Foodle

まるちゃんプレミアム / Maruchan Premium / Ramen Minowaya — Nakano, Tokyo

Tonkotsu-tori double soup contains a base of pork knuckles, back bones and chicken carcasses, added in small batches and slow-simmered. The soup is made using a method called ‘kawatazashi’ where the main stock pot is replenished with fresh soup from a second stockpot throughout the day of service. Each bowl is finished with chicken oil and lard. Noodles are supplied by Taisei Shokuhin, one free kaedama refill included. Topped with lightly smoked pork chashu, green negi, wood ear mushrooms and a raw egg yolk. An original Yokohama Iekei-inspired bowl is also recommended.

Master Kohei Maruyama-san learned the ways of tonkotsu from Kai-san of Hakata Ramen Debuchan in Takadanobaba. His first pop-up was at the SaunaLand Fest in Okinawa in 2021, the Nakano flagship Minowaya store was established one year later. 15 seats. Open since November 28th, 2022 @tokyominowaya Less

ワンタンメン / Wontonmen / Chuka Keishoku Takei — Okachimachi, Tokyo

Nostalgic Tokyo-style shoyu ramen contains a soup base of chicken bones and pork bones simmered for long hours. The shoyu tare has a light sweetness combined with saltiness, most likely using dashi elements. Medium-thin wavy noodles are sourced from a traditional local purveyor, boiled in a Chinese wok. Topped with thinly sliced pork chashu, bamboo shoots, naruto, nori, negi and wontons. Fried rice and gyoza on the side.

Run by an elderly husband and wife team, who are most likely either the shop founders or 2nd generation owners. No public details are available about their names and media interviews are never given. Longtime patrons claim the menu and ambiance have gone unchanged for decades. Only open an hour and 15 minutes for lunch (11:45am-1pm). 30 seats. Open 50+ years (exact date unknown). Less

ラーメン / Ramen / Menya Daisen — Mifune, Kumamoto

Jiro-inspired ramen, containing low-emulsification shoyu-tonkotsu soup. Pork femur bones and back bones are combined with whole chickens and gently simmered, then finished with pork back fat. The tare sauce contains shoyu sourced from Kanagawa Prefecture and steeped with aromatics. Rendered lard and chicken oil is also added to each bowl. Flat and wavy noodles are sourced from Asakusa Kaikarō and custom-cut to 2.7 mm. Topped with Aomori garlic, Kumamoto cabbage, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, negi and house-braised Tsuya brand pork chashu.

Master Junpei Yoshinaga fell in love with Jiro style ramen while visiting Tokyo, he then reverse-engineered it at home via trial-and-error over the course of a year. His flagship store is located in Mifune, with two franchise branches now open in other areas of Kumamoto. Considered the first ramen shop dedicated to serving Jiro style ramen in Kyushu. 12 seats. Open since 2008 @menyadaisen.2008 Less

ラーメン / Ramen / Tanokyū — Karatsu, Saga

Saga style tonkotsu ramen— The soup contains large quantities of pork heads and pork bone marrow simmered for long hours, with some online reports also suggesting less than 1% beef bones. The pot is never emptied, each day the soup is layered onto the flavor base of the previous batch. Medium-thin straight noodles are low-hydration, sourced from a local purveyor. Usukuchi shoyu is used in the tare. Topped with thinly sliced pork belly chashu, wood ear mushrooms and negi. Fried gyoza and cha-han on the side.

Still run by the original master (now in his mid-70’s), who focuses on making fried rice while his wife cooks the ramen. Opened independently with no major apprenticeship ever reported. The shop is completely run by family members. Open for lunch only, 11:15am-2pm (or until sold out). 24 seats. Since 2000. Less

特製中華そば / Tokusei Chūka Soba / Chūka Soba Shibata — Komae, Tokyo

Chintan soup contains a blend of high-end brand poultry including Aizu jidori, Hinai jidori, Tanba black chicken and Tsugaru duck. Additional flavor support comes from kombu and dried seafood. The tare is a proprietary blend of 7-8 types of raw shoyu, finished with duck fat. Noodles were previously ordered, in-house production began in 2022. The flour is 100% Hokkaido wheat, with thin noodles or thick and wavy available to choose from. Topped with tsurushi-yaki (hook-hung) roast pork chashu, wontons, ajitama, bamboo shoots and negi.

