The best ramen in London, 2026

Right. London ramen in 2026 is in a properly good state. The original wave of ramen places has matured, the second wave has filled in the geographic gaps, and there is now genuinely good ramen in places where there was none three years ago. Hackney has a proper ramen now. Bank has lunch ramen worth the trip. Soho has finally calmed down enough that you can actually walk in.

Here is the ranked list. Tonkotsu, shio, miso, vegan where it earns it. The bowls actually worth the £14-17 they will charge you.

How I picked

Three things. The broth — depth, balance, what it tastes of in the last spoonful when it has cooled. The noodles — texture, bite, do they hold up in the hot bowl till the end? And the toppings — the chashu, the egg, the negi, are they actually good or are they filler?

1. Bone Daddies, Soho

Still the best tonkotsu in central London. £14-17 a bowl, walk-in only, the queue at 7pm is real and the queue is honest. The broth is properly heavy, properly fatty, properly rich. Order the Tonkotsu Original and add an egg. Done.

What works: the noodles hold up better than any other tonkotsu in London. Most places' noodles go soft by the second half of the bowl. Bone Daddies' do not. The chashu is generous and properly braised, not the thin-slice rubbish you get in cheaper bowls.

The downside: it is loud, the seats are stools, and you will not have a long quiet meal here. Go in, eat, leave. That is the deal.

2. Kanada-Ya, Tottenham Court Road

Cleaner. Lighter. The most refined broth in the city. The 18-hour tonkotsu base is balanced rather than heavy, which is the point — it tastes of what it is rather than tasting of effort.

£13-15. Walk-in only. The TCR branch is the original and still the best — the others are fine but feel slightly cloned. Order the Original Truffle Ramen if you have not, order the Chasyu Ramen if you have.

3. Tonkotsu Soho, Dean Street

Underrated. The text-in system means you can drop your name and walk to a pub for 20 minutes — they will text when ready. £14-16. The counter seats by the noodle station are the best — you can watch the pull, you eat in 20 minutes, you leave.

The miso here is genuinly excellent. Most London ramen places treat miso as the default-vegetarian-also-fine choice. Tonkotsu Soho treats it as its own thing.

4. Koya Ramen, Bank

The udon flagship that quietly does ramen as well as anyone. £14-18 a bowl, the lunch service is the move — book for 12 or 12:15 and you will have the bowl in front of you in 10 minutes. The shoyu is properly excellent.

Why it is on the list: most City lunch ramen is dross. Koya is the exception by some distance. The broth has the depth that the chains miss, the noodles are made in-house, and the bowl arrives at the right temperature.

5. Ittenbari, Chiltern Street

The shio pick. Most London ramen lists skip shio because the city skews tonkotsu. Ittenbari changes that. The shio broth is delicate, the chashu is the best in London (proper claim, will defend), and the egg is genuinely the best ramen egg I have had in three years.

£15-17. Walk-in only. Off-peak is 2:30-5:00pm and that is the move.

6. Mensōre, Hackney

The east London sleeper. Six seats, no booking, the broth is an 18-hour job and you can taste it. £13-15. The owner is in the kitchen, the noodles are pulled to order, and the bowl arrives looking like a photo.

If you live east London this is your place. If you do not live east London this is worth the bus. The 30 minute wait at peak is honest — the bowl earns it.

7. Shoryu, Carnaby

The reliable one. Not the best, never bad, always open. £12-15. The Carnaby branch is the original and still the best of the chain. Order the Tonkotsu King.

If you are with people who do not eat ramen often, take them here. If you are alone and have time to queue, go higher up the list.

What I left off

I left off two of the bigger chain ramen brands. The bowls have been thin, the noodles soggy, and the toppings stingy. £14 for a bad ramen is offensive in a city with this many good ones. Untill they fix it I am not naming them.

I also left off Itadaki Zen — they are excellent but they are more izakaya than ramen specialist and felt unfair to rank against the ramen-first places.

Quick picks

If you want one bowl: Bone Daddies, original tonkotsu, plus egg. If you are central and want lighter: Kanada-Ya. If you are east: Mensōre Hackney, no excuses. If you want shio not tonkotsu: Ittenbari.

I keep a London food events page on Rifio that picks up ramen pop-ups, chef residencies and the occasional Japanese festival like the JFC Tokyo Showcase. The pop-ups are where some of the best bowls happen and they do not advertise loudly.