I’m going to come right out and say that you should have a bowl of Japanese ramen in Frankfurt. Yep, I’m recommending you eat Japanese food in Germany. But before you scoff, hear me out.
As a disclaimer, I admit I’m obsessed with ramen and have eaten it in 9 countries around the world (and counting!). So for me, eating Japanese food in foreign countries is not weird or random, it’s a tradition 6 years deep. That said, I full heartedly recommend you follow my lead having ramen in Frankfurt. Here’s why.
4 Reasons to Have a Bowl of Japanese Ramen in Frankfurt
1. Japanese food, especially ramen, is the perfect contrast to German food.
German food is delicious. Whether it’s Bavarian food in Munich or Hessian food in Frankfurt, I love the simple, yet satisfying, German dishes. But even great food gets old after several days on repeat. Enter Japanese food.
Japanese food, with its heavy umami and soy flavors, perfectly contrast the hearty flavors of German food. Realistically, can you get any more opposite from sausage and sushi? I think not!
2. Ramen pairs wonderfully with German beer.
As a general characterization, German food tends to be full of meat and potatoes that — of course — pair great with beer. Whether it’s a Hefeweizen and schitzel or dunkel and sausage, German food and German beer go hand-in-hand. Japanese food, on the other hand, is more meat and rice, but it, too, goes great with beer. Sapporo and sushi? Kirin and ramen? Sold.
But German beer and Japanese beer weirdly work, too. Pick a lighter lager or pilsner style beer for the optimal cross-culture food and beverage pairing. It’s up to you if you cheers using Prost or Kanpai. :)
3. Ramen in Frankfurt is amazing.
By the time we got to Frankfurt after spending a week eating Bavarian food in Munich, we needed something different to eat. When I mentioned my worldwide obsession with finding ramen in random countries, a hunt for ramen in Frankfurt was born.
We found Ramen Jun, a ramen-focused Japanese restaurant with two locations in Frankfurt and one in Tokyo run by Chef Jun. Chef Jun’s Tokyo restaurant was voted one of the top 10 ramen shops in the city. Online reviews said similar sentiments about Ramen Jun in Frankfurt and I have to agree. It was some of the best ramen I’ve had outside of Japan! (Right up there with my favorites in the U.S., Canada, and Switzerland.)
The menu is impressively extensive, with dozens of ramen types, flavors, and spiciness levels, plus a build-your-own option. There was also donburi, classic appetizers like edamame and gyoza, plus salads and dessert. The noodles are available hard or soft, something I’d never heard before. Our server explained that Germans prefer the hard noodles that soak up the broth. (Note to self: try it that way one time!)
4. Frankfurt is an international city, so of course it has great food diversity.
More than half of Frankfurt’s population has a non-German background. (Yes, that means native Germans are actually a minority!) The city is home to people representing nearly 180 nationalities. So needless to say, it’s a multicultural city! And the food reflects that diversity.
That, combined with the worldwide popularity of ramen, makes it no surprise there’s good ramen in Frankfurt. And all the more reason to set aside German food for one meal and try it while you’re there.
Related :: What to eat in Frankfurt, 7 Must-Try Bavarian Dishes, and Ramen Around the World.
