LEVEL & UNLOCK PROGRESSION GUIDE

Japanese Ramen Simulator Shop Level Unlocks (2026)

Official Day 1 shop unlocks at Lv 25–28 plus a creator-preview ladder for beer, critic day, miso, gyoza and chashu. Early Access v0.1.48.17626 — patch beats preview on drinks and bok choy.

Japanese Ramen Simulator Food Market catalog on day one showing a thin noodle box, pork bones, shoyu tare and a green onion for sale while garlic, cabbage, menma, miso sauce and gyoza are padlocked behind level 1 to level 10 gates — 📸 *Day 1, $500 in hand: four cards you can actually buy — and a wall of level locks holding the rest of the menu.*▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 7:00

How progression works at a glance

The game is in Steam Early Access since 2026-10-09 (v0.1.50.17746, latest update). You expand the shop one overnight at a time: sleep → morning scores → the new ingredients & tools panel. High-tier purchasing is documented officially at shop Lv.25–28 in the timeline above. Beer (~Lv.5), critic day (Lv.7), miso and the nine-step preview ladder below come from pre-release creator footage — the live build may differ.

Official (Day 1)Lv.25–28 stock

Bottled drinks, tantanmen, chives, bok choy, bonito flakes — see /changelog

The core loopSleep → scored → unlock

End the day at the dorm bed; morning RESULT grades speed and taste (500 each) and lists new unlocks

Preview observedBeer ~Lv5 · Critic Lv7

Same order in ホワイト and Kanzalone preview runs; not fully re-checked in Early Access yet

Official unlock timeline (Day 1 Update)

Wild Dog’s Day 1 patch (v0.1.48.17626, Oct 9, 2026) documents shop-level gates for purchases and orders. Levels 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 are Steam achievement milestones only — we do not invent item unlocks there. Creator previews showed bottled drinks at Lv.26 and bok choy at Lv.25; Day 1 moved drinks to Lv.25 and bok choy to Lv.26. The patch table wins when they disagree.

Shop Lv.5OFFICIAL
Steam achievement milestone (shop Lv.5)
- Steam lists a shop level 5 achievement milestone (the Day 1 patch does not document item unlocks at this level).
🔗 Steam achievements (official)
Shop Lv.10OFFICIAL
Steam achievement milestone (shop Lv.10)
- Steam lists a shop level 10 achievement milestone (the Day 1 patch does not document item unlocks at this level).
🔗 Steam achievements (official)
Shop Lv.15OFFICIAL
Steam achievement milestone (shop Lv.15)
- Steam lists a shop level 15 achievement milestone (the Day 1 patch does not document item unlocks at this level).
🔗 Steam achievements (official)
Shop Lv.20OFFICIAL
Steam achievement milestone (shop Lv.20)
- Steam lists a shop level 20 achievement milestone (the Day 1 patch does not document item unlocks at this level).
🔗 Steam achievements (official)
Shop Lv.25OFFICIAL
Bottled drinks & bonito flakes
- Cola, zero-sugar cola, soda, oolong tea and barley tea — purchases and customer orders (was Lv.26 → now Lv.25).
- Bonito flakes purchasable from shop Lv.25.
🔗 Day 1 official patch notes (Steam)
Shop Lv.26OFFICIAL
Tantanmen, garlic chives & bok choy
- Purchase Tantan Tare and garlic chives.
- Tantanmen orders with chicken or pork broth.
- Bok choy purchases (was Lv.25 → now Lv.26).
- Bok choy and garlic chives topping orders from Lv.26.
🔗 Day 1 official patch notes (Steam)
Shop Lv.28OFFICIAL
Beef-broth tantanmen orders
- Tantanmen orders with beef broth from shop Lv.28.
🔗 Day 1 official patch notes (Steam)

Day 1 changes (before → after)

Item	Before	After (current)
Tantan Tare + Garlic Chives (purchase)	New	Shop Lv.26
Tantanmen orders (chicken or pork broth)	New	Shop Lv.26
Tantanmen orders (beef broth)	New	Shop Lv.28
Cola, Zero-Sugar Cola, Soda, Oolong Tea, Barley Tea (buy + orders)	Shop Lv.26	Shop Lv.25
Bok Choy (purchase)	Shop Lv.25	Shop Lv.26
Bonito Flakes (purchase)	—	From Shop Lv.25
Bok Choy & Garlic Chives topping orders	—	From Shop Lv.26

Sources & trust tiers

How we label data

This is an unofficial fan wiki. Each claim carries a source label so you can tell what the developer confirmed from what we estimated.

