Restaurants
- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Gantare (がんたれ) at Gantare (がんたれ)
Recommended bowl: Muteppou Style
Master Itaya-san didn’t even like ramen during his youth. But then he ate at the legendary Tokyo shop ‘Ganko’ and he was forever changed. He went on to become a real ramen beast, and for a period he was crushing over 500 bowls a year. Then he got married and moved to Osaka, where he started working at the famous... More
Recommended bowl: Muteppou Style
Master Itaya-san didn’t even like ramen during his youth. But then he ate at the legendary Tokyo shop ‘Ganko’ and he was forever changed. He went on to become a real ramen beast, and for a period he was crushing over 500 bowls a year. Then he got married and moved to Osaka, where he started working at the famous tonkotsu shop Muteppou. He trained there for seven years before opening Gantare in Wakayama in 2005 after traveling there. The name Gantare was chosen by Akasako-san, president of Muteppou. The soup here is straight-up Muteppou style— thick, rich tonkotsu, with the taste of liquified bone. Watch for Itaya-san to stir the pot with a large metal rod every few minutes. The noodles come custom made from Muteppou Seimenjo. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Ganja (頑者) at Ganja Hon Ten (頑者)
Recommended bowl: Top tsukemen in Saitama
Ganja is located way out in Kawagoe, Saitaima. If Tokyo were New York, this shop would be in deep Queens. But it’s worth the pilgrimage. Ganja ranks among the very best tsukemen shops in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
The shop master, Oohashi-san was born into a ramen family. His parents own and operate Hikari... More
Recommended bowl: Top tsukemen in Saitama
Ganja is located way out in Kawagoe, Saitaima. If Tokyo were New York, this shop would be in deep Queens. But it’s worth the pilgrimage. Ganja ranks among the very best tsukemen shops in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
The shop master, Oohashi-san was born into a ramen family. His parents own and operate Hikari Shokuhin, an established noodle company in the city. Oohashi-san plies the family craft daily, making his noodles from scratch each morning before opening.
Ganja serves tonkotsu-gyokai tsukemen (double soup of pork-bone and seafood), a style that became wildly popular in the early 2000s and remains a favorite of young Tokyo salarymen. The soup is rich and fatty, with morsels of dried fish and seafood that cling enticingly to the fresh, chewy dipping noodles. The bowl comes with a generous dollop of fish powder floating on the surface. Ganga was one of the first tsukemen shops in Japan to make liberal use of fish powder in this way – today it’s a popular technique across Tokyo. A spicy version is also offered – equally excellent.
The shop name hints at the state of mind that this food is certain to satisfy. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at 麺屋 八海山 at Menya Hakkaisan (麺屋 八海山)
味玉入り煮干そば / Ajitama-iri Niboshi Soba / Menya Hakkaisan — Takatsuki, Osaka
Niigata Tsubame-Sanjo inspired ramen. Niboshi shoyu soup is topped with pork fat. Noodles are house-made on a machine in the back of the shop, containing a wheat flour blend. Pork chashu, ajitama, menma, negi, black pepper. All ingredients are sourced domestically,... More
味玉入り煮干そば / Ajitama-iri Niboshi Soba / Menya Hakkaisan — Takatsuki, Osaka
Niigata Tsubame-Sanjo inspired ramen. Niboshi shoyu soup is topped with pork fat. Noodles are house-made on a machine in the back of the shop, containing a wheat flour blend. Pork chashu, ajitama, menma, negi, black pepper. All ingredients are sourced domestically, no msg or preservatives.
