Ikigai - Southbridge in Edinburgh, City of

Wow. Just wow. Where do I even begin... Let's start with the food. The chef (I believe they said his name was Sujan) is a black belt in the ways of ramen. I had the tantan broth with duck that was falling off the bone. Beautiful. Secondly, atmosphere and vibe equals the food. The manager is this really cool guy named Zu. He gave us a great experience and definitely lifts the place up even more. Had great service from Milo as well who even let me build a custom ramen that wasn't even on the menu. Place is fire, back soon.

Delicious, I always come here and leave crazy

Very good ramen. Fast, tasty and reasonable price. An interesting fact is that the pub is actually staffed by Hindus

My friend and I landed in Edinburgh and were looking for a good place to eat. We decided on Ikigai and it did not disappoint. Not only was the food delicious but the service was even better. Zu, our waiter, went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable. I highly recommend this place and sad I am flying back home. Thanks Zu!!!!

Food overall is great My husband ordered Tantanmen which for me is 4/5 - the soup and beef tastes very rich and flavourful. Would order that the next time Truffle fries are excellent 4/5 - crispy exterior and soft interior. Would be 5/5 if there’s more “potato”. I don’t really taste the seaweed on this one. Unfortunately, the seafood ramen I ordered is a solid 1/5. The soup is very bland and it doesn’t taste like seafood at all. The only things that made it “seafood” are the fried squid rings and fried shrimp - which I strongly believe doesn’t belong in a seafood ramen. A rich seafood broth would have clams, mussels and non-fried squid/shrimp. I still had to finish it since it’s quite expensive but it’s something I can never be proud of. Will not order it the next time. The atmosphere is great. The restaurant has a very nice light smell when you enter and the warmth is just enough. The staff are lovely. This nice lady working in the bar ran outside to give back the tote bag we forgot inside. Still would recommend this to our friends and would probably come back here after some time. Cheers!

Excellent food with a great atmosphere and very fast service. Also had halal and many vegan options which was appreciated.

Milosz gave amazing service and the food was lovely, will be back!

excellent service from Milosz, he was very attentive. Food was fantastic 🌟

Delicious food and great service!

Zu made a great recommendation on the duck it was incredible

Very good food - ramen, tofu!! You don't have to wait long for your food and the service is super nice :) I highly recommend it! While in Edinburgh we stayed here 2 times.

Zu was the best! Great service & even better food!

The food, the ambience, the service from Zu were INCREDIBLE!

The best ramen place in Edinburgh, broth is rich and full of flavour , seasoned properly and noodles but aldente and how they suppose to be ! Pork Gyoza was amazing damplimg dough soft but firm in the same time , meat inside seasoned first class ! And karaage chicken tented but crispy outside , coated in delicious sweet savoury sauce ! 5 stars !!!!!! Ps . Panacotta desert wow wow wow 😋😋😋

Took friends here this week for the first time, we thought the food was incredibly good. The Karaage starter was the best fried chicken any of us can remember eating. Fantastic flavours and super light batter. Unfortunately the service could do with improvement, not a smile to be seen amongst the floor staff.

I visited Ikigai ramen for the first time with my friend and the food was absolutely amazing! Some of the best food we’ve had. We had the vegan chicken ramen, sea weed and truffle chips, sweet potato croquettes and vegetable gyozas. We couldn’t recommend this place more. An amazing place to go out to eat with amazing tasting, vegan options and at a very reasonable price.

Had the Ramen. Totally overrated.

Food is absolutely amazing! Great atmosphere. Small place, with great character.

The best Ramen I've ever eaten!

Ramen and gyoza are highly recommended!

The food was great, especially the deep fried chicken wings and tofu, well seasoned and very crispy, possibly the best I have had. But the whole experience was ruined by this thin white waiter, very arrogant and rude, luckily the manager and the Asian waiter were both nice and friendly. We finished our food and left quickly because it was not pleasant to see him around and throwing attitude towards other customers, someone needs to train him how to do his job properly.

Very tasty and really big portion!

Lovely and generous portion. Value for money. More seatings available downstairs. Servers and manager are friendly and helpful.

Very good food, fresh and good quality

The place was packed, but no waiting time. Didn't need to place a booking. Servers were nice. The food however was sub par. The fries were tasteless and oily. The ramen was a bit overpriced for the quality. The char siu and egg was good, but the broth wasn't worth the stomach space. All in all pretty mid. Wouldn't recommend

Went here straight after we arrived. Very tasty and our dishes have a good spiciness! It was also quite empty due to the morning and therefore good food.

Very good ramen meal at a fair price

Great place to eat!!! So good! The manger, Zu, is so nice and accommodating. You won’t regret stopping in. Dress light, it gets toasty.

The food was delicious and the service was really friendly :)

It was a little louder for me, but not a big deal; the food was really good and the staff kind and nice

The food was amazing and the staff were great too. We shall be back got to be the best ramen in Edinburgh.

Spend 3 days in Edinburgh. Ate her for lunch 3 times. Some of the best Ramen and Pork Gyoza I've eaten.

