Bone Daddies Richmond – top London ramen branch?

Where is a good spot for lunch before a visit to Kew Gardens? If you like ramen, then Bone Daddies in Richmond is only a twenty-minute walk away! If you don’t already know Bone Daddies, check out our review of the Bond Street branch. While this was my second Bone Daddies adventure, I went with my Italian friend who was excited to try it out for the first time. I was secretly excited too as I wanted to see if the Richmond branch would be superior to the Bond Street experience!

Interior of Bone Daddies Richmond

The Richmond branch keeps in line with their Rock n Roll Ramen décor with photos of leather jacket rockers all around the restaurant. By the front entrance, Bone Daddies is written in Japanese Katakana on wooden panels, and as you walk through the restaurant, you’ll come across some neon lights and lanterns. Then towards the back you’ll see some sake barrels on one side, and sake bottles lining the wall of another. Although it is different to traditional ramen shops in Japan, it does have a certain charm to it.

What did we order?

After some deliberation, I picked the original T22 ramen, and my friend went with the Yuzu Tonkotsu ramen. We agreed to try out each other’s broths, and luckily the staff were able to provide two small sharing bowls. Our server also asked me how I liked my noodles and I requested Katamen (firm). Got to say their Yuzu Margherita looked tempting, but we decided it was too early in the day for it!

As we waited for our ramen, we looked over our table which had the regular Bone Daddies set up. There was a bowl of chili spice, a sesame seed grinder, hot chili sauce, and a jar of garlic cloves with a garlic press close by. These are all wonderful and free additions to customise your ramen bowl with. Then there was another cute jar containing hair ties for long hair customers – although I wondered how often they are used. Bone Daddies also provide plastic bibs to prevent accidental broth-splashing on your clothes, which are fun to take a photo with, and a sensible choice if you came dressed up.

How was our ramen?

The T22 is a chicken broth ramen with a name I can’t decipher. Does the “T” stand for Toriniku (chicken)? Regardless of the naming, I was happy to see they had arranged the ramen toppings neatly. The presentation was so pleasing the Kale did not even seem out of place. Moving to the noodles – they were indeed firmer than the ones I had at Marylebone and had a good chewiness to them. The broth itself was flavourful and satisfying although I still think the soup profile could have more depth. Going back to the toppings, I had a lot of fun eating through the crunchy cock scratchings. These are fried chicken skins which have a lovely crunchy texture and go well with the soup. Finally the star of the show was the Clarence Court egg with its perfectly runny golden yolk.

My friend had ordered the Yuzu Tonkotsu ramen, and like me, wondered how these two flavours would balance out. I can say that in the few spoons I had, the Yuzu totally outshone the Tonkotsu by far. If like us, you crave that fantastic Yuzu citrus taste, you will really enjoy this ramen. But if you are out for fatty porky bones broth with a hint of Yuzu this may not be for you. While the Tonkotsu aspect is very light, the Yuzu flavour was delightful and made for a great ramen. My friend really enjoyed her toppings too, which included bamboo shoots, chopped Chashu pork pieces, and a Clarence Court egg.

Bone Daddies Richmond rating

I would say Bone Daddies have a lot of hype to them. As I wrote before some of my foodie friends say it is the best ramen in London. For us, we really enjoyed our ramen, the attentive service, and the Richmond branch atmosphere. Since we went for lunch, I can not advise about evening vibes, but it definitely was a solid lunch choice for us.

The ramen was also better than the time we ate at Marylebone (although it was only outdoor seating back then) and in Richmond the staff seemed more knowledgeable about the dishes. I personally felt that the ramen broth could have more depth, and for this reason I rate the Richmond branch 4 stars out of 5. Of course, some may prefer the cleaner broth profile so feel to disagree in the comments below.

What we can say is that Bone Daddies does deserve to be in our best ramen restaurants in London list. Feel free to check it out if you are looking for a new ramen spot in the city!