Yokohama Iekei Ramen Taikiya

This is an Iekei (Yokohama-style family) ramen shop belonging to the Budouka lineage, located inside "Asto," a commercial facility directly connected to Keikyu Kamata Station, just a 2-minute walk away. Budouka is a brand that inherits the authentic direct lineage of Iekei ramen, and as one of its affiliated shops, it offers the original richness and volume of Iekei in Kamata. Its most significant feature is its long operating hours, from 7:00 AM to 12:00 AM the following day (11:00 AM to 12:00 AM on weekends and holidays), making it the only Iekei shop in the Kamata area that offers "Asa-Ramen" (morning ramen), a rare gem for breakfast, lunch, and late-night meals. Until 11:00 AM, the "Asa-Ramen" is available at a special price of 780 yen, establishing its unique position as a morning-friendly Iekei shop. The signature soup is a rich tonkotsu shoyu (pork bone and soy sauce) of the Budouka style, simmered to extract the marrow from the bones, creating layers of sharp soy sauce flavor and aromatic chiyu (chee-yu, chicken oil). Even by default, the flavor is quite strong and impactful with a pronounced saltiness, a deep and rich umami-saltiness so characteristic that many repeat customers ask for "koime" (stronger flavor). On the other hand, it also offers the characteristic sweetness of Budouka-style chiyu, giving an impression of more prominent umami compared to Machida Shoten. The noodles are thick, short, flat-cut noodles from Sakai Seimen (using the Sugi-jirushi mark), a preferred purveyor for Iekei, offering an excellent chewy texture and superb entanglement with the rich soup. They are delicious even when ordered "katame" (firm) and maintain their stable quality without breaking down even when "yawaraka-me" (soft). The chashu (braised pork) is a large slice of smoked loin, with a moist texture and smoky aroma that infuses into the soup, creating an exquisite depth. The "Smoked Chashu-men" for 1200 yen allows you to enjoy a luxurious serving of this smoked chashu. Standard Iekei toppings like spinach, nori (seaweed), ajitama (seasoned egg), and cabbage are available, allowing you to perfectly enjoy the classic Iekei style of dipping nori in the soup and wrapping it around rice. A major attraction is the all-you-can-eat rice for 100 yen, self-served. Beside the rice cooker, you'll find chashu scraps (salt-sauce based with black pepper), aokappa (pickled cucumber), and chili pickles, allowing you to assemble your own "guilty pleasure rice." The table condiments include kyoku ninniku (garlic pickled in soy sauce), mugen ninniku (unlimited garlic), ginger, tobanjan (chili bean paste), vinegar, and mayonnaise, a full range of Iekei standards plus unique arrangements. The combination of kyoku ninniku and mayonnaise on rice is a regular's favorite. Abura Soba (oil noodles) for 1050 yen is also offered, served with a voluminous topping similar to Jiro-kei (Jiro-style ramen), providing an option for a quick meal. Business hours are from 7:00 AM (11:00 AM on weekends and holidays) to 12:00 AM the following day. The ticket vending machine accepts cash only; electronic money, QR payments, and credit cards are not accepted.