Ittou Noodle Bar in Cambridge

Absolutely amazing Ramen, this is more than a noodle bar. Not the biggest restaurant and located down a passage just across from Kings. You enter down the stairs and end up in this wonderful basement selling the most wonderful food. Not the biggest menu but everything on it is good. The doors open at 12.00 and soon after that, it is full. Service is quick and efficient. About mid price for the food, but well worth it.

This is the best ramen that I have had outside of Japan! The broth is delicious, seaweed crispy, and eggs perfectly poached.

First time there so I wanted to try some basics to see how they managed those.  Pork gyoza to start. Down-side a touch oily and no browned/slightly crisped base from pan contact.  Star feature: Light texture of pork, juicy, fresh-tasting, with a counterpoint hint of fresh bright spring onion.  The texture/flavour won out as superb. Main course.  Tonkotsu ramen.  A common enough dish but finding an authentic example outside Japan is challenging.  So today was a big surprise.  This was perhaps the most authentic example I have had over say 30 years ex-Japan.  The broth, it all hinges on that; lovely, that slight milky pork-broth cloudiness.  Not a hint of over-salting (as seems common in Europe), subtle, delicate.  Then the pork meat. Several thick slices of the most wonderful floppy, streaky, divinely juicy pork - oh heavens that was special!  Bean sprouts, half a boiled egg, menma (bamboo shoots), proper noodles, seaweed.  Outstanding, seriously, best ramen I've had 'in the West'. My wife had a prawn starter which was well presented and she enjoyed.  For mains she had unagi-don; grilled eel on rice.  I tried the eel, it was lighter and juicier than you commonly find.  Very tasty. Our try out of staple offerings today went well.  I'd no idea what this place is like and it's styling as a 'noodle bar' does it little justice.  Wow!!   I mean I lived in London for years recently, tried numerous JPnese restaurants and found nothing as good as this.  It's so simple and unpretentious; in fact in that way it's also properly authentic.  The chef brought our dishes to the table (not the waiter).   You might wish to plan with the following in mind.  It's a small place, a basement room downstairs. You enter off a discreet alley into a door-way. Down stairs into a hall-way type room with 2-3 small tables.  This might be the take-away/riders waiting zone.  Through that, past the small open kitchen and into the back room.  Maybe 5-6 tables for 4, 4 for 2, 1 for 1.  It's not big, table occupancy ebbs and flows.  We made an effort to get there a bit early say 12.40 on a Monday and were seated straight away.  Others arriving at say 1.15, there was no free space so they turned around and left. This happened to 2-3 small groups.  But if they had have waited I don't think they'd have been there more than 5-15 before being seated.  If you come especially, be prepared to wait a bit if necessary - it's well worth it.  Either that or simply plan to visit slightly off-peak. Wi-fi, yes, I was surprised to get a Cambridge Uni students open wifi service offered for non students here.  The clientele I'd estimate as about 85% East Asian, which I take as a vote of confidence.   Ohhhhh that broth and juicy pork did I tell you about that... wow! ;;  This place goes directly into our top 5 lunch spots for when in town. Tap water was free of charge, brought without asking.  My wife had a fruit soda.  No service charge was presumed on the bill (how refreshing/how Japanese).  The bill came to about £42 which we rounded up with an appreciative and appreciated tip.

Bon rapport qualité / quantité / prix ! Nous avons pris un miso au Pork, c’était délicieux ! Service rapide, cependant peu de place à l’intérieur, arrivez tot (12h) si vous ne voulez pas faire la file.

Excellent food. Popped in for lunch on a shopping trip to Cambridge. Busy but able to get seats straight away. Plenty of menu choices but I love my Ramen so tried the Miso Ramen. Very good. The restaurant is located of the main street but there is well signed. Will go again next visit to Cambridge.

