Ramen Shops

A renowned restaurant established in 1964, tracing its roots to Sumire. Its most distinguishing feature is the thick layer of lard covering the soup's surface, which traps the heat so effectively that no steam rises, allowing you to savor scorching hot miso until the very last spoonful. This rich yet mellow bowl, boasting a deep umami and a powerful punch of garlic and ginger, will warm you to the core by the time you finish. The thick, firm, and curly noodles are rich in wheat flavor and stand up perfectly to the robust miso soup. The chashu is rich yet melts in your mouth, and its excellent flavor penetration is truly superb.

Kido-ya Suidobashi Ekimae branch, located in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a popular shop where you can enjoy authentic Yokohama Iekei ramen. It features a powerful soup with a restrained animal odor and smoked chashu, making it recommended even for Iekei beginners. The ticket vending machine and customization sheet offer English options, so you can simply say "Futuu de" (normal) for your preferences. However, please note that only cash is accepted for payment (credit cards and e-money are not available). A classic Iekei way to eat is to wrap the rice (¥150, free refills) in nori seaweed. The default flavor is quite rich, so if it's your first visit, we recommend asking for "Futsuu" (normal) or "Usukuchi" (light) for the taste.

A specialist Chuka Soba shop located just a 2-minute walk from Shinjuku-sanchome Station, focusing on a niboshi (dried sardine) base. Our signature bowl features a clear soy sauce soup with a robust niboshi aroma, offering a light yet deeply flavorful experience. The hosaki menma (bamboo shoot tips) are renowned for their exceptional bamboo flavor, and the chashu (pork slices) are slow-cooked at a low temperature to ensure a wonderfully moist finish. Limited-time menus such as rich niboshi soba and shrimp miso tsukemen frequently appear, promising a new taste discovery with every visit. Open until 11 PM, we also offer a drink menu, making us a great spot to enjoy a drink with your meal.

Just a 1-minute walk from Shinjuku Nishiguchi Station, this ramen shop specializes in its signature "Gyukai Chintan" (Beef-Shellfish Clear Soup), a unique blend of domestic beef bones, chicken, and shellfish dashi. The clear, pristine soup offers a delightful synergy of rich beef umami and elegant shellfish flavor, creating a profile so captivating you'll want to savor every last drop. They offer two varieties: Shoyu (soy sauce) and Shio (salt), with the Shio ramen served with truffle paste. The thin, straight noodles from Kanno Seimenjo are pleasantly firm with an excellent ability to cling to the soup, but as they tend to soften quickly, it's recommended to enjoy them without delay. Although it's a small establishment with 10 L-shaped counter seats, service is swift, ensuring a smooth and efficient dining experience.

This is a specialty shop in Kabukicho, focusing on salt ramen that highlights the broth of golden sea bream (kinmedai). A single sip of the clear soup fills your mouth with the rich umami of kinmedai, complemented by the savory accent of grilled kinmedai. The specialty "Kinmedai Chazuke" (sea bream over rice in broth), served as a finishing dish, involves adding wasabi and rice to the leftover ramen soup. It's a popular choice, with many customers enjoying it as a set with their ramen. With Kinmedai Ramen priced at 850 yen and Chazuke at 200 yen, its excellent cost-performance for such quality is also a major draw. Open until 11 PM, it's a convenient stop for those exploring Kabukicho.

Located just a 3-minute walk from Shinjuku Station's West Exit, this long-established shop is renowned for its Zaru Ramen (Tsukemen). It's so popular that the majority of customers order Zaru. The flat, wavy noodles are delightfully smooth and chewy, and served in a generous portion. The soy sauce-based dipping broth, made with a chicken and pork bone base, boasts a crisp, sharp flavor with no sweetness. The thick-cut chashu is tender and not greasy. Open from 8 AM to 11 PM, it's a versatile spot perfect for an early morning meal or a late-night finish after drinks. This is a beloved, staple eatery in Shinjuku West Exit, cherished for over 30 years.

