post yesterday though.
This comes by way of Noodle Journey – thanks! The other day I reviewed one with the same kind of flavor profile from another company. Let’s try this one!
Well, as I type this is January 30th, 2025. Just had almost a full week of kids being sick and at the tail end while the kids are now back to school, we’ve got a cold. Feels like I got punched in the nose, my eyes are drippy, and I feel beat. Chicken instant noodles sound like a nice restorative, although I’ve got to go to the store and get scallions this morning. I feel the whole ‘I don’t want to do anything’ voice in my head but I learned a while back that if you listen to that voice, it’ll get its way. So onward! This one was sent by James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! I did get another from this interesting Ottogi range a while back. I want to say this is one that ends up in Mexico often – unsure. Anyways, on with it.
Big thanks to Noodle Journey for this one! So it turns out this is based on a dish served at Outback Steakhouse called Toowooba pasta. I asked my friend Paul who lives in Australia what Toowoomba was and its a place. Anyways, let’s give this a try.
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “We’re getting a little fancy with this selection! This pack is inspired by a French Marinière, a delicious mussel sauce. The salt broth is a perfect combo of the amazing umami of Japanese scallops, the delicious taste of butter, and perfectly chewy noodles!”
Well, a few reviews back I was bummed as I lost a sachet, making it impossible to review the miso variety… I’m watching this one like a hawk. Let’s cook!
Summer has started and I’m experiencing a drought. I’m out of varieties to review. That coupled with financial difficulties is putting The Ramen Rater is a tough spot. If you are a manufacturer or just someone with some varieties you’d like to see me review and are willing to send, please contact me! Here is a link to contribute monetarily if you can as well. I do have Patreon which is as little as a dollar a month, and that helps out more than you could imagine. There is also a link to a GoFundMe which is the most direct way to contribute. Aside from noodles, the computer used to do everything is in bad shape – if anyone has a newer model machine that would render video at a reasonably fast speed (the current machine is an OMEN with 880K and 128GBRAM) that would be incredibly helpful. Thanks to everyone who has been following, commenting, and contributing for all these years – it really means a lot and you have my eternal gratitude.
Big thanks to James from Lakeside, California for sending this one along! Well, this is the third review I’m doing today- a day full of so much ‘ugh’ that I would’ve expected it was Friday the 13th… First, I lost a sachet for a variety I was reviewing. Next, I decided to review this one while my kids are home sick – they like to chide eachother repeatedly and get ridiculous which isn’t helpful to my train of thought. Third, once this was done as I was making the kids their lunch, a jar of toothpicks fell and went everywhere. Hopefully this gets everything out of the universe’s system. Anyways, let’s cook up this massive tray of noodles!
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 start our year off on the right foot with a bit of yakisoba and philanthropy! This tasty yakisoba has a deliciously gentle yet deep miso flavor that is absolutely addicting! Plus, for each yakisoba we got for you, a donation is made to help Ishikawa recover from the earthquake earlier this year!”
Once in a while, I have a horrible review day and this is one of them. I was really looking forward to this; given how much I’ve enjoyed the previous Demae Ramen varieties from Germany, I was really stoked. Well, I lost the lone sachet of seasoning. In the video below, I spent most of the time looking through the trash to no avail. Ugh. This doesn’t get a score but it may make you laugh. Hopefully the kind folks will send another.
Big thanks to Noodle Journey for this one! This is a new variety and it’s all in Korean. What might confuse people here is that they may have thought this would be the flavor of it the whole time. This is not. The flavor of Buldak is the flavor of the sauce that goes on Korean Fried Chicken. Original Buldak doesn’t taste like chicken. I have fought with people over this misconception. ‘But there’s chicken seasoning in it!’ Yes, perhaps in some, however in another Korean variety – a beef flavor, there’s pollock (fish) and no beef. Is it fish flavor? In Pumpkin Spice cup noodle, there’s garlic. Is it garlic flavored? No. These different ingredients are part of the arsenal of food scientist ingredients used to approximate different flavors. Anyways, let’s give this a try!