Delicious food and fantastic service from Zu!

It's a popular place to hang out until late. But the place is far from hygienic. 1) Unmasked servers talk too much to each other while carrying food or making cocktails. 2) Employees are picking up spoons from the basket with their hands, catching the part that goes into the customer's mouth. 3) Many fly-like bugs are flying around as you sit at the bar table. There are still a few flying around in front of my eyes, but none of the employees care about the bugs. It's an uncomfortable and very dirty place. I don't recommend it.

The vegetarian ramen was quite tasty, but it took a long time and the music was VERY loud, making the experience quite chaotic and stressful. In addition to the dishes being quite expensive.

OK Food, nothing to write home about. Good Service.

There’s not much in Edinburgh when it comes to good Asian food so this place was a great relief! The food was good, although for us a little high on the seasoning side. Portions a big too.

Really good ramen!! Great bar tender Zu, I recommend

The food is not as nice but still ok. I had groupon discount so it was a good deal. Staffs were very nice.

the food was good and the service was good but the music stunk

Zu was wonderful, good attention to detail, very descriptive of the food and welcoming.

We loved the food, our ramen had such a great and authentic taste.

Amazing service and very tasty food thank you 😊

Fantastic ramen. Perfect to warm you up on a wet rainy day. Tonkatsu was a must have. Amazing staff.

Unquestionably the best ramen I have ever eaten! A broth full of flavor and creamy for a very reasonable price and a nice quantity. Amazing !

Excellent service, food and very friendly staff Amazing playlist which it makes everything even better 😁

One of the most delicious ramen... It's just too noisy for me. Very nice swrvice

THE BEST RAMEN I HAVE EVER EATED!!! Passing through Edinburgh for a few days, If you like ramen I highly recommend it. In addition to the delicious cuisine, the setting is pretty and the servers friendly. Really great

The ramen noodles are good, the soup is delicious, there's so much you can't finish. Takoyaki with juicy sauce is a must try.

Delicious! Great food, cool cocktails, and fun staff. I wish I had more room to try more things on the menu!

The best chicken ramen I have ever had. Excellent food, friendly and efficient staff, great atmosphere. Highly recommend this place! Well done guys!

Zu and Milo were fast and courteous. Food outstanding. Gyozas were the best we've ever had!

Everything about this place is great! The friendly staff, the music, decor and especially the delicious food! We will be back!

Amazing hospitality, friendly welcome the moment we walked in Abi is a great and very patient host🥰 The quality of the food was outstanding🥰

Great ramen and Japanese food in a hip space. The wait staff and manager are all cool, attentive, and friendly. This time I came back with friends and had a great lunch. The black pepper chicken and sriracha mayo karaage chicken and both a really nice level of spicy, with rich cuts of chicken done up just right for each dish. 👌

To be honest, it's not very delicious and it would be easy to find a better place in Korea, but I'm dying to eat Japanese ramen so if you have to eat it right away, go for it. It was just like that.

Really nice place for good ramen! We loved the vegan options. Never had better 😍

One of our favourite places! The vibe is super cool (great music), the drinks are unique, and the food and sides are amazing. The vegan ramen option is super delicious, the potato croquettes and veggie gyoza were also great. The whole menu is awesome. My husband had the spicy ramen and loved it. The servers and chefs are worth meeting. :)

Seafods Ramen is only shrimp no other seafoods…

The most perfect ramen I’ve ever tasted 😍

10/10! Some of the best ramen I’ve ever had in my life. It was so good, I came back the next day. The fried nori was out of this world and I’ll be dreaming of it until I’m lucky enough to return. Service was also friendly and fast. While other reviews said music was loud, that was not my experience

We ordered the Tonkotsu ramen and it was delicious. The presentation of the dish is simple. The service was quick and very good.

Impeccable and smiling service, excellent ramen. I'll be back!

The best ramen I had in a while! The staff were very nice and friendly and the place is great!

Ramen is delicious, gyosas and Karaage also mouth watering.

The staff was really welcoming and food was delicious. Special mentions to Abhi who was so friendly and professional. Thank you again!

It is really nice and fantastic！

One of our favorites for ramen and cocktails

Best place in Edinburgh to have the ‘SPICIEST’ ramen. I can come back to Edinburgh just to have Tan Tan Chicken Ramen again

Overall for me, I would have given my experience a 3.5 stars. Okay, but not amazing. The ramen soup base had a decent flavour but was under seasoned. The noodles had a good texture, but the egg was overcooked. The chashu was very thinly sliced and meant to be charred, but I felt this treatment made it a bit rubbery and unappetizing instead of meaty and moist. The kimchi was under fermented, and I would have deemed it more chili-marinated than pickled. The gyoza were quite nice. So overall a bit disappointing given the high rating from others.

Best Ramen outside of Japan. To be honest I was a little worried, when I saw a non japanese Ramen Chef behind the counter, but everything was perfect! Thanks a lot! We will definetly come back again 😍

Excellent! Will come back again!

the korean guy i think his name was two, gave us amazing service! Made the place feel so warm and welcoming i will recommend to all my friends and definitely return everytime im in the area! THANK YOU TWO!!!!

