Broth intensity
From clear and delicate to rich and full. Ask yourself: lightness or power?
Guide · Choosing well
How to choose your ramen, the bowl that suits you
Ramen is not one dish but a whole family — clear or rich, marine or plant-based, mild or fiery. Rather than defining each bowl on its own, this guide sets them side by side so you can pick by mood. By the end, you will know exactly which bowl to reach for.
12 min read
In short
The answer in five sentences
Choosing your ramen comes down to four questions: how intense the broth (clear or rich), which seasoning base (soy, miso, salt), which aromatic profile (marine, plant-based, sesame-chilli) and how much heat you want. Love balance and mildness? Go for a clear shoyu. Want comfort and body? Miso. Meat-free? The plant-based yasai miso. Iodine and finesse? The clam asari. Fire and sesame? The tantanmen. A child will enjoy a gentle kids’ ramen. At Iwao the menu is deliberately five signature ramen plus a kids’ ramen — everyone finds their bowl.
The starting point
Ramen, a family not a dish
The first mistake, facing a ramen menu, is thinking you are choosing between versions of one dish. A clear shoyu and a fiery tantanmen belong to different families, built for opposite cravings. Once you grasp that, you stop looking for the ‘best’ ramen and start looking for the one that fits your mood.
If the word still feels vague, first read what a ramen really is. This guide focuses on one question — which one to order?
The method
The 4 criteria that decide your ramen
Learn to read the four dials that make all the difference, then set them to your mood.
The seasoning base
The tare decides the salt and character: soy, miso or salt. Same broth, different bowl.
Aromatic profile
Marine, plant-based, sesame-chilli or comforting. Trust the aroma that draws you in.
Heat and appetite
Fire or mildness? A rich bowl fills and wakes; a clear one suits a small appetite. Heat is never mandatory.
On the seasoning base, the two most debated schools are soy and miso: to dig into it, see the difference between shoyu and miso ramen.
The decision core
Choosing your ramen by mood
Identify your craving of the day — mildness, comfort, freshness, iodine, fire — then follow the matching box. Each profile points to one of Iwao’s five signature ramen, plus the kids’ ramen.
Six cravings, six bowls
Shoyu ramen
A clear, saline, easy bowl that never tires. The safe entry into the family.
Shoyu ramenMiso ramen
Round, dense and warming — the bowl for when you need heat and heartiness.
Miso ramenYasai miso
A fully plant-based bowl on miso and vegetables — not a lesser version.
Yasai misoAsari ramen
Clams give a clean iodine and rare saline delicacy. For lovers of subtlety.
Asari ramenTantanmen
Fire, spiced minced meat and fragrant oil. For palates chasing intensity.
TantanmenKids’ ramen
A small portion, a gentle broth, no heat — a real house-made bowl their size.
Kids’ ramen
Starting out
For a first ramen, where to begin?
New to ramen? Start with a clear, readable bowl. The shoyu, with its limpid soy broth and balance, is the best entry point — it lets you taste everything without one flavour crushing the rest. Golden rule: go from mild to rich, never the other way. Many adopt the shoyu as a benchmark, then explore miso, asari and the plant-based bowl over later visits.
Special cases
Spicy, veggie, or for a child
Three cravings come up constantly. Here is how to steer the choice.
- When you like it spicy
Head for the tantanmen: spiced minced meat, fragrant oil, sesame and rising heat. Say your tolerance to adjust the fire.
- For a vegetarian
The yasai miso: fully plant-based, miso for depth and vegetables for freshness. No hidden meat broth.
- For a child
The kids’ ramen: a fitting portion, a gentle broth, no heat — a real house-made bowl their size.
On plant-based bowls, our article what a vegetarian ramen is covers it in full; and for the youngest there is a dedicated kids’ ramen page.
The right time
Lunch or dinner, does the choice change?
Ramen keeps no fixed hour. Still, the moment shapes the craving: at lunch a clear, light bowl (shoyu, asari) digests without weighing you down; in the evening, a rich miso or a generous tantanmen make full sense. Same rules, a different dial — lighter when time is short, richer when you settle in.
Coming on a lunch break? Check the terms of a Japanese restaurant at lunch in Marseille first.
Once chosen
Savour it the proper way
Bowl chosen, enjoy it fully: ramen is eaten fast and hot, as the noodles keep absorbing broth. Slurp freely, alternate noodles, broth and toppings. A well-chosen glass lifts the pairing — a crisp sake cuts a rich bowl, a round one embraces miso umami.
It is all in our guide on how to eat a ramen, and for the drink pairing, see our sakes.
In summary
At Iwao, everyone finds theirs
Choosing your ramen is not finding the ‘best’ bowl but matching a bowl to a craving. Set the four dials — intensity, tare, aroma, heat — and the bowl names itself. Mild, rich, marine, plant-based, spicy or gentle for a child: there is a ramen for every mood.
At Iwao, rue Sainte (Marseille 1st), the menu is deliberately five signature ramen plus a kids’ ramen. Discover the menu, and once you have chosen, simply book a table.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which ramen for a first try?
The shoyu — its clear soy broth and balance let you taste everything without one flavour crushing the rest. The ideal benchmark before exploring miso, asari or the plant-based bowl.
Which ramen when you like it spicy?
The tantanmen: spiced minced meat, fragrant oil, sesame and rising heat. Say your tolerance in the room and the fire is adjusted to order.
Which ramen for a vegetarian?
The yasai miso: fully plant-based, miso for depth and vegetables for freshness, with no meat broth. A cuisine in its own right, not a lighter version.
Which ramen suits a child?
The kids’ ramen: a fitting portion, a gentle broth, no heat — a real house-made bowl their size.
Does the choice change between lunch and dinner?
The rules don’t change, only the intensity dial: lighter at lunch (shoyu, asari), richer in the evening (miso, tantanmen). Trust your appetite of the moment.
How many ramen are on Iwao’s menu?
Five signature ramen — shoyu, miso, yasai miso, asari and tantanmen — plus a kids’ ramen. A short, stable menu, chosen so each broth is drawn on site.
Explore
Also worth reading and tasting
Iwao's ramen from every angle, to refine your choice.
Going further
Discover our signature bowls
You can now read a ramen menu and find the bowl that suits you. To see the five bowls together, push the door: ramen signature marseille happens on rue Sainte, facing the open kitchen.
Stage clear — table booked
Your bowl awaits
Chosen? All that is left is to sit down. Book at Iwao and taste the bowl that suits you, drawn on site and served piping hot.
Continue → book your table
Or by phone: +33 4 91 54 08 27