Here’s another one that came in a big instant noodle advent calendar from Germany! Thanks! Let’s cook!
Hey kiddies it’s time to check one out sent by James from Lakeside, California – thanks! Prince Katsu is a branch oof A-Sha Dry Noodle and these are made in Vietnam. Let’s give it a try!
This is the last of the Nissin x Irvins I had and honestly I’m sad to se them go – figured I’d save the bowl version of my favorite for the the end! Let’s give it a go and a fond farewell from me.
Big thanks to Noodle Journey for this one – thanks again! So jjambbong is a spicy seafood noodle. I’ve been curious about this one and the others in this range… Let’s check it out.
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 take a break from the scares and head to Tokyo for some tasty cup ramen! This cup comes from the shop Min-Min Ramen, which is famous for its Hachioji shoyu ramen! Take a break and enjoy tasty noodles in a broth with savory pork and sweet onion flavor!”
This one came by way of James from Lakeside, CA – thanks again! So I haven’t had Japchae in years – it’s a dry sauce vermicelli! Let’s try it out.
This came by way of my friend over at Noodle Journey – thanks! The Shin people should be stoked – I’m definitely curious. 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 – “Let’s kick off our noodle New Year with this tasty bowl of udon! The broth is full of umami with the taste of chicken, mackerel, kelp, shiitake mushroom and veggies used to make the base. Add in tasty balls of chicken meat, and you have a deep, delicious experience”
Here’s the first of many that will be from Noodle Journey – a fellow reviewer – thanks! Kalguksu is a knife-cut noodle soup – during the unboxing I mention I thought it referenced clams but I was mistaken. I know, but it happens. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s another one sent by James from Lakeside, California – thanks again! This is one of the varieties you can find at Dollar Tree and they’ve generally been quite good. Let’s see how this one stacks up.
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 – “As leaves change to shades of warm yellows and fiery reds, let’s reflect the seasons with this bright and spicy Kimchi Ramen! Rich with the taste of kimchi and bursting with garlic flavors, this bowl is sure to warm you up when the weather is cool.”
Update 6/13/25 – did this review 1/17/25 – kind of an interesting day to post…
Well, this is embarrassing. I deleted the picture that should be above and the pictures of the bowl contents. Yes, I used undelete software – didn’t work. So, here we are. I got one from James of Lakeside and one from Noodle Journey, but alas, it was too late. Post processing, post cooking. Well, let’s cook it and try it and… Yeah.
Here’s another of the varieties from Nissin DE that were in the big instant noodle Advent calendar! Thus far they’ve been pretty good! Let’s give it a try.
I’ve noticed over the years that some people are all about bowls vs packs. Why? I’m not exactly sure. I would reckon that steeped noodle consistency might be more their thing, although many are microwavable these days. To be honest, my take is that I don’t really care what it’s in, I just want to review it. These are my favorite ten bowls, picked from reviews I’ve done up to number 5,150. There’s a few neat changes to the list this year, so I invite you to check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2025 Edition and hopefully you find a few you want to try!
Well, this is the third of three varieties I’m reviewing from Prima Taste – This one’s the regular laksa – not wholegrain. It’s got a new size – smaller than the original. It’ll show up in the US at some point. I tried this back in 2013 and was floored with how good it was. From the noodle to the broth, it sings. Let’s cook!
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 – “Before the jingle bells start ringing, let’s say goodbye to fall with a tasty cup of miso ramen! This cup features a smooth yet flavorful broth with roasted white miso that is amazingly fragrant. Add in tasty, chewy noodles and you have a perfect cup to transition to winter!”
Here’s the second of the two Vecorn varieties YeeLee sent – thanks again! Just got done soft boiling eggs – let’s give it a try!
Found this at the Alderwood Mall at a little import shop. Sounded like fun so, here we are.
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 get back to basics with a tasty bowl of miso ramen that will provide that warm, comfy feeling this holiday is about! With plenty of deep, delicious flavor and springy noodles, this pack is sure to satisfy.”