Great foods and wonderful services! I came with my friend and we got excited with Zu’s awesome cocktail making 😆🍸 Thank you a lot also for Milosz, Sujan and everyone! 🍜🫶

Second visit. Lovely service from all the staff, especially Zu - he gave great advice on the different ramen options on the menu. The food is delicious!

Food always class, friendly service, busy but quick!

The tantanmen is excellent, my wife had the pepper beef ramen which was a really interesting take. Delicious and not too expensive. Highly recommend!

Very tasty ramen. Chicken wings were great a lots of veggie choices too.

Good ramen! Lovely staff. Would recommend

I was so excited to taste japanese WagYu burger, finally found it here - but it wasn't even good enough. The regular burger down every street food truck can be even better. Then we came to ramen 🍜 It's the one I can come again if have a suitable situation, but not the best in my life as well.

We came twice for lunch because the chicken tori pai tan rammen is delicious! The people who served us were very friendly and the price is within the average for Edinburgh. I totally recommend!

Service is quite good with friendly crew. The tonkotsu ramen is too salty for my taste however their side dishes fried wings and takoyaki are delicious.

This is the best ramen I have eaten in awhile. I would say the best ramen in Edinburgh for sure. My wife and I had the chicken and spicy pork ramen. It’s perfect for a chilly rainy day to warm up your bones!

Good service, tasty food, nice decor

My husband and I ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen and it was absolutely delicious. The noodles tasted homemade and the broth was seasoned perfectly. The bamboo was also so good. I applaud them for being so concerned for my intolerance to onions. I'm not allergic, but I'm in intolerant and they were so careful with it and kept asking all the right questions. I'm used to in the US where they're usually not as friendly about it so I appreciated them being so nice. I would definitely stop by if you're walking the royal mile and looking for somewhere to eat :)

Quick service, great looking & tasting food, highly recommend!

As a regular Ramen eater, this is Not bad.

Nice little ramen place, the food was good and service prompt. The black pepper ramen was very tasty and would definitely recommend. Only issue was that the wooden chairs were sticky (maybe needs proper wiping) and not very comfortable. Overall, good place to grab a quick bite.

Had the tantanmen, laksa ramen, and takoyaki— all divine. Laksa ramen was spiced and rich, no lemongrass which was a plus in my book. It was also lighter (likely chicken broth) and I was able to finish the whole bowl! Takoyaki was crispy on the outside and generous in octopus on the inside. Best values for money we’ve had in Edinburgh and I’d been there for 2 weeks already!

Mega delicious ramen! Service was super fast! Small recommendation: order starters first and order ramen when you're done. For us, the main course came just shortly after the starters. However, the store is not suitable for relaxing.

Great food and even greater atmosphere thanks to our lovely waitress Megan. Will definitely come back thanks to the helpful staff

Food is alright nothing special, egg and noodle were slightly overcooked. Ambiance was not relaxed, noisy, packed… Service from waiters was nice but queue was massive and they removed my booking while I was there under the 10min cancellation.

Great food and the drinks by Eren (the new bartender) were fantastic!

Friendly service but ramen was not very tasty. Broth lacked flavour and noodles were overcooked. Overhyped.

A friend of mine went to Maki & Ramen and said it was ok. A Reddit post mentioned that even though Ikigai and Maki have the same owners, Ikigai was better. I was pleasantly surprised. Noodles were bouncy, broth was good, salt and togarashi karaage was good, port gyozas were decent.. all in all I would recommend to others and would come back Update: back a month later and it was just as good, if not better than last time. Would def recommend. Friends had the seafood ramen, tantanmen & tantanmen chicken and all gave it 4/5 Update #2: back another month later and still as good I I remember with great service and conversation with Zu. Ordered the takoyaki this time on-top of the normal ramen, gyoza and karaage. Takoyaki was good, could def feel nice sized chunks of octopus inside. Update #3: I've had to update my review yet again as I realized the food is so good I have given myself a Pavlovian response... Everytime I think of Edinburgh, I start craving ramen from Ikigai.. and the gyozas and salt and togarashi karaage.. and the service is here from Zu and the rest of the staff of amazing, they rememebr you and give you service with a smile... 10/10 would recommend

Food is really nice, the broth is perfectly balanced and the egg is still soft and tender in the middle. The chicken is really tender too. Will recommend if you are in the hood. Music is a bit loud if you don't like noise. Beside that love it!

Amazing spot if you’re looking for some ramen in Scotland. Staff was incredibly chill and the vibes were 10/10. Definitely coming back!

Delicious Ramen and small dishes. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious.. Just good food and good service.

Very good value for money. Ideal for a super quick cheap but food for the soul ramen. I got a black pepper beef ramen 🍜😀 one of the best I got in a very long time. At this time I was alone and I sat at the counter by the bar which made the service super fast and painless. The music was too loud for me and the waiter was super nice and turned it down as soon as I mentioned. I'll definitely pop back again to try the wagyu burger.

Best ramen I’ve ever had, recommend the tantan chicken if you like a little spice