This is the first mega-review of 2026 and it covers the full launch lineup of Nongshim Ramyun Chef, a brand-new product line positioned as restaurant-quality instant noodles. The four launch flavors are Beef Bulgogi, Braised Beef, Curry Chicken, and Creamy Garlic Chicken. Nongshim is framing this line as globally-inspired dishes executed using Korean ramyun, with three of the four of the flavors leaning hard into fusion territory.
These products launched in December of 2025 as a short-term exclusive through Nongshim’s TikTok shop before becoming available on Amazon in mid-January 2026. At the time of review, a four-pack of any flavor runs about $5 on Amazon, which is a solid price point for premium instant noodles. All four varieties are currently manufactured in Nongshim’s California facility and appear to be US-market exclusives for now.
Beef Bulgogi
The Verdict:
| Product: | Nongshim Ramyun Chef Beef Bulgogi |
| Origin: | South Korea (Manufactured in the USA) |
| Noodle Quality: | 8/10 |
| Spice Level: | 1/10 |
| Overall Score: | 8/10 |
This flavor starts the lineup with a Korean classic. Bulgogi is a grilled, marinated beef dish built around a sweet and savory profile that caramelizes during cooking. Here, that flavor profile is translated into a stir-fry style noodle rather than a soup, like I’ve reviewed from Samyang in the past.
The pack includes medium-gauge wheat and potato starch noodles, a liquid sauce packet, and dried flakes. The sauce contains beef extract, sugar, black pepper, rice wine, corn syrup, garlic, MSG, sesame oil, and powdered vegetables. The flakes include bok choy, carrot, and textured vegetable protein, meaning there is imitation beef present alongside real beef ingredients. Sodium for the full pack is 1210mg, with 11g of sugar.
Noodles:
The noodles have a thick chew and hold up well as a stir-fry base. They are not soggy and feel consistent with Nongshim’s usual quality level.
• 8/10
Spiciness:
There is no chili heat, but a noticeable amount of black pepper gives this a slight heat on the palate. Only very spice-averse eaters are likely to notice it.
• 1/10
Overall:
The sweet and savory balance works well, with garlic and rice wine leading the flavor. The sauce is not overly sweet compared to similar bulgogi-inspired instant noodles, and the vegetable content is respectable. The imitation beef flakes have a decent texture but are woefully underseasoned, though they do not significantly detract from the dish when combined with sauce and noodles. This may end up too sweet for some picky eaters, but I think it’s a pretty delicious flavor.
• 8/10
Braised Beef
The Verdict:
| Product: | Nongshim Ramyun Chef Braised Beef |
| Origin: | South Korea (Manufactured in the USA) |
| Noodle Quality: | 8/10 |
| Spice Level: | 3/10 |
| Overall Score: | 4.5/10 |
This is Nongshim’s take on Taiwanese braised beef soup, a dish with roots in mid-20th-century Taiwan that combines Sichuan spices, fermented bean paste, and slow-cooked beef. The flavor profile typically leans salty and savory with earthy spice notes like star anise, fennel, and Sichuan peppercorn.
The pack includes the same noodle base, a powdered broth packet, and dried flakes. The broth contains beef extract, beef bone extract, garlic, mushroom, red chili pepper, soybean paste, tomato, vegetable powder, and aromatic spices. The flakes again include bok choy, carrot, and imitation beef.
Noodles:
The noodles perform consistently with the rest of the line, offering good chew and a solid Korean ramyun texture.
• 8/10
Spiciness:
Both red chili and Sichuan peppercorn are present. The chili brings a delayed heat in the back of my throat, while the Sichuan peppercorn adds lip tingling and light numbing. It’s not very hot, but it is a combination the spice-averse among you won’t like.
• 3/10
Overall:
The broth is heavily dominated by fennel and star anise, producing a strong licorice-adjacent character that I feel overwhelms the savory beef backbone. While the beef flavor, noodles, and flakes are all competently executed, the balance skews too far toward those aromatic spices for a sensitive palate like mine. The beef flakes do absorb the broth better here than in the bulgogi flavor, but the spice balance ultimately holds this one back from being a recommendation from me.
• 4.5/10
Curry Chicken
| Product: | Nongshim Ramyun Chef Curry Chicken |
| Origin: | South Korea (Manufactured in the USA) |
| Noodle Quality: | 8/10 |
| Spice Level: | 0/10 |
| Overall Score: | 7.5/10 |
This flavor blends Korean ramyun with Japanese-style curry, itself an adaptation of Indian curry introduced to Japan during the Meiji era. Japanese curry tends to be sweeter, milder, and more approachable than many other curry styles, often served with rice, although there are some great examples of Japanese curry with instant noodles out there.
The broth powder includes curry spices, chicken broth, MSG, black pepper, garlic, parsley, onion, beef extract, beef bone extract, and beef fat, making this non-vegetarian despite the chicken focus. The flakes are potato, carrot, and corn. Sodium for the full pack is 1730mg.
Noodles:
The noodles remain consistent with the rest of the lineup, offering good thickness and chew.
• 8/10
Spiciness:
No chili heat is noticeable, and any black pepper presence is minimal.
• 0/10
Overall:
The broth tastes like chicken broth blended with Japanese curry spices, producing a savory, mildly sweet, warm profile. The curry flavor is pleasant but not as rich or thick as some competitors since it is basically a well-seasoned chicken broth at the end of the day. The potato flakes add nice texture but are too sparse, while the corn and carrots are adequate. This is a safe, accessible curry flavor that benefits from the savory chicken broth base.
• 7.5/10
Creamy Garlic Chicken
| Product: | Nongshim Ramyun Chef Braised Beef |
| Origin: | South Korea (Manufactured in the USA) |
| Noodle Quality: | 8/10 |
| Spice Level: | 0.5/10 |
| Overall Score: | 9.5/10 |
This final flavor leans furthest into fusion, combining Korean ramyun with influences from French chicken in cream sauce (poulet a la creme) and American creamy garlic pasta. Nongshim positions this as a stir-fry rather than a soup, with two cooking methods provided, including a saucepan preparation and a normal pot. I opted for the saucepan preparation for the review.
The sauce includes chicken bone extract, cream, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, black pepper, garlic, mushroom, MSG, soy sauce, red chili pepper, and parsley. The flakes are fried garlic slices and potato. Sodium for the full pack is 1120mg.
Noodles:
Despite the different cooking method, the noodles maintain the same chew and texture seen throughout the line.
• 8/10
Spiciness:
Black pepper and red pepper are listed but barely perceptible. I honestly didn’t even see a single speck of red pepper in this at all.
• 0.5/10
Overall:
This delivers a bold, unapologetically cheesy and garlicky sauce with excellent consistency. The creaminess is substantial without being watery, and the umami cheese flavor is immediately noticeable, followed by a great garlic flavor. The fried garlic flakes are prominent but could be even more generous, in my opinion as a garlic fiend. The potato flakes add a nice textural contrast and work better than I expected. This stands out as the strongest flavor in the lineup for my money.
• 9.5/10
Recap
The Ramyun Chef line shows clear effort and ambition from Nongshim, particularly in the Creamy Garlic Chicken flavor, which stands out as the strongest execution. Beef Bulgogi and Curry Chicken are solid, crowd-friendly options with balanced flavors. Braised Beef struggles with the spice balance for me but still demonstrates ingredient quality.
Overall, this is a promising expansion into fusion-focused premium instant noodles, and it will be interesting to see where Nongshim takes this line next.
