Types of Ramen Bowls – 7 Popular Options

Types of Ramen Bowls

Imagine sitting down to a piping hot bowl of ramen.

As you close your eyes, you inhale the heavenly blend of savory broth, fresh cooked pork and ripe scallions.

I don’t know about you, but just thinking about this staple of Japanese cuisine gets my mouth watering!

While there are endless varieties to try, few people have taken the time to think about the bowl in which it will be served.

In fact, there’s much more to fully enjoying a delicious bowl of ramen than the recipe you’re using!

There are lots of options for bowl designs to choose from and each one helps you get the most enjoyable experience possible from each bite.

If you’re ready to take your ramen to the next level, then check out our list of all the bowls available for this unforgettable food.

Different Types of Ramen Bowls

1. Menbachi Bowl

This type of is bowl is deep and wide, much more than other types. Translated from Japanese, the term Menbachi is the equivalent of “noodle bowl”.

It’s a popular design style for ramen bowls thanks to the large opening that the increased depth and width provides.

Menbachi bowls are best suited for recipes that contain larger amounts of soup relative to noodles since its design reduces spillage.

Characteristic Menbachi Bowl
Best Suited for Recipes with larger amounts of soup relative to noodles
Feature Large opening, reduces spillage
Material Typically made of ceramic or porcelain
Size Typically larger than standard bowls
Translation “Menbachi” means noodle bowl in Japanese

2. Ohgigatadon Bowl

This type of bowl features a steep design which limits the volume of ramen that can be added to it.

The term Ohgigatadon translates to “fan shape” and although the capacity of the bowl is smaller, it’s popular in restaurants or other commercial kitchen settings for two reasons.

The first is that it’s easier to store since the straighter sides make it ideal for stacking and storage.

Second, although it holds less soup, it’s considered to be an elegant serving bowl and is preferred to wider bowls when noodles are the focus of the dish.

Characteristic Ohgigatadon Bowl
Design Steep
Volume Limited
Translation “Fan Shape” in Japanese
Popularity Popular in restaurants or other commercial kitchen settings
Benefits Easier to store, elegant serving bowl
Purpose Ideal for noodle dishes where noodles are the focus of the dish.

3. Tayoudon Bowl

This is a recent addition to the family of ramen bowls having been introduced at the turn of the century.

Mostly its creation was a result of increased demand for a bowl that is suitable for many types of soup in addition to ramen.

The name itself is the equivalent of “multi purpose” bowl which should give you some idea as to the variety of uses. Aside from traditional ramen, these bowls can be used for any type of soup or even rice dishes thanks the design.

With sides that are nearly vertical, the shape of the bowl creates a tall and deep vessel making it a very versatile bowl.

Characteristic Tayoudon Bowl
Introduction Recent, Turn of the century
Purpose Multi-purpose bowl
Translation “Multi Purpose” in Japanese
Design Nearly vertical sides
Features Tall and deep vessel
Use Suitable for many types of soup and rice dishes

4. Hira Tayoudon Bowl

This bowl is an offshoot of the Tayoudon design. The difference is that the Hira Tayoudon is shorter and flatter.

As opposed to the Tayoudon which is designed to be multi-purpose, the Hira Tayoudon is instead designed for larger volumes of noodles. 

Characteristic Hira Tayoudon Bowl
Design Offshoot of Tayoudon
Shape Shorter and flatter
Purpose Designed for larger volumes of noodles
Comparison Different from Tayoudon which is multi-purpose

5. Tamadon Bowl

If you love to pile your ramen high with loads of toppings, then the Tamadon bowl is for you.

Tamadon bowls are more durable thanks to the thick mouth and thick rounded lip. Translated as “ball shaped”, the design of this bowl makes it more resistant to damage like chips and cracks.

Characteristic Tamadon Bowl
Design Ball shaped
Durability More Durable thanks to the thick mouth and thick rounded lip
Translation “Ball Shaped” in Japanese
Use Suitable for ramen with lots of toppings

6. Koudaidon Bowl

This elegant bowl design features a tall bottom which fans out as it reaches the lip.

This feature literally translates from Japanese to mean “high footed”. The lip itself is tilted backward which allows for easy viewing and access of its contents.

It’s most often used in restaurants where meal presentation is at a premium.

Characteristic Koudaidon Bowl
Design Tall bottom which fans out as it reaches the lip
Translation “High Footed” in Japanese
Feature Tilted Lip for easy viewing and access of contents
Popularity Popular in restaurants where meal presentation is at a premium

7. Marukoudaidon Bowl

Designed to be a more convenient version of the Koudaidon, this bowl is nearly identical with the exception of having a more generous (wider) bowl and a thicker rim.

In addition to be used for ramen, these bowls can also be used for other common recipes that hold generous portions of food like fried rice. 

Characteristic Marukoudaidon Bowl
Design Convenient version of Koudaidon
Comparison Nearly identical with the exception of having a more generous (wider) bowl and a thicker rim
Use Suitable for ramen and other common recipes that hold generous portions of food like fried rice

What Is the Standard Ramen Bowl Size?

Ramen bowls are available in a range of standard sizes which are typically measured in fluid ounce capacity which include:

Small ramen bowls range from 20 fluid ounces to 26 fluid ounces.

Medium ramen bowls range from 30 fluid ounces to 42 fluid ounces.

Large and extra large ramen bowls range from 52 fluid ounces to 60 fluid ounces.

What Are Ramen Bowls Made Of?

Most ramen bowls are made of either ceramic, melamine or stainless steel.

Ceramic

Ceramic bowls are the most common material used in the manufacturing of ramen bowls and mostly this is due to its ability to keep foods hot longer and also because of its sturdy construction.

In addition, most ceramic bowls are both microwave and dishwasher safe, which makes them ideal for reuse and reheating.

Melamine

The advantage of melamine bowls lies in its ability to keep the heat of the soup trapped within the bowl without transferring it to the exterior where you hold it. In addition, melamine is more resistant to breakage than ceramic.

While melamine is dishwasher safe it is not safe for use in a microwave so if you plan on frequent reheating of your ramen, melamine won’t be the best option for you.

Stainless Steel

The least common material used to make ramen bowls is stainless steel but some varieties of double-walled stainless steel are available.

Aside from being rust resistant, these kinds of bowls function similar to melamine by keeping the contents of the bowl hot while protecting your fingers as you hold it.

Characteristic Ramen Bowl Materials
Ceramic Most common material, keeps food hot longer, sturdy construction, microwave and dishwasher safe
Melamine Keeps heat trapped, resistant to breakage, dishwasher safe but not safe for microwave
Stainless Steel Least common material, rust resistant, double-walled varieties available, similar function to Melamine
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