Butao (Central)

Delicious Ramen in Central HK, quick and well served; will come back for sure! I want to try the gyozas bc I arrived too late and they take longer to be prepared.

nothing special quite deserted at night and even then they managed to misplaced 2 out of 5 orders middles was finished before the egg was served and then they remembered the gyoka after we reminded them again No wonder people in hk fly japan direct for food fix and the Jap eatery in hk fold like flies

Ordered Green King and it was good! The pork soup not too overpowering.

This is hands down the best Ramen house in Hong Kong. I thought that i had, had good Ramen until I ate here. Its outstanding! Very quant and small location , so make sure you get there early.

Tried Butao Ramen in Central on a friend’s recommendation, expecting a queue but found it quiet-a warning sign. No energetic greeting, awkward sliding entrance, and no working toilets set the tone. Staff seemed disengaged, just ushering us to seats. Despite being a Japanese-style chain known for customisation, my order for thick noodles and no garlic topping was ignored; I got a generic bowl with thin noodles and fried garlic, same as my friend. When I raised it, staff tried to hand my bowl to another friend with a different soup base, checked the system, but still didn’t acknowledge the mistake. The broth was only slightly above lukewarm-not the steaming hot you’d expect. For Central, it’s cheap and the pork was generous, but overall it was more cheap and fast than cheerful. Even a cha chaan teng feels warmer. Disappointing, especially from a chain that claims Japanese authenticity and attention to detail.

Ramen is super delicious . Small , authentic looking joint. However , they failed to follow all our customization which is a shame , hence the 4 stars . The chicken/ tonkotsu blend is the highlight . Just the right degree of richness and flavor with nicely charred chicken. The spicy ramen came way too salted , though the palatable soup base still came through.

Have a great ramen at Butao! I got the Red King Ramen with additional nori, whole egg and gyoza. Let start with gyoza first, the gyoza skin is thin layered and cooked to perfection. The red king ramen is rich and have an ebi taste. The egg were also cook to perfection. A must eat when you’re in the area.

Solid as always. I liked the original tonkotsu soup base the best, and would have drunk it all if I weren't so full. The Green special (basil+parmesan cheese) is quite good as well, it's a harmonious mix of pesto sauce + pork soup base. Noodles doneness and thickness compliments the thick soup base. Pork is very tender and porky. Too bad their eggs were sold out. Overall, very satisfying!

This place gets pretty busy during lunch time, I came here around 11:30am and there was already a queue. Good thing they have good service - you can read their menu ahead of time and order right away once you are seated. And the menu is only a small selection - choose a ramen base, toppings, thickness of noodles. I chose the black squid version, with thick noodles. The broth overall is very strong and thick. A lot of flavours hitting the palette. The noodles were done to the right level. Inside the restaurant is very small, probably around 15-20 people. Pricing wise was around $15 CDN.

This was my second time coming back to this ramen place First off, this is a very small restaurant, you should keep this in mind if you bring many personal items with you, there might not be a place for it. If you go at a normal meal time, expect the need of sharing a table with someone. The food came out quick. I got the red king both times and it was kind spicy haha - maybe also because I checked "chili" as a topping... The soup was leaning on the thicker side if you are into that. Very condensed broth, it can get filling if you drink all of that. I think their noodles are so far the best I have ever had, and I normally picked normal or slightly harder. Will come back again next time I go back to Hong Kong

It compares to the best Ramen spots I have tried anywhere. It is a build your own Ramen restaurant. Consequently, you pick your own combination of noodles, meat, base, etc. My noodles were excellent. They were thick but still soft. The pork belly I ordered was awesome. For my base, I went with the "Black King", which is sesame. I liked but did not love it. The noodles and meat tasted fine with it. However, I did not try to drink the soup after I finished everything else. I probably would have enjoyed a more traditional base (e.g. Tonkotsu). Butao has an English and Chinese menu so it is definitely great for all comers. If you are visiting and planning a trip to Hong Kong and looking for recommendations, feel free to message me for my itinerary. You can also find the electronic copy through the link my profile.