Located just a 30-second walk from Shinjuku Station's Southeast Exit, on the second floor of a building, this is a specialty restaurant dedicated to fish bone broth shio ramen. The clear, golden soup, simmered daily from the bones of various fish like red sea bream, splendid alfonsino, conger eel, and yellowtail, offers a profound flavor with multiple layers of seafood umami. Instead of chashu pork, the ramen is topped with distinctive red and white chicken meatballs and shrimp dumplings, with Japanese herbs such as shiso and myoga providing a refreshing accent. A must-try is the 'Heshiko Yaki Onigiri' (grilled rice ball with fermented mackerel) set, which you crumble into the leftover soup to enjoy as a flavorful finish. Open until late, usually around 11 PM, it's also an excellent choice for a comforting bowl after an evening out.

Located in Asakusa, "Men Mitsui" is a popular ramen shop specializing in soy sauce (shoyu) and salt (shio) ramen, beloved by locals. The shop uses a system where you issue a numbered ticket from a tablet at the storefront and receive a call notification via QR code, allowing you to enjoy exploring Asakusa during your wait. You can choose between medium-thick hand-kneaded noodles and thin noodles. For convenience, the shop supports various cashless payment methods, including credit cards and e-money.

Jikaseimen Uruchi, located in Tokyo's Asakusa district, is a popular local clear-broth ramen shop offering refined Tokyo-style shoyu and shio ramen. Please be aware that orders are taken verbally (Japanese menu only), and payment is exclusively by QR code (credit cards are not accepted). Its distinctive features include house-made medium-thick flat noodles and fragrant seared chashu. With table seating available, it's also recommended for families.

If you're looking for miso ramen in Asakusa, make sure to visit 'Jukusei Miso Ramen Noriaki & Mimi', a renowned restaurant that has achieved top rankings in the TRY Ramen Awards. Their aged soup, a blend of four types of miso, is exceptional. You can also enjoy a unique eating method: dipping the complimentary raw egg into the noodles like sukiyaki, along with a variety of flavor enhancements such as extra miso (oimiso) and ginger-infused broth for a taste change (shoga soup-wari). The ticket vending machine, complete with photos, supports card, e-money, and QR payments, offering convenience. However, queues can form on weekends, so it's recommended to allow ample time for your visit.

Menya Inoichi - Seafood Broth (Clear Soy Sauce). Selected as one of Tabelog's Top 100 Restaurants and awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand for 9 consecutive years. Cashless payment available (VISA/Master/JCB/AMEX, Transportation IC cards, iD, QUICPay, PayPay, d払い). Numbered ticket system in place (Lunch from 10:00...).

Payment is possible with cash or QR code (e.g., PayPay). Credit cards and e-money are not accepted. Their signature dish is a rich pork bone and seafood ramen, served in the 'awa-kei' (foamy) and 'potage-kei' (potage-like) styles, featuring a creamy soup finished with a blender. The rare chashu resembles roast beef, and the thick menma offers a unique texture. You can also enjoy changing the flavor with the red spicy oil available on the counter. There are only 15 counter seats, and preschoolers are not permitted to enter. This is a frequently selected restaurant in the 'Hyakumeiten' (Top 100 Restaurants) list.

Cash only. Established in 2008, this shop is a pioneering presence in Tokyo's rich *miso ramen* (ramen made with a fermented soybean paste base), and has trained chefs who went on to open many popular shops, including Miso-kko Fukku. Its full-bodied soup, combining rich *miso* (fermented soybean paste) with a *tonkotsu* (pork bone) and *torikotsu* (chicken bone) base, is highly addictive, with many customers finding themselves unable to resist finishing every last drop. Mikawaya Seimen's chewy medium-thick *men* (noodles) perfectly capture the soup, and adding the chopped garlic available on the table for *ajihen* (flavor change) instantly kicks up the rich, indulgent satisfaction. Upon entering, please purchase your *shokken* (meal ticket) from the vending machine before taking a seat. Operating hours may vary by day, so please check their official X (https://x.com/nogatahanamichi) before visiting. In addition to *miso* ramen, they also offer unique menu items such as *karamiso* (spicy *miso*) ramen, *tantanmen* (Sichuan-style spicy sesame ramen), and "Bacchi Koi Shoyu" (a very rich *shoyu* (soy sauce) ramen). Table seating is also available. A regular on Tabelog's Top 100 Ramen Shops list.

