My Visit to Ramen Taisho Tampines | Menu & Prices
When I started looking into ramen around Tampines, I found myself drawn to the smaller neighbourhood shops rather than the big names inside the malls. Ramen Taisho Tampines caught my attention for exactly that reason. It’s a compact ramen shop tucked under an HDB block in Tampines West, right outside the MRT station, with a menu that goes well beyond one standard bowl of tonkotsu.
This guide pulls together what I found while researching it: the menu and prices, the location, the owners’ surprisingly determined backstory, and what recent reviewers said about each dish. My goal is to help you decide what’s worth ordering before you go.
If you’re still comparing ramen options around town, my wider guide to ramen in Tampines covers the mall options too.
Ramen Taisho Tampines at a Glance
| Address | 802 Tampines Ave 4, #01-23, Singapore 520802 (Tampines Polyview) |
| Nearest MRT | Tampines West (Downtown Line), just outside Exit A |
| Phone | +65 8886 3228 |
| Lunch | 12:00pm – 3:00pm daily |
| Dinner | From 5:30pm daily, closing around 9:00pm (some listings say 9:30pm) |
| Cuisine | Japanese ramen and tsukemen |
| Ramen prices | Around S$10.80 – S$12.80 per bowl |
| Sides | Around S$5.80 – S$7.80 |
| Dine-in / takeaway | Both available |
| CDC vouchers | Accepted |
| Free extras | Self-serve bean sprouts and pickled ginger |
Prices and hours change, so check the shop’s latest listing before making a special trip, especially for dinner.
Where to Find It
The address is 802 Tampines Avenue 4, #01-23, on the ground floor of an HDB block in the Tampines Polyview estate. The easiest way to get there is the Downtown Line to Tampines West MRT station. Take Exit A, and the shop is right there.
That’s the single most useful thing to know. If you take the East-West Line to Tampines MRT, you’ll end up in the town centre with a long walk or a bus ride ahead of you. Tampines West is the stop you want.
It also makes Ramen Taisho easy to pair with other food nearby. The vegetarian restaurant I wrote about, Zi Zai Vegetarian, is in the next block at 801 Tampines Ave 4. So if you’re in a mixed group where not everyone wants pork broth, you have options within a couple of minutes’ walk.
One thing to avoid mixing up: Ramen Taisho also has a second outlet inside the Timbre+ food court at Hillview, in the west of Singapore. It serves a similar menu with fewer toppings and slightly lower prices. This guide is about the Tampines shop.
Opening Hours
Ramen Taisho Tampines runs two separate sessions every day, with a break in the afternoon:
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday – Sunday | 12:00pm – 3:00pm | 5:30pm – 9:00pm* |
*Listings disagree on dinner closing time. Some say 9:00pm and others 9:30pm, so I’d plan to arrive well before 9pm.
The afternoon break is the detail that trips people up. If you turn up at 4pm expecting a late lunch, you’ll find it closed. I’d also avoid arriving right at closing time. A small ramen shop with split sessions leaves little room once the kitchen starts winding down.
The Story Behind Ramen Taisho
I found the history of this shop more interesting than I expected, and it explains a lot about why it feels different from a chain.
Ramen Taisho is run by a husband-and-wife team, Tan Hock Soon and Kalene Chung. Before ramen, they spent about ten years distributing Korean cosmetics. When knock-off products online began eating into their sales, they decided to start something of their own.
Hock Soon’s interest in ramen reportedly started with a YouTube video, when he learned that ramen noodles are made from little more than flour and water. He bought a noodle-making machine with the help of a government grant, then discovered that making good noodles was far harder than it looked. The couple took classes in Japan, including an udon course in Kagawa and ramen courses in Chiba and Osaka, and kept experimenting through a lot of trial and error.
The shop’s journey went like this:
- 2016: opened at the NTUC Foodfare food court in Clementi Mall
- 2017 – 2022: moved to Maxwell Food Centre, where it built a following for its broths and handmade noodles
- After Covid: reopened as a standalone shop at Le Quest in Bukit Batok for around two years
- November 2024: settled into its current home at Tampines West
One change worth knowing: the noodles are no longer made in the shop, as they were at Maxwell. They’re now produced at a factory using Hock Soon’s own recipe and delivered every two days. The owners have said age and production limits were behind the switch. I like that this is openly acknowledged rather than glossed over.
The Ramen Taisho Tampines Menu
The menu is focused but has more range than I expected. There are three directions you can take: a classic soup ramen, a more strongly flavoured variation, or tsukemen, where the noodles come separately with a thick dipping broth.
| Dish | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Shio Tonkotsu | Soup ramen | S$10.80 |
| Black Tonkotsu | Soup ramen | S$10.80 |
| Sambal Tonkotsu | Soup ramen | S$11.80 |
| Shio Tsukemen | Dipping ramen | S$10.80 |
| Sambal Tsukemen | Dipping ramen | S$11.80 |
| Bonito Tsukemen | Dipping ramen | S$12.80 |
| Salted Egg Tsukemen | Dipping ramen | S$12.80 |
| Chicken Karaage | Side | S$6.60 |
| Pan-Fried Gyoza | Side | S$6.80 |
| Butter Edamame | Side | S$5.80 |
| Crab Cream Korokke | Side | S$7.80 |
Prices are from 2026 reporting and may have changed.
