Restaurants
- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Shinasobaya (支那そばや本店) at China Soba Ya Honten (支那そばや 本店)
Recommended bowl: The Ramen Demon
A legendary shop opened by the late great Sano-san, a master who eventually came to be known as a ramen demon due to various Japanese TV shows in which he would harshly criticize ramen apprentices. There is a long lineage of ramen masters who once worked under him. He has since passed but his original shop remains... More
Recommended bowl: The Ramen Demon
A legendary shop opened by the late great Sano-san, a master who eventually came to be known as a ramen demon due to various Japanese TV shows in which he would harshly criticize ramen apprentices. There is a long lineage of ramen masters who once worked under him. He has since passed but his original shop remains in operation, serving the old school menu of a clear soup made mainly of chicken and pork, with thin straight noodles. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Shin (SHIN ) at Shin (SHIN )
Recommended bowl: Fried chicken beast
This simple shop is run by a mother and son team. The son, who looks to be barely out of high school, makes all the noodles by hand in a back room. The mother works the soup and puts together the bowls. Together they make a very friendly, likable duo and they have a steady stream of regular customers. The menu... More
Recommended bowl: Fried chicken beast
This simple shop is run by a mother and son team. The son, who looks to be barely out of high school, makes all the noodles by hand in a back room. The mother works the soup and puts together the bowls. Together they make a very friendly, likable duo and they have a steady stream of regular customers. The menu offers shio ramen, spicy ramen, tantanmen, and seasonal specials, but what makes this shop special is the monstrous fried chicken karaage topping option that is available. This huge slab of chicken is almost a meal in itself. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at 塩そば時空×高井戸製麺所 at Shio Soba Jikuu (塩そば 時空)
特製塩そば / Tokusei Shio Soba / Shio Soba Jukuu — Takaido, Suginami, Tokyo
Gyokai based soup contains sea ingredients only. No msg or chemical additives. Noodles (130g) are home-made (by Takaido Seimenjo) using 'Souriki' brand flour by Nisshin Seifun. Pork shoulder chashu, rare Daisen chicken chashu, chicken meatballs, menma, shiro negi,... More
特製塩そば / Tokusei Shio Soba / Shio Soba Jukuu — Takaido, Suginami, Tokyo
Gyokai based soup contains sea ingredients only. No msg or chemical additives. Noodles (130g) are home-made (by Takaido Seimenjo) using 'Souriki' brand flour by Nisshin Seifun. Pork shoulder chashu, rare Daisen chicken chashu, chicken meatballs, menma, shiro negi, radish sprouts.
Master Wada-san previously worked as a tempura chef. As a ramen lover, opening a ramen restaurant was his dream. Basically self-taught, he trained at the Miyajima Ramen School. Eight seats. Since July 30th, 2023 @shio.soba.jiku Less
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Recommended bowl: Guinea fowl & gyokai
A new school shop opened in April 2017 by two chefs with experience at other top-level Tokyo shops. Shigure serves shoyu, shio, and tsukemen, but specializes in a double-soup that contains guinea fowl (a chicken-like bird) and gyokai. Other highlights included house-made noodles, pork chashu and a tori chashu... More
Recommended bowl: Guinea fowl & gyokai
A new school shop opened in April 2017 by two chefs with experience at other top-level Tokyo shops. Shigure serves shoyu, shio, and tsukemen, but specializes in a double-soup that contains guinea fowl (a chicken-like bird) and gyokai. Other highlights included house-made noodles, pork chashu and a tori chashu topping made from thigh meat and wrapped in burdock root, carrot and green beans. The recommended bowl for first timers is probably the chūka-soba, which has a tare containing four varieties of soy sauce. Less
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Recommended bowl: Spicy & numbing
Rousokuya opened in the heart of Ginza in 2017, serving a selection of bowls sure to please those seeking spice. The menu includes your typical tantanmen, but it also has māpomen: a bowl of ramen topped with fiery Szechuan-style māpo tofu, cooked with meat, chives and mouth numbing sansho peppercorns. You can choose... More
Recommended bowl: Spicy & numbing
Rousokuya opened in the heart of Ginza in 2017, serving a selection of bowls sure to please those seeking spice. The menu includes your typical tantanmen, but it also has māpomen: a bowl of ramen topped with fiery Szechuan-style māpo tofu, cooked with meat, chives and mouth numbing sansho peppercorns. You can choose your heat level when ordering, and then further adjust to taste with condiments on the counter, such as blended vinegar and budō sansho oil. Powerful flavors and impressive heat level make this shop one to watch. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Setagaya (せたが屋) at Setagaya (せたが屋)
Recommended bowl: Mr. Ramen
A legendary shop in the Tokyo ramen scene, and one of the leaders of the new school ramen movement. The master Tsukasa Maejima is often called Mr. Ramen, and Setagaya has now branched out to produce multiple themed ramen shops in a growing empire. This is the OG shop, although they operate two different shops out of the... More
Recommended bowl: Mr. Ramen
A legendary shop in the Tokyo ramen scene, and one of the leaders of the new school ramen movement. The master Tsukasa Maejima is often called Mr. Ramen, and Setagaya has now branched out to produce multiple themed ramen shops in a growing empire. This is the OG shop, although they operate two different shops out of the same space. During the day, this shop is called Hirugao and serves a light shio ramen. At night, it becomes Setagaya with a house specialty of cloudy double-soup made with gyokai, pork and chicken. The noodles contain a rare type of flour from Aichi Prefecture. Open late. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Senyoshi (和歌山の中華そば 泉善) at Senyoshi (和歌山の中華そば 泉善)
Recommended bowl: Authentic Wakayama style
This spacious, rural Osaka shop serves up authentic Wakayama-style tonkotsu shoyu. The shop feels like it's been around for decades, with a nostalgic, school cafeteria-like feel to the large dining area. The ramen is typical Wakayama-style: rich, pork-based shoyu broth, straight noodles, layered with thin... More
Recommended bowl: Authentic Wakayama style
This spacious, rural Osaka shop serves up authentic Wakayama-style tonkotsu shoyu. The shop feels like it's been around for decades, with a nostalgic, school cafeteria-like feel to the large dining area. The ramen is typical Wakayama-style: rich, pork-based shoyu broth, straight noodles, layered with thin slices of pork-belly chashu, green negi and naruto fish cake. Some opt for a raw egg on top. Hard-boiled eggs and mackerel sushi rolls are available on the counter or for takeout. A nice Wakayama-style shop. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Senrigan (千里眼(センリガン)) at Senrigan (千里眼)
Recommended bowl: Top-level Jiro style
Senrigan is a shop you must visit twice. The shop's year-round specialty is Jiro-style ramen, but during the summer months a hiyashi chuka dish pops onto the menu. Both are among the best of their kind in Tokyo.
