Where to eat ramen in Metro Vancouver? A restaurant review roundup

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As summer fades into the fall, it won’t be long before the grey skies and wet weather brew up an appetite for warm broth and noodles.

There’s nothing more comforting than stepping out of the cold and sitting down to a hearty bowl of ramen, as evidenced by the many restaurants around Metro Vancouver offering up a variety of ramen dishes.

The Vancouver Sun’s restaurant writer, Mia Stainsby, has visited some of the city’s best ramen spots, with the reviews to prove it.

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So we’ve compiled a selection of her reviews to help you decide where to go next time you’re craving the comfort of broth and noodles.

This roundup includes several years of ramen-containing posts from our resident restaurant expert. Information such as hours and menu items may not be up to date, so please check with individual eateries for additional details.

We’ve also included the original publication date of each review, along with the original link, so you can read the full article.

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Jinya Ramen Bar

Where: 1541 Robson St., Vancouver; 1518 West Broadway, Vancouver

“The first slurp and mouthful of ramen was a most definite ‘ahhh’ moment. I had the Cha Cha Cha, asterisked on the menu like this: *For garlic lovers.

“That, for me, is a grand seduction. Bring it on. I tasted the pork and fish broth, pork chasu, soft boiled egg, bean sprouts, onion, green onion, garlic, chili powder and mandatory thick noodles (you can choose your noodles with some of the ramen). But hold on, the garlic was subdued. Then the server brought the goods — a jar of raw garlic cloves with a garlic press. Yes!”

Read the full Jinya Ramen Bar review, originally published Feb. 7, 2018.

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Zubu

Where: 869 Hornby St., Vancouver; 2129 West 41st Ave., Vancouver; 4575 Central Blvd., Burnaby; 788 Main St., West Vancouver

“Taking a cue from Japan, Zubu invested in an 80-litre ramen pressure cooker which cuts broth-making time to four hours. (Owner Koichi Nishioka) travelled to Japan to see how a pressure cooker can replace an ages-old method.

“As much as I’m a slow food advocate, I loved his pressure cooker broth. The tonkatsu kuro I tried (pork broth with pork chasu, kikurage or wood ear mushrooms, nori, crispy garlic and black garlic) is clean, has depth and is beautifully balanced.”

Read the full Zubu review, originally published July 29, 2020.

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Ramen Gojiro

Where: 501 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver

“This is assertive, in-your-face ramen. It’s Jiro-style ramen, which has a denser, richer broth and the dish is normally piled high with bean sprouts to balance out the abura (fat). The broth here is made with pork bones, pork head and some chicken bones.”

“There’s a basic broth, while variations on it include Bakamori … meaning more meat, more noodles, more toppings, more everything. And there’s Spicy and Spicy Bakamori, which come in mild, spicy, or atomic breath levels. Chili is the main ingredient in the spicy broth, but there are two toppings: chicken karaage (deep fried chicken) and chasu (roast pork). I think a soft-boiled egg with an oozy, orange yolk would be much appreciated as another option.”

Read the full Ramen Gojiro review, originally published April 6, 2016.

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The Ramen Butcher

Where: 223 East Georgia St., Vancouver

“The ramen with tonkotsu (not tonkatsu, which is a pork cutlet) pork broth and chashu pork (braised) are named by colour. The ‘Black’ has smudges of black garlic oil; the Red has a spicy garlic paste; the Green has fresh basil paste and Parmesan cheese and Orange has miso marinated ground pork.

“But my favourite is the Classic, with straight broth because it’s a good broth and I like it taking the spotlight. Anyone looking for trending bone broth (for its nutritive properties) will surely find it in the bracing pork broth. The chicken broth is more delicate and clearer.”

Read the full Ramen Butcher review, originally published March 16, 2015.

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Dosanko

Where: 566 Powell St., Vancouver

“Dosanko’s food comes from an actual home — Akiyo and Nathan Lowey’s. It’s the food that Japanese-born Akiyo cooked for their two kids when she was a full-time mom. Then she went to work front-of-house at Tojo’s Japanese restaurant and Nathan took over house-hubby duties after years as cook, sous chef and chef at Robert Belcham’s Refuel (gone), Campagnolo, and Campagnolo Roma.

“Nathan’s butchery experience at Belcham’s restaurants lifts up the simple Japanese foods. Akiyo is the inspiration, muse and guide but Nathan is the chef, tweaking dishes as he needs. He makes everything from scratch, all the sauces, the ramen noodles, and the sophisticated Japanese pickles.”

Read the full Dosanko review, originally published Sept. 21, 2017.

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Menya Itto

Where: 1479 Robson St., Vancouver

“Chef Yukihiko Sakamoto boasts two degrees of separation from Tokyo’s ‘Ramen God,’ whose earth-born name is Yamagishi Kazuo. Sakamoto trained under this God’s close disciple, a.k.a. the ‘son of Ramen God’ and then went on to open the first Menya Itto in Tokyo. He now heads 10 franchises internationally.

“Serendipity, or happy accidents, create many a popular dish. Potato chips? Created when a pain-in-the-butt customer kept sending back fried potatoes complaining they weren’t thin enough. Coca-Cola? Originally an alcoholic health tonic when Prohibition prompted owners to replace the alcohol with carbonation.

“Tsukemen ramen? A waste-saving move. When Ramen God’s staff noticed their boss dip leftover ramen noodles into a hot broth they wanted it for a staff meal. Boom. A dish was born.

So what’s that got to do with anything? In Vancouver, we now have tsukemen from a disciple of the ‘son of Ramen God’ and yes, it’s very good. So rich and complex.”

Read the full Menya Itto review, originally published April 6, 2022.

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Kinton Ramen

Where: 420 Robson St., Vancouver; 434 SW Marine Dr., Vancouver; 1325 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, 622 University Blvd., Vancouver; 12639 George Junction, Surrey

“Although there are a number of sides like chicken karaage, gyoza, takoyaki and some desserts, stick to ramen.

“The last time, I went straight for what’s good for me during a pandemic — the Immune Booster, a seasonal special in a ginger-infused chicken broth, with a sizable immunity army of raw chopped garlic, onsen egg, chicken breast, cilantro and an umami hit of miso.

“The chicken, cooked sous vide, is very moist and tender. The broth involves a 20-hour simmer of pork and chicken bones, then vegetables and bonito come aboard.”

Read the full Kinton Ramen review, originally published April 6, 2022.

What’s your favourite Metro Vancouver ramen place? Let us know in the comments!

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