Shoryu Carnaby

The first time I set foot in a Shoryu restaurant, I was worried that it wouldn’t meet my expectations (as I had recently returned from Japan). But as soon as I walked in, there was the familiar smell that instantly reminded me of being in Japan.
The greeting, being seated and having the menu explained was all a pleasure. The front of house staff were incredibly welcoming and knowledgeable; there were no questions left unanswered.
After a short wait, I was presented with their specialty ramen, the Kotteri Hakata Tonkotsu. The bowl itself was a decent portion for the price and as soon as I tucked into the bowl I was seriously hooked. It wasn’t as good as Japan, but to be honest, it’s the best tonkotsu I’ve had outside Japan.
The Hakata style tonkotsu is properly seasoned and intense, yet balanced in the sense that you can still taste the other elements of the broth, unlike Bone Daddies, where the pork in the broth was simply overpowering and was not at all silky smooth like you’d expect. Shoryu do a splendid job at presenting this style to Londoners. Every component in the bowl has been handled with a lot of love and care. And It shows as soon as you have a mouthful of the stuff.
All in all, the service is fantastic. The food and drinks are definitely worth a visit and you’ll be satisfied with the price tag. Very well done, Shoryu. I am excited for my next visit.

Well I’ve been to other Shoryu’s but I must say I don’t rate the ramen that much. I’m not sure why but it’s a bit salty or more bland than any other you would get at say a rival in area.
I do however love the sticks… the Wagyu yakitori especially. They seem do stuff like this much better. It’s a pity though as ramen is in the name.

After months of my friend going on about this place, I finally went to the one in kingly court and it was so worth it. We ordered two different ramens — both delicious — which were served in a very large, well filled bowl. The starters were also great as were the generous-​on-​the-​alcohol cocktails (which before 7pm only cost £6).
Even though the place was busy, the service was quick and efficient and although I wouldn’t class it as a bargain, considering the generous portions, good quality of food and service, the pricing is good and this place gets an all-​round thumbs up from me!

This was my first ramen in London! The stuff were agreeable. Welcome and farewell greeting in Japanese was going on which is quite like a Japanese style. No other Japanese were there including customers except me though.
I had a sesami-​seasoned spinach (ほうれん草の胡麻和え) for starter and a kimuchi tonkotsu ramen. The spinach one was much closer to authentic Japanese taste than I had expected. It was too sweat for me and lacked soy-​sauce taste though. So I added soy source put on a table to eat.(There were chili oil, vinegar and sesami put on a table other than that.)
As for the kimchi ramen, the spicy taste overpowered the taste of tonkotsu so I couldn’t really enjoy the taste of tonkotsu. I should’ve ordered the normal one to know this restaurant better.
Anyway they offer a good service, a wide range of food menu and sake. It’s definitely a nice ramen restaurant unless you expect the authentic Japanese tasty ramen!
There was a small drum put in front of the door. And the stuff beat it once in a while which must be from the intention of creating an Asian atmosphere and catching more attention, but I liked that :)

LOVE their Dracula Ramen and Pork Buns — beyond delicious. Stumbled in here on a rainy night — and am glad I did! Long wait times at Shoryu if you don’t come early or sit at the bar. Sitting at their bar is great though — didn’t feel cramped or rushed. They have wonderful drinks — can’t emphasise that enough — I had a Japanese Mojito with Kumquats — was delicious. The service is fast and friendly. I appreciate the friendly service. I’ve found that other restaurants in this area are too focused on being «cool» and can’t back up the food quality. Shoryu is the real deal. cool and great food.

YUM! Started off w the pork belly bun and shishito peppers. So good! Also got the sake taster which was a great way to try different sakes. The ramen is delish! Can’t go wrong here. Would have loved to try so many other things but my stomach couldn’t handle anymore food.

So, there are times that I’ve been to places and they really suck. In those cases I either try them again (not likely) or I just don’t write a review about them, because you never know– maybe they were having a rough day… ammiright? Just being fair.
In this case, I’ve only been to Shoryu Ramen in Carnaby once and it blew my freaking mind. Like, mouth orgasms multiple times, lots of noises, probably some of the best ramen I’ve ever had. Maybe it had something to do with the time of day and how the moon was lined up with the sun. I don’t know.
Anyway, in the case of fairness, this place gets 4 stars, because I think I need to go back and try it again before giving 5. Just being fair.
So, my husband and I got the Curry Ramen and The Original (minus the meat, but with pork broth), and the shrimp tempura bun and haloumi cheese and mushroom bun. Those buns were so good. Seriously, the bread was just perfect and the insides were so flavorful and the right amount of crunchy and soft. Holy momma mia I loved those buns. They had just a small amount of sauce that added the perfect amount of flavor.
And then the ramen. So flavorful and amazing. Both broths were completely different and unique. Very very good.
I’m gonna come back to try their veggie ramen.

