Hakata Gensuke Ramen

Pretty good and cute and fast!
The pork was very delicious and tender. The broth was excellent. I’m going to three though bc of the noodles. I asked for hard but it really wasn’t as chewy as I wanted it to be. I also think unfairly this place had been too hyped up so we expected more.

Great cosy ramen joint for an express bite. Had to queue in front of the restaurant but they were turning tables over quickly that it was only a 10 min wait for two.
Went for their signature pork bone broth, glad I chose normal flavour as the broth was creamy and had a distinct note of umami pork flavour.
Loved having my noodles cooked extra hard cause by the time I got to the end of my bowl of soup the noodles were still firm.
Make sure you order a side of juicy chicken karaage and just pay the extra special toppings to get extra charsu and an egg. Definitely want to come back again to try the God of fire spicy ramen.

The ramen is pretty good but not that amazing really. I’d recommend the black ramen or regular one. It’s okay price, 13 bucks for a bowl of ramen with 3 thin slices of meat which you’ll devour in half a second.
The place is definitely a terrible idea for groups. They’re just not designed for groups at all, I think they prefer express finishing.
The supervisor, Maki, was incredibly rude person and arrogant. No customer service or whatsoever. She is probably the worst person I’ve ever encounter in the history of eating out and I’m not even joking.
Anyway, eating is here feel just really ‘rushy’ and I hate their staff. So I don’t recommend queuing up for an hour for a ramen. Let it shrink, A RAMEN with an hour queue. No thank you, bye.

Food is fine but staff are rude. Don’t recommend for groups of more than two or three people because the chances of you getting a table together is extremely low. Based on the poor service and rude staff, along with the quantity of delicious & fast restaurants in the area, I would not recommend this restaurant and would not encourage others to visit in the future.

Not worth the wait.
I always walked past and amazed at how long the queue is.
Tonight I decided to give it a try with four other friends. The waitress first approached me when I was queuing outside, asking me which type of noodles I would opt for– the dipping one or the the normal one (FYI they offer the dipping one starting at 6pm). Being really confused and not knowing what the dipping one means, I said I’d go for the normal one. About 10 mins later when my other friends arrived (we were still lining up outside), there were two of my friends wanted to order the dipping ramen, the waitress then said «No. The minimum is three bowls for you guys to go upstairs». I know she probably didn’t want to be rude but the sentence actually sounded pretty harsh. It was like «order at least 3 or you don’t get to eat».
We eventually decided to have the normal ramen cos we didn’t want to wait any longer. So after settling at a table of 5, we quickly ordered and patiently waited for the ramen. And guess what. I. WAS. UNIMPRESSED.
I ordered the spicy ramen– the broth was just normal pork bone based broth that you get to have at any ramen places, and the noodles texture was harder than I would prefer (I ordered normal). The price is slightly expensive than the other ramen places too– priced at $ 14 you have only noodles broth and charsu (you have to pay extra $ 2 for seaweed or egg)
I will never go back to the place again.

Black sesame ramen was delicious and the atmosphere felt like a traditional ramen house. My only complaint is that the toppings are sparse, designed to get you to add on and pay nearly $ 20 for a bowl of ramen. I think there are better places for quality ramen at an affordable price like the Little Ramen Shop. If you are willing to splurge then try it here once but arrive early as they get crowded.

I’ve been to Hakata maybe four times, once 5 minutes before opening because it is so good. The chilli, tonkutsu and sesame broths are all extremely wonderful, the service is lightning fast, and the even the condiments are top notch. A warm greeting and you are minutes from pouring hot firm noodles into your mouth. If there are issues, I’d say the floor could be cleaner and I wouldn’t mind if it were a smidge less expensive but maybe that is the price to pay.

The noodles texture was perfect, but the real genius I feel is in the exceptional pork broth. It is all at once light and yet dense.
So luxurious!
Chef Tanaka would envy!

Totally worth the wait.
I was also only 1 of 3 non Japanese in the place — which if the lines out front didn’t give it away, this should have.
I had the black tonkotsu, (soooo tasty and plenty of garlic to keep any colds away), and karaage chicken — some of the best I’ve had.
$ 19.50 for both, less than a 10 minute wait at midday on a Saturday, but I’d wait longer.
Just do it.
Fun Fact — they’ll give you an order sheet to fill in whilst you’re waiting in line so they can keep you moving quickly once inside.