OFFICIALFrom the Steam store page, official announcements or patch notes.
OBSERVEDSeen in gameplay footage or hands-on builds; the release build may differ.
PLAYER REPORTReported by players on Steam; we have not reproduced it.
SITE MODELA calculation or estimate built by this site — not an in-game value.

OFFICIAL: Wild Dog Steam news, patch notes and Steam achievement text. OBSERVED: creator preview videos before 2026-10-09 — screenshots link to timestamps. When preview footage disagrees with Day 1 (drinks Lv.26→25, bok choy Lv.25→26), trust the patch. Unofficial fan wiki — not affiliated with Wild Dog.

/changelog · /wiki/achievements · /guides/player-faq

Preview observed: nine-step unlock ladder

OBSERVED

From pre-release creator preview runs; the Early Access build may have changed these beats.

Japanese Ramen Simulator camera selection screen reading カメラ視点を選んでください with FPS first-person and TPS over-the-shoulder buttons above a confirm button, shown over the empty ramen shop and street

PHASE 01OBSERVED

Step 1: Start a new run — difficulty first, then camera (1:32)

Both preview runs open the same way. Difficulty defaults to Easy — Normal layers time pressure on top of it. Kanzalone switched to Normal before day one, while ホワイト started on Easy and flipped to Normal midweek once the loop felt comfortable. Next is the camera pick: first-person FPS or over-the-shoulder TPS, and the prompt itself says you can change it any time from the options menu. The part worth remembering is what these settings do not touch: the unlock ladder. Progression runs on the same rail either way — difficulty only changes how hard each shift pushes back, never what you unlock. Do not burn setup time on it.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 1:32

📸 FPS or TPS, switchable anytime — difficulty changes the pressure, never the unlock ladder.

Japanese Ramen Simulator Home Store catalog on day one showing every decoration locked behind level badges, including a lightbulb at level 14 and vertical and horizontal wall scrolls and a design lantern at level 15

PHASE 02OBSERVED

Step 2: Day one — every shop is a wall of level locks (7:50)

Before the first bowl is ordered, the game shows its teeth. The Food Market hands you $500, a thin noodle box, pork bones, shoyu tare and a free green onion — and then a grid of padlocked cards: garlic and cabbage at level 1, menma at level 2, small green onion and bean sprouts at level 4, miso sauce at level 8, gyoza at level 10. The Home Store is stricter still: lightbulbs wait for level 14, wall scrolls and lanterns for level 15. So the day-one shop is not a menu — it is a table of contents for the next couple of weeks. Buy what is open, note what is coming, and stop reading the level locks as paywalls. They are this page’s progression chart, shown in-game.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 7:50

📸 Decor is gated deepest of all — lightbulbs at 14, scrolls and lanterns at 15.

Japanese Ramen Simulator morning result screen showing service speed 500 out of 500, an S rank badge and a new ingredients and tools panel listing a staff noodle boiler, chopsticks, table condiments, table menu, tissues and an order holder

PHASE 03OBSERVED

Step 3: Level-ups happen overnight (43:28)

There is no level-up button. You work the day, walk to the dorm bed and confirm 終了する (end day). The morning RESULT screen grades two bars — service speed and taste, 500 points each — stamps a rank, then drops the reward panel: 新食材&道具をゲット (new ingredients & tools). The frame here is the level 3 morning: chopsticks, table condiments, a table menu, tissues, an order holder and a noodle boiler for your staff, all in one drop. Not every night pays out — ホワイト logged at least one night where the level did not move, and while the HUD level badge carries an experience bar, the game never explains its rules. Treat sleep as the trigger and the scores as the throttle: the ladder advances on most overnights, not all.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 43:28

📸 Wake up, get graded, get gear — level 3 arrives with chopsticks and condiments.