Every ramen bowl shares the same core toppings: pork collar cooked sous vide in a house marinade, black fungus and a soft, jammy ramen egg. Pork collar is a slightly unusual choice. Reviewers describe it as tender and almost ham-like, and it’s leaner than the pork belly many ramen shops use. If fatty chashu usually gets too heavy for you halfway through a bowl, that’s a point in its favour.
The Soup Ramen
Black Tonkotsu (S$10.80)
If I were ordering for the first time, this is where I’d start. It takes the shop’s signature pork broth and adds black garlic oil, which gives it a darker, roasted, more savoury character. It isn’t just ordinary tonkotsu with a different name. The black garlic changes the whole aroma of the bowl.
This was the bowl that stood out to me across the menu and recent reviews. A HungryGoWhere reviewer found the broth creamy but balanced, and said the noodles stayed firm with a good bite even after sitting in the soup while photos were taken. That last detail matters more than it sounds. Soggy noodles are one of the quickest ways to ruin a bowl of ramen.
Shio Tonkotsu (S$10.80)
If you don’t want the intensity of black garlic, the shio version is the cleaner, simpler way to taste the shop’s broth. It’s the bowl I’d pick if I wanted to judge the broth and noodles on their own, without anything extra layered on top. It’s also a safe choice for someone less adventurous.
Sambal Tonkotsu (S$11.80)
This is where Ramen Taisho gets interesting to me. Sambal in a Japanese tonkotsu broth is a distinctly Singaporean twist, and it’s a nice alternative to the usual spicy miso or Japanese chilli paste.
You can choose the spice level. The HungryGoWhere reviewer, who describes herself as having a low spice tolerance, found the normal level approachable, with a hint of sweetness. She suggested that serious chilli lovers go for extra spicy, because the normal level may feel tame. If heat worries you, ask the staff before ordering.
The Tsukemen
I wouldn’t judge Ramen Taisho on its soup ramen alone. The tsukemen section is where the menu gets more varied. With tsukemen, the noodles are served on their own with a concentrated dipping broth, so each mouthful is dipped rather than swimming in soup.
One thing to know going in: Ramen Taisho uses the same slender noodles for its tsukemen rather than the thicker noodles usually paired with dipping broth. Reviewers found they held up well, but if you’re a tsukemen purist expecting thick, chewy noodles, adjust your expectations.
| Tsukemen | Price | How I’d think about it |
|---|---|---|
| Shio Tsukemen | S$10.80 | The straightforward, lighter starting point |
| Sambal Tsukemen | S$11.80 | For a spicy craving in dipping form |
| Bonito Tsukemen | S$12.80 | Bold, smoky and very savoury |
| Salted Egg Tsukemen | S$12.80 | The experimental one, with mixed feedback |
Bonito Tsukemen
This one caught my attention most. The dipping broth is infused with dried bonito flakes (smoked skipjack tuna), which gives it a strong smoky, umami-heavy flavour. Reviewers call it intense. That’s good news if you like a thick, bold broth, but not if you prefer milder seasoning.
Salted Egg Tsukemen
It sounds like the most fun thing on the menu, but recent feedback wasn’t convincing. The HungryGoWhere reviewer found the salted egg flavour muted and a little artificial, and suggested sticking with the shio or sambal tsukemen instead. For a first visit, I’d follow that advice and save the salted egg for curiosity on a later trip.
The Sides
The chicken karaage (S$6.60) is the side that gets mentioned most, and it’s considered one of the shop’s signatures. Reviewers describe it as crispy outside and very juicy inside. If you’re dining with someone, this is the one to share alongside two bowls of ramen.
The pan-fried gyoza (S$6.80) is the other natural pairing. The butter edamame (S$5.80) and crab cream korokke (S$7.80), a creamy croquette, round out the list. If I were eating alone, I’d probably skip sides unless I was very hungry. A bowl of ramen here is a complete meal on its own.
Free Bean Sprouts and Pickled Ginger
One small detail came up again and again while I researched Ramen Taisho. There’s a small self-serve counter beside the kitchen with free-flow seasoned bean sprouts and pickled ginger, and free plain water too.
It isn’t the reason to visit, but I like these little extras. A handful of crunchy bean sprouts adds texture to a rich tonkotsu broth, and pickled ginger cuts through the heaviness towards the end of the bowl. Skipping a paid drink in favour of the free water also keeps the bill down.
How Much Does a Meal Cost?
