Tony Peng wants people to know that there is more to ramen than pork. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
When I think of ramen, I think of a rich and filling porky broth, best enjoyed on a super cold day when you’re super hungry. But Toli Ramen in Civic is changing that with a broth that is light yet packed with flavour.
Toli Ramen owner Tony Peng has been working in restaurants since 2017, when he moved to Australia and found a job as a kitchen hand. He quickly discovered he was passionate about cooking and went on to study commercial cooking and work in some of Canberra’s most prestigious Japanese restaurants.
But he realised that many Canberrans only saw a small portion of what Japanese food can be.
“I think most people are stuck on the idea of Japanese food being sashimi and sushi: raw food,” Tony told Region.
“And while acceptance for ramen is high, I wanted to introduce people to a different kind of ramen beyond tonkatsu [pork ramen].”
The Ebi & Chicken ramen is light, filling and delicious. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Tony travelled to Japan and ate ramen every day of his trip to search out flavours and compare his own broth with authentic versions. Coming back to Canberra, he drew on all his hospitality experience and opened Toli Ramen in Civic in early January 2026.
He makes the broth from scratch, using a chicken base rather than pork. He cooks it for over 5 hours to draw out the flavours.
Tony tells me that his Ebi & Chicken ramen is unique. It’s a prawn-and-chicken broth served with chargrilled prawns. The result is super flavourful: the chicken adds depth while the prawn stock is lighter and fresher. The grilled prawns are smoky and juicy, and the whole bowl had me slurping away with abandon until the very last mouthful. Rather than feeling heavy, I felt refreshed – full but not bloated.
The interior of Toli is warm with wooden furniture and panelling. The broth is light enough to enjoy in hot weather, but still comforting enough to warm you through in winter. Even during heatwaves, customers have been visiting, but when the weather drops, I’d expect more people to settle into a chair at Toli.
The space at Toli is cosy and warm, with lots of wood cladding and wooden furniture. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
In addition to prawn and chicken ramen, Toli serves a spicy Tantamen Ramen with a house-made spice paste and creamy, sesame-rich broth, as well as clear, light Shio ramen and cloudy, creamy Paitan ramen.
Tony also cooks up creative specials like a recent snapper and citrus ramen, and he’s working on a wonton ramen.
“In Australia, it is so multicultural, so you can put flavours together: it’s like a scientist discovering a new element.”
A delicious new element indeed.
Toli Ramen is located at Units 7 & 8, 222 City Walk, Canberra. They are open Monday to Saturday for lunch from 11 am to 3 pm, and for dinner from 5 to 7.30 pm. Follow Toli Ramen on Facebook or Instagram.