It was kind of hard to find but pay attention, look around the street and you'll find it. Black King ramen was squid ink broth, which was salty and fishy, but they did not skimp on the squid ink! Even the ground meat was covered in squid ink! This was a really good ramen, even if I did feel kinda thirsty afterwards. The noodles were Chinese rather than the Japanese ramen, which was ok, but it would really be better if they had the latter! The pork belly was so fat and thinly cut though, oh my gosh. You could add pickled radishes and veggies from little jars on your table (one was spicy and the other was very salty)-- both were delicious. You share that as well as any more spicy seasoning and communal water. My bf got the Red King and it wasn't as spicy as he thought it would be, and it is more chili oil than actual chili powder. His soup was salty as well. I quite like this place for its novelty ramen. If you know what you like, you can also customize your ramen!

this little hole in the wall in soho / central hong kong, is a must, if you like ramen you will love this place, ive eaten ramen all over asia, including japan and this is simply the best. amazing and simple and just the best ever

This was the only good ramen place I found in central (ippudo is located in pacific place but it's a 10 minute+ walk from here). They serve Italian, spicy, and normal ramen and you can choose the noodles, the soup stock, how spicy, in short you can really customize your ramen. They serve fruit-water, but you can't take your ramen home if you can't finish it unfortunately. Overall, delicious, and the only place you can get ramen in central. They only accept cash unfortunately.

I got a seat before the lunch crowd queue. I ordered the signature dish, and it had rich broth, slices of pork belly and the beautifully cooked soft boiled egg which was so enjoyable to eat. I requested that the noodles be thick and I still got thin ones - did I do something wrong? Are there thicker noodles that I'm not aware of? The broth had depth and I was happy to finally get a decent bowl of ramen in HK. I was fascinated with the squid ink bowl that my neighbor was eating and I am determined to try that bowl next time. Service was quick and turnover is fast, so you don't have to wait too long to get a bowl of steaming hot ramen on a chilly day.

My favorite food lately is "Ramen" haha, before i seldom went to Noodle places but lately I found some that are very good, highly recommend this "Butao Ramen". I ordered "Black King" as it looked interesting and very special - it's squid ink and cuttlefish sauce mixed with pork and its covers the whole bowl in a kind of black puddle. It tasted really good, really sweet and the broth is rich. My friend ordered the "Butao King" which is the original version and a strong pork bone broth. For Ramen, I feel the most important part is the texture - it should not be too soft but this ramen was great and quite firm. We love that half boiled egg too, it was soft and the egg yolk keep bursting out after I bit it - yeah I like to bite this egg, but is up to you if you wan to mix it into the broth or not. Overall it was a nice dinner, it had a traditional Japanese feel, we enjoyed the feeling of satisfaction was immense as we were still talking about the ramen even after we'd finished the meal. It was so good that we will not forget it quickly, may be we will go again very soon! Lovely ramen!

This is the second time back having this amazing ramen. And thanks to yelp updates with the correct address or I will not know it got relocated a street down. My favorite, well it was so good that I ordered the same flavour, is the squid ink ramen. Very generous on the squid ink and even the minced meat are inked ;) the sugared yoke egg is also a must order to go with any ramen! It's perfectly cooked on the egg white yet creamy runny yolk inside. It was so savory and satisfying. I have to say the broth is a bit on the greasy side, just heavyweight for a pork base soup. So for someone that doesn't like the pork flavor can order light soup base. I like it plenty on whatever they are making. *note: they won't seat you unless your full party is arrived. They got a pretty small seating area and usually with a line. So have your Asian time friend be on time ;)

I'm glad that it tasted the same as the first time I tried at the Causeway Bay store. The black ramen is full of flavour, but be careful of the stains when you eat!

