Yokato Yokabai is a premier destination for authentic Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen. Known for its rich, creamy pork bone broth simmered for hours and prepared entirely without MSG, this cozy eatery offers a true taste of Japan. With house-made noodles, highly customizable bowls, and savory sides like their famous karaage, it delivers an uncompromising and traditional ramen experience.
Patrons describe Yokato Yokabai Ramen as a cozy, authentic spot where rich tonkotsu or torikotsu broths meet chewy noodles and generous toppings, with karaage, gyoza and takoyaki seen as standouts. The atmosphere is repeatedly praised for its warm Japanese vibe, though seating is tight and the space can feel cold or noisy when crowded. Service is often friendly and attentive, but pacing and consistency vary with long waits during peak times and some missteps. A virtual waitlist helps manage crowds since reservations are not common. Many call the ramen among the best in Montreal or close to Japan, though a few note price, portion size, or occasional service gaps. The Michelin link is debated, but the overall experience is described as a top ramen destination worth visiting for a comforting, authentic bowl. The main caveats are crowding, temperature hotspots near doors, and premium pricing at peak times.
Honestly, the ramen was not exactly bad but the place is very overrated. For the price & the'reputation' the noodles were tasteless & the broth was excessively greasy. They also have us a table for 2 looking at a wall. I can take that but at least put some effort in the lighting, the atmosphere was bad. Edamame was excessively salty as well.
Nothing to complain about service.
You can walk in & get ramen, but you might have to queue & wait for about an hour. Alternatively, you can pre-book a time slot for the Izakaya menu (Japanese tapas. KEEP IN MIND: no ramen option!). We didn't want to wait, so we went with the tapas option, & we definitely didn't regret it! We ordered seven dishes (you can see them in the attached photos) & one pint of Asahi beer. It came to around $150, which we thought was quite reasonable. The tapas were amazing, full of real umami flavor! The staff was super friendly & helpful. I think we were served by Zakary, thank you so much!
Mar 27, 2026
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I returned after they received the Michelin star. The menu system is easy to use. The main course (ramen) was slightly cold for me, but the taste was fine. The fried chicken (karaagee) was crispy, but if you eat just the chicken without the sauce, I found it bland. The drinks at the bar were excellent.
Franchement, c'était délicieux. The broth is rich but not salty at all for the'normal' salt level. Le fait que les ramens sont très personnalisables, ça rend heureux de le manger comme on le veut! On était une table 5 & on s'est fait servir sans beaucoup d'attente à la table. Le rythme du service était bien sympa.
Love the atmosphere, the kitchen is mostly open allowing you to watch everything being prepared & cooked. Delicious flavors, & wonderful customer service.
I had the sukiyaki special ramen for lunch & my boyfriend had the classic tonkatsu. We could not recommend it more. This spot is the only one in the city where I have ever experienced an atmosphere akin to an authentic Japanese ramenya. Totally deserves its Michelin mention !
Mar 21, 2026
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Went at 6:30 on a Tuesday & there was no wait for a table for 3. Food was delicious & fun to choose different options. We got the edemame & spicy karage which were great additions to three bowls of ramen. Ultimately a great time with friends.
Have eaten much better ramen elsewhere. This is water downed, not very rich in taste. I think the hype is about the hang out spot & not the actual food which is very average. Service was friendly & fast.
Honestly horrible restaurant. We only waited 15 minutes to get seated which was great (we arrived at 9pm), but as we were walking we noticed that there were plenty of open seats already… so we waited for no reason.
Paid $88 per person.
The tuna hamachi from Ichigo Ichie was soooo good, the elderflower drink was amazing as well. The karagee was good but needed more sauce.
Now onto the ramen, we got the pork & vegetarian & they were both SO BAD. For a place that's'Michelin' it barely had any flavor, the vegetarian one genuinely tasted like water. Really genuinely so disappointing because we read such amazing reviews.
This used to be a great place food wise. I think it is just ok at best nowadays based on testing takoyaki, karaage & ramen. Not Michelin worthy for sure.