Master Aoyama-san trained at soba and udon restaurants for years before opening his own ramen shop. 10 seats. Open three hours for lunch, 11:30am-2:30pm. Since October 28th, 2011. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Gamusha (スタミナラーメン がむしゃ ) at Gamusha (スタミナラーメン がむしゃ )
Recommended bowl: Local style ramen
Stamina Ramen Gamusha has been open since 2005, serving local Ibaraki-style 'stamina ramen'. Shoyu soup and curly egg noodles are topped with fried vegetables, liver and 'An' sauce, a cornstarch-based sauce that adds a thick, gooey-like consistency to the bowl. The veggies involved include cabbage, carrots, kabocha... More
Recommended bowl: Local style ramen
Stamina Ramen Gamusha has been open since 2005, serving local Ibaraki-style 'stamina ramen'. Shoyu soup and curly egg noodles are topped with fried vegetables, liver and 'An' sauce, a cornstarch-based sauce that adds a thick, gooey-like consistency to the bowl. The veggies involved include cabbage, carrots, kabocha squash and garlic chives. The master here trained at Matsugoro, the original shop that created this style. Now Gamusha is one of the most famous shops to serve this local style in all of Ibaraki. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at ラーメン坊也哲 at Ramen Bouya Tetsu (ラーメン坊也哲)
つけ麺 塩 / Tsukemen Shio / Ramen Bouyatetsu — Higashiosaka, Osaka
Dipping soup uses whole chickens, chicken bones, pork back bones, kombu, katsuo and saba-bushi. Medium width straight noodles are house-made. Topped with sliced pork, meatballs, menma and negi.
Mentetsu founder Shouji-san first worked at a sushi restaurant in Osaka before... More
つけ麺 塩 / Tsukemen Shio / Ramen Bouyatetsu — Higashiosaka, Osaka
Dipping soup uses whole chickens, chicken bones, pork back bones, kombu, katsuo and saba-bushi. Medium width straight noodles are house-made. Topped with sliced pork, meatballs, menma and negi.
Mentetsu founder Shouji-san first worked at a sushi restaurant in Osaka before opening his own ramen shop in Toyonaka City in 2003. The group now has three branches around Osaka Prefecture. This Higashiosaka shop was opened by the younger brother of founder Shouji-san. While maintaining the concept of other Mentetsu branches, there are some dishes only available at this location. 24 seats. Since June 2013. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Fukuzo (麺や 福座 ) at Menya Fukuza (麺や 福座)
Recommended bowl: Kyoto style
This local favorite is usually bustling with regular customers and has several staff working the cramped kitchen. The master previously was employed at a restaurant in Kyoto and his ramen features a few Kyoto-style touches. Multiple varieties of ramen are on the menu, but the safe choice is a tonkotsu made from pork leg... More
Recommended bowl: Kyoto style
This local favorite is usually bustling with regular customers and has several staff working the cramped kitchen. The master previously was employed at a restaurant in Kyoto and his ramen features a few Kyoto-style touches. Multiple varieties of ramen are on the menu, but the safe choice is a tonkotsu made from pork leg bones, pig heads and vegetables — all of it cooked for over 15 hours. Four types of shoyu from Kyoto and Kanazawa are used in the tare. The noodles contain flour from both Hokkaido and Canada. The noodles are served firm and the bowls are topped with Kujo negi, a special variety of scallion native to the Kyoto region. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Fukumimi (ふくみみ) at Chuka Soba Fukumimi (中華そば ふくみみ)
Recommended bowl: Simple chuka-soba
Fukumimi is located 45 minutes down the Keio train line in the rather remote city of Bubaigawara – and it's only open for a few hours over lunch (rough!). Yes, this is yet another destination ramen spot catering to a lucky local community and the devoted ramen head who's willing to travel across one of the world’s... More
Recommended bowl: Simple chuka-soba
Fukumimi is located 45 minutes down the Keio train line in the rather remote city of Bubaigawara – and it's only open for a few hours over lunch (rough!). Yes, this is yet another destination ramen spot catering to a lucky local community and the devoted ramen head who's willing to travel across one of the world’s most sprawling cities for his lunch. And the limited-access approach seems to be working for them: every time we've eaten at Fukumimi there has been a long line of ramen geeks waiting for a seat.
