Food trends are something that pops up on a regular basis but only a few tend to stick around. But what’s even more surprising is when a food trend becomes so popular they become actual restaurants. Such is the case of K-Ramen Shops or DIY Instant Ramen Shops in Naga City. What started as a novel idea has since evolved into a serious investment opportunity for entrepreneurs and is something that is also starting to be engrained in the culture of the city’s youth.
If you’re unfamiliar with the nature of these shops, here’s a little rundown. DIY Instant Ramen Shops are restaurants that primarily sell packets of instant ramen; often korean brands. There you’ll also be doing the cooking yourself using a machine that streamlines the process. These places also often offer various toppings that you can add to your ramen, enhancing the dish.
But while the instant ramen is the main selling point of these types of places, a lot of them have a different twist that make them standout from the rest. So to keep you up to speed, here’s 6 DIY Instant Ramen Shops we found in Naga City.
Ramyeon Food Hub
Peñafrancia Ave., Naga City
Ramyeon Food Hub is one, if not the earliest incarnation of a DIY Instant Ramen Shop in Naga. Located along Naga’s Peñafrancia Ave, it managed to grab the attention of young students from its nearby schools who were eager to try out something new.
While Ramyeon Food Hub isn’t exactly offering anything unique or special compared to the other places in this list, it’s still a notable place to enjoy the delicacy that is instant Korean ramen noodles. They also offer some additional commercial beverages from Korea like the ice ades and milk sodas but they too are starting to become pretty standard for places like these.
But well, if you’re around the area and are looking for a quick fix of diy instant ramen, then Ramyeon Food Hub definitely delivers.
Ramen Lab
CBD Terminal, Naga City
Ramen Lab is a tiny little instant ramen shop that can be found at Naga City’s CBD Terminal. Despite its relatively small seating capacity, Ramen Lab offers a wide variety of other Korean food products aside from the usual instant ramen: Pepero Pretzel Sticks, Ice Ades, other Korean commercial drinks, and even a selection of Korean ice-cream.
But what makes Ramen Lab really stand out are their one of a kind, delectable, and affordable Croffles. A croissant, pressed with a waffle-maker, and served with flavored cream and toppings.
Oh Meowww Ramen
P. Santos St., Naga City
Situated along P. Santos Street in Naga, Oh Meowww Ramen is the nearest instant ramen shop accessible to ateneans considering its proximity to the Ateneo de Naga University. The place offers an extensive list of instant ramen noodles, toppings, drinks, and a whole lot more. Upon entering the shop, they’ll give you a menu checklist of available products which you can then use to create your own order slip.
The place also has enough room for a couple of groups but if the inside gets fully occupied, there are more tables for additional guests outside.
K-Mart CBD
CBD, Triangulo, Naga City
Aside from serving DIY instant ramen, K-Mart is also one of the longest standing convenience stores that primarily sells Korean products in Naga. Like other instant ramen shops, K-Mart also offers a fairly decent selection of instant ramen noodles. But considering that it doubles as an actual convenience store, you can enjoy savoring your favorite Korean snacks together with some instant ramen.
Unfortunately, the number of diners they can accommodate inside the store is extremely limited so you can expect to enjoy your meal on their tables outside.
Ramyeon Rush
Acacia St., Liboton, Naga City
Compared to the other instant ramen shops on this list, Ramyeon Rush operates more like an actual restaurant with a bit of DIY instant ramen on the side. You do get the same DIY instant ramen dining experience, but they also serve a lot of other dishes like rice meals, burgers, dumplings, sushi, and more.
The place is a bit of a ways off of Liboton’s highway but it’s definitely worth going through the effort as the place offers some fairly generous capacity and is designed with your dining experience in mind.
Ramen & Co
Winwin Leisure Strip, Diversion Road, Triangulo, Naga City
If you find yourself out partying or having a drink with friends at the Winwin Leisure Strip, you might wanna have some midnight munchies to take the buzz off before going home. Or if maybe you just want some instant ramen? Ramen & Co at the Winwin Leisure Strip has you covered for that. This shop has a pretty decent selection of instant ramen noodles, cup noodles, ice ades, and other commercial drinks.
Ramen & Co also has the largest seating capacity out of all the shops on this list so it’s a pretty good place to go if you and a large group of friends are craving for that instant ramen fix.