Ramen Taisho is priced like a neighbourhood shop rather than a mall ramen chain. Here’s a rough guide based on the 2026 menu prices:
| Meal | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| Shio or Black Tonkotsu on its own | S$10.80 |
| Sambal ramen or tsukemen | S$11.80 – S$12.80 |
| Ramen + karaage | Around S$17 – S$19 |
| Two bowls + one shared side (for two) | Around S$28 – S$32 |
These are planning estimates, not a guaranteed bill. And if you have CDC vouchers, you can use them here, which makes it an easy place to spend them.
What I’d Order
On my first visit: the Black Tonkotsu. It seems to best show what makes Ramen Taisho different from a basic ramen bowl. If I were with someone, I’d add the karaage to share and ask them to order a different bowl, like the Shio Tonkotsu or Sambal Tonkotsu, so we could compare.
On a second visit: I’d switch to tsukemen rather than repeat the same ramen. I’d go for the Bonito if I wanted something bold, or the Sambal if I wanted heat.
If you’re unsure about spice or strong flavours: Shio Tonkotsu is the safest, most straightforward bowl on the menu.
Is It Good for Solo Diners, Families and Groups?
Solo: Yes. A ramen shop is one of the easiest places to eat alone. You sit down, order a bowl and eat without the formality of a bigger restaurant. With the MRT right outside, it works well for a quick lunch or dinner on your own.
Families and small groups: The shop is small but described as cosy and suitable for families. The best way to order as a group is for everyone to pick a different bowl and share a couple of sides. For example, one Black Tonkotsu, one Sambal Tonkotsu, and karaage and gyoza for the table. That way you taste more of the menu without anyone over-ordering.
Large groups: I’d be cautious. This is a neighbourhood-sized shop, not a big mall restaurant, and I didn’t find any reliable information on booking. Treat it as walk-in and expect to split up or wait if you arrive as a big party.
Queues and the Best Time to Go
The shop is popular with local residents, and at least one reviewer first noticed it because of a long queue on a Saturday afternoon. Weekend meal times look like the busiest periods.
If you’re making a trip specifically for the ramen, I’d aim for the start of a session: shortly after 12pm for lunch or 5:30pm for dinner. Arriving early also takes the pressure off the split-session hours, since you won’t be racing the 3pm break or the evening close.
Takeaway
Takeaway is available. Personally, I’d dine in whenever possible, because ramen is best eaten the moment it’s served, when the noodles still have their bite. But takeaway is handy if you live nearby or want to eat at home. If you’re travelling any distance, ask whether they can pack the noodles and broth separately so the noodles don’t go soft on the way.
What Makes Ramen Taisho Tampines Different
After looking through everything, three things stand out to me:
- The location. A ramen shop right outside an MRT exit, with no mall to navigate, is simple to fit into an ordinary day.
- The local touches. Sambal ramen and salted egg tsukemen sit alongside classic tonkotsu, which gives the menu a Singaporean character you don’t get at most Japanese chains.
- The people behind it. A husband-and-wife team who went from cosmetics distributors to hawkers to a standalone shop, learning through years of trial and error. That’s a story I’d rather support than another mall franchise.
Things to Know Before You Go
- Take the Downtown Line to Tampines West and use Exit A. Don’t go to Tampines MRT.
- Mind the afternoon break. Lunch ends at 3pm, and dinner doesn’t start until 5:30pm.
- Check the dinner closing time. Listings say 9pm or 9:30pm, so don’t cut it close.
- Arrive early at weekends to avoid the queue.
- Bring CDC vouchers if you have them.
- Help yourself to the bean sprouts and ginger at the counter.
- Skip the salted egg tsukemen on a first visit and start with a classic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ramen Taisho Tampines?
At 802 Tampines Avenue 4, #01-23, Singapore 520802, just outside Exit A of Tampines West MRT on the Downtown Line.
What are Ramen Taisho Tampines’ opening hours?
Lunch is 12pm to 3pm, and dinner starts at 5:30pm and runs to around 9pm (some listings say 9:30pm), every day. It’s closed between sessions.
How much is a bowl of ramen at Ramen Taisho?
Bowls start at S$10.80 for the Shio and Black Tonkotsu, with sambal and tsukemen options from S$11.80 to S$12.80.
What should I order at Ramen Taisho Tampines?
The Black Tonkotsu and the chicken karaage are the most recommended. For something different, try the Bonito Tsukemen or the Sambal Tonkotsu.
Does Ramen Taisho Tampines accept CDC vouchers?
Yes, CDC vouchers are accepted.
My Final Take
Ramen Taisho Tampines is the kind of place I’d keep in mind whenever I’m around Tampines West, rather than treating it as just another name on a long list of Japanese restaurants.
What I like most is the variety within a focused menu. You can go classic with Shio Tonkotsu, richer with Black Tonkotsu, spicier with sambal, or switch to tsukemen when you don’t want soup. Add neighbourhood prices, CDC vouchers, free bean sprouts and an MRT exit right outside the door, and there are plenty of reasons to make the trip.
If you only remember one thing, remember this: take the Downtown Line to Tampines West, Exit A, and arrive before the session gets busy.
