The real Japanese dish that is worthy of the name is RAMEN, not Sushi. I know that sushi is the best known food, but the real star is a good Ramen. Sushi is a good side dish!
Anyway, in Europe it is incredibly difficult to get a good Ramen, with many Chinese restaurants masquerading as a Japanese restaurant to be able to charge a price premium. I know this as I can understand some Chinese, but no Japanese. So if I understand the waiters/cook staff... then I'm immediately suspicious!
However, recently I was doing a concert at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and a Japanese colleague told me about a great Ramen place in Amsterdam that was very close by. So, as was our want, in between the rehearsal and the concert we raced out to get a bite to eat!
The Space
The decor is pretty nice, lots of Japanese styled stuff up on the walls!
The space is pretty tight, long and thin... like most places in Amsterdam. There aren't a lot of seats and tables, but then Ramen doesn't tend to be a long sit down meal. More of an eat and go sort of thing....
Open kitchen? CHECK! Although, it must be said that Ramen places have generally had open kitchens before it became hyper trendy.
One nice side benefit is that it does make the dining area nice and warm in the colder months!
The Menu
Well... surprise surprise, there is Ramen taking the top billing! There were two types that were featured (Shoyu and Miso, which refers to the soup types, I think) and the place is making dishes of a Sapporo speciality.
There were many other little side dishes, and in the end we settled on a small dish of gyoza to have on the side. After all, we did have to work, and we couldn't just stuff ourselves silly!
Sigh... these days, no menu or restaurant is complete without some sort of trendy "history" or "backstory" about either the food or the place.
Although, in this case, I did find it quite interesting!
The Food
Gyoza with dippings sauce. It was perfect, nicely cooked and not too oily. Unfortunately, we both ate a gyoza each before I remembered to take a photo...
The main event, this was my Miso Ramen. I have to say, it really makes a difference when you go to a Japanese place with a Japanese person who knows where to find the good stuff!
This is definitely the best ramen that I've had in The Netherlands... pity I don't live here in Amsterdam, or I would be here every week!
The soup was great, not too salty or overpowering... and the noodles had the right sort of chewiness and texture. The various additions were just right for the dish, although I did find that the addition of a block of butter to be quite unusual! However, my friend told me that this is quite normal....
The Experience
As I had mentioned in the food part, this is definitely the place to go for Ramen in Amsterdam. Well, Ramen in The Netherlands... full stop!
If you are looking for a good filling winter or cold weather meal and you are in this area, this is defniitely the place to go. Not expensive and the food is top quality, and apparently the real Japanese deal!
I will be taking my family here the next time we visit Amsterdam... I'm planning an excuse already!
NOTE: There are NO reservations allowed!
Opening Times
Monday to Friday
Lunch | 12:00 – 15:30 (Last order at 15:00)
Dinner | 17:30 – 21:30 (Last order at 21:00)
Saturday / Sunday
12:00 – 21.30 (Last order at 21:00)
Contact Details
Address: Ceintuurbaan 49, 1072 ET Amsterdam
Email: info@ramensora.nl
Phone: +31 (0)20 664 4396
Website: https://ramensora.nl/
Account banner by jimramones
Restaurant Information
Sora Ramen
Ceintuurbaan 49, 1072 NH Amsterdam, Netherlands
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