I’ve been asked a few times if I’m coming out with a new top ten Japanese list – well, here you go. This list is current as of review #5150 and there are a couple new varieties on here. Good stuff! Much of it will be pretty hard to come by though – try eBay and eBay Canada as those tend to work pretty well. Anyways, hope you enjoy The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Japanese Instant Noodle Of All Time 2026 Edition as much as I did compiling it!
Really quick, The Ramen Rater can really use your help! Your charitable donations help source materials for reviews, garnish, and equipment used for this lifelong endeavor. You might think reviewing instant noodles wouldn’t cost much, but it certainly does. Not only that, we have a family of four and all our costs just seem to keep rising. There are a few ways you can help! Now, on with the list!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Japanese Instant Noodle Of All Time 2026 Edition
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The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Japanese Instant Noodle Of All Time 2026 Edition
#10: Maruchan Zubaan! Tonkotsu & Seafood Ramen
This is a neat one – aside from the all-caps name. It’s a kind of tonkotsu-seafood combo which kind of came across as a seafood and bacon flavored broth – might sound strange but it was really quite good. Marry that to a very nice noodle and there you are. Original review
#9: Marutai Kumamoto Tonkotsu Style Noodles & Original Flavored Soup
I found this one locally and this is the export version, however it’s incredibly good. A straight noodle with a creamy and tasty tonkotsu broth. Marutai is truly exceptional at doing this. Original review
#8: Marutai Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen
This is a really wonderful tonkotsu – straight noodle again, with a floury noodle – don’t know how else to explaion it other than that. The broth is thick, luxuriant, and savory.
#7: Itsuki Kumamoto Red Spicy Ramen
A wonderful straight noodle is married to a lush and flavorful tonkotsu. The oil sets it off – very flavorful with just the right spiciness. Original review | Get it here
#6: 7 Eleven Gold / Maruchan Iida Shoten Ramen
Noodle in this are just perfect – gauge and chewiness on point. The broth is very full – chicken and soy sauce notes and the oiliness for days – rich and serious. The chashu that was included was absolytely the best that’s come with an instant I’ve had – chewy and kind of sweet. All in all, I agree with #5amramen– the best ‘chicken forward’ shoyu I’ve had. Original review
#5: Seven&I Premium/Myojo Ryu Shanghai Spicy Miso Ramen
This was a colossal bowl, worthy of song and tribute. The noodle is absolutely gorgeously – perfect gauge and chew and hydrated to a T. The broth, when augmented with a little stir of that reddish blob in the middle, becomes nice and spicy and gives incalculable benefit to the base red miso broth. The little sachet f seaweed gives everything another layer of flavor. This is pretty epic stuff – the narutomaki and chashu were on point, and menma is ubiquitous. Original review
#4: Nishiyama Seimen Miso Ramen
Noodles are just exquisite – perfect tooth. Broth has a nice and rich miso flavor and a great oiliness. Excellent! Original review
#3: Peyoung Kyushu Tonkotsu Yakisoba
The one minute cooking time was perfect. Noodle is light and thin. Included garnish and sauce were just perfect – a nice creamy tonkotsu flavor which I thoroughly enjoyed. Best Peyoung variety I’ve tried. Original review
#2: Sapporo Ichiban Premier Rich Kagoshima Black Pork Dashi Miso Ramen
The noodle is great – very nice gauge and chew. I expected a non-fried in a premium looking version such as this, but fried was nice. The broth had some kind of mix of miso which wasn’t super heavy on red. It had a nice body to it and was very tasty stuff. Original review
#1: Ippudo Karaka Spicy Ramen
Noodle is thin with a great tooth – really nice. The broth is super tasty and downright yummy. Spiciness is a nice inclusion and not violent. The little mound of flavor is just like pure food lover candy – if you like Lao Gan Ma, this is something completely different – but you’ll want to evangelize it to your friends. Just awesome. Original review
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The Ramen Rater Recipe Experiments
Ever thought of what you can make when instant noodles are an ingredient? Well, if not I have. A lot. I started with making breads last year – even breads with flour make from fried noodles that were ground into a fine powder. Logically, the next step was pizza – everyone likes pizza, right? Finally, I’ve done a few different ice creams. Check the Special Features section to see all of these experiments!
5000 Reviews!
After over 20 years and 5000 reviews, here’s #5000 – and a documentary as well as a documentary on how I review – check it out!
Definitive Guides
This year, I’ve decided to do a special series called Definitive Guides. Recipes, trivia, history, and more on some of the most loved and fascinating varieties of instant noodles around the world! So far, I’ve got one on Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun, and Indomie’s Mi Goreng and Nissin Foods’ Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice! Very recently, I released a Definitive Guide To Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup. Future guides will include MAMA Tom Yum, and more. My plan is do feature one or two products from each country.
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