Restaurants
- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Bonito RAIK (ボニートスープヌードルライク) at Bonito RAIK (ボニートスープヌードルライク)
Recommended bowl: New school katsuo
This tiny shop has just six seats, yet it was voted one of the top rookie shops to open in Tokyo in 2015. Two types of soup are served, pork-based katsuo or chicken-based katsuo. The pork blend is richer, and the chicken blend is clearer. Both are available as ramen or tsukemen The noodles are courtesy of Kanno Seimen.... More
Recommended bowl: New school katsuo
This tiny shop has just six seats, yet it was voted one of the top rookie shops to open in Tokyo in 2015. Two types of soup are served, pork-based katsuo or chicken-based katsuo. The pork blend is richer, and the chicken blend is clearer. Both are available as ramen or tsukemen The noodles are courtesy of Kanno Seimen. Master Issei Kōriyama trained at the shop Atago for six years prior to RAIK's launch. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Takahashi (麺 高はし) at Takahashi (麺 高はし)
Recommended bowl: Umami-packed soup
This shop’s bowls are an extremely limited commodity. The shop’s listed hours are from 11am-1:30pm, and 5:20pm-6:20pm. They also often close early due to the ingredients running out. One master, almost always a line. Super fishy, oily and over the top, the soup is powerful. Get the ramen or tsukemen, both equally... More
Recommended bowl: Umami-packed soup
This shop’s bowls are an extremely limited commodity. The shop’s listed hours are from 11am-1:30pm, and 5:20pm-6:20pm. They also often close early due to the ingredients running out. One master, almost always a line. Super fishy, oily and over the top, the soup is powerful. Get the ramen or tsukemen, both equally popular. The chashumen here is insane — piles of pork slabs like large rocks towering on top of the bowl. This shop is for the real ramen heads. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Eiraku (永楽 そば店) at Eiraku (永楽 そば店)
Recommended bowl: Open since 1956
This old school shop has been open since 1956, and was originally launched by a master from Taiwan. It's not super famous outside of the local area, but Eiraku is beloved by many regulars who have been coming for decades. The dated decor, gives you a feel for the history upon entering. There are various dishes on the... More
Recommended bowl: Open since 1956
This old school shop has been open since 1956, and was originally launched by a master from Taiwan. It's not super famous outside of the local area, but Eiraku is beloved by many regulars who have been coming for decades. The dated decor, gives you a feel for the history upon entering. There are various dishes on the menu. The ramen is a simple old school style, with a dark shoyu, roasted onions, and piled high with bean sprouts. A few regular customers call this ‘trash ramen’ in good humor, because of the dark color, light taste and overuse of bean sprouts. One worth checking out for the historic experience. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Tsujita Tantanmen (成都正宗担々麺 つじ田) at Tsujita Tantanmen (成都正宗担々麺 つじ田)
Recommended bowl: Tantanmen specialty shop
This is the tantanmen specialty shop from the Tsujita group. Tsujita-san’s brother was running the kitchen at the time of this shop’s opening. Various types of tantanmen are on the menu, including both standard Chinese and Japanese tantanmens, as well as soup and soupless versions. You can choose the spice... More
Recommended bowl: Tantanmen specialty shop
This is the tantanmen specialty shop from the Tsujita group. Tsujita-san’s brother was running the kitchen at the time of this shop’s opening. Various types of tantanmen are on the menu, including both standard Chinese and Japanese tantanmens, as well as soup and soupless versions. You can choose the spice level and make other add-ons as well. For spicy ramen lovers this one is a no-brainer. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Miyamoto (煮干しつけ麺宮元) at Miyamoto (煮干しつけ麺宮元)
Recommended bowl: Crazy niboshi punch
Miyamoto was one of the hottest Tokyo ramen shops to open in 2015, winning multiple awards in magazines and publications. The master, Miyamoto-san, trained at Nagi in Shinjuku and Ittou in Koiwa, two high-level shops that are considered pillars of the scene.
Inside the shop you'll see large vats of fish matter... More
Recommended bowl: Crazy niboshi punch
Miyamoto was one of the hottest Tokyo ramen shops to open in 2015, winning multiple awards in magazines and publications. The master, Miyamoto-san, trained at Nagi in Shinjuku and Ittou in Koiwa, two high-level shops that are considered pillars of the scene.
Inside the shop you'll see large vats of fish matter and congealed soup bubbling behind the counter. Apprentices bustle about shouting and receiving orders. Miyamoto-san is a nice guy but also has a certain level of intensity about him in the kitchen. He's definitely in charge and you can feel the other staff members' respect for him.
