Tonkotsu Ramen NIKKOU — Restaurant in Delft

The one and only real ramen place in Delft (I'm counting both branches: Ramen Nikkou and this one as one) that's so famous I've heard it recommended by my friends living all over the Netherlands. And they surely live up to the hype.

We went for a weekday dinner as a group of 3, we had to wait only around 40 minutes at peak dinner time so it wasn't too bad, especially since our food arrived quickly. We got the karaage starter and 3 different ramen bowls from their menu, so it was a good sampling. I had the chuka soba ramen with an extra egg topping. The kelp broth was hearty and savory, well seasoned. Compared to their dense and fat-heavy tonkotsu broths, it was quite light and yet still complex enough that each slurp was a different flavor. The noodles were bouncy and chewy, and the pork was also well cooked. I found the egg to be a bit overcooked on the sides for my taste, although the egg topping on the other bowls seemed better, so it must be just my luck. The others had the special tonkotsu and the mayu tonkotsu ramen. The pork broth was one of the best I've tasted in the Netherlands so far, but the garlic flavor - even for an unashamed garlic addict like me - can get a bit tiring once the noodles are finished. So I suggest you order some extra noodles or sides to finish off the bowl.

I guess this is as close as you can get to a ramen experience in Japan: they don't take reservations and the turnover rate is quite high. If you're more than 2 people, I suggest you either go in early (before 6) or late (around 8) to avoid waiting. Although we didn't mind the queuing, since we were waiting inside all nice and warm, and enjoying the smell of their rich, hearty pork broth while the staff was putting out a new bowl of ramen almost every minute! The only downside was that we got super hungry, and one bowl was surely not enough, and we were left craving for me. The service was very quick, and the staff was really patient with all the people waiting in line, hungry for ramen.

I think, given the inflation and the rising costs of living, their prices are fair, and I'd definitely visit again to try out more of their side dishes....

Waauw, what an experience! This gave me from the beginning to the end a flashback to Japan. I can't begin to describe it but I'll give it a go.

Small place where we needed to get in line to get seated. Japanese chefs were busy creating some masterpieces for all customers. When we got seated we were handed the menu cards and decided to go crazy and ordered some ramen. Miso special was very tasty. Divided with basic miso flavored soup that tastes like tasty pork but when combined some burnt garlic oil and spicy sesame or chili oil it's gotten to a very flavorfull umami broth that's very rich and thick. The regular tonkotsu is very heavy pork flavored and just like I remember from my experiences in Japan. Chuka soba is a light clear soup that still had a lot of depth. Full fish flavoured and you just can't get tired of the taste as what happens in a lot of other places. last but not least a vegan burnt garlic bowl where you can really taste a full bodied vegetable broth. The daikon radish was amazing but unfortunaly we got tired of the garlic flavour after eating half a bowl. Next time we'll just take the normal one.

These were hands down the best bowls of ramen I've eaten in the entire country of the Netherlands. In my opinion the prices here are very cheap for this amazing quality. Would plan a trip just to come back and eat these...

Verdict: Quality has declined, but prices remain the same.

I visited a year ago, and the quality has dropped. I arrived around 8 pm (maybe this matters), and the Tonkotsu ramen just didn’t taste as good as before. It’s still one of the better ramen spots in Delft, but it used to be better. On the positive side, the staff is always friendly, and the place has a cozy atmosphere.

However, the ramen noodles aren’t freshly made. If I can get fresh noodles just a few hundred meters away for the same price (16 euros), it's not fair to ask the same price.

The karaage is decent. At 6 euros for four small pieces, it feels overpriced; adding at least one more piece would make it more reasonable.

In total, I paid 26 euros for ramen and karaage, which just doesn’t feel justified.

Additionally, the pots where they cook the noodles aren’t clean, and is not nice to see as a hungry customer. This is disappointing and doesn’t meet Japanese standards. Having lived in Japan, I have some experience with what it should look like, and this isn’t quite it.

I'm writing this review with the best intention and hope this place improves. Wish everyone the best, and keep up...