Japanese Ramen Simulator part-time hiring screen titled アルバイトを雇う showing three candidate cards with assign buttons at $5.00 per hour and a fourth slot padlocked at level 3

PHASE 04OBSERVED

Step 4: Levels 2-3 — menma, chopsticks and your first hire (36:00)

The early levels are small, but they change how the shop feels. Level 2 unlocks menma in the Food Market — the entire haul of ホワイト’s level 2 — and, more importantly, right-clicking the register now offers バイト (part-time work). The hiring screen lines candidates up on clipboards at $5.00 per hour with an assign-location field, while a fourth slot stays padlocked until level 3. Reach level 3 and the padlock opens while the morning panel adds chopsticks and table condiments — until then, customers genuinely have no chopsticks, a gap ホワイト milked for jokes all stream. One hire on the register is the single biggest quality-of-life unlock of the first week; see /guides/staff-hiring-guide for whether hiring exists and /guides/staff-settings-guide for the Staff Settings clicks.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 36:00

📸 Three hires available now, a fourth at level 3 — the doorway is a right-click on the register.

Japanese Ramen Simulator Kitchen Store catalog showing new items at level 5 including a cutting board, kitchen knife, kunai, shuriken, and a beer server and beer keg both priced $0.00 with a first-one-free tag

PHASE 05OBSERVED

Step 5: Level 5 — the beer line rolls in for free (53:55)

Level 5 is the first level that feels like a second business. The Kitchen Store refreshes with a NEW wave: a cutting board, a kitchen knife — and in the same shipment, kunai and shuriken for the register thief — plus the beer server and the beer keg, both flagged $0.00 with a 初回無料 (first one free) tag. From the next morning the shop posts beer-order banners, beer glasses join the restock list, and pouring becomes a skill of its own: fill the mug, then right-click to top up the foam, or the order comes back. Both preview runs treat this as the money pivot — drink orders stack onto every ramen, and Kanzalone’s average ticket climbs from the low $20s past $35. Our beer pouring guide drills the foam timing.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 53:55

📸 NEW wave at level 5: knife, board, ninja gear — and a free beer server and keg.

Japanese Ramen Simulator critic introduction card titled ラーメン評論家 with a portrait of a bald critic in a blue suit and sunglasses and the instruction to serve ramen with elevated umami, aroma and color

PHASE 06OBSERVED

Step 6: Level 7 — critic day, the gate (68:20)

Level 7 does not unlock an item; it unlocks an exam. The morning brief introduces the ラーメン評論家 (ramen critic) with a single instruction: serve ramen with elevated umami, aroma and color. For the whole day, only critics sit down — Kanzalone’s banner reads “only critics will visit today,” and he worked the entire day for a single guest. The verdict cuts both ways: his first tonkotsu shoyu was judged to “fall short,” its umami rating “just seven out of eight,” while ホワイト’s bowl earned “the soup’s flavor and aroma are perfect, the colors are vibrant, the overall balance is good.” Passing opens step 7; failing means another week on the same menu. On this day, build the broth for the brief, not for the regulars.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 68:20

📸 Level 7 sends one guest who matters — umami, aroma and color are the rubric.

Japanese Ramen Simulator morning unlock panel after passing the critic showing tonkotsu shoyu and tonkotsu miso ramen on the daily menu, grated garlic among the toppings, and miso sauce listed under new ingredients

PHASE 07OBSERVED

Step 7: Passing the critic — miso and a second broth (71:23)

The morning after a passed critic visit, the reward panel looks different: 新食材&道具をゲット lists 味噌ダレ (miso sauce) under ingredients, the 本日のラーメン board now carries two recipes — tonkotsu shoyu and tonkotsu miso — and grated garlic joins the topping tray. Practically, this is the two-broth upgrade: Kanzalone immediately budgets a second pot so shoyu and miso broths run side by side, and prices climb with it — his miso bowls sell at $35 against $22 for shoyu. ホワイト also banked a critic’s trophy for the shelf. If step 6 was the exam, this is the diploma: a second flavor line that doubles the menu without doubling the kitchen.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 71:23

📸 Two recipes on the board: miso sauce unlocked, grated garlic on the tray.

