For visitors avoiding pork at Ramen EXPO, Expo '70 Park
No pork · Halal & vegetarian

Finding Ramen Without Pork

For visitors avoiding pork at Ramen EXPO, Expo '70 Park

Ramen in Japan is almost never halal. With the right questions, though, you may still be able to eat.
Updated 16 Sep 2026

No shop at Ramen EXPO is halal-certified. Most of the 60 shops use a pork-bone broth, pork chashu, or both. But shops advertising chicken-paitan, seafood or beef-bone broth appear every year — 14 of the 40 bowls we ate in 2025 were in that group. Even then the chashu may be pork and the finishing oil may be pork fat, so you must confirm at the stall.

🗺 Open Expo '70 Park on the 3D map Ramen EXPO 2026 → Ramen glossary →

Why ramen is difficult

Ramen in Japan is almost never halal. The default broth is tonkotsu — boiled pork bone — and the standard topping is chashu, braised pork belly. Even a shoyu or shio bowl usually contains pork in the stock, and the seasoning normally includes mirin or cooking sake. Assume a shop is not halal unless it says otherwise in writing.
No shop in these lists has been confirmed as halal-certified. Where a shop is not marked, treat it as not confirmed rather than as safe.

For a noodle bowl without pork, look for a shop that offers a chicken-based (鶏白湯) or vegetable/vegan bowl and confirm the stock separately — chicken broth is still often finished with pork fat. Halal-certified restaurants in the Osaka area are concentrated in central Osaka and around Osaka University, not in Suita.

Shops that advertised a non-pork broth in 2025

Of the 40 bowls we ate at the 2025 festival, 14 advertised a chicken-paitan, seafood or beef-bone broth. The 2026 line-up has not been announced, but a similar share appears every year. This does not mean they are pork-free. The chashu or the finishing oil may still contain pork — use the phrases below to ask at the stall.
This does not mean they are pork-free.
Okayama麺処ぐり虎 (Okayama)
麺処ぐり虎
Shio (salt)Seafood / clam / crab
Osaka麺や齋とう (Osaka)
麺や齋とう
MisoSeafood / clam / crab
Miyazaki宮崎らーめん椛 (Miyazaki)
宮崎らーめん椛
Shoyu (soy sauce)Beef bone / beef
Tokyo蟹ラーメン専門店 Crab Club (Tokyo)
蟹ラーメン専門店 Crab Club
MisoSeafood / clam / crab
Niigata麺家太威 (Niigata)
麺家太威
Shio (salt)Seafood / clam / crab
Osaka抱きしめ鯛 (Osaka)
抱きしめ鯛
Seafood / clam / crabSpicy
Osakamake noodle かしぐ (Osaka)
make noodle かしぐ
Seafood / clam / crab
Shizuokaらーめん山 (Shizuoka)
らーめん山
Shio (salt)Seafood / clam / crab
Osaka麺房 鶏くらふと (Osaka)
麺房 鶏くらふと
Tori-paitan (creamy chicken)Shoyu (soy sauce)
Akita秋田錦本店 (Akita)
秋田錦本店
Shoyu (soy sauce)Seafood / clam / crab
Gunmaなかじゅう亭 (Gunma)
なかじゅう亭
Tori-paitan (creamy chicken)Seafood / clam / crab
HyogoDURA麺TE (Hyogo)
DURA麺TE
Tori-paitan (creamy chicken)
SaitamaFishimen (Saitama)
Fishimen
MisoBeef bone / beef
Hokkaido麺屋 丸鶏庵 (Hokkaido)
麺屋 丸鶏庵
Tori-paitan (creamy chicken)Miso

Japanese to show at the stall

You do not need to read it — show the screen and point. The line under each phrase is how it is pronounced.
宗教上の理由で豚肉とアルコールが食べられません。Shuukyou-jou no riyuu de butaniku to arukooru ga taberaremasen.For religious reasons I cannot eat pork or alcohol.
豚肉を使っていますか?Butaniku o tsukatte imasu ka?Does this contain pork?
ラードや豚の脂を使っていますか?Laado ya buta no abura o tsukatte imasu ka?Does it contain lard or pork fat?
みりんや酒を使っていますか?Mirin ya sake o tsukatte imasu ka?Does it contain mirin or cooking sake?
豚肉を抜いてもらえますか?Butaniku o nuite moraemasu ka?Could you leave out the pork?
Ramen glossary — 38 terms with photosCan't read the banners? Shoyu, tonkotsu, tori-paitan, kaedama… every word you'll see at the stalls, explained →

For vegetarians and vegans

Ramen broth is almost always made from animals — pork, chicken or fish. Shops serving a genuinely vegetable-only broth are rare in Japan and we have not confirmed any at Ramen EXPO. The Gyoza EXPO held alongside also contains meat, so the park's own kiosks or restaurants nearby are a safer plan.

Other options

If you need certainty, it is reasonable to decide not to eat at the venue. Halal-certified restaurants in the Osaka area are concentrated in central Osaka and around Osaka University, not in Suita.

All ramen shops in Suita

FAQ

Is any shop at Ramen EXPO halal-certified?

No. None of the 60 shops in 2025 could be confirmed as halal-certified. We will check again when the 2026 line-up is announced.

If the broth is chicken, is it pork-free?

Not necessarily. Chicken broth is often finished with pork fat, and the chashu is frequently pork. Always confirm at the stall.

Can they leave the pork out?

The broth is pre-cooked and poured, so it cannot be changed. Toppings such as chashu can sometimes be left off — ask "Butaniku o nuite moraemasu ka?"

Is there a prayer room at the venue?

We have not been able to confirm a prayer room at Expo '70 Commemorative Park. Please ask at the park's information desk.

What about alcohol in the seasoning?

Mirin and cooking sake are standard in Japanese tare (seasoning). Assume they are present unless the shop says otherwise.

Last verified: 2026-09-16 Broth types were classified from the shops' own signs at the 2025 venue. This is not a guarantee that a bowl is free of pork.