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 |