How do you tell if you’ve just stepped into a great resty? When there’s a massive line of potential customers patiently waiting outside in the cold.
This ramen place seems to be the talk of the city recently and it’s easy to see why. The staff are super cheerful and friendly (every time a new customer walks in, they are greeted by pretty much by all the wait staff and kitchen staff). The shop is bright, clean and very inviting. Oh, and the ramen is delicious.
One thing unique from my perspective is the ordering process. You’re given a piece of paper with a variety of options to select, the main ones being type of ramen, noodle hardness, whether spring onions are ok, spiciness (where applicable) and a range of sides, and just circle whatever you want.
We ordered the Black Tonkotsu (essentially the broth is black due to the black sesame seeds) and the God Fire (spicy Level 2). The Black Tonkotsu broth was tasty, fairly thick and just delicious. The noodles were cooked to the right point (I ordered normal hardness) and the egg (which is an extra) still had an oozing yolk). Unfortunately the piece of pork seemed a bit dry and overdone. The God Fire definitely lived up to its name: it was hot! But it was still delicious, I could still taste the lovely broth and thoroughly enjoyed it (even though spicy Level 1 would’ve sufficed).
If you’re after a tranquil, quiet little place to have a lovely bowl of ramen, hakata gensuke is not the place to be. But if you’re looking for great ramen with friendly, efficient service and nice atmosphere, then this is the place to be.

It’s 2:30pm and there was a queue out the door. WTF? Well, this IS currently Melbourne’s favourite ramen place, would I expect any less? But sadly I had to rush home so I had to give it a miss.
However the very next day I managed to get to the city relatively early, and even though the website said Hakata G is open from 12 noon I decided to try my luck. BINGO! They are actually open from 11:30am and it was only 10% full! Yes!
The friendly waitresses and chefs all greeted me heartily and I was promptly given a menu and an order form. I love it how you can customize the broth, the chewiness of your noodles amount other things.
I felt like something light so I ordered the shio ramen (salt based) with extra firm noodles, normal broth, extra seasoned egg (well there is none in the actual shio ramen!!) and black fungus (veg intake)
When the ramen came out the first thing I remembered thinking was gosh it’s so tiny!!! The next thing I thought was can I order some sides? But no, this place is cash only and I only got $ 20… With the extra topping this ramen is already pushing $ 20. Sigh!
A quick sip of the soup revealed a very clean flavour. This is simplicity done well.
The noodles are thin white ones and whilst it was al dente at first it quickly became a little bit mushy (in my standard).
The pork was flavoursome but by no means melt in your mouth and while the egg looked any boiled egg of the street I did notice that it was seasoned. Or maybe it was the soup that flavoured the egg?
Overall it was one of the better ramen I have eaten in Melbourne, but it’s still not as good compared to what I had in Asia that’s for sure. I am struggling to give this place a 4 out of 5… I know I am a fence sitter but why can’t Unilocal do half a star!!! Lol I wld have given 3.5 stars
I walked out amoungst the boisterous goodbyes feeling ever so slightly hungry and $ 17 lighter.

One of the best ramen places I have been to! If you come be prepared to wait for 30 minutes and pay at least $ 15.00 per person without apps or drinks and cash only.
If you’ve ever had ramen you know there is a cult following for that sticky broth that only hours of cooking can produce. They do the broth very well here and they don’t skimp. We ordered the regular tonkotsu and the god fire #2 and we thought the level 2 is plenty spicy. Order it with the egg because the yolk ads another dimension.
We also tried the karage which is deep fried dark meet chicken with a little spice.
Even with a wait we will be back. This place is too good to miss.

I love this place. Japanese Ramen made with an impressive obsession to detail.
What blows me away is that when I was a kid, my dad used to bring me to this totally authentic, don’t try to order unless you speak Chinese, Won Ton Noodle restaurant called the Wong Shing Kee at this very address. They had the best Short Soup (Won Ton soup) you could find in Melbourne at the time. It’s very fitting that this is the home for arguably the best long noodles, Japanese ramen in Melbourne.

