Sometimes I get bored of eating dining hall food everyday, but also would rather not spend money to eat out. Cup noodles come in handy pretty often, especially when all you have in your dorm room is a microwave. However, I’ve already grown out of Shin Ramyun and Cup Noodle, so I’ve got a few different ones to try. These cup noodles are ranked based on cookability (1-5) + taste (1-5).
No. 4 Jin Ramen (Mild)
If you’re a fan of seafood, this is your cup noodle. The soup has a strong seafood taste with a bit of spice. It tastes kind of similar to Shin Ramen, but less spicy and more flavorful. However, it does have a bit of a fishy smell to it. You can find this noodle at some campus a la carte stores or any Asian market!
Rating: Cookability: 4 + Taste: 3.5 = 7.5/10
No. 3 Gomtang Noodle
If you’re not a fan of spicy food, and maybe you just want something not too flavorful, this would be your top choice. Even though this noodle says it’s beef flavored, it doesn’t taste much like it at all. The soup tastes so amazing that it makes you want to drink all of it up at once. Unfortunately, you cannot buy this from campus stores (at least not at U of I), but it is sold at all Asian markets since it is a popular noodle.
Rating: Cookability: 4 + Taste: 4 = 8/10
No. 2 Hot Chicken Flavor Cup Noodle (A.K.A. Fire Noodle)
You might’ve seen this cup noodle on YouTube since it’s the cup noodle people eat for the ‘Fire Noodle Challenge’. So yes, it is very spicy. If you’re not into that, then you might want to give this one a pass. Also, make sure you follow the cooking instructions on this one since it does have more than 1 step unlike most cup noodles. You can usually find this on campus shops or any Asian market.
Rating: Cookability: 3.5 + Taste: 5 = 8.5/10
No. 1 Yakisoba (Teriyaki beef flavor)
This is probably one of the few teriyaki flavored cup noodles that actually tastes like teriyaki. You can easily taste the flavor and it definitely does not disappoint! It also comes with the most noodles out of all four, so it’ll surely fill you up. You can find this from Walgreens or any supermarkets.
Rating: Cookability: 4 + Taste: 5 = 9/10
Also, if you want to buy these online, yami buy is the way to go! They sell all kinds of cup noodles, asian snacks and skincare products, too. So now when you feel like trying some new cup noodles, you know where to find them!
If you’re a huge cup noodle fan, you also have to check out five simple steps to upgrade your ramen game and this recipe on how to make your cup noodles look gourmet.