Perfect place to come on a rainy London day! Shoryu has a few locations around London but the Kingly Court location is definitely the cutest. During the day this location normally has a line out the door but my friend and I arrived late on a Sunday evening and were seated right away. We started with the pork belly bao which were phenomenal and both got ramen afterwards. The bao were really hearty portions and I honestly could have been content with one of those and another appetizer. But… since we came for the Ramen it seemed inappropriate to skip out on their specialty. I had the traditional house ramen which was very good. The egg was cooked well and they did not skimp on the other toppings. Next time I would try the thicker noodles and maybe the vegetarian ramen to switch it up.

Like most restaurants in London, the interior design and ambience are spectacular, but the food is typically a disappointment. The ramen here was bland and lacked depth. It was a chore having to eat less than half of my ramen. I’ve been spoiled with really great ramen in California and Japan, so my expectations are high.

Good ramen but a little over ‘themed’ for my liking. But still highly recommended.
The gyoza are some of the best I have had in a while, mainly because the wrapper doesn’t over power the filling.
The buns are also good. They do need a little more sauce or salt but you have chilli sesame oil and reduced salt soy on the table that you can use to season accordingly. There is a tempura prawn, pork belly, fried chicken or halloumi and mushroom. I’m unsure how Japan halloumi is but I recommend the pork or prawn ones (the prawn one is quite deep fried though so great for a hangover).
The ramens have everything you want in a ramen. The tonkotsu bases are my picks. The traditional one is hard to go passed, but the seafood (it still has pork in it) is darn good.
Their draught beer selection is all Japanese and perfect soup matches. The wine list is ok but I think beer goes better with this type of food.
Every time someone walks in they (mainly the kitchen team) greet you and they also farewell you. There is a lot of ‘gong-​ing’ going on which can get a bit much so try to nab a table outside. It’s a really great after work, people watching spot! PS small point: if you get a bench seat on the high tables make sure you are tall as the gap between the table and chair is huge.
Gochiso sama deshita.

I LOVED THIS.
I can’t seem to get enough ramen. Charlotte, what have you done to me.
I was really happy to see that Shoryu has a restaurant in Kingly Court as my office is in that area, so when a friend of mine asked if we could do lunch I was like ‘YES YES CAN WE PLEASE GO THERE YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU’.
The tonkotsu was delicious, I had the one classed as ‘meatier, creamier and richer’ in their menu, though I forget the name.
It has a 12h broth, 4 slices of pork (on the very fatty side) and double egg. I added to that a splash of soy sauce, and if the pork hadn’t been THAT fatty, my experience would have nearly equaled the one I had at Bone Daddies. Nearly. I still preferred Bone Daddie’s 20h pork broth tonkotsu, that was just out of this world good.
We sat outside, it was the first time I had lunch al fresco in Kingly Court, and I can’t wait to do it again. The service was very nice as well, and the food arrived 7 (SEVEN!) minutes after ordering, so I was really happy. And hungry.
Again, I forgot to chat whilst I was slurping on that bountiful amount of fatty ramen, so I probably wasn’t particularly entertaining to my friend but hey, that’s what ramen does to me. OKAY?

I took my mum here because she had never had Ramen before and I think Kingly Court has a cool atmosphere. Let me just say — my mum is now a Ramen-​lover. I’ve had countless Ramen soups but I really take my hat off to Shoryu. It’s perfectly creamy and full of fantastic flavour.
The guys next to us ordered frozen beers which are not especially cold but just have frozen froth. We stared at them with interest when they tried to sip their beer. They noticed and said they wouldn’t recommend them to us because it’s just hard to drink!
The high tables are not the most comfortable thing in the world but the long table makes it quite sociable. The waiters are friendly and it’s rather fun that they greet you and say goodbye with the sound of a gong and some shouting in Japanese.

Kingly court is now a really lively place with lots of outdoor tables in the courtyard. They gave done a great job filling it up with all types of eateries, bringing in a vibrant evening crowd.
Shoryu was buzzing when we were there. A short queue unless you sat st the bar. The bar is a bit squashed but just fine if you want a quick bowl of noodles. We had the ramen of course. So wanted to love it. The soup was quite porky, noodles were not quite springy enough but adequate. At close to £10 a bowl, it’s pricey. All in all, it’s not love, but just a like.

