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Just when I thought the ramen boom was over in Toronto, Ryus Noodle Bar recently opened up in Baldwin Village, just a few steps away from the popular Kinton Ramen.

Ryus Noodle Bar

Like most other ramen shops in the city, Ryus Noodle Bar occupies a small space. It has a patio out front too but with the cooler weather coming, I’m not sure how much more use they’ll be able to get out of it this season.

About half the seating here is communal with a long bar down the centre of the restaurant. Even though it was a small space, I was surprised how spaciously spread out the seats and tables were. It’s rare to find a place these days where you’re not sitting elbow-to-elbow with your neighbors.

The interior

We came here on a Friday evening around 8 and as you can see, it wasn’t very busy so we didn’t have to wait for a seat. It was definitely a nice change having waited nearly an hour at Santouka the other day.

The menu here features the usual types ramen of broth – shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), miso and spicy miso. Each of them use their “triple broth soup” made with pork, chicken and vegetables.

The house special XO sauce and garlic & shallot oil

What makes Ryus Noodle Bar unique is their special sauces. With each bowl of ramen, you can choose between the following: garlic & shallot oil, seasoned house spicy oil, sweet & spicy ginger paste, house special XO sauce and truffle oil (extra $0.25). We were advised to eat half our bowl of ramen first before pouring in the sauce.

I decided to order the Shio Ramen ($9.50) which came with a tasty piece of fatty pork belly and tender sous-vide piece of chicken breast.

The Shio Ramen

While I enjoyed the flavour of the broth, I found it on the heavy and oily side. As for the noodles, they were solid but I would’ve preferred them to have a bit more chew to them.

To accompany my shio ramen, I chose the garlic & shallot oil which I poured into my bowl halfway through. It really changed the flavour profile of the broth in a good way. I liked that the sauce wasn’t too heavy on the garlic. As much as I love garlic, I’m not a fan of those nights where I go to bed still tasting garlic in my mouth.

The Shio Ramen

Mike went with the Shoyu Ramen ($9.50) which came with the same piece of pork belly and chicken. While I can’t say it’s one of the best bowls of shoyu ramen we’ve had, it was still quite enjoyable. We had the house special XO sauce with this bowl which gave the ramen a nice kick. I just wish there was a little more of it!

The Shoyu Ramen

To sum it up, we enjoyed our meal at Ryus Noodle Bar. Was it one of the best bowls of ramen I’ve eaten? No. But if you’ve got a ramen craving and don’t have an hour to wait in line, Ryus Noodle Bar is definitely worth a visit.

At a glance:
• New ramen shop located in Baldwin Village, just steps away from Kinton Ramen
• Small space; patio out front; half communeal seating
• Open everyday for lunch and dinner except Mondays
• A choice of one of their special sauces with each order of ramen – we enjoyed the garlic & shallot oil and house special XO sauce
• A solid bowl of ramen but not one of the best we’ve had

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 3.5 stars
• Service: 3 stars
• Atmosphere: 3 stars

Ryus Noodle Bar on Urbanspoon



  1. Harriet (Reply) on Tuesday 8, 2013

    I was supposed to come here for lunch yesterday, but realized just before I left that it’s not open on Mondays =( Good to hear that it’s still worth planning a second trip to, though!

    • Jess (Reply) on Tuesday 8, 2013

      Yup, it’s worth a visit if you have a ramen craving and don’t feel like waiting in line. Their special sauces were definitely the highlight!