Japanese Ramen Simulator morning unlock panel in English showing tonkotsu shoyu and tonkotsu miso on the daily menu with a new ingredients and tools list of gyoza, order monitor stands, a gyoza plate and a gyoza grill

PHASE 08OBSERVED

Step 8: Levels 9-10 — gyoza sides and the expansion prompt (134:00)

The middle of the ladder turns the shop sideways. Around level 9, the morning panel adds gyoza as an ingredient along with a gyoza plate, a gyoza grill and order monitor stands. Kanzalone notes the grill never touches the menu board — gyoza ride along as a side to ramen orders: frozen onto the griddle, browned, held warm, served on the tray. One level later the game starts asking instead of offering: at level 10 the checklist reads “check shop expansion,” pointing you to the terminal and the shop expansion page — more windows, more seating, more kitchen. Kanzalone’s verdict after eyeing twenty tables: “there is absolutely no way, not by myself.” Expansion changes your floor plan — see our /guides/shop-expansion-guide for the level-10 purchase, empty hall and build-mode layout from preview footage; the gyoza line itself is walked through in our side dishes guide.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 134:00

📸 Gyoza, plate, grill and order monitors — the side-dish line opens off-menu.

Japanese Ramen Simulator kitchen at level 11 showing a raw pork loin block highlighted green beside a Let’s make Chashu checklist that says to add four pieces of pork loin and water and shoyu tare to the simmering pot and let it simmer

PHASE 09OBSERVED

Step 9: Level 11-12 — homemade chashu and the current ceiling (153:00)

The last stretch of the observed ladder moves the shop upmarket. Level 11 delivers raw pork loin and a simmering pot, then walks you through chashu with a checklist: four pieces of pork loin into the pot, add water, add shoyu tare, place it on the stove and let it simmer — then slice it into the bowl. Kanzalone’s ticket climbs to $44 and he calls it “getting close to the $50.” Level 12, reached on day 10 of his Normal solo preview run, rounds the shop out with partition panels, a two-burner stove, an office desk and a fan. Home Store level 14–15 locks are preview observations; ordering above Lv.12 is not re-checked in Early Access yet.

▶ Watch this moment in the creator run: 153:00

📸 Pork loin, simmering pot, a five-step checklist — homemade chashu at level 11 (preview observed).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1.What shop level unlocks tantanmen?

Official Day 1 patch: buy Tantan Tare and garlic chives plus chicken/pork-broth tantanmen orders at shop Lv.26; beef-broth tantanmen orders at Lv.28. See the official timeline above and /changelog.

Q2.What level unlocks bottled drinks (cola, oolong tea, etc.)?

Official: purchases and customer orders from shop Lv.25 (Day 1 moved this from Lv.26). Creator previews showed ~Lv.26 — the patch wins. Draft beer gear is separate; previews showed ~Lv.5 for the server and keg.

Q3.What level unlocks the beer server?

Both creator preview runs showed the beer server and keg flagged first-free around shop level 5 (OBSERVED). That is not the same gate as bottled drinks at Lv.25.

Q4.What level is critic day?

Preview runs reported a critics-only day at level 7 (OBSERVED). Passing unlocks miso and a second broth in those videos — confirm the sequence in your Early Access save.

Q5.What is the max shop level?

No official cap is published. Previews reached level 12 (Kanzalone, day 10). Steam achievements mark shop levels 5, 10, 15 and 20. Home Store locks at 14–15 in preview footage remain OBSERVED.

Q6.How do you level up faster?

Previews only confirmed ending the business day as the trigger; morning service and taste scores (500 each) seem to throttle progress. No official grind route is documented.

Q7.Is this page official data?

Lv.25–28 purchases are from the Day 1 patch (OFFICIAL). The nine-step beer/miso/gyoza ladder is from pre-release creator previews (OBSERVED). When they conflict, trust the patch. Wild Dog has not published a full level chart.

Related Guides & Tools

📋 ChangelogFull Day 1 unlock changes 🏆 AchievementsShop Lv.5/10/15/20 milestones ❓ Player FAQPost-launch common questions 🧭 Beginner’s GuideFirst-day SOP, sign-painting to service 🧑‍🍳 Staff Hiring GuideWhether hiring exists & Day 1 dish staff ⚙️ Staff Settings ($5 register)Hire Staff / Staff Settings UI 🍺 Beer Pouring GuideFoam timing for the level 5 beer line 💰 Is It Worth It?Early Access buying guide 🏠 Wiki HomeAll guides, tools and databases