Dining
The 5 Best Ramen in London
Rich tonkotsu, delicate shio and everything between: where to slurp the best ramen in London.
In short: our top picks are Bone Daddies, Kanada-Ya and Tonkotsu. 5 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Good ramen is a labour of love, all-day broths and precise noodles, and London now has cooks who treat it that way. From rich tonkotsu to delicate shio, these are the bowls worth queuing for, in counters that take the craft as seriously as Tokyo does.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bone Daddies | Soho | ££ |
| Kanada-Ya | Covent Garden | ££ |
| Tonkotsu | Soho | ££ |
| Shoryu | Soho | ££ |
| Nanban | Brixton | ££ |
-
Editor’s choice
Bone Daddies
Why we pick itRock-and-roll ramen with a rich tonkotsu; loud, fun and consistently good.
Worth knowingLoud by design and paced to turn tables fast, which reads as exhausting rather than fun if you want to linger over a second bowl.
-
Kanada-Ya
Why we pick itA no-bookings counter doing serious tonkotsu; the queue moves and the bowl is worth it.
-
Tonkotsu
Why we pick itHouse-made noodles and a deeply savoury broth; the dependable London ramen choice.
-
Shoryu
Why we pick itHakata-style tonkotsu near Piccadilly; the kotteri is for those who like it rich.
-
Nanban
Why we pick itTim Anderson's Kyushu-inspired ramen and izakaya plates; a flavour-packed Brixton favourite.
Before you book
Many of the best ramen-ya are tiny and do not book, so go early or late to skip the queue. Eat it fast, while the noodles still have their bite, and do not be shy about the slurp. Add the egg; it is always worth it.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Bone Daddies is our editor's choice: Rock-and-roll ramen with a rich tonkotsu; loud, fun and consistently good. Bone Daddies, Kanada-Ya and Tonkotsu lead the guide, with 5 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
Related guides
Dining The Best Breakfast in London
From grand hotel rooms to the perfect greasy spoon: where to start the day well in London.
5 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Brunch in London
Long, unhurried and worth dressing for: the London brunches that earn a slow weekend morning.
5 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Restaurants in Notting Hill
West London at its most charming: where to eat well in Notting Hill, from corner bistros to grand rooms.
5 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Rooftop Restaurants in London
Dinner with a skyline: the London rooftop restaurants where the view earns its place on the bill.
5 places Read guide →From the Journal
Dinner as the Main Event: The Case for the Tasting Menu
Most great dinners in London are a means to an end. You eat, you talk, you move on to the bar, the show, the rest of the night. The tasting menu refuses to be that. It is not the warm-up. It is the whole event, the curtain up and the curtain down, three hours that […]
13 Jun 2026Read →
The Enduring Ritual of London Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is not a tourist trap. It is one of the last unhurried things London does on purpose. Lunch is rushed and dinner is a production, but the hours between belong to nobody, and that is precisely the point. You sit. You stay. You let an afternoon become long. In a city that measures […]
2 Jun 2026Read →
London’s Quiet Obsession with Japanese Food
London does not fall for things loudly. It just keeps showing up. And over the last decade or so, the city has shown up for Japanese food again and again, until it stopped feeling like a special occasion and started feeling like a default. You see it everywhere now. The counter where one chef feeds […]
28 Apr 2026Read →Readers also viewed
Dining The Best Pies in London
From a Bermondsey marble counter pouring parsley liquor to a Mayfair pie room with nine in-house varieties, here are six London places that still treat the pie as a serious thing.
6 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Birthday Restaurants in London
Six London restaurants built for a birthday that people actually remember: pink rooms, jungle grills, Greco-Roman drama and two Big Mamma blockbusters, across budgets.
6 places Read guide →
Dining Romantic Restaurants in London
The rooms we send people to when the night matters, from a quiet first date to an anniversary you cannot get wrong.
6 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Pizza in London
Blistered Neapolitan, Roman al taglio and proper New York slices: where to eat the best pizza in London.
5 places Read guide →