If you were on Instagram from January to March 2026, every second reel was an influencer “foodie” hyping up this Melbourne restaurant. This is Ginza Kagari, a ramen franchise from Japan that had won a Michelin star. We dined on a Friday and got there at 11:45 am, missing the lunch rush and getting a table for 3 immediately.
Food
This was the famous chicken paitan ramen for $29. It had a strong chicken flavour in the broth, but a tad rich and greasy. We normally slurp everything but all 3 of us couldn’t finish the broth. The ramen noodles had a soft and chewy texture. The chicken pieces were the highlight. They sous vide thigh pieces so each bite was flavourful and tender.
After traveling to Japan (April 2026), we realised this brand is sold in a takeaway box so it could explain the extortionate pricing. The restaurant probably does make the broth fresh in the kitchen, but they probably also use these takeaway boxes to ensure the flavour resembles Japan. Reminder: this bowl is 1300 yen (~$13) so this bowl served in Melbourne is almost 3x the price.
It’s still one of the better ramens in Melbourne but if we have a craving, we will return to Cafe Ogawa (LINK).
After traveling to Japan (April 2026), we realised this brand is sold in a takeaway box so it could explain the extortionate pricing. The restaurant probably does make the broth fresh in the kitchen, but they probably also use these takeaway boxes to ensure the flavour resembles Japan. Reminder: this bowl is 1300 yen (~$13) so this bowl served in Melbourne is almost 3x the price.
It’s still one of the better ramens in Melbourne but if we have a craving, we will return to Cafe Ogawa (LINK).
This was the spicy mala chicken paitan ramen for $30. It had a similar flavour profile as the above, just with added mala.
Service
It’s a very small restaurant, fitting 30 people so the queue could be ‘new-store-opening’ hype. The service was fast.
Review
It is a decent ramen but not something we crave often. As mentioned, we would return to Cafe Ogawa for our ramen cravings. We definitely would not queue up for Ginza Kagari and recommend going during off-peak times if you want to try it out.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating.