We were walking through the street to locate a lunch place and noticed this small interesting joint. Glad we picked this place as it was packed after 30 mins and there was a huge line waiting to get in. As we found out that this place was rated one of the best ramen places in Hong Kong. When ordering, you will be given to build you own ramen selection on their list. It can be fun but confusing since you don't know what to order. However the wait stuff were extremely helpful and they can guide you along. The ramen I ordered was a light spicy broth with skinny ramen noodle with pork belly. The noodle texture was firm and the broth was extremely tasty. If you love ramen as much as I do, this is definitely a place to try while you are in Hong Kong island.

I don't know if it's because I wasn't feeling too well to begin with, but I was very disappointed with Butao sadly. I came here after hearing that it was a great ramen spot that was better than Ichiran (personal fave in Hong Kong). I ordered the Big Red (Spicy) Ramen, and my friend ordered the Black King (Squid Ink) Ramen. Their marinated soft-boiled egg, which I added on, was amazing. I'm a huge sucker for soft-boiled eggs, and it was heavenly. The broth and ramen, however, made me feel rather nauseous. I think the broth was too fatty and too oily for my stomach to handle, and it ended up being something I couldn't even finish. I really wanted to like Butao, but I have to admit that unfortunately it didn't sit well with my stomach. If your stomach isn't sensitive to oil and fattier broths, you might want to try it out. But personally, Butao wasn't for me. Also, they only accept cash.

Some of the best ramen I've had since visiting Japan. Everything served there is the absolute best quality. Staff is super friendly and willing to work with you. They let our party sit at different tables to begin with and then switch to one when it opened up. On weekends and Friday nights there will be a line to get in but that just proves how awesome this place is. I got some squid ink ramen bowl and I highly recommend it if you have some authentic ramen experience. I will totally remember this place and come back there if I'm ever in the neighborhood.

One of my fav Ramen placed in Hong Kong. I always get the classic King with pork belly and two spice factor. So good! FAST service, and lots of food. Good portion, you will be FULL when you leave. About $18 for the Ramen. Nice little spot, easy to find, and very tasty. Definitely worth a check out!

If you are looking for good ramen, this is THE place to be. It has moved to a new location for a few months but the number of diners coming here seems to be growing by days. With that, you will be expected to wait outside under the bright sun for about half an hour. That being said, it only means that you need to be more patient to try this; and let me tell you - it is totally worth it. There are normally four types of ramen and one special one. The first one called Butao King is the original one with really strong flavored pork broth; The Red King for spice lover who can take red miso; Black King with black squad ink soup and last but definitely not the least - the Green King that has cheese in it. The special one that I tried last week I forgot the exact name but it was made of fish broth. My friend and I ordered the original one and the special one respectively. The Butao King is as high-quality as you would have expected so I will just skip that; the special one that I had turned out to be quite disappointing. Even before I ordered, I already asked my friend if that would taste like the "home style stock" from Knorr and I regret to tell you that it did taste like it. The ingredients like the pork were very nicely made but it was the broth that killed everything. It was REALLY salty and together with the salty fish there, they just did not mix well. I felt like consuming loads of MSG and I had to pay more for drinks. My friend of course finished the soup but I honestly could not. Anyways, I still do love this place and I recommend you guys go for the four typical ones; the fish one? Uh-huh. (Notice that this place will close as soon as all the noodles are sold-out.)

It was ok. Had the house base with a hint of spicy. Extra pork belly and an egg. The pork belly was not cooked or hot...the broth wasn't hot enough to cook the extra meat. The egg was impressively made. The egg was hard boiled, but still had the yolk wet. I'm not a fan of the yolk being wet since it pretty much mixed in with the broth. The egg didn't cook either since it wasn't hot enough. The plus side was that the broth was tasty. Friendly staff too. They had a sedans grinder which was neat and from the bar, you could watch the chefs work the noodles.

