Where Mumbai goes for a good bowl of Noodles

There are days when a salad is admirable, a grain bowl is sensible and a beautifully plated canapé is exactly what the occasion demands. Then there are days when only noodles will do, particularly when you’ve just declared, “I’ve stopped eating junk food,” only to find yourself cooking an entire pan of noodles five minutes later at 2 AM. Not just your masala Maggi, preferably glossy, springy, sumptuous, slurpable and sitting in a bowl of broth rich enough to make you forget every sensible decision you had planned to make that day (oh wait it’s already the next by then).

And because it’s Noodles Day, there’s no better excuse to indulge. The internet, naturally, has also found a way to make noodles philosophical. The “noodles, don’t noodles” trend currently doing the rounds on Instagram borrows its wonderfully nonsensical wisdom from Kung Fu Panda, where Master Oogway tells Po, “Quit, don’t quit. Noodles, don’t noodles.” On Instagram, the phrase has taken on a life of its own, appearing across mixed-media carousels filled with photo dumps, typography, mood boards, random memories and, rather amusingly, sometimes absolutely no noodles at all.

The joke, if there is one, is that the carousel doesn’t actually need to make sense. It simply needs to have a vibe. But if Mumbai is going to take the “noodles” part seriously, we might as well know where to go. Consider this your considerably more delicious interpretation of the trend.

Izumi

If Asian is your go-to comfort cuisine, Izumi Bandra needs very little introduction. Long part of Mumbai’s serious ramen conversation, (with its Japanese menu offering bowls that have earned a loyal following), all the current city roundups continue to place it among Mumbai’s top noodle destinations. For the diner who likes their ramen rich, considered and very much the main event, this is where the slurp begins.

What to order: Chicken Paitan, Miso Ramen or Curry Ramen

Where: Ground Floor, Sunrise Cooperative Society, Road Number 24, Khar West, Mumbai 400050

Mizu

Mizu is for the diner who wants their ramen with a little more drama. The Khar restaurant has built a reputation around Japanese dining, with its Sapporo Ramen standing out for its pork based miso broth, pork chashu, citrus chilli oil and hand pulled sesame noodles. Vegetarians can opt for the vegetable ramen with tofu. It is the sort of bowl that arrives with enough personality to hold the table’s attention.

What to order: Sapporo Ramen

Where: Ground Floor, Ganga Jamuna Building, 14th Road, Khar West, Mumbai 400052

Kofuku

Kofuku (Cloud Kitchen) has been part of Mumbai’s Japanese dining conversation for years, particularly for its ramen. The current Santacruz West location keeps the focus on Japanese comfort food and hearty bowls, making it a good choice when the brief is simple: a comforting bowl, Japanese flavours and no unnecessary culinary gymnastics.

What to order: Miso Ramen

Where: Shop 4, Antony Garage, Juhu Tara Road, behind Raheja College, Santacruz West, Mumbai 400054

Mayouchi

For those who believe dinner tastes better with a view, Mayouchi at The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake brings Japanese and Chinese influenced Asian dining to the table, overlooking Powai Lake. The restaurant combines Japanese food with Chinese flair, alongside cocktails and a polished hotel dining setting. It is a particularly good pick when the evening is meant to be about more than the bowl itself. Think noodles, conversation, cocktails and a view doing its own share of the work.

What to order: Explore the Japanese and Asian noodle preparations on the current menu

Where: The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake, Plot No. 2 & 3B, Saki Vihar Road, near Chinmayanand Ashram, Powai, Mumbai 400087.

Sesame

At Sesame, inside Hyatt Centric Juhu Mumbai, noodles sit within a broader Japanese and Pan Asian menu that moves between sushi, dim sum, wok preparations, rice and noodles. The restaurant’s open kitchen and theatrical approach to dining make it a natural choice when you want the bowl to arrive with a little more occasion attached to it; in other words, this is not a “slurp over your laptop” situation.

What to order: Explore the Rice and Noodles section

Where: Hyatt Centric Juhu Mumbai, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai 400049.

