Vivian T.

The shop itself is a bit small but service was friendly and the food came out extremely fast! The menu is straight forward and is authentic with about 4 different noodle options! It was also recommended by many different foodie critics and I gotta say its on point. I got the god fire level 2 and it was perfect! A must try! Come at a strange hour to avoid the wait ;)

Two S.

Gensuke had been on my list for some time. I was first to arrive at 11.20am for the 11.40am opening. The cafe filled very quickly after it opened and by the time I left there was a lengthy line outside. It's only a small place and doesn't seat many. You need to get here early or get lucky unless you're happy to line up for a while. I ordered the Signature Tonkotsu with spring opinions, bean shoots and cabbage and an egg. It's a delicious dish. Rich, satisfying and substantive with lovely deep flavour. It's also a very good size. I got a side of beautiful gyozas as well because other reviewers had recommended this. The gyozas were excellent but not strictly required. Service was good and quick. The business model is obviously to keep the customers ticking over. A good experience. This is a very nice ramen place.

Tom C.

Outstanding bowl of Hakata-style ramen. It's rich, pork-bone broth is divine and the noodle's firmness is customizable. Toppings like crushed garlic, takana, and sesame are left on the table for you to add. The spicy and black tonkotsu are also pretty great. Pass on their gyoza, not a fan, small and not very flavorful. They have a combination of tables and counter seats. If you come by yourself or as a couple, you'll often be sharing a table. A queue generate as soon as they open but it's often moves quick. I highly recommend trying!

Sarina W.

It's 2:30pm and there was a queue out the door. WTF? Well, this IS currently Melbourne's favourite ramen place, would I expect any less? But sadly I had to rush home so I had to give it a miss. However the very next day I managed to get to the city relatively early, and even though the website said Hakata G is open from 12 noon I decided to try my luck. BINGO! They are actually open from 11:30am and it was only 10% full! Yes! The friendly waitresses and chefs all greeted me heartily and I was promptly given a menu and an order form. I love it how you can customize the broth, the chewiness of your noodles amount other things. I felt like something light so I ordered the shio ramen (salt based) with extra firm noodles, normal broth, extra seasoned egg (well there is none in the actual shio ramen!!) and black fungus (veg intake) When the ramen came out the first thing I remembered thinking was gosh it's so tiny!!!! The next thing I thought was can I order some sides? But no, this place is cash only and I only got $20... With the extra topping this ramen is already pushing $20.. Sigh! A quick sip of the soup revealed a very clean flavour. This is simplicity done well. The noodles are thin white ones and whilst it was al dente at first it quickly became a little bit mushy (in my standard). The pork was flavoursome but by no means melt in your mouth and while the egg looked any boiled egg of the street I did notice that it was seasoned. Or maybe it was the soup that flavoured the egg? Overall it was one of the better ramen I have eaten in Melbourne, but it's still not as good compared to what I had in Asia that's for sure. I am struggling to give this place a 4 out of 5...I know I am a fence sitter but why can't yelp do half a star?!?! Lol I wld have given 3.5 stars I walked out amoungst the boisterous goodbyes feeling ever so slightly hungry and $17 lighter.

Jocelin L.

Small ramen joint that is definitely worth queuing for. It's not a long wait (7mins) and you're provided with a menu and pen and paper to order your dish while you're in line. You have a choice of how firm you want your ramen noodles and also the level of spicyness you can take. I ordered the black tonkotsu ramen with an extra egg!. It came out in a really big bowl. I was really afraid I couldn't finish it!! But the soup and noodles was so delicious! Couldn't help but just slurp everything up! Hakata, please come to Perth!!

Ken U.

Great cosy ramen joint for an express bite. Had to queue in front of the restaurant but they were turning tables over quickly that it was only a 10 min wait for two. Went for their signature pork bone broth, glad I chose normal flavour as the broth was creamy and had a distinct note of umami pork flavour. Loved having my noodles cooked extra hard cause by the time I got to the end of my bowl of soup the noodles were still firm. Make sure you order a side of juicy chicken karaage and just pay the extra special toppings to get extra charsu and an egg. Definitely want to come back again to try the God of fire spicy ramen.

Sarasi A.

I thoroughly enjoyed the food here! There was a small line up for a weekday lunch, but our group of 4 didn't have to wait long while we were given menus and an order form to look through. I ordered the Signature Tonkotsu and a flavoured egg as an add on is a must! The broth was flavourful and the pork slice was almost melting through the broth. Along with some pint-sized gyoza, the meal was very filling and I struggled to finish it all. I will definitely come back to try the rest!

