Panton Yokocho

“5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an amazing experience at Yokocho! The moment you step inside, you feel like you’ve been transported to the streets of 1970s Tokyo. The decor, with its paper lanterns and vintage posters, creates such a lively and nostalgic atmosphere. I ordered the Tantan Men Ramen, and it was absolutely delicious! The sesame broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles had the perfect texture, and the toppings were fresh and well-balanced. My friend tried the Vegan Napoli Ramen, and even as a meat lover, I was seriously impressed by how bold and satisfying the flavors were, Takoyaki is also highly recommended. Dont forget to try their authentic and delightful drinks. Service was friendly and welcoming, though it did take a little while for our food to arrive since it was quite busy. But honestly, the atmosphere and quality of the food made it well worth the wait. Prices are reasonable for central London, and they have great offers like cocktail happy hours and Wing Wednesdays. Highly recommend this spot for anyone looking for authentic Japanese ramen in a fun and immersive setting. Can’t wait to come back!”

“There’s an excellent ramen spot in Japan Centre where the service is both attentive and swift. The food arrived promptly, and the ordering process is done online with customization options available. The broth was flavourful, and the meat was incredibly tender.”

“We enjoyed the meal deal at Japan Centre in London, which included a half portion of ramen, salmon and tuna sushi rolls, and karaage—absolutely delightful! The ramen was rich and fresh, the sushi burst with flavor, and the karaage was perfectly crispy and juicy, enhanced by a tasty paprika sauce. The predominantly Japanese staff were warm, courteous, and a pleasure to talk with. Highly recommend! Don’t miss the downstairs area for more sushi varieties before your meal. They also serve Kirin Nama on draft, which is refreshing, though it may taste slightly different from the Japanese version as it’s brewed locally.”

“Really loved this place!! The decor was amazing, the service is fast which was perfect for lunch or (like us) a pre-theatre visit, and the food was quality. I particularly liked the curry ramen; rather than just watery ramen with a hint of curry this was a much thicker, robustly flavoured soup which actually gave me the satisfaction of both dishes in one. 100% will visit again when I'm in the area.”

“Before heading to the Harold Pinter for a night at the theatre, we made a pre-show dinner stop at Yokocho, a ramen bar nearby the theatre. The venue is a food hall style - and as it fills with people the chatter and laughter and anime artwork on the walls helped to make it an energised and optimistic space for a drink and meal before the play. According to the menu blurb the restaurant celebrates regional ramen styles from across Japan, there’s a map on the menu that explains this if you’re interested in getting a basic idea of it. To start, we shared Chicken Karaage and Prawn Tempura Buns. The buns weren’t as light and fluffy as I would have liked, but on the whole they were fine. We got a Siu Loong Bao and Cheese Tsukune skewers - the skewers were a surprising winner for me, I liked the flavours and textures and they were easy to share. We ordered a mix of things, reminding ourselves as we ordered that if we couldn’t finish it, we could doggy bag it if we needed to, but surprisingly we ate it all. For drinks, I started with the Sake Flight, just so I could say I’d done it. It included the Nihon Sakari No.14, Gekkeikan Tarusake, and a cloudy Nigori. My daughter got a Yopparai Melon Cream Soda float with Midori liqueur and cherry garnish, the ice cream sat on top of the ice and it didn’t look like it quite worked as a float, but she liked the flavours. After my Sake Flight, I moved on to a Japanese Ice Beer and Asahi Draft as the meal progressed. As mains we shared the Yokocho Ramen came with a rich soy-based chicken and pork broth, tender pork belly, and the traditional fixings. If I was coming again for only one thing, I think I might just grab one of these. The meat was tender, the broth had depth and breadth in flavour and on the whole it was hearty and enjoyable. The Wagyu Beef Udon was good, the broth and noodles were okay, but the beef was better than I was expecting and lifted the whole dish. We also got a Char Siu Mini Don, which I also really liked, and would get again. It was good and if you’re not super hungry and want one thing, I can recommend one of these. Despite it being busy, the service was friendly and fast, the food arrived hot, and the whole experience was good. There was a security guard standing near the entrance, and the menu has a large warning about pickpockets. Being from Australia this was a bit of a surprise, but given the busy, open-plan layout - and the opportunistic nature of the crime, those inspired by nearby production of Oliver! might just have to “pick a pocket or two.” Yokocho is worth a visit: it wasn’t super expensive, was fun, flavourful, and a nice way to relax and chat before the show.”