Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Found this at HMart during my big early summer noodle drought of 2025… I don’t see a lot of boxed varieties, let along ones for the US. This used to be in a bowl – although maybe it still is. Anyways, sounds like a good one to try out – let’s give it a whirl!
This is interesting to me as it’s gone through multiple changes. This one is Shin but green in color to distinguish it from Shin Green which is another product altogether. This used to be in red with a Vegan logo on it, but I think they decided more green would be less confusing. That being said, and as logical as that might be, I’ve encountered people wondering if this is Shin Green and not Shin Ramyun Vegan. Anyways, let’s try it out.
This looks interesting to me. I’m curious how hot and how sour it’ll be. It’s got that tofu block too – let’s cook.
If you’re wondering, this is budae jjigae – also known as troop stew. It’s what happens when army foods like beanie weenie and macaroni meet Korean flavors. I decided on this one today as I’ve got something neat to try with it – fish skin! I’ve never tried the snack before, but I did last night and it’s really quite good! This particular variety of fish skin is made from pollock. Let’s check it out!
Okay, so I don’t live under a rock so I know about these things. In fact, I saw an advert for this awhile back and thought ‘oh – the kids might like this.’ So, I let them check it out and I watched a bit of the movie. I hated it. More than I hate slicing a bagel incorrectly. Well, maybe not that much, but I’m really annoyed by this film. I know that a lot of people really like it and that’s fine. However, I do not. It’s K-Pop’s version of Frozen. I went through that Frozen crap when the kids were really little, so another take on it really isn’t something I can embrace. Plus, the animation is awful. The music is catchy, but not the catchy K-Pop I really like; this is so… Commercial. But I do enjoy a tie-in product and this one’s pretty cool. I should mention that the Korean local version of this (yes, this is made in the United States in a great factory in Rancho Cucamonga, California) came with stickers, and I did hear chatter that people over there were buying tons of Shin, taking out the stickers, then selling sets of those stickers on eBay or their equivalent.
Big thank you to Pher Engi for sending this along! Recently, I reviewed a tom yum flavored dry noodle from this range. This one has soup. Sounds good – curious how it will be, so let’s cook it up and find out.
Big thanks to Pher Engi for this one! So too warm in the bedroom at night so open the window. Writing this during allergy season so pollen invades room. Misery. That’s how I start my day. Let’s cook.
This sounds interesting; I donn’t see what flavor it is as ‘tofu flavor’ wouldn’t make much sense. Spicy? Sweet? I suppose I’d better cook it up and find out!
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this one! A lot of the packaging is in Thai as well as English so I’m guessing it’s for sale in Thailand? Tricky, this one. I’m really curious about this – she also sent a soup version as well. After a little research, it turns out this is available at 7 Eleven in Thailand, so I was on the right track. Also, Jay Fai is a Michelin starred chef. Let’s give this a try!
A busy week so only got a couple done. Found this at Fred Meyer and though I ought to review it, so here I am. This will mean I’ve tried the pack, the tray, and the bowl. Okay let’s hit it.
Big thanks to Noodle Journey for sending this along! This is a cold noodle variety – the third from the Noodle Salad range by Nongshim – let’s give it a go.
Thanks again to Noodle Jourmey for sending this along! I’ve seen this around quite a bit and I’ve tried the tray version, but here’s the pack. I’ve curious and ready to give it a go, so let’s do it.
This little square tray caught my attention at a local grocery store recently. I though it looked interesting, so we shall see. I must say the microwaved noodle usually is quite good in Nongshim stuff.
Big thanks to Noodle Journey for this one! So it turns out this is based on a dish served at Outback Steakhouse called Toowooba pasta. I asked my friend Paul who lives in Australia what Toowoomba was and its a place. Anyways, let’s give this a try.
This came by way of my friend over at Noodle Journey – thanks! The Shin people should be stoked – I’m definitely curious. Let’s give it a try!
I’ve noticed over the years that some people are all about bowls vs packs. Why? I’m not exactly sure. I would reckon that steeped noodle consistency might be more their thing, although many are microwavable these days. To be honest, my take is that I don’t really care what it’s in, I just want to review it. These are my favorite ten bowls, picked from reviews I’ve done up to number 5,150. There’s a few neat changes to the list this year, so I invite you to check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2025 Edition and hopefully you find a few you want to try!
Well this in the third in a series of bargain store finds – this was purchased for $299 at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in Kenmore, WA for $2.99. That’s cheap! I reviewed it’s non-export version a little while back, which I found at HMart. I like this – I am guessing its the same but the imagery is very different – and the ‘XXX-Picy’ is really neat/weird! It’s a cold noodle. Let’s prepare it!
Big thanks to James from Lakeside for this one! Jjamppong is a favorite of mine and this sounds like a Nagasaki jjamppong. Let’s cook it up!
My last review was a Japanese cold noodle, and now we have a Korean style cold noodle from the United States. The sweet spicy gochujang sounds kind of like bibimmyeon. Let’s give it a try – it’s summer right now as I type this, by the way.
This one was found at HMart. So let’s delve into jjolmyeon – here’s Wikipedia’s info –
Here’s another one from my recent visit to HMart. In English, this is Instant Noodle with Seaweed-Sesame Flavor. Makes sense now, eh? This is part of a new range I saw at the store. Let’s check it out!
Hooray for cold noodles! Nongshim has flirted with a few cold noodle varieties – they had a buckwheat zaru soba a few years ago. I think their Doong Ji is really good as well. This one’s new and I am guessing somewhat akin to a hiyashi chuka soba. Let’s give it a whirl.