Master Takashi Shibata-san was born in 1982, he previously worked as a sound engineer before pursuing ramen. He trained at Menya Musashi in Shinjuku, then at Rakuraku in Kichijoji. Chūka Soba Shibata was founded in 2013 in Sengawa, featuring an eight-seat counter. The shop moved into a larger 20-seat space last year. Open since September 2024. Less

特製塩つけ麺 / Tokusei Shio Tsukemen / Ramen Mozu — Akasaka, Tokyo

Clear double soup uses whole-chicken stock combined with a seafood dashi of kombu, katsuobushi and select niboshi. The soups are blended just before service. Shio tare is made with fine salt, white shoyu, white wine, white-wine vinegar, citrus and sake. Finished with chicken oil. Soba-like noodles contain Ayahikari brand wheat from Mie Prefecture, along with bran and whole-grain. The noodles are served in kombu water. Toppings feature low-temperature pork loin chashu,ajitama, menma, chicken & shiso wontons, radish sprouts and negi.

“Mozu” (百舌鳥) means “shrike,” a bird believed to have a discerning “hundred tongues.” Chef Masashi Yamamoto-san says the goal is “one bowl, a hundred flavors,” delivered through layered soup. Run by the restaurant group M2 Inc. 23 seats. Open since March 1st, 2022 @ramenmozu Less

黒中華 おゝ油 / Kuro-Chūka Oh-Abura / Kominka Noodle Kuroageha-Morizumi — Ōamishirasato, Chiba

Clear soup is made from a blend of pork bones and whole chickens, combined with black tamari shoyu tare. Ultra-thin noodles are custom-made by an outside factory. Topped with pork chashu, grilled bamboo shoots, diced onion, ginger and pork backfat.

Master Koji Morizumi-san previously worked as a French chef for 10 years, then opened his first ramen shop Chabuya in 1996. He would later go on to open the famous Hong Kong ramen shop MIST. The location for his newest shop is a 150-year-old kominka (traditional farmhouse). Open lunch only, 11am-3pm or until sold out. 19 seats. Since January 16th, 2024. Less

特製ラーメン / Tokusei Ramen / Menya Fukumasu — Jimbōchō, Tokyo

Yokohama style Iekei ramen, containing a soup base of long-boiled pork bones (head, femur & trotters) plus a smaller ratio of chicken carcasses. Proprietary shoyu tare, medium-thick straight noodles by Mikawaya Seimen. A mild layer of chicken oil to finish. Toppings include braised then flash-seared pork shoulder chashu, ajitama, spinach and nori. Free all-you-can-eat rice is also available.

Master Yasushi Fukumasu-san trained at the well-known Iekei style shops Musashiya and Budōya. The Jimbōchō location is his flagship, a 2nd Shin-Koenji branch opened in April 2025. 18 counter seats. Since July 5th, 2023 @menya.fukumasu Less

Calmares fritos, chopitos a la plancha y morrillo de atún en escabeche.

Oasis Playa es, muy probablemente, el mejor chiringuito tradicional - aunque renovado y depurado - de la costa occidental de Málaga, desde Fuengirola hasta Manilva. Una propuesta tremendamente sólida la de Alfonso González y su familia que combinan los clásicos de cualquier merendero malagueño que contenta a todos con un cuidado extraordinario del producto, una sala cómoda y agradable y una carta de vinos sobresaliente. No hay espetos pero, a cambio, se selecciona un producto muy bueno, hay mano en los fogones - boquerones y escabeches -, se manejan las brasas con tino - superlativas gambas - y se fríe con criterio. En el comedor todo son atenciones y simpatía y la cuenta refleja menos que lo que se recibe a cambio. Imprescindible. @chiringuito_oasis Less