Monohon Ramen
London water is too hard for the noodle dough, so they run it through a softener before it meets the Japanese flour and the kansui, and cut the noodles fresh every morning.
Why go
The name means the real thing
, and the kitchen's own account of itself is about two things. The kitchen makes the noodles daily from specialist flour brought from Japan, with kansui, salt and softened water, because London water is far too hard
for the texture they want. The soup is pork bones with kelp and shiitake for umami, boiled furiously for a whole day so that the fat emulsifies into the soup giving the creamy texture and whiteish colour
(Monohon). It started as a pop-up and took this Old Street site from a Malaysian and Chinese restaurant called Sedap (SquareMeal). Counter seats, cooking in front of you, in and out.
Order this / avoid
- Order: shouyu tonkotsu, which is what the kitchen is built around. Abura soba if you want it dressed rather than swimming. Mentaiko cream ramen for the bowl furthest from a classic. The vegan tan tan men, built as its own bowl.
- Avoid: turning up between quarter past two and five on a weekday, when the kitchen closes between services. Saturday lunch, since Saturday is dinner only.
What locals & experts say
- The Picky Glutton, two stars out of five, in a nine-way London tonkotsu group test:
it's therefore a shame that Monohon's tonkotsu ramen is so sub-par. The pallid broth had a one-note umami and shallow fattiness that wasn't very impressive.
What did work:The chashu pork slices were top-notch though, thick, tangy and richly umami.
That review is from 2017 and describes a four-item menu; there are twelve bowls now.2 - SquareMeal, on the method:
The bone broth is simmered for twenty hours and served nuclear-hot, while noodles are made in-house with flour imported from Japan.
Their figure and the venue's owna whole day
are both recorded here.3 - Nothing since 2017. No masthead or specialist outlet has assessed this kitchen in nine years, which is why the entry carries a technique argument and a stale verdict side by side.
Good to know
- Where: 102 Old Street, EC1V 9AY, basement and ground floor, by Old Street station.
- Timing: lunch Monday to Friday only, 12:00 to 14:15. Dinner Monday to Saturday 17:00 to 21:30, Sunday to 21:00. The gap in the afternoon is real.
- Booking: walk in. It is a counter.
- Diet: one vegan bowl, the tan tan men, built with sesame tare, negi oil and spicy miso-fried soy mince.
- Hygiene: FSA rating 5, inspected 9 July 2025, all three components clean.4
Verdict
could-visit — Monohon softens the water. London's is too hard for the noodle dough, so it goes through a softener before it meets the Japanese flour and the kansui, and the noodles are cut fresh every day. The broth is pork bones with kelp and shiitake, boiled hard for a full day until the fat emulsifies and the soup goes white and creamy. That is a kitchen paying attention to the two things that decide a bowl of ramen. Then there is the other side of it: the only person who has ever tested Monohon against its competitors, the Picky Glutton, put it through a nine-way London tonkotsu group test and gave it two stars out of five, calling the broth pallid with one-note umami and the soupless bowl poor. That was 2017 and the menu has gone from four items to twelve since, so it is old evidence about a smaller restaurant. Go if you work near Old Street and want a fast bowl at a counter with a vegan option on the list. Do not plan a night around it until somebody has assessed the current kitchen.