More of a 3.5 - came on a Sunday night, around 7 pm. I had high expectations after seeing reviews as well as friends recommending this place. Waited only for two people at the time, and was seated quickly. You're expected to share tables (and space) but it was pretty manageable. Both me and my brother ordered the classic king (1 spice and 0 spice respectively) with everything else in the regular/middle choices. The ramen came relatively quickly, although almost immediately I could see the thick layer of oil that was on the broth. It was quite salty in taste and just had a heavy feel to it. On the other hand, would have preferred the noodles to be a bit less chewy but that was my own personal choice on the form, so oh well. The pork and the egg I added in are what saved this dish. The pork was thinly sliced, easy to chew, and was not overly seasoned. The egg was nice and runny after you bite into it - the ramen way. Service is quick and easy, as is the concept of this restaurant. Starting at $89 for the ramen without any addons, this equals about $15 CAD, which is somewhat reasonable. Would be interested in trying the Black King in the future because squid ink ramen is not something you find everyday...

The competition for good ramen is tough in Hong Kong, but if you're in central and craving ramen and want the authentic Japanese experience, this place is for you. It's a small shop - seating 15 to 16 people at a time. So expect a bit of a queue if you're going at peak hours. The menu consists of 5 types of tonkatsu-based broths: Regular, Black King, Red King, Green King or Surprise. On the order form, you'll be able to choose the type of noodle (thick/thin), level of noodle softness, level of spice... etc. They only take cash or EPS (local debit card).

The Ramen here is good. It's not 5-Star good, but it's good. I would say that I actually liked some of the other Ramen places in Hong Kong a bit more because of the variety of dishes they offered. Butao is a bit sparse on menu offerings. If you go here, I don't think you'll leave disappointed, but don't go in with the expectation that it will be the best Ramen experience of your life.

This Ramen shop ALWAYS has a queue. I was curious, so I queued up! (beware- mosquito bites while you're waiting in line) We waited for about 30 minutes. So, don't let my 3 stars fool you. This place is good! The ramen broth is tasty and heavy. You can control the spicy-ness of your broth as well. But, for me, I wouldn't go out of my way for this place again. Theres many other places in HK that have Ramen that tastes the same but for a cheaper price. But, if you're in Central and are really craving for RAMEN, this is the SPOT! CHEERS! It's about 100HKD per bowl.

I have literally travelled across the world (New York City to Hong Kong) just to have a bowl of this ramen. The Black King is one of my favorite foods in the world. I cannot recommend this place anymore highly.

This restaurants has interesting ramen choices and one of them is ramen with lemon soup! I wanted to try that but it was already sold out. I tried the Butao ramen while my friend tried the Black King. Compared to most ramen places in HK, Butao ramen comes in decent size. Some ramen places only put two pieces of meat (tiny) in the bowls but not Butao. I like that they let you select the noodles (thin or thick). The taste is pretty good. If you are looking for a ramen place , you know where to go :P !

Oh, Butao, if only I could take you back to SF with me. This ramen is precisely what I want in my world of ramen, and without it I care nothing for the rest of it. Their seasoning, clumped neatly together in the center of the bowl, is a sumptuous world of delight. Their noodles are perfect. They offer everything you ought to want in any combination you'd like, and it's all excellent.

The. Best. Ramen. Ever. Butao is the bar I hold when I judge ramen. No, not Ippudo, Butao. I had both the Red King and Black King ramen. The flavors! The complexity! The joyful medley in your mouth! Plan on getting to Butao 10 min before it opens, because there will be a line. Worth every minute of waiting.

Omgosh the best ramen I've ever had!!! You order by completing a sheet of paper with lots of options to customise your ramen. There is: Butao ramen - the original. Tonkatsu pork broth. Black king - garlic and squid ink broth. Green king - cheese pesto broth (not so sure about this one!) Red king - spicy broth. Also options for how hard / soft you would like your ramen, accompaniments etc. I loved the thick, flavoursome broth, perfectly cooked ramen and accompaniments. My only criticisms would be 1) the rim of fat around the pork was a lot bigger than in other restaurants and 2) the ramen is probably not good for my general wellbeing! I've tried all but the Green King ramen (sounds a bit too adventurous for me) and was very impressed. Since then, I've become a bit of a ramen addict on a quest to find ramen that will top Butao but have not found anything. Ippudo is my favourite - but I prefer Butao! Restaurant is small and seating is cramped, it is a place where you have your food and leave straight away rather than lounging around. If you're having trouble finding it, it's the restaurant with the queues outside!