Oh boy I forgot how spicy Piri Piri was.
*slurp…take a deep breath… slurp*
Heavenly with some light beer in a frosted glass.
The ambience of this branch is a bit trendier than their original location at Regent Street. Taste is pretty consistent, and there was no queue for party of one: P. Since it’s located at the lovely Kingly Court (especially during Christmas season, all the sparking lights in the courtyard are just delightful), I wouldn’t even mind waiting for a bit.
Service wasn’t as attentive though, probably due to the high volume of traffic.

I have no idea when or where Shoryu came from, but when they arrived, they arrived fast, widespread, and with a lot of hype. Some of it is justified, but I’m sure there’s better ramen out there if you want to find it — maybe from an independent little Japanese restaurant — or Bone Daddies (even more hype!) but Shoryu is still definitely a good choice.
I have counted 6 Shoryu locations in the Soho, Piccadilly, and Leicester Square area — 4 of which, including this one, are within walking distance of one another. The advantage of the Carnaby location is you can enjoy the outdoor seating of Kingly Court if you are so inclined… if the weather isn’t perfect, the ramen will soon warm you up!
So for something so sudden and widespread in the area, I was expecting mass-​produced bowls of «ok» ramen — but it was very tasty. The authentic egg-​on-​top really added richness and was the best part, and the broth at the end was oh-​so-​good and warming, as ramen should be. The meat… well, I had their «classic» pork and whilst it tasted alright, it wasn’t amazing, and I felt like I should have had more meat, and/​or more noodles, for the £12 price tag my bowl came with. We started with chicken karaage and gyoze, both of which were fantastic and we wish we had ordered more (perhaps one each) than trying to share — but again we were trying to be thrifty.
It wasn’t unsatisfactory by any means, but I’ve had better in both quantity and value-​for-​money. However, I certainly haven’t had better in the area, and my colleagues swear by it — it’s a great place for our teams to grab a business lunch and have a chat over a hot bowl of soup. It’s a good spot for lunch, and indeed if you are in the area, there’s almost certainly a Shoryu around the corner!

Shoryu ramen is good and consistent. However, it’s not exceptional and different. We came when they first had their grand opening promotion (buy one bowl get one free). hubby got the Dracula Tonkotsu and I got the Piri Piri Tonkotsu. Both broths were decent but not as strong as Bone Daddies’ broth. Noodles and meat accompaniments were okay but the portions were smaller than normal. It was more like a snack than a meal. We would go back if they offered another promo.

Pour accéder au Shoryu, vous passez dans un patio arboré niché au fond d’une ruelle donnant sur Carnaby Street (Soho).
A peine un pied dans ce lieu que vous êtes déconnecté de la réalité. C’est calme et les boutiques et restaurants sont variés et sont répartis sur deux étages (il y a même une salle de sport !) mais on né se sent pas oppressé.
Le restaurant est aménagé comme si vous étiez dans un restaurant japonais traditionnel: rideau à l’entrée, comptoir en bois, cuisine ouverte, lampions, gong, etc…
La spécialité de la maison: les ramens.
Les ingrédients, frais, sont découpés sous vos yeux et le service, très agréable, est rapide.
Attention, c’est copieux ! Et également savoureux.
Petite note: Malgré la cuisine ouverte, on né sent pas le graillon en sortant :)
Moyenne note: Des plats pour les végétariens et pour les intolérants au gluten sont proposés !
Grosse note: S’il y a de la queue devant le restaurant, faites une petit tour dans le quartier en attendant. Il y a des boutiques originales aux alentours pour vous faire patienter.

Shoryu has not disappointed yet. Having been to the Soho branch twice total, Kingly Court is a welcome addition to the chain of high quality ramen restaurants.
Consistency is important and this is one thing Shoryu always gets right. Portions are gigantic. I’m not sure exactly what is responsible, but whilst the broth and ingredients don’t look much greater in volume than other ramen places, I always leave stuffed. Add some sides into that (their Bao is delicious) and I can hardly walk out the door.
Taste wise, it’s always a taste explosion in my mouth. I order spicy and get exactly that. There is always the option to add pressed garlic and more chilli on your table. The broth is incredibly flavoursome. Some ramen places, the soup tastes bland and watery. Here it’s incredibly rich and you want to finish every drop.
Service. This is where Shoryu Soho fell down a bit, being slow to serve, delivering sides after mains etc. However Shoryu corrected most of that. The only small annoyance on the opening week were multiple staff trying to take your order when it had already been taken. But it’s a lot better than previous experience.
The Kingly Court branch has a more casual feel due to the small layout and high shared tables. That said, a lot more places are utilising space in this way, and it’s not always a bad thing as you can sometimes engage other groups in a friendly chat.
Anyway, if you haven’t been to Shoryu, what are you waiting for!

