Montrealers quickly embraced animal-free Umami as a home run after it opened in 2019. And that’s because with noodles and tofu made in-house from organic local grains and beans, and a shoyu (soy-based) ramen broth with yuba (bean curd skin) and tomato confit, you’ll hardly miss that pork belly.

The focus at this top-tier Mile End joint is tori-paitan, a silky chicken-based broth, which first earned Jurapei Iwakiri praise at his former downtown bistro Schlouppe. Have it spicy, with extra pork, or, when available, even frozen — perfect for proactively stocking your freezer.

When downtown Montreal reached peak ramen a few years ago, Mile End was left in the dust — until this soup shop opened up. It keeps it simple by offering ramen with some side dishes, and matcha cheesecake for dessert. The specialty here is its rich tonkotsu ramen, but there is a vegan soy broth option as well, plus some cold noodles in warmer months.

Specializing in the milky, pork-based tonkotsu ramen from Japan’s Hakata region and cooking with organic ingredients, Yokato Yokabai is routinely hailed as Montreal’s best in the category. The ramen house, which forms one half of the Plateau space shared with izakaya Ichigo Ichie, is helmed by Kevin Fung, the owner of indispensable table-banging Westmount spot Imadake, where one can also grab a great bowl of ramen — on top of other izakaya fare.

Ramen Ya has built a reputation as a quieter, cozier option for authentic ramen in the city. With a classic tonkotsu option, lesser-seen spicy miso beef version, and a vegan broth offering, it’s a solid choice for anyone in the Plateau area with a hankering for the soup.

Reputable Toronto ramen chain Sansotei opened its first Quebec location during summer 2020, and has been serving bowls of its creamy, Hakata-style tonkotsu pork broth out of its Downtown location ever since. Black garlic, miso, shoyu, tomato, and spicy are also on the menu, with prices coming in at just under $20 a bowl.

Montreal can count itself among the 30 locations worldwide that hosts its own Misoya Ramen franchise from Japan, and distance from the source doesn’t detract from the flavour. Misoya’s clout and specialization in three types of miso broth make this ramen resto a must.

First Toronto, now Montreal: Since setting up shop in May 2016, Kinton Ramen (an affiliate of Kinka izakaya) has raised the ramen stakes with seven outposts in and around the city that mix the Japanese craft with Canadian ingredients. Diners who finish a bowl to the last drop can become an official Kinton Bowler, where more bowls means more prizes.

Shaughnessy Village may have a history as a revolving door of restaurants, but Kazu hasn’t taken long to establish itself as a mainstay. It is known to generate long line-ups of patrons craving items from its extensive menu, which is pretty fantastic all around. Ramen included.

Ichifuku sports a special machine imported from Japan to churn out ramen noodles of varying sizes to accompany its delicious broths. There are seven varieties, including traditional tonkotsu, shoyu, and miso, plus a curry option and an excellent spicy tan tan men ramen, featuring thick noodles in chicken broth, topped with a mound of spicy sesame minced pork.

St-Henri’s favourite ice cream purveyor Dalla Rose gets transformed into a seasonal slurp shop come winter, when it’s known to ladle some serious bowls of miso ramen. The base is always mushroom-filled and vegan, but the option to dress it up with pork, tofu, and egg add-ons is there. Also available is a chili ramen — their hybrid reinterpretation of Chinese dan dan noodles.