Sodai Menya Akutagawa

A leading Kyoto Iekei ramen shop located about 7 minutes walk from Demachiyanagi, Kyoto, and very close to Kyoto University. Opened in 2014 as the flagship store of the "Akutagawa" series, it has been cherished as a soul food by Kyoto University students and has now grown into a popular chain with multiple branches including "Nidaime," "Bettei," and "Kawaramachi." The signature dish is "Sodai Ramen," featuring a luxurious topping configuration almost like an all-inclusive ramen, with smoked chashu, three large sheets of nori seaweed, spinach, Kujo green onions (Kyoto's distinctive green onions, not shiraga negi), and a seasoned egg. The soup is a Kyoto-style Iekei with a mild balance of soy sauce, pork bone, and chicken oil, suppressing the aggressive saltiness and greasiness of Kanto Iekei, making it enjoyable to drink to the last drop. The noodles are classic medium-thick noodles from Sakai Seimen, offering both a chewy texture and a smooth slurp. A distinctive feature is the smoked chashu, which releases a smoky aroma and umami with every bite. The "Aburi Chashu-don" (seared pork bowl) side dish, combined with mayonnaise, special soy sauce, and pepper, is also popular, with the shop recommending a style of eating it like TKG (tamago kake gohan, egg on rice) by drizzling a little ramen soup over it. Rice is ¥100 for all-you-can-eat refills, and students have established a popular way of making "nori-maki rice" by wrapping rice with nori and adding table condiments like toubanjan (chili bean paste).