Cuisine guide · data as of 8 October 2026
Ramen's best scores sit in New York, but the top ten is spread wide
Of 211 ramen places scored, five reach 90 or above, and the strongest results come from several cities, not one.
- Places scored
- 211
- Scoring 90+
- 5
- Cities compared
- 8
- Median Harry score
- 77
The ten best-scored ramen places
Ranked by Harry score among places with at least 150 reviews. Chains are counted once. Scores are explained on the how-it-works page.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maki & Ramenjapanese | London | 91 | 80 | — |
| 2 | Rudy's Ramenramen | Chicago, IL | 91 | 81 | Smart Spend · Eater · The Infatuation |
| 3 | Hanami Ramenramen | New York, NY | 90 | 80 | — |
| 4 | REDWHITE BONELESS RAMENramen | Los Angeles, CA | 90 | 80 | — |
| 5 | Cafe Ogawaramen | Melbourne, VIC | 90 | 80 | Time Out |
| 6 | Salmon Noodle 3.0ramen | New York, NY | 89 | 79 | — |
| 7 | Torisoba Tonshoramen | Los Angeles, CA | 89 | 79 | — |
| 8 | Kumako Denramen | San Jose, CA | 89 | 79 | $$ |
| 9 | JBC Rice Noodles Ramen & Dumplingsramen | New York, NY | 88 | 79 | — |
| 10 | Mizu Sushi, Ramen & Grilljapanese | New York, NY | 88 | 79 | — |
Is New York really the best city for ramen?
On average, yes. New York, NY leads the city ranking with an average score of 84.5 across 19 places, ahead of Los Angeles, CA on 79 and Chicago, IL on 78.6. That is a clear gap at the top, and it suggests that a random New York ramen shop is a better bet than a random one elsewhere.
But the average is not the peak. Hanami Ramen is New York's best, yet the two highest scores in the top ten, 91 each, belong to Maki & Ramen in London and Rudy's Ramen in Chicago. If you want a reliable bowl without research, New York's average helps. If you are chasing the best single result, the data says look wider.
Which city does it best?
Cities with at least twelve scored places for this cuisine, ranked by average Harry score.
| # | City | Places | Average | Best scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | 19 | 84.5 | Hanami Ramen |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 32 | 79 | REDWHITE BONELESS RAMEN |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 29 | 78.6 | Rudy's Ramen |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | 19 | 77.4 | HINODEYA Ramen & Bar Chestnut |
| 5 | Sydney, NSW | 29 | 73.6 | TOMO RAMEN |
| 6 | Melbourne, VIC | 21 | 72.5 | Cafe Ogawa |
| 7 | San Jose, CA | 17 | 70.7 | Kumako Den |
| 8 | Austin, TX | 17 | 70.5 | Bluefin Sushi & Ramen - Arboretum |
What separates the top ten from everything else?
Only 5 of the 211 places score 90 or above, so the top end is thin. The ten listed run from 91 down to 88, which is a tight band. Telling an 89 from a 90 on blended review data is not something I would stake an evening on.
The more useful pattern is geography. The ten include four New York places, two in Los Angeles, and one each in London, Chicago, Melbourne and San Jose. Two of the ten, Maki & Ramen and Mizu Sushi, Ramen & Grill, are tagged Japanese rather than ramen, so a bowl at a broader menu can still score well. Most of the ten carry no editorial acclaim at all, which means their scores rest on diner ratings.
Best value in the data
Places scoring 70 or above on the Harry score, ranked by Worth It score.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rudy's Ramenramen | Chicago, IL | 91 | 81 | Smart Spend · Eater · The Infatuation |
| 2 | Strings Ramen Shop Hyde Parkramen | Chicago, IL | 83 | 81 | Great Value · The Infatuation |
| 3 | Hanami Ramenramen | New York, NY | 90 | 80 | — |
| 4 | Maki & Ramenjapanese | London | 91 | 80 | — |
| 5 | REDWHITE BONELESS RAMENramen | Los Angeles, CA | 90 | 80 | — |
| 6 | Cafe Ogawaramen | Melbourne, VIC | 90 | 80 | Time Out |
Where is the value actually?
Worth It scores in the top group barely move, sitting between 79 and 81. So paying more is not the issue; ramen is consistently decent value among the leaders. Rudy's Ramen is the standout, pairing a 91 Harry Hungry score with a Worth It of 81 and a Smart Spend badge.
Strings Ramen Shop Hyde Park is the interesting second pick. Its Harry Hungry score is a more modest 83, but its Worth It also reaches 81 and it carries a Great Value badge. Both are in Chicago, which suggests the city rewards a value-minded search. One caveat: only Kumako Den in the top ten has a confirmed price tier, $$, so price detail is thin.
Which places do critics and crowds see differently?
Acclaim is spread unevenly. The Infatuation accounts for 12 mentions and Eater for 8, while Michelin Guide, Time Out and Travelers Choice have 3 each. The James Beard Foundation, Google and Eater 38 have 1 each. Among the top ten, only Rudy's Ramen and Cafe Ogawa have any acclaim, so critics and crowds mostly point at different places.
Platforms disagree too. Kumako Ramen in San Jose has 4.4 on Google from 1002 reviews but 3.6 on Yelp from 1241. RAMEN-SAN Deluxe in Chicago has 4.8 on Google from 8539 reviews against 4 on Yelp from 646. Tatsu Ramen in Los Angeles shows 4.8 against 4, and Manpuku Neutral Bay in Sydney 4.8 against 4 on Tripadvisor. Google runs warmer in every case, so read it as the generous end of the range.
How far should you trust the city averages?
Sample sizes differ, and they matter. Los Angeles has 32 places, Chicago and Sydney 29 each, and New York 19. A strong average from 19 places is a different claim from one built on 32, so treat the ranking as a guide, not a verdict.
The lower half is also informative. Sydney averages 73.6, Melbourne 72.5, San Jose 70.7 and Austin 70.5. Even so, each of those cities produces a top-ten place or a local best, such as TOMO RAMEN in Sydney, Cafe Ogawa in Melbourne and Kumako Den in San Jose. A lower average does not rule out an excellent bowl; it means more of the field is ordinary.
Where the review platforms disagree
Places with at least 150 reviews on both platforms and a gap of 0.4 to 1.0 stars. Yelp is used for US cities, Tripadvisor elsewhere.
| Place | City | Other platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumako Ramen | San Jose, CA | 4.4 (1,002) | Yelp 3.6 (1,241) |
| Tatsu Ramen | Los Angeles, CA | 4.8 (722) | Yelp 4 (468) |
| RAMEN-SAN Deluxe | Chicago, IL | 4.8 (8,539) | Yelp 4 (646) |
| Manpuku Neutral Bay | Sydney, NSW | 4.8 (426) | Tripadvisor 4 (164) |
The short version
Use New York's 84.5 average when you want a safe pick, and look to Rudy's Ramen in Chicago when you want top quality at the best value. Treat Google's higher ratings with some caution.
Every figure on this page is computed from Harry Hungry's own database on 8 October 2026; the commentary is written with AI assistance from those figures and checked against them. Scores blend Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor with editorial acclaim; see how they work. No placement on this page is paid for.