Tsukemen, or dipping ramen, is ramen served alongside a separate bowl of thick and flavorful broth. Instead of drinking the broth as-is, a clear broth is added to dilute the flavors after all the noodles are slurped up.
We can already feel the fall breeze in the air, and there’s no better time to enjoy some belly-warming tsukemen at one of these hot spots in town.
Ebina Tsukemen 海老名沾麵
For prawn broth lovers, Ebina is a must try. Despite the hard-to-find location, the reward is worth the troubles. The small shop only offers three tsukemen broth options: miso, tomato or soy sauce, all of which are infused with dried shrimp dashi. For the early birds, you might just be lucky enough to taste their limited supply of uni tsukemen.
Manor Centre Block 2, 213 Un Chau Street, Cheung Sha Wan, 3954-5528.
Menya Itto
Nestled inside LCX in Harbour City, Menya Itto boasts award-winning Japanese ramen, as well as a stunning view of the Victoria Harbour. Their broth is made using chicken, dried fish and scallops, paired with homemade whole wheat noodles. Apart from providing detailed instructions, they also offer a service to reheat your soup so that you can enjoy your noodles at the perfect temperature and at your own pace.
Shop 32 LCX, Level 3, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, 3102-3299.
Shugetsu
Recommended in the Michelin guide since 2014, Shugetsu is a familiar name to all ramen lovers. They are proud of their homemade noodles with no chemical flavorings added, and have perfected their signature soy sauce soup base topped with dried fish powder for extra umami.
5 Gough Street, Central, 2850-6009.
Kakurega Ramen Factory
Another hidden gem in the Sham Shui Po area, Kakurega is one of the original tsukemen destinations in Hong Kong, having been open since 2011. What used to be a boarded-up makeshift shop has now been renovated into a proper but simple eatery in the same location. Look forward to their signature fish and pork soup base as well as seasonal flavors.
Shop 7083, Dragon Centre, 37K Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po, 3487-0989.
Isaba Taifu
Always with a queue outside, you can tell right away Ramen Taifu is well loved by the ramen aficionados. Offering two menus, you can only get tsukemen during the day and soup ramen at night. Their tsukemen broth is fish- and pork-based, with tomato and toasted black sesame options. The shop is decked out in hand-drawn anime and handwritten customer’s testimonials, making it a feast for both the eyes and tongue.
39 Fife Street, Mong Kok, 2487-4488.
All good tsukemen requires both good broth and noodles, so Aya is no exception. Freshly made in-house every day and with ingredients imported from Japan, Aya serves special flavors of noodles on rotation, such as Earl Grey, sakura, green tea and more.
G/F, Kam Ling Court, 16 Whitty Street, Shek Tong Tsui, 2440-0900.