Cash only. A direct descendant of Hokkaido's renowned "Sumire," this shop is considered one of Tokyo's "Big Three" authentic Jun-Sumire style establishments, alongside San-tora and Asahi Chonaikai. Its signature dish is a rich miso ramen featuring a powerful garlic punch, served in an emulsified, cloudy white soup made with lard. The classic way to enjoy it is to dissolve the ginger, which is placed atop the char siu, halfway through your meal to alter the flavor. Nishiyama Seimen's medium-thick wavy noodles perfectly entwine with and carry the rich soup. Please purchase meal tickets from the vending machine, but follow staff guidance regarding the timing. During peak hours, staff will provide instructions while you are queuing. Table seating is available, making it welcoming for families. Closes once the soup runs out. A consistent entry in the "Hyakumeiten" (Top 100 Shops) list.

This is a popular restaurant that represents Kyoto's Seabura Shoyu (pork back fat soy sauce) ramen. This bowl, featuring the robust aroma and broth of niboshi (dried sardines) generously topped with finely melted pork back fat, offers a rich yet never-tiring flavor until the very last bite. Our homemade noodles, available in thick or medium-thick, boast a satisfying chewiness and pair exceptionally well with the rich soup. Adding kurobara nori (black rose seaweed) as a topping introduces a delightful ocean aroma, further deepening the umami.

Despite its remote, 'hidden gem' location—far from the station and primarily accessible by car—this is one of Kyoto's top ramen shops, drawing long queues from the moment it opens. The soup, a perfect fusion of rich tonkotsu, deep seafood flavor, and the crispness of salt tare, is so exquisitely crafted you'll want to drink every last drop. Our homemade, extra-thick flat noodles boast a chewy texture, releasing the fragrant aroma of wheat with every bite. Their 'Super Tsukemen,' limited to just 20 servings, often sells out even before the shop opens.

A renowned restaurant that stands at the pinnacle of Sapporo miso ramen. The owner, who trained for 7 years at Sumire, went independent and now offers a truly unique bowl in the Misono area. The rich yet not cloying lard and miso soup boasts a perfection that will move you from the very first bite. The medium-thick wavy noodles thoroughly entwine with the soup, and if you dissolve the accompanying ginger halfway through, you can enjoy a refreshing change of flavor. There are two types of chashu: tender pork belly and savory loin. While a queue is unavoidable, orders are taken while you wait, so service is surprisingly quick, and they are also highly regarded for their polite hospitality. This unparalleled taste can only be experienced in Sapporo.

A miso ramen specialty shop founded in 1999 and located on Nakamichi Street in Susukino. It's one of Sapporo's representative establishments, consistently selected among the "Top 100 Restaurants." The special miso tare, which combines three types of miso with the sweetness of vegetables, and a soup made from pork bones, back fat, and chicken carcasses simmered for over 10 hours, come together to create a mellow and deeply rich flavor. The medium-thick, wavy noodles, aged in three stages, have a firm bite and elasticity, while the sweetness of fragrantly stir-fried cabbage and bean sprouts melts into the soup. As it's a small shop with only 8 counter seats, a queue is unavoidable, but since it's open until 3 AM, we recommend visiting outside of peak hours.

This prominent Sapporo restaurant is a true powerhouse, having been inducted into the Ramen Walker Grand Prix Hall of Fame and recognized with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Their most popular dish, the Seafood Tonkotsu Shoyu, features a no-MSG soup where the umami of dried sardines and bonito flakes harmonizes exquisitely with the rich depth of pork bone broth. It's distinguished by creative toppings like yuzu jelly, julienned burdock, and red onion. The "Sapporo Miso EIJI Style" offers a light yet impactful finish, with the distinct miso flavor taking center stage. Their homemade medium-thick noodles are delightfully chewy with a rich wheat aroma, and the smoky fragrance of their smoked chashu adds profound depth to every bowl. Another welcome highlight is the complimentary large serving size.

This is an ultra-famous shop, so well-known that no tonkotsu ramen enthusiast would be unfamiliar with it. Its incredibly rich and thick tonkotsu soup is so dense that a spoon can stand upright in it. The intense umami of the pork bones, paired with a distinct saltiness, creates a highly addictive bowl that you'll crave repeatedly. When you hand over your meal ticket, you can customize your ramen to your liking, adjusting the soup's richness, the amount of fat, and the quantity of green onions. Despite its secluded location, not accessible on foot from the station, it boasts overwhelming popularity, with queues forming even on weekdays. For extra noodles (kae-dama), you can choose between regular noodles and thin noodles.