When I think of Ramen, I think of Butao. Since moving to HK, I've started dreaming of this place and I'm trying to consciously stop myself from coming too often...there are more Ramen places to try, or so I tell myself. It's quite packed because of all the hype, but totally worth it. They serve 300 bowls of ramen a day, so try to come early (I've had the pork sell out on me a few times). When you come, they give you a menu, asking to select your base, thickness of taste, oil sauce, garlic, pork, veggie, noodle texture, etc etc....basically it's VERY CUSTOMIZED and sometimes even overwhelming. I typically select the option for them to choose for me....BUT ALWAYS ADD AN EGG. IT'S A MUST. The single biggest decision you'll make each time is which base do you want - original (tonkotsu pork bone broth), green (Italian inspired with cheese, pesto, and basil), black (tonkatsu squid ink), or red (spicy miso broth). They will also have 'limited kings' - basically experiments they'll do to mix it up a bit. I usually go for these or the original flavor....although I have to say they're ALL amazing. There are times when I think about ordering two bowls. I'VE LEARNED THIS IS A MISTAKE. You will get WAY TOO FULL. Although I can typically eat 1.5 bowls out of pure gluttony. Notes on finding this place: It's kinda hard to see where it's located - take the MTR to Causeway Bay, exit A, go through the shady alley near the Rolex sign and you'll see it on the left hand side. Another note: Don't make it too spicy if it's your first time - you'll want to drink ALL OF THAT BROTH!!!!! SO GOOD.

This ramen place is indulgent and decadent! I always order the Black King (I don't usually like squid ink anything) and leave feeling a bit guilty. It's definitely rich, fatty and oily but the flavor is very good with none of that gross film that I see on a lot of ramen broths in Hong Kong (Ichiran is terrible here). Also, I love how they do a proper egg here (solid white, liquid yolk), I really hate when they give you an overly hard boiled egg in ramen! Lunchtime is packed, so if you come during off hours it's a lot less annoying. Cash only!

Quite the wait. We waited for half an hour at night time. I ordered the Big Red, which consists of spicy soup and ramen. I usually pick the hardest ramen because it won't be as mushy when I am half way through the bowl. The soup is very rich, heavy and creamy. If you like this kind of ramen then you should stop by. I have heard the one in Causeway Bay is much better than this one, but after hearing the hype of this I would like to give it a shot. I am not too surprised about this place because it is overrated. I have seen many people line up during the lunch hours in the hot, humid climate trying to slurp on some ramen. Does it hold up to the hype? I don't know, you tell me. The prices are reasonable; around $100 HKD per bowl.

I've had plenty of ramen in my life but nothing compares to what you can get at Butao. In recent years they have expanded, with a few branches all over HK. I've tried the Causeway location, and the food is the same there, but I think the Central location gives the best experience. The Central location has actually relocated around the block not too long ago but remains pretty similar. The Central location is tiny (just a handful of small tables) and probably has the longest line. The good thing is that they let you fill out your form so that by the time you sit down, your food will be almost complete. They have forms in English too if you need those. Another good thing is that they provide tea to people waiting outside. You can choose from their base broth (tonkotsu), or for an addition $10 HKD you can choose one of the "king" broths. The black one uses squid ink, the red one has spicy miso, and the green one I believe uses pesto and cheese. I personally prefer the black one and the standard one. After that, you can choose how to customize your bowl, such as how much noodle texture, flavor content, amount of oil, and add-ons. I like to add an egg to mine. You will have to wait quite a while (my first visit took 90 minutes of waiting during peak lunch hour). They only serve a certain number of bowls each day too, and they close when they sell all of those. If you want to avoid the line, you can gamble and try to show up around 3, when they're close to running out of bowls. We showed around 3 once and only had to wait around 10 minutes, but were close to hitting the cutoff.

