Recommended bowl: Late night chashumen

Open until 6am and located in the heart of Gion’s nightlife district, this is a late-night spot where you never know who or what you might see. The specialty is a salty, porky shoyu soup, laden with slices of pork chashu and diced negi. The pork-based soup delivers just the right amount of punch to go with the medium-thin, straight noodles. Nothing gourmet about this shop, but it hits a sweet spot when you need it most in those wee, late-night hours.