Shoryu is probably still in my book as the best place for ramen in London. Although, I do not feel it taste as good as it use to do — when it only had one shop in Regent Street. However, if friends ask me where to have ramen in London then Shoryu will be my recommendation!
Carnaby street branch menu was slighly different, as they had the King Tonkotsu (£15). This consisted of extra noodles, char siu and King prawn. This is good for those who are hungry or want some thing a bit more filling than the normal ramen.

The space, service and food in Kingly Court Shoryu is better than the one off of Piccadilly if you ask me. Overall, Shoryu’s ramen is ok, not great, but it will take care of your ramen craving just fine. The hirata buns are delicious and are a must order. The pricing is also reasonable.
Will I go back? Yes, to this location.

After my previous disappointing experience at Shoryu I was invited for a complimentary meal to show what improvements have been made since their soft opening. Although this meal was paid for I can honestly say it was there were drastic improvements across all factors that night.
And before I start I do want to praise Shoryu for listening to their customers and since I’ve known them that is all they have been doing. They have at least changed their noodles four times since they first opened, from using the Chinese noodle to the Japanese variety to making their own. Major improvements have been made to their Tonkotsu’s broth which I remember started off very salty and now it is one of the richest and fragrant ones I know of in London and perfectly seasoned to my taste all because they are listening.
As you can see on my first visit I raised up many concerns and complaints about their meat quality, service and other food quality during their soft opening. But to my surprise they took it all on board professionally and to their advantage to make things better. I was harsh and delivered my disappointment aggressively but received only patience and understanding.
Since then they have changed their meat supplier although we were clearly demonstrated that the meat was not raw but because they changed meat supplier which had meat that remained pink even when cooked. But as they could not risk for customers to experience the same shock and to be mistaken they have changed back to their old supplier.
To not make this experienced too ‘fixed’ or prepared we turned up unexpectedly and already the place felt a lot calmer and organised. It would be bias to comment on the service as we did receive extra attention and service but trying to judge upon looking around, everyone seem content. But not once was I made to feel uncomfortable for complaining and was looked after very well.
Food was my greatest concern anyway. We asked for a repeat of last visit’s order to see if improvements have been made and so we started of with the pork belly hirata buns again. From my photos you can see that the pork is actually visible this time covering a good percentage of the bun. It was a lot more succulent and juicy, just like how I have had it at their other branches. Together with their fluffy airy light buns we very much enjoyed this. With 2-​for-​1 on hirata buns on Mondays I will be back for this.
Our anticipation was finally over when the Tonkotsu arrived. Although there was nothing to fault with my King Tonkotsu on my last order I kept it the same to check on its consistency. And I was glad to have it not disappoint me as the broth was just as rich with depth like how I had it last time. I do enjoy having the free sesame and fresh cloves of garlic available on each seating for self service as I do love my garlic even if it means having garlic breathe after. Luckily for me my boyfriend loves garlic. I also love my sesame. The only slight change were the prawns as they were slightly overcooked compared to last time so lost it’s bouncy texture but still it tasted fresh and just a preference of how I like my prawns cooked. Pork was as tender and generous and egg nice and yokey. It was delicious, so much I didn’t want it to end.
It was such a relieved to see the pork browned as the Karaka Tan Tan Tonkotsu arrived. And when they get this dish right they really do get it right as it was delicious, rich with a good spicy depth to it. The mince pork creates a really nice texture against the noodles because it clings to the noodles so you can the meat taste in every bite. With the crunchy kikurage mushrooms and spring onions which comes in every tonkotsu the dish was a pleasure to devour with a really good bite.
We finished on cocktails which were great with more preference towards my Yuzu Mojito which was made unique with the additional umeshu which sweetened it. I found the negroni a bit too bitter compared to others I’ve had but I’m not an expert to judge further.
We were happy to know they have taken aboard the chef at their original branch in Regent’s Street which could explain the improvements made. Staff seems to have settled down and I can see it becoming a very successful place in the heart of Carnaby Street as they are the only Japanese restaurant around since Ramen Seto closed down. Great deals are also coming along for more budget diners e.g. their Sunday ramen for £8.95.
After this visit and my contentment with their high level of customer service I have given my first poor experience a pass. I will definitely be returning back to try their Kingly specials and can only hope for consistency which I have faith they will be able to deliver.