Fukumimi's offering is quite similar to Hachioji style ramen: dark shoyu soup with thin, homemade noodles. It’s essentially Japanese comfort food – a bowl you can eat every week. There is nothing flashy here but it's put together with incredible precision. The balance in this bowl should give you pause.
It’s a classic Tokyo ramen shop experience – tiny interior, counter seating only and a lone master in the kitchen making the magic happen. The menu is as simple as the ramen: chuka soba and tokusei chuka soba are all that's served. Well worth the long train ride. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at シビカラ担々麺 澤田商店 at Sawada Shoten
坦々麺 / Tantanmen / Sawada Shōten — Kita-Shinchi, Osaka
Soup stock uses chicken carcasses, saba-bushi, kombu and niboshi, combined with sesame paste, roasted sesame seeds and chili oil. Medium-width wavy noodles are supplied by Teigaku. Pork belly chashu, tori chashu, baby bok choy and bean sprouts. 16 different ways to customize spiciness... More
坦々麺 / Tantanmen / Sawada Shōten — Kita-Shinchi, Osaka
Soup stock uses chicken carcasses, saba-bushi, kombu and niboshi, combined with sesame paste, roasted sesame seeds and chili oil. Medium-width wavy noodles are supplied by Teigaku. Pork belly chashu, tori chashu, baby bok choy and bean sprouts. 16 different ways to customize spiciness and numbness levels. Mini mābo donburi on the side.
Master Shuhei Sawada was born in Himeji City, Hyogo. After working part time at a Chinese restaurant, he decided to attend the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Abeno, Osaka. He graduated in 2000, then traveled to Hong Kong where he trained at multiple Chinese restaurants over the next several years. Upon returning to Japan, he began running restaurants, including the China Room at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills. His restaurant Chugokusai S.Sawada opened in Osaka in 2016, soon being awarded a Michelin star (now for six consecutive years). Sawada-san eats about 50 bowls of tantanmen per year, it was in his plans for quite some time to eventually open a tantanmen specialty shop. 14 seats. Since April 4th, 2022. @sawadashoten123 Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Fukumaru (麺屋福丸) at Fukumaru (麺屋福丸)
Recommended bowl: Duck soup
Master Fukumaru-san trained at Menya Musashi branches in both Shinjuku and Roppongi before opening his own shop in June 2016. Fukumaru specializes in duck ramen, and uses birds sourced from Iwate prefecture. There is a clear shoyu soup and a creamier paitan, both made with a duck soup and using duck oil. The star is the... More
Recommended bowl: Duck soup
Master Fukumaru-san trained at Menya Musashi branches in both Shinjuku and Roppongi before opening his own shop in June 2016. Fukumaru specializes in duck ramen, and uses birds sourced from Iwate prefecture. There is a clear shoyu soup and a creamier paitan, both made with a duck soup and using duck oil. The star is the paitan — creamy, rich, smooth and bursting with umami. Kanejin noodles, choice toppings. A winner. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at らーめん うぉんちゅ at らーめんうぉんちゅ
坊勢ラーメン / Bōze Ramen / Ramen Uonchu — Bōze Island, Hyogo
Shoyu based soup contains pork thigh meat and locally made niboshi-garei (dried flounder). Medium-thin straight dried noodles, pork chashu, green negi, bean sprouts and menma. House-made gando-garei rice bowl and garei-furikake rice bowl on the side, both utilize the locally... More
坊勢ラーメン / Bōze Ramen / Ramen Uonchu — Bōze Island, Hyogo
Shoyu based soup contains pork thigh meat and locally made niboshi-garei (dried flounder). Medium-thin straight dried noodles, pork chashu, green negi, bean sprouts and menma. House-made gando-garei rice bowl and garei-furikake rice bowl on the side, both utilize the locally produced dried fish (considered a delicacy by native islanders).
Master Norihiro Kobayashi was born on Bōze Island and has lived there his entire life. After retiring from commercial fishing, he decided to open this ramen shop (the only one on the island), which he runs himself. Around 12 seats. Since October 2019. Less