Noodle Factory Life — Restaurant in Beppu

Surely one of the best ramen I had ever tasted. Its no wonder there are many good reviews.

I visited on a late night for supper and there was no queue. Torn between the pork and chicken broth ramen, the charismatic chef recommended the former. I took up his recommendation and loved it.

Pork broth was rich and heavy with al dente noodles. There are add-on u may ordered (e.g. garlic / extra noodles) at additional cost but its really not expensive.

Ordering is through the machine which offers a few languages (English / Chinese etc) aside from Japanese. The chef has a helper who speaks very good English as well.

Charmed by everything the little shop has to offer, I went back the next day and ordered the chicken broth (shio, i.e. salted) ramen with their signature dumpling. No regrets at all.

Chicken broth was a clear soup thats very tasty and rich enough. I was able to see the noodle texture in this soup and was wondering if different noodles are used for different broth. Regardless, both noodles (if they are different) are nice and a good selection choice.

In comparison, the chicken broth is lighter compared to the pork broth and the different profile really offer customer a good problem to decide.

Maybe, you can do what I did. Try both on different days and stay agreeable...

※With 5★ being the highest rating 【Overall】★

【Food】★★ My order: Tantanmen and tonkotsu ramen The Tonkotsu ramen was okay with its clear broth, but apart from that there was nothing else special. It lacked depth of flavor and was ultimately underwhelming. The Tantanmen was truly disappointing. It was bland and lacked the characteristic spicy and nutty flavors usually expected from this dish. In picture it looks promising but cannot say it was tasty at all.

Overall the portion was quite small for the amount of money you pay for

【Service】★ The owner was incredibly unfriendly. He didn't greet us upon entering and instead of approaching us to take our order, he demanded that we speak louder behind the cooking counter, making us feel uncomfortable. We understand that it’s a one man operation but if the owner were a bit more friendly towards guests it would improve the experience tremendously.

Overall, I was extremely dissatisfied with my experience at Noodle Factory Life. The poor service and underwhelming food do not warrant a return visit. I would strongly advise others to look elsewhere for a satisfying ramen...

Vegan Ramen were the best I had so far in Japan (compared to T‘s Tan Tan, Vegan Kyushu Jangara, Teamlab Ramen). Be aware that they do not have vegan ramen on the menu! The friendly staff improvised a vegan Ramen with Soy Milk as the basis for the broth. As the staff was knowledgeable on veganism they cooked a delicious and creative vegan option making the best out of their ingredients. As the ramen are not on the menu, please do not expect them to be available at all times!

Outstanding service and cosy place in general with great accessibility from the main station. Some staff members could also...