Gong

GONG brings together Chuka, the Japanese interpretation of Chinese comfort cooking, with a wider Pan Asian menu. Its current menu features a variety of noodle dishes, making it an easy pick when your table wants Japanese inspired comfort food without committing to a strictly Japanese meal. Set on the eighth floor of Mansionz One in Bandra West, the restaurant also brings a more dressed up evening energy to the noodle equation. Basically, your bowl can have a social life too.

What to order: Explore GONG’s noodle selection

Where: 8th Floor, Mansionz One, Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050.

Milliways

For something a little more underground, head towards Grant Road. Milliways Broth Noodle & Bao has made a name for itself with ramen, pho, khao soi, pan fried noodles and bao, giving South Mumbai its own noodle destination. It is the sort of place for the diner who cares more about what is in the bowl than whether the restaurant has a velvet rope outside it. Which, frankly, is sometimes exactly the point.

What to order: Miso Ramen with braised chicken or Spicy Shoyu Ramen

Where: Shop 12, Phiroza Mansion, Alibhai Premji Road, Pannalal Terrace, Bharat Nagar, Grant Road East, Mumbai 400007

YAZU

YAZU is a classic and it takes noodles into more contemporary Pan Asian territory. Right in South Bombay, this Lower Parel dining room makes a strong case for the noodle as part of a larger night out, rather than a solitary bowl eaten while contemplating your life choices. Particularly suited to groups who want noodles alongside a broader selection of Pan Asian dishes, with a lively setting to match.

What to order: YAZU Signature Spicy Ramen Noodles

Where: 2, One Lodha Place, Senapati Bapat Marg, opposite Lodha Supremus, Upper Worli, Parel, Mumbai 400013

The Fatty Bao

The Fatty Bao is where “I just want noodles” inevitably becomes “fine, we are ordering five things for the table”. The Pan Asian restaurant has remained a familiar name in Mumbai’s ramen and noodle conversation, with a menu designed for sharing, stealing bites and pretending you did not order the extra bao. Current Mumbai restaurant listings continue to feature it among the city’s ramen destinations.

What to order: Ramen alongside the bao and small plates

Where: Ground Floor, Morya Classic, G1, 108, Veera Desai Industrial Estate, Andheri West, Mumbai 400053

Yauatcha

This is a personal favourite, the chewing fun is to die for and always makes a acompelling case to come back! The BKC institution brings Cantonese fine dining into the equation, making it an ideal stop when the noodles are only one part of a more indulgent evening. Come for the broader dining experience, stay for the cocktails.

Where: Raheja Tower, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051

Wasabi by Morimoto

For the noodle purist who believes dinner should occasionally feel like an occasion, there is Wasabi by Morimoto. Located at The Taj Mahal Palace, the Japanese restaurant has long appeared on Mumbai ramen recommendations, with its shoyu ramen previously highlighted by local food personalities.

What to order: Shoyu Ramen

Where: The Taj Mahal Palace, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai 400001

Kuuraku

Kuuraku brings a distinctly Japanese restaurant experience to Bandra, with ramen sitting alongside a wider repertoire of Japanese comfort food. Its Bandra West outpost is a good choice when you want your noodles with a more immersive Japanese dining atmosphere rather than treating the bowl as a quick pit stop.

Where: Suburbia Building, between Linking Road and Swami Vivekanand Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050

Asahi Ramen

For anyone living on the eastern side of the city, Asahi Ramen makes the case for crossing Mumbai’s noodle divide. The Mulund restaurant has a focused Japanese offering built around hearty bowls, with Spicy Tonkotsu, Kunsei Tomato Goma and Neri Goma among its highlighted options. It is compact, focused and very much about the bowl itself.

What to order: Spicy Tonkotsu or Neri Goma

Where: Shop 105, The Gateway by Wadhwa, Mulund Goregaon Link Road, near Wadhwa Atmosphere, Hira Nagar, Mulund West, Mumbai 400080

The beauty of Mumbai’s noodle scene is that there is no single definition of the perfect bowl. Sometimes it is the deep comfort of miso, sometimes it is the precision of a Japanese broth, sometimes it is a spicy Pan Asian interpretation and sometimes it is simply the bowl you order after a long day when your only requirement is that the noodles arrive quickly and abundantly. The city has made room for all of them. Because, really, life is too short for badly cooked noodles!

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