Feels like Japan! Once I was lining up outside, I definitely felt like I was back in Japan. Japanese people love lines! Once entering, I felt so nostalgic! I fell in love with this place because it was an authentic type fast food Japanese restaurant. Many people dine alone which is normal.
We were greeted politely by the hostess in Japanese which set off the whole staff of the restaurant to greet us as well. Efficiency at it’s best. We had ticked off what we wanted on the ordering paper and next thing you know it’s in front of us. The ramen is as good as Japan, so flavoursome, added an egg, probably needed another slice of meat but it didn’t matter. Got a serve of gyoza’s and wow, so delicious! $ 15, worth it!
Once we finished, everyone said ‘Arigatou gozaimasu’. I should have read the Unilocal tips but it is CASH ONLY! Do it!

BEST RAMEN PLACE IN THE AUSTRALIA.
Actually I was really surprised that I could have really good Real Japanese Ramen in the Australia.
Here’s Ramen is just same as that of we can have in Japan. Also service is the perfect. But one thing I want to say as weakness of here is, quite expensive for just one Ramen for Japanese people. Anyway, It is worth paying that money for this Ramen though.
I will never hesitate to recommend this place for everyone who is in the Melbourne.

Luckily for me there wasn’t that too much of a wait at twelve noon, waiting time is optimised with a menu provided so you can decide what you want before you sit down. Signature Tonkotsu for me!
The broth was the star of the show, balanced and not too salty. Just right.
Downsides? It was pricey for the contents and portion size. To be honest, if it was $ 3ish cheaper it would have been great value however just over $ 20 for a bowl of ramen is a bit expensive. I agree with Anita N. in that it was worth spending the money to access the broth however I don’t know whether it would become my regular at current pricing.
Check out their sesame grinders — I WANT ONE!

Best ramen I’ve had in Melbourne thus far. We had avoided going for so long due to the long lines wrapped around the store front, but one day we noticed that the line was only about 10 people deep — it was time.
We got to peruse the menu while in line, and also got to write down our orders on slips before going in to sit.
D got the tonkotsu ramen, I got the black garlic. So fantastic, both of them. The broth was thick, full of flavor and rich. I loved the simplicity of the menu. No frills. I wish the ramen came with egg, but my egg add-​on was worth it. The noodles weren’t too soft, weren’t too stiff, just done perfectly.
The karaage can be skipped. I didn’t think it was all that good or necessary.
Can’t wait to come back! Prices are reasonable.

The line is out the door!
This place won’t let you in until your whole party arrives so be careful when you hold spots for people. I was very lucky and went after 9pm which got us in the door after a 5 minute wait.
With a simple menu consisting mainly of ramen, chicken karaage and gyoza, you fill in an order form for each person which makes it handy if you wish to pay separately at the end.
Service is quick and efficient though don’t expect long chats with service staff as they are busy running around bring steaming hot bowls of ramen to hungry customers!
For the price and amount of food, I will be back! I got the spicy ramen (level 2) and added an egg which was perfectly ooey and gooey. You can also add extra noodles and items such as seaweed and more char-​shu meat.
For those who are a tad hungrier you can also get gyoza (a bit small for my liking) and karaage which was so juicy and perfectly DEEP FRIED.

I thoroughly enjoyed the food here! There was a small line up for a weekday lunch, but our group of 4 didn’t have to wait long while we were given menus and an order form to look through.
I ordered the Signature Tonkotsu and a flavoured egg as an add on is a must! The broth was flavourful and the pork slice was almost melting through the broth. Along with some pint-​sized gyoza, the meal was very filling and I struggled to finish it all. I will definitely come back to try the rest!

If you’ve had tonkotsu ramen in Japan — the stalls with endless lines — you know the limitations of the Melbourne ramen scene in recreating those lofty, bone-​broth heights. I’ve tried many & sadly nothing comes close (perhaps one of the few things that Sydney has over us — gasp!).
Then along comes this place — well worth the 30min wait. I had the classic tonkotsu with egg & extra charsiu. The broth at first sip is like falling in love. It is spectacular, rich and aromatic and singing with that pork bone depth with just the right about of fat glistening on top. The egg is gooey and the noodles have a nice bite to them. the only let down is the charsiu, which is more lean meat than fat which I’m not much of a fan of. nonetheless the broth steals the show.
I’m really really happy that Melbourne finally has some legit tonkotsu for all you ramen lovers out there.