Honke Daiichi Asahi Honten

Honke Daiichi Asahi Honten, founded in 1947, is an old-established restaurant often called synonymous with Kyoto ramen. It is known as one of the establishments that built Kyoto's post-war ramen culture, alongside Shinpukusaikan next door, and is a regular on the Ramen Hyakumeiten (Top 100 Ramen Shops) list. The signature ramen features a tonkotsu-shoyu (pork bone soy sauce) soup, made by simmering domestic pork for a long time. The clear brown soup is beloved for its addictive taste, where the umami of pork and the sharpness and sweetness of Gokou soy sauce combine, giving it a rich animal-basedコク koku (richness) despite being a clear broth (清湯 chintan). The noodles are straight, medium-thin to medium-thick, from Kondo Seimen in Kyoto, offering excellent harmony with the soup. A distinctive feature is the chashu; even without ordering chashu-men, a generous amount of thinly sliced simmered pork comes standard. You can also request extra Kujo green onions (ネギ多め negi-ome), which provide a pleasant crunchy texture as a good accent. It operates continuously from 6 AM until late at night, making it widely usable from 'asa-ra' (morning ramen) to a late-night meal after drinking in Kyoto, which is one reason for its long-standing popularity.