Mugen Ramen

I have moved away from australia but if theres one thing I miss its mugen ramen. In my travels through japan I struggled to find a ramen that was even CLOSE to the quality of the ramen here. Highly recommend 5/5

First time trying tsukemen - it's quite an experience. The ambiance is good, making it a great spot for a quick bite and a drink.

Really good quality food tucked away in an alley, love the texture of the noodles, chashu melts in your mouth, great atmosphere. Chicken nanban and gyōza were good too, the quality really elevates it, my only complaint was the tataki was a whole lot of greens with a few pieces of beef.

A hidden ramen bar you should visit. A very unique way to have ramen, the soup and ramen is separated, we have to dip the ramen in the soup to serve. Quite a fun experience, food taste quite good too.

The place is a little small, felt squashed at the bottom floor bar. Ramen was decently priced, will give it another try.

A modern cozy Japanese restaurant focusing on ramen dishes.

The venue is sleek, dark and moody. The staff service is nice and friendly.
The food is good! The ramen and dipping ramen is simple yet yummy. Bonus is that the Robot bar is right across the alleyway.

Great venue hidden in an alley way. Food was amazing and the gyoza’s were one of the best we’ve had. Ramen was delicious.

This is a highly regarded Japanese restaurant. Regular patrons are seated downstairs, and they only seat people upstairs when the downstairs area is full. Due to the high number of customers, the wait for food can be quite long. If you're in a rush, it might not be the best option. Also, please note that they don't accept cash payments; if you're an international customer, make sure to have a card for payment. The food is genuinely delicious, and I highly recommend trying their Goma Tsukemen.

Date / time of visit: 21 January 2023 at 6: 20pm (approx)

I am very glad to have discovered this out of the way restaurant, hidden in one of the many alleyways of Melbourne. The restaurant doesn't take bookings, and is only open for a few hours per day (6pm to 9.30pm, according to its website, but no indication of last meal orders). The dining area is down stairs in an atmospherically, cozily lit room. We were amongst the first patrons of the evening, having arrived just after opening time. Two single diners sat at either end of a small bar, and we (two of us) were seated at a small table. One seat was a stool with no back and the other seat was a cushioned couch extending the length of the wall. Other tables, that weren't against the wall, also had the small stools upon which to sit. These stools made me feel uncomfortable, needing an upright to support my back. Fortunately, my partner allowed me to sit on the couch.
The menu was extensive with a variety of ramens and ramen-like dishes; yet it was a simple menu with only a variety of ramens and ramen-like dishes and a number of sharing plates including salads, gyoza and chicken nanban.
Our order consisted of wafu tsukemen, goma tsukumen, and wagyu tatami salad plus a couple of drinks.
The wagyu tatami salad looked large but the salad was light, tasting a little earthy. One or two pieces of wagyu tatami was a little chewy, taking time to masticate to allow for swallowing. The yuzu ponzo dressing was delicious and the mayonnaise added the obvious creaminess.
The tsukumen was both familiar and unfamiliar. The wafu tsukumen broth was very savoury, not quite earthy but reminded me of nature. The first few tastes took a little getting used to and when I mixed in the condiments (dried seaweed, pork chasu and bamboo shoots), the flavours then took on a different dimension - as would be expected from Japanese cuisine.
It was a similar case for my partner's goma tsukemen but I was ready for the sesame soy broth, having tasted something similar in my own cooking and from Japanese restaurants. The goma tsukemen was great but I was very happy with my wafu tsukumen.
Halfway through our meal, the restaurant had started to fill up.
We had a fun dining experience at Mugen. We had tasted some well prepared, different (for us) meals. I will be returning to try out their maze soba.
Because of the quality of the food, the ramen prices are a little above average ($19 for a regular - and a regular should suit most people - and the price is worth it). I was surprised by the price of the wagyu tatami salad (the prices are on the menu, so we did make an informed decision) but the salad was worth the price. Soft drink, yes, that was overpriced ($6). Overall, though, price point vs quality of the food vs menu is very much value for money.

First visit since name change. Surprised to see so many vacant seats at 730pm. Menu pretty much the same. Noodle and sauce are good but not outstanding as in past. Missed the Japanese boutique beers and B&W Samurai movie on the wall.

Well let's start with the positives. It was a really nice place. Very stylish, with a few bar seats and a nice basement area for seating as well. All the staff were friendly.

Now we get to the negatives. First being food, the tsukemen broth was quite salty, not inedible but there wasn't much flavour other than salt. The ramen broth was just watered down tsukemen so it was completely bland. Also note, the tsukemen doesn't come with an egg.

It probably took them 10-15 minutes to take our order and about 40 minutes for the food to actually arrive. We ordered, a tsukemen, a ramen and chicken nanban. All of which were kind of lukewarm.

I don't think I'd come back to this place.

Great service. The dipping sauce was a bit of too salty, both of them. But the noddles were fantastic, got a really nice texture.

A place for tsukemen and tsukemen only. Not a big fan of their ramen but their tsukemens are probably the best we could find here in Melbournr. Really enjoy the Goma tsukemen - so creamy and umami. Gyozas are not the best but their sauce is so yum. The service is tad slow and they have very limited seats.

I believe I died and went to gyōza heaven. Sauce TO DIE FOR.plus you can grab a drink at Bar across the lane AND order food from mugen.

Loved this place! One of the best ramen places I’ve tried. It’s a pretty small restaurant, no bookings so prepare to wait a bit. The Japanese interior design is well designed.

The Broth is really good, pork melts in your mouth, noodles were homemade and really soft and chewy with really fresh. The side dishes were also perfect. Highly recommended!

Prices not too bad either!

Mugen was one of my favourite treat spots, the atmosphere is amazing to share with friends and the staff are so kind.

Unfortunately I do feel that covid took its toll a little which is sad. The curry tsukemen ramen was a little bit of a let down to what I remember. The curry used to be a lot thicker and packed a punch full of flavour, it’s a little watered down now. The egg that was an add on was cooked all the way through which did give me the impression that the love and passion to provide authentic Japanese elements is no longer a value for the restaurant. Prior to Covid it was to die for when you cracked open the egg and saw the rich dark golden yolk, tonight it was essentially a hard boiled egg.

I do however still think the gyoza’s a delectable!

It’s a lovely place to eat however the exclusive and unique tastes that would ferociously lure me back to the restaurant is a little allusive now. I do hope that this may be an isolated experience and although I’m not quite keen to come back in the near future, if I happen to visit again I only hope that the standards will rise to what it was when I was first introduced to Mugen.

All the best Mugen.

Really cosy place to have a bowl of ramen and some drinks. The noodles are more dense and chewy than what you get elsewhere in Melbourne, meaning that it's really up to personal preference as to whether you'll like it or not. The flavour is undeniably amazing and the sides are also very tasty. I would highly recommend booking a table downstairs if it's your first time coming because that's where this restaurant is most unique.

Came here and heard about their dipping ramen tsukemen. The ramen is served cold with a hot option and you get a bowl of dipping sauce which is nice and thick to coat the ramen when you dip it in. It was amazing a flavourful and the ramen was on the chewier side which added to the experience! Will be coming back to try some of the other dishes.

The dipping noodles are not that tasty
Too chewy, sauce would not stay on noodles
Too much noodles and the topping is very limited
The stars are for the services
staff members are very friendly.

My first visit, didn’t realise the queue would be so long! The wait time was almost an hour. After being seated, my partner and I immediately understood it’s popularity! Ordered their famous, “Wafu Tsukemen” sukiyaki - incredibly creamy and so tasty! Highly recommend! Since then, have repeatedly and happily returned to try their other menu items!:)