Akihide

A legendary spot spoken of as one of the "Doro-kei (thick/viscous style) Three Star Trio" alongside Gokkei and Tenkaippin Honten in Kyoto's Ichijoji, a fierce ramen battleground. Despite its popularity, recognized in Tabelog Ramen WEST Top 100 Restaurants in 2023 and 2024, its operating days are completely irregular. Openings are announced only on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram on the morning of, and there was even a period where it operated as a private account requiring follow approval, making it one of Kyoto's most challenging ramen shops to visit. The signature dish is "Noko (Doro-doro)" (Rich/Very Thick) for 950 yen. The highly viscous soup, made by boiling chicken and pork bones to their absolute limit, is so paste-like it lifts from the bowl when scooped with a ramen spoon (renge), resembling the texture of a stew. Yet, it's free of any gamey odor or greasy heaviness, achieving a mellow, deep umami with a sharp salty finish. The noodles are medium-thick or flat, straight, high-hydration noodles (taka-sui men), powerfully embracing the soup with their wheat aroma and chewy texture. Toppings include seared chashu (aburi chashu) – sometimes featuring pork belly or hung-roasted pork depending on the season – spicy bamboo shoots (pirikara menma), and a generous amount of green onions (negi). Depending on the season, wood ear mushroom kimchi (kikurage no kimchi) or bok choy may be added. Its counterpart, "Nameraka" (Smooth), is a clear soup style (chintan-kei) featuring bonito and dried sardines, standing as a formidable rival to the doro-kei's richness with its delicate and clear profile. The side dish, Shime Rice (rice for the end of the meal) for 50 yen, is typically enjoyed by soaking it in the leftover soup to create an ojiya-style (rice porridge) finish. You can freely customize the flavor with table condiments like grated garlic, chili miso, ichimi pepper, black pepper, and soy sauce. Regular and large noodle portions range from 160-240g, and a notice inside the shop states, "Eat regular/large portions within 20 minutes." Akihide Ichijoji is truly one of Kyoto's representative "eating discipline-style" rich ramen shops.