That's right: Senrigan's jiro-style ramen is just as good as the original, namesake Jiro Ramen. The... More
Recommended bowl: Top-level Jiro style
Senrigan is a shop you must visit twice. The shop's year-round specialty is Jiro-style ramen, but during the summer months a hiyashi chuka dish pops onto the menu. Both are among the best of their kind in Tokyo.
That's right: Senrigan's jiro-style ramen is just as good as the original, namesake Jiro Ramen. The flavors are fierce and the noodles are thick. This is an unforgettable Jiro-style bowl, with thick slabs of fatty pork, piles of bean sprouts and globs of suspended pork back fat.
Senrigan's take on hiyashi chuka, meanwhile, is the best we've ever tasted. This cold noodle dish is served only during the summer months (July-August). A heaping pile of diced daikon radish, mizuna, and cherry tomatoes are served over a generous base of choice chilled noodles, with chashu, pork back fat and a delicious sesame dressing topping it off. It's essentially a filling but refreshing ramen salad.
You get a lot of flexibility with your toppings at this shop. For any dish, you can add extra vegetables, back fat or 'karaage' (a spicy, crispy rice topping not to be confused with the fried chicken dish of the same name). We always go for extra veggies ('yasai mashi') and garlic. If you want to go hard-core, just say 'zenbu mashi,' which is extra of everything (it's free).
Senrigan is wildly popular year-round but the lines get especially long during summer, when ramen heads descend en masse for the hiyashi chuka. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Seino (和 dining 清乃) at Wa Dining Seino Honten (和 dining 清乃 本店)
Recommended bowl: Wakayama legend
Wa Dining Seino is about as good as it gets. Located in Arida, Wakayama, the shop is often ranked amongst the top ramen shops in all of Japan (as high as No. 3 at one point). Open from just 11am to 3pm, weekends get especially hectic as ramen heads from far and wide make the pilgrimage to this deep part of Wakayama... More
Recommended bowl: Wakayama legend
Wa Dining Seino is about as good as it gets. Located in Arida, Wakayama, the shop is often ranked amongst the top ramen shops in all of Japan (as high as No. 3 at one point). Open from just 11am to 3pm, weekends get especially hectic as ramen heads from far and wide make the pilgrimage to this deep part of Wakayama for a chance to sample the bowls served by master Harada-san. The noodles are housemade, and the tare includes a local Kadochō brand shoyu from Arida. The soup is made from chicken, pork and niboshi (with the niboshi heads removed). Multiple varieties of bowls are on the menu, but most go with the Wakayama ramen or the shoyu ramen. Marvelous balance and overall execution. For those who can’t make the trek, Seino now has a second outpost located in a department store near Wakayama station. But of course, nothing beats the original. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Sansanto (燦燦斗) at Sansanto (燦燦斗)
Recommended bowl: Open just 2.5 hrs/day!
Sansanto is open for just 2 ½ hours each day (6pm-8:30pm). The master, Gotou-san, has told us that his methods are too work intensive for him to produce enough product to stay open longer. He prepares the noodles, toppings and soup from scratch every day – and he does it all himself. Beast.
Sansanto's... More
Recommended bowl: Open just 2.5 hrs/day!
Sansanto is open for just 2 ½ hours each day (6pm-8:30pm). The master, Gotou-san, has told us that his methods are too work intensive for him to produce enough product to stay open longer. He prepares the noodles, toppings and soup from scratch every day – and he does it all himself. Beast.
Sansanto's soup is a classic tonkotsu-gyokai. It's light and salty but the gyokai is masterfully integrated, giving the soup a hint of sweetness. There's no fishy taste whatsoever. An unforgettable soup. Can't go wrong with the handmade noodles. Other choice ingredients include a hardboiled egg with a runny yolk and pink slices of chashu that has been roasted at a low temperature. Ramen and tsukemen are both available. Both are lights-out. This shop is somewhat similar to Kissou in Kiba.
This shop is closest to Higashi-Jujo station, but it's also a short walk from Jujo station, which is just 20 minutes by train from Shinjuku. It's an interesting but seldom visited neighborhood of Tokyo, filled with lots of old school izakayas, snack bars, and nomiya. If you know someone who can take us on a tour of the area's best drinking spots, do reach out.
Sansanto offers counter seating only and space is limited. The shop has a nostalgic atmosphere of old Japan. It's a hidden gem, in a hidden corner of Tokyo. Less