Maria T.

Curiosity finally got to me. I had never read any reviews about this place but everytime I walked along Russell St and passed by Hakata Gensuke, there was always a massive queue. I was in the area at 11.45am, no queue in front so I called up a friend last minute and arranged to meet there. I thought to myself, why not go inside first and get a table, to escape from the freezing cold weather. Access denied!! The waitress said that because my friend had not arrived yet, I must wait outside. They had space for two but just didn't want me in there... for what reason, I have no idea. I don't get pissed off very often but this certainly ticked me off. Nevertheless I waited the extra 3 minutes outside and tried again once there were two of us. Once seated I quickly glanced through the menu. You can customise the noodle texture and taste which is handy. I chose the signature tonkotsu and all options 'normal'. Seasoned egg was considered an extra topping *sigh* so I went for a side order of gyoza instead just to mix things up. Good decision as it was delightful! The ramen was tasty and broth on point, but the included toppings were scarce and I was definitely peckish afterwards. I've found better in the cbd which I am now using as my benchmark, so yeah, can't see why this place is so hyped up. The service is Japanese style as all the staff (including the chefs at the back) shout out greetings and salutations when you enter and leave. But even without customers coming and going, they are constantly yelling at the top of their lungs. Makes it hard to hear whoever you're having a conversation with. I think if they toned it down a few decibels lower I wouldn't mind so much.

Shin Yee C.

Not worth the wait. I always walked past and amazed at how long the queue is. Tonight I decided to give it a try with four other friends. The waitress first approached me when I was queuing outside, asking me which type of noodles I would opt for- the dipping one or the the normal one(FYI they offer the dipping one starting at 6pm). Being really confused and not knowing what the dipping one means, I said I'd go for the normal one. About 10 mins later when my other friends arrived (we were still lining up outside), there were two of my friends wanted to order the dipping ramen, the waitress then said "No. The minimum is three bowls for you guys to go upstairs". I know she probably didn't want to be rude but the sentence actually sounded pretty harsh. It was like "order at least 3 or you don't get to eat". We eventually decided to have the normal ramen cos we didn't want to wait any longer. So after settling at a table of 5, we quickly ordered and patiently waited for the ramen. And guess what.. I. WAS. UNIMPRESSED. I ordered the spicy ramen- the broth was just normal pork bone based broth that you get to have at any ramen places, and the noodles texture was harder than I would prefer( I ordered normal). The price is slightly expensive than the other ramen places too- priced at $14 you have only noodles broth and charsu( you have to pay extra $2 for seaweed or egg) I will never go back to the place again.

Patty Y.

One of the best ramen places I have been to! If you come be prepared to wait for 30 minutes and pay at least $15.00 per person without apps or drinks and cash only. If you've ever had ramen you know there is a cult following for that sticky broth that only hours of cooking can produce. They do the broth very well here and they don't skimp. We ordered the regular tonkotsu and the god fire #2 and we thought the level 2 is plenty spicy. Order it with the egg because the yolk ads another dimension. We also tried the karage which is deep fried dark meet chicken with a little spice. Even with a wait we will be back. This place is too good to miss.

David T.

I love this place. Japanese Ramen made with an impressive obsession to detail. What blows me away is that when I was a kid, my dad used to bring me to this totally authentic, don't try to order unless you speak Chinese, Won Ton Noodle restaurant called the Wong Shing Kee at this very address. They had the best Short Soup (Won Ton soup) you could find in Melbourne at the time. It's very fitting that this is the home for arguably the best long noodles, Japanese ramen in Melbourne.

Leisha C.

Totally worth the wait. I was also only 1 of 3 non Japanese in the place - which if the lines out front didn't give it away, this should have. I had the black tonkotsu, (soooo tasty and plenty of garlic to keep any colds away), and karaage chicken - some of the best I've had. $19.50 for both, less than a 10 minute wait at midday on a Saturday, but I'd wait longer. Just do it. Fun Fact - they'll give you an order sheet to fill in whilst you're waiting in line so they can keep you moving quickly once inside.

Jaya S.

Best ramen that I have ever had in Australia. Especially the black garlic broth. So rich in flavor and staffs were friendly. Waited for a table for about 20 minutes but it was all worth it.