Went to Cambridge for an open day university tour. We were exhaused by afternoon and wanted to have a quick stopover for lunch before continuing on our tour. Located opposite king's college, it is actually almost hidden away in a small corridor. The restaurent itself is in the basement and was kind of cute. The dishes were all priced between £11.99 to £14.99 and the portions were massive. Most importantly, there were damn tasty and delicious. I have seen othe reviews of this restaurant stating that it's not authentic and that they have tasted far better Japanese food in Japan. I am an Indian and have come across 1000s of Indian restaurants and very few come to the authentic taste of real quality indian food. It is the nature of food that you have to adapt to the loal people. I loved the food and was awesome!

Restaurant seems to be run by Chinese staff, not Japanese. I cannot speak to the ramen noodle, which I did not try, but the Katsu curry was over fried and with little curry sauce. The rice was not freshly cooked either, a bit flaky and dry. The chicken karage is also unlike any other karage I have tried before. It was over friend, cut into tiny pieces and not very tasty. Have lived both in China and Japan - and have had better Japanese food in both countries.

Fabulous waitress who recommended dishes- teriyaki chicken- dumplings- mutton broth- saki. It was so good! A very authentic place to visit if you want some real Japanese culture. The chef's prepared everything on a small open kitchen which you can see. Very special find as this restaurant is hidden from view. Highly recommend.

While visiting Cambridge, we were looking for someplace different out of the heat of the day. Luckily, we spotted the sign for Ittou Noodle Bar and headed down the narrow walkway and even farther down the staircase to find this tiny restaurant filled with Asians enjoying a range of menu items. We were eager to jump right in. The four people in our party each ordered a different type of Ramen as well as split an order of dumplings. All were very good. We loved our meal and also enjoyed listening to everyone around us enjoying each other's company as they enjoyed their food. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Thank you for our memorable lunch in Cambridge. We had eaten enough fish and chips plus pub food in the previous week and thoroughly enjoyed this change of pace.

sorry very bad not Japanese at all rude service bad food... takoyaki was frozen noodles were bad, really not Japanese at all

I crave this almost daily, it's all I can think about. Such good ramen. The best I've had in Cambridge by a mile, maybe the best in the UK. Felt very comfortable here as a solo diner too. Also been with my partner, who loves it too.

Wow wow wow! This gorgeous little noodle bar is phenomenal! The location makes it feel like Cambridge’s best kept secret, being on kings parade but tucked away down an alley, I am so glad we made the investigation to the restaurant. The service is great and the food made you only want more and more with every bite. I highly recommend this little gem of a restaurant and will be returning very very soon!

Tucked away in the busy city sits this authentic little restaurant, serving oriental (predominantly Japanese) food. The ramen is nice, perfect for warming you up on a cold Autumn day. Service was a bit slow, but overall it's a nice find and would recommend!

This is a gem of a place for lunch Cosy and central to Cambridge We chanced upon it at lunchtime - down a side alley opposite Kings - and are very glad we did The proprietor was welcoming and helpful Service was genial and as prompt as one could hope for freshly cooked food The vegetable tempura starter was so good we ordered another straight away Diverse Asian menu and generous portions Good value Thoroughly recommended

On the last day of a short break in Cambridge I went to Ittou, if I'd gone at the beginning of the holiday I would have gone every day. I had the best oriental meal I've ever had. The lady owner couldn't have done more to find out exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it cooked, then the chef created the most amazing dish that absolutely exceeded all my expectations. I just wish Ittou wasn't a 2 hour drive from my home!

mouth watering smells when we entered, the food arrived really quick and was stunning! we recommend the sizzling odon with beef and seafood ramen.excellent service, and superb food!

I visited this restaurant couple of times. Each time ordering ramen. It’s soooo good.l every time. Never had better. Prices are very good for Cambridge. Homey atmosphere. I’m waiting for lockdown to finish so I can go there again!

Ittou is such a hidden gem in Cambridge, the food is always great and hands down the best ramen I have found in Cambridge! Can recommend the Takoyaki and the Tonkotsu ramen, my two favourites. The service is great, atmosphere is really friendly- hope to see you after the lockdown!

Absolutely superb food. Pork in the tonkatsu ramen is melt in the mouth every time. Delicate flavours, generous portions. Would highly recommend.