Butao offers customers classic Japanese ramen joint flexibility in their options - noodle and broth types are both up in the air + sides and the chefs will make it right in front of you! They offer dual language menus as well, which speaks to their appeal. Business is always booming so more often than not you'll be queueing outside of the damn door. Overall a great place to grab a (pricey) bite, although it's quite crowded. Overall: why not?

We were hanging with some locals and dinner time rolled around. We let the locals lead and ended up here. So glad we did. There was a line, and you fill out an order form while standing outside on the sidewalk, so that there's no time wasted looking at the options once you occupy a valuable seat inside (as with most places, seating was limited). You can either check a series of boxes to make the ramen you want, or simply check the "Let chef decide" box and be done. Option wise, it'd be hard to be disappointed, so many options, I loved mine. I'd go spicier next time, but that's always hard to know the first time you try something. Apparently there's always a line, and with a group it's not terrible, you can talk and such to kill the time. I don't know how often (If i lived there) I'd want to wait in a line for soup.

Best Ramen I've had in my entire life and I eat a lot of ramen. Came to Hong Kong just for a few hours on my way from Bali jut to have their soup again! Delicious

I've eaten here over a dozen times, and each time they never disappoint. I've tried all their versions of their soup (except special). In order of preference for me is Red King, Green King, normal, black King. It's right up there with a lot of ramen I've had in Japan. Would be great if they could add a couple things to the menu like gyoza or something. Highly recommended this place. Yes there is a long queue but it moves fast. Most Hong Kongers eat and go quickly it seems.

delicious, and open late! you can customize your ramen very specifically, down to how hard or soft you want your noodles. The portion sizes are big but not sickening. I got the standard butao king - rich and filling. since we were there late, I guess they wanted us to leave quickly, so we were asked to pay the check before we finished eating. i'm also writing this review right now to distract myself from the sound of a baby shrieking itself hoarse on my flight.

Wow. This place is awesome. I went by myself and sat at the counter. The ramen was excellent. Came out fast. Spicy! So good. Small place so better for a small group. Cheap too.

Wasn't even expecting to love this, but Black King Ramen at Butao was one of the best bowls of ramen I've ever had. I think it was even my favorite meal during my 2 weeks in Hong Kong. It was definitely torture getting to Butao only because it was in August - still during the summer - and I arrived completely DRENCHED in sweat and panting. To top it all off, I was about to indulge in a steaming bowl of soup & noodles! Nevertheless, I don't regret a single thing and still have dreams about the ramen I had here.

I came here on a whim since I was craving for ramen. I really enjoyed the black king ramen and I like the fact that I can customize the ramen bowl according to my preference. The ramen base is very creamy and rich in flavor. The noodles were perfect. There was no line when I went (around 3pm on a weekday).

Had the red king ramen level 4 spice with pork belly. It was fantastic as good as anything I had in Tokyo. Level 4 had a good kick but not overwhelming. Failry small place, but did not have to wait for a party of 1. Super fast service. Bring cash. Was around 131hkd with a beer.

This is it..for me the best ramen place I've been to so far. I've tried 5 other places in San Francisco area so far but this is it. At each one I try and compare the miso broth. We had the spicy red and the green pesto which was unusual to see on the menu but was wonderful nonetheless. Both broths were not too salty and had just the right flavor for us. I loved their sheet where you can customize your ramen. If I'm ever back in Hong Kong, I'll be back to try the other flavors.

There was a bit of a line to get into the shop, but it was worth every single second of waiting. The Green King ramen was so good that I'm planning to try to replicate it at home--it was delicious. If I returned to Hong Kong, I'd absolutely make Butao one of my first stops.

Butao is up there with some of the best ramen have had in Hk. Even though it's a chain, I felt like the branch is causeway bay is slightly better but I love the spicy ramen. I personally always order gyoza with my ramen, so was slightly disappointed that butao don't have gyoza on their menu.

top ramen brand, first one started in the causeway bay location (listed as 豚王). can choose between classic, black, red, green, etc but can sell out. this time had black with thick noodle and pork butt, can adjust firmness and broth intensity. nice meaty pork topping. location crowded at night, still good.