Butao Ramen Tún Wáng Lā Miàn

Butao Ramen is right up there with the best ramen I 've tasted anywhere, and I 'd strongly recommend visiting here if you 're a Japanese-style ramen fan like me. The restaurant is fairly easy to find, though it is located at the end of a dead-end street off Mody Road, so be prepared to take some turns off the main roads. If you 're an English speaker only, note that there 's no sign in English on the outside of the restaurant; look for the black storefront with red Chinese lettering (the menu and staff are both English-speaker friendly). Inside, the restaurant is very popular and crowded. I got lucky with a stool at the counter but be prepared to wait a little while or go during non-rush times. Staff is friendly and the restaurant is small enough that it 's easy to grab someone when you need them. Ordering the meal couldn 't be simpler. Like many other ramen restaurants, you simply tick off the boxes on your menu; choose your broth (I recommend Butao), spiciness level, extra items, and wait a few minutes. I had my soup hot in front of me just about 5 minutes after ordering. And it was delicious. The broth was hearty and well-seasoned, quite spicy (I chose 4 chilis so your results may vary), with perfect al dente noodles and tender juicy pork. Overall, I 'd recommend going out of your way to visit Butao as one of the top choices in Tsim Sha Tsui for great Japanese ramen.

Great authentic ramen in Hong Kong. I was so excited to get to japan that i started eating at ramen shops in HK. This one was my favorite! The broth, noods and toppings were super quality(always opt for an egg! My only issue with this place was that it was so hard to find! There was a bunch of ramen places in this one street and since i don't speak Cantonese, i had a really hard time figuring out which restaurant was Butao.

Admittedly, I'm fairly spoiled and the rating here seems...optimistic. Ramen isn't in the forefront of my mind when I'm in HK. Wonton/beef brisket noodle soup all day and everyday. But since the rating here was robust, I thought I'd take a break from beef brisket noodle soups and give this ramen a shot. The restaurant is a little tough to find, though. The customization of your ramen bowl is a positive. If you want a thicker noodle, you can get it. Don't like veg? Don't order it. The only thing you seemingly can't customize that I'd want to the most: richness of the broth. The restaurant also has a diverse selection of broths but I went for the straight man in the Butao. The noodles were fine, but nothing worth writing home about. It's more of a hakata-style noodle and while it's not my favorite, the noodle's texture was average regardless. The broth was also passable. It wasn't really thick and I'd actually prefer a slightly thicker broth, but it wasn't a liability. The flavor was just pedestrian as well. The pork was reasonably tender but not amazing. The marinated egg was soft and flavorful. Portions of everything were less than Tokyo, but that's a little unfair, right?

I liked Butao when they only had that one tiny location where you have to wait forever to get a seat. They have since added other locations, making it easier to get some of their famous noodles. My favorite broth is always tonkotsu, so this place definitely scratch that itch. It is rich, flavorful, maybe a bit too rich but that's the stuff. Plus, you get to customize the heck out of the ramen oil level, garlic level, noodle chewiness (al dente ness? just about everything, so you can be sure to get your favorite bowl of noodles every single time. The different broths are categorized by their color for the most part they are all tonkotsu with different add ons like black garlic, green onions or peppers. The staff is quite nice here, unlike some other ramen chains in HK. If you're in town and craving ramen, I would highly recommend making a stop to any Butao locations.

This place is the real deal. Not sure what other reviews meant regarding soup not being hot, but this is excellent, unique Tonkatsu. Porky, silky and with a hint of shrimp. Add a marinated egg (you get a whole one) and a Sapporo (only beer on the menu) and you tuck into a full meal for less than HK$150. I added 2X spicy plus Red King and it was perfect for a Tex-mex heat level. The place is filled with university kids who will shimmy over to make space. Charming, warm, genuine, delicious. Everything you want after a trans-pacific flight. It is tucked off of Mody Road. Take N1 exit from Tsim Sha Tsui MTA and right at second street then left at the alley to the end. Yeah it sounds sketchy but this isn't the Bronx. And you will be rewarded with something really special.