The top recommendation at Miyamoto is tokusei tsukemen, with one of the heaviest niboshi soups in the game. The soup just exudes delicious fishiness — there is much gutty niboshi packed into this soup. It's made from three different types of iwashi niboshi — katakuchi, seguro, shirokuchi — as well as aji and squid niboshi. It's rich, thick and concentrated, almost grey-green in color. The umami is incredibly heavy.
The handmade noodles are top notch — on par with all of the top tsukemen houses — medium width with excellent bounce. The toppings also extremely on point. The tamago is lightly smoked — a mellow, soothing smokiness. The bowl comes with two types of chashu, both soft and flavorful. In addition, the bowl is laden with tiny triangular and cubed-shaped pieces of pork fat, which add a marvelous richness to the pungent soup. A powerful bowl. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Torinoana (鶏の穴 ) at Torinoana (鶏の穴 )
Recommended bowl: Chicken hole
The name of this shop means ‘Chicken Hole’, and they are chicken specialists. The soup is a creamy tori paitan, and the bowls are served with chicken toppings done multiple ways. Thick cut menma, green negi, and medium-width noodles. They also have tsukemen and seasonal specials. Been around for some years now, and... More
Recommended bowl: Chicken hole
The name of this shop means ‘Chicken Hole’, and they are chicken specialists. The soup is a creamy tori paitan, and the bowls are served with chicken toppings done multiple ways. Thick cut menma, green negi, and medium-width noodles. They also have tsukemen and seasonal specials. Been around for some years now, and conveniently located just a few minutes from Ikebukuro station. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Doutonbori (道頓堀 ) at Doutonbori (道頓堀 )
Recommended bowl: Nostalgic ramen
Doutonbori is a family style, casual, old school ramen shop, open since 1984. The bowls are niboshi-based with housemade noodles. The go-to is the shoyu, but there are also shio ramen and tsukemen. The pan fried yaki-gyoza are legit. This is a shop known for being a destination where other ramen masters go to eat.... More
Recommended bowl: Nostalgic ramen
Doutonbori is a family style, casual, old school ramen shop, open since 1984. The bowls are niboshi-based with housemade noodles. The go-to is the shoyu, but there are also shio ramen and tsukemen. The pan fried yaki-gyoza are legit. This is a shop known for being a destination where other ramen masters go to eat. Less
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Recommended bowl: Mutahiro flagship
This is the flagship shop of the Mutahiro Group, led by none other than Muta-san himself. He holds the reigns of the Kokubunji ramen scene, running several high-level shops in the area. Before opening his first shop he trained at two highly respected and well known shops, Nagi and Gamushara. To this day, all of the... More
Recommended bowl: Mutahiro flagship
This is the flagship shop of the Mutahiro Group, led by none other than Muta-san himself. He holds the reigns of the Kokubunji ramen scene, running several high-level shops in the area. Before opening his first shop he trained at two highly respected and well known shops, Nagi and Gamushara. To this day, all of the noodles from Muta-san’s shops are supplied by Nagi. There are a variety of configurations on the menu, but most bowls come with a light chicken and niboshi-based shoyu soup, with choice toppings all around. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at at Shū (つけそば 周 )
Recommended bowl: Dope tsukemen
An interesting shop slightly hidden off of a quiet street in Itabashi. The space is a bit cramped inside, with a long L-shaped counter. Advertised as a tsukesoba shop, Shu's noodles are jikaseimen (house-made) and the presentation is thoughtfully put together. The soup is a rich tonkotsu gyokai and the tsukesoba comes... More
Recommended bowl: Dope tsukemen
An interesting shop slightly hidden off of a quiet street in Itabashi. The space is a bit cramped inside, with a long L-shaped counter. Advertised as a tsukesoba shop, Shu's noodles are jikaseimen (house-made) and the presentation is thoughtfully put together. The soup is a rich tonkotsu gyokai and the tsukesoba comes served with a side of moyashi in a separate bowl. Choice toppings and a lemon wedge round things out. Expect a thick mixture of tonkotsu soup with fishy bits boiled down into an explosion of umami. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Tonikaku (兎に角) at Tonikaku (兎に角)
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
A shop loved by ramen otaku, with thick chewy homemade noodles. The most popular option here is the aburasoba, and for aburasoba in general this is one of the top spots in Tokyo. The master used to work at Hisshouken, a well known shop in Chiba. The smoked chashu here is beloved. Also on the menu is tonkotsu gyokai... More
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
A shop loved by ramen otaku, with thick chewy homemade noodles. The most popular option here is the aburasoba, and for aburasoba in general this is one of the top spots in Tokyo. The master used to work at Hisshouken, a well known shop in Chiba. The smoked chashu here is beloved. Also on the menu is tonkotsu gyokai ramen and tsukemen, and if you do order the aburasoba you can get soup wari (extra soup). The most famous shop in the Matsudo area is Tomita for certain, but this shop is probably a clear #2. Less