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Two bowls of ramen at Ikigai on South Bridge: a creamy tonkotsu with pork belly and a soft egg, and a dark mushroom broth, by glasses of water with lemon.
Edinburgh

Ikigai

A ramen restaurant on South Bridge, with noodles made from scratch every day and broths cooked for eight hours.

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Welcome

On a cold, grey Edinburgh day there's nothing quite like a steaming bowl of ramen, and Ikigai on South Bridge is a lovely place to find one, a few minutes' walk from the Royal Mile.

Ikigai means a reason to live in Japanese, and the kitchen takes that to heart: the noodles are made from scratch every day and the broths are cooked for eight hours. You'll find rich, creamy tonkotsu, a fiery tantanmen and a good choice of vegetarian and vegan bowls, with small plates to share on the side. It's a cosy, laid-back room, and it makes a warming stop after a tour of the vaults under the bridge. This is the second Ikigai; the first is on West Crosscauseway in Newington. It's open for lunch and dinner every day, and right through the afternoon from Friday to Sunday, with takeaway too.

Close byThe Banshee Labyrinth2 min by roadSee itThe Banshee Labyrinth
Before you go

Open every day for lunch and dinner, and right through from noon from Friday to Sunday.

Takeaway too.

Where
29-30 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1LL, a few minutes from the Royal Mile.
Open
Monday 12pm to 2pm and 4.30pm to 10pm; Tuesday to Thursday 12pm to 2pm and 4.30pm to 9pm; Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10pm; Sunday 12pm to 9pm.
Vegetarian
Vegetarian and vegan ramen.
Dogs
Not allowed.
Access
A wheelchair-accessible entrance, toilet and seating.
Phone
0131 563 0958

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
noon–2pm, 4.30pm–10pm
Tuesday
noon–2pm, 4.30pm–9pm
Wednesday
noon–2pm, 4.30pm–9pm
Thursday
noon–2pm, 4.30pm–9pm
Friday
noon–10pm
Saturday
noon–10pm
Sunday
noon–9pm

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Where it is

At 29-30 South Bridge, in the Old Town, a few minutes south of the Royal Mile.

Close bySouth Bridge and the Old Town.
  1. Candelabra lighting a stone passageway in a dark underground vaultThe Blair Street VaultsThe deepest set of vaults under the South Bridge, built into its arches in the 1780s, sealed with rubble and forgotten until the 1980s.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Arched glass roof spans an open studio filled with art and weaving loomsDovecot StudiosA weaving studio founded in 1912, working today in the old Infirmary Street Baths, with a gallery, a shop, a cafe and a balcony over the looms.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Timber slabs laid along the wooden floor of a grand columned galleryTalbot Rice GalleryThe University of Edinburgh's public gallery of contemporary art in Old College, with a white gallery and Playfair's Georgian Gallery, free to enter.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Café interior with yellow chairs, wooden tables and a chalkboard menu on the wallEdinburgh LarderA cafe on Blackfriars Street off the Royal Mile since 2009, cooking seasonal local food, with the Scottish breakfast at its heart.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. The Royal MileThe Royal MileThe long cobbled spine of the Old Town, running downhill from the castle to Holyroodhouse, once two separate burghs divided by a city gate.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. John Knox House on the Royal Mile with pedestrians below its timbered gablesJohn Knox HouseA townhouse of 1470 on the High Street, the oldest original medieval building on the Royal Mile, home to Mary Queen of Scots' goldsmith and linked to John Knox.Under a mile 2 min by road
  7. The Scottish Storytelling CentreThe Scottish Storytelling CentreThe world's first purpose-built centre for storytelling, opened in 2006 on the High Street beside John Knox House, with the Netherbow Theatre inside.Under a mile 2 min by road
Directions
A stone-walled passage in the Blair Street Underground Vaults, lit by wall lamps and running away into the dark.AttractionsBlair Street Underground CavernsA step away
The green shopfront of Mother India Cafe on Infirmary Street in Edinburgh, its name in gold letters above the door.RestaurantsMother India's Cafe EdinburghA step away
Woman in red robe sprinkling green powder into a glass jarShoppingThe Department of MagicA step away
The stone arch at the foot of Fleshmarket Close, its name above and steps climbing away, people walking up.AttractionsFleshmarket CloseA step away
Framed pictures line an exposed brick wall beside a yellow-topped bar with beer tapsRestaurantsArcade BarA step away
Whisky barrels line the bar counter beneath shelves of bottles and a mezzanine levelRestaurantsStramash0.2 miles
Edinburgh Castle seen from a rooftop terrace with a stone drainage holeAttractionsAndy Goldsworthy's 'Hutton Roof'0.2 miles
Union Brew Lab specialty coffee bar frontage on a quiet streetCafeOrigin Coffee, South College Street0.2 miles
Paper cup reading "The Black Medicine Coffee Co." under an espresso machine spoutAttractionsBlack Medicine Coffee Shop0.2 miles

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Stay nearby

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