This is a list I come out with every year – what’s different this year is now there’s a new rule: only one product per company. Seems fair to me – and also a way for more things to be seen. I don’t think it’s a bad idea and honestly, I think insofar as this list goes, it won’t be very hard to pull off. Anyways, here we go with The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2024 Edition!
This one usually comes out in January, but a little late this year on edits. However, this one’s ready to go! This is my list of favorite South Korean varieties from my reviews up to number 4,650. Definitely want to try more South Korean varieties – especially those only found in South Korea – not export versions if at all possible. Anyways, let’s boil some water and check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition!
Here’s one I’ve wanted to get my hands on for quite a while. I like tantanmen – usually thick and spicy stuff – a denser, sloppier ramen. Let’s give it a go!
Well, dang. I really would have loved to been able to review this sooner but tough to get samples from companies in the United States for some reason. Ah well. I found this at S*Mart – yup – shop smart, shop S Mart. Not sure if they just did a repackaging of the old version or not, but I’m guessing it’s a bit more than that. Let’s give it a try!
This list is coming a bit late this year, but I figure late is definitely better than never. This one’s comprised of varieties made in, and specifically for the US market. Some really tasty stuff here is your backyard if you didn’t know! These are my favorite US varieties out of reviews up to review 4,650 that are currently on the market. Got something I’ve not tried? Hit me up! Anyways, let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition!
Our local store sells these for $4 each. I thought this was a little high and then I went to a different store and they were $2 which seemed a bit more reasonable. These are the popular bowls Nongshim has been producing and selling for years – I have seen them be made! It’s a very impressive process, with lots of little interesting things. One is a machine that checks each and every bowl to see if say a screw from the machinery fell into a bowl – they don’t. It’s pretty neat stuff. Most people are really into the whole deal with making noodles, but I find it fascinating. Let’s cook one of these up.
Here’s yet another sent by Pher Engi from Australia – thanks! This appears to be an export version specifically for Australia. Wish I had some beef to put in it. Ah well. Let’s give it a try!
This should be pretty easy to be found by just about everyone in the United States. Good ol’ Bowl Noodles. They’ve gone through numerous changes over the years insofar as packaging, and this is the latest I’ve seen. It’s got a plastic wrap around it with the labeling. Thanks guys – makes it more difficult for me to scan when things are shrink-wrapped!
Been lagging on doing top ten list editing – my apologies. The weather’s been really good for walking, and in May I did over 500 miles. I included a special post at the bottom about it. I also included something of a change from how I’ve been doing things as well involving AI. Anyways, this is the annual The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls – these are my favorite varieties out of review up to #4440 which are in the bowl style. Hope you enjoy! Top Ten Cups and Bottom Ten lists should be coming soon!
New clothes for the classic! Originally, it was a foam bowl with a paper lid in shrinlkwrap. Then, they reformulated for microwave and had a cardboard sleeve. Now, it’s a plastic wrap with the graphics on that. This is classic – ubiquitous with gas stations and little corner shops, many o which are run by Korean Americans. I used to live in a place that had a little grocery/deli mini mart across the way. The fellow there was Korean American and he had these in there, but with a ridiculous markup. I asked him why once. ‘Because that’s my lunch!’
I’ve a couple fascinating varieties from the Shin range by Nongshim which came by way of The Fat Hipster – thanks man! He’s got a YouTube channel where does reviews you should check out. This is one I though was only in the UK but from the labeling it’s distributed throughout Europe – there fore its getting the South Korea stamp as it’s not just for one country but many. Let’s give it a try!
While at a Korean grocery in Seattle looking for things to make ice cream with, I noticedthis Vegan edition of the Shin cup. So, since I’ve not reviewed it, I got one. Let’s give it a go.
Big thank you to James from Lakesida, CA for sending these over! This is the second of two new Nongshim Shin varieties recently released. It’s Vegan friendly which appeals to a broader group as time goes on. I’m very curious – I really like their Vgean varieties quite a bit, but generally not a huge fan of mushrooms. So, let’s give it a try and see how it is.
Well, here we go. In my group Ramen Junkies, Shin reigns supreme. Just a post someone did showing this pack had over a hundred comments real fast. Of course, I’m curious about this one – there’s also a mushroom tofu Shin Green to try as well.
After a couple years, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition. It’s been a sort of tough go lately; so few new Korean varieties have crossed my desk. Usually they’ve all been ultra spicy ones, and while good, they’ve not been ones that are top ten listers. There should be a few new ones to the list for next years list that have yet to be published, though. If you’ve an instant noodle company in South Korea, I’d love to review your products. I used to receive samples from the larger companies quite often, but unfortunately not so much recently. This list is comprised of varieties from South Korea that I’ve reviewed up to my 4,300th review. With that, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition!
This one usually comes out earlier than now, but it’s been rather busy. There’s a couple more lists coming, so stay tuned. These are my favorite varieties I’ve samples thus far. This list is current as of my 4,300th review. Hopefully there will be more great new varieties to try during the next year to add to the list. If you’re a company with some varieties I’ve not tried, please by all means drop me a line! With that, I present The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition.
This may sound very weird to you, but this isn’t the first weird ice cream and ramen mashup rodeo I’ve done here. Actually, there are two others but those will be coming soon. This, however is one of the stranger ones and I thought why not just get it to you, the viewer as soon as possible? You like the Shin, don’t you? Yes, all of you do. Well, why not combine that flavor with a frozen treat and have Shin Ice Cream? What a perfect autumn dessert option? Well, Let’s continue onward with what we’re doing – you will enjoy the results possibly!
Here’s another neat and never before seen Shin variety that was sent by The Fat Hipster – Shin Bokkeummyeon. Basically, it’s a dry version of Shin – also looks to be spicy from the packaging. I hope it’s good – let’s find out!
