Restaurants
- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Zen (自家製麺 然) at Zen (自家製麺 然)
Recommended bowl: House-made noodles
Open since 2009, Zen serves up hearty bowls of light tonkotsu gyokai ramen and tsukemen. The shop has an old school, no-frills feel, with a u-shaped counter and TV playing baseball or Japanese news programs. The main draw here are the house-made noodles, medium-thick and perfectly firm. The soup is a fishy and... More
Recommended bowl: House-made noodles
Open since 2009, Zen serves up hearty bowls of light tonkotsu gyokai ramen and tsukemen. The shop has an old school, no-frills feel, with a u-shaped counter and TV playing baseball or Japanese news programs. The main draw here are the house-made noodles, medium-thick and perfectly firm. The soup is a fishy and porky blend — cloudy but not too thick. At night, the shop stays open but under a different name and serves a completely different menu of miso ramen — also worth checking out. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Yukikaze (麺屋 雪風 すすきの本店) at Yukikaze (麺屋 雪風 すすきの本店)
Recommended bowl: Late night miso
Open since 2003, this late-night Sapporo spot is one of the premier destinations for miso ramen in the Susukino area. The rich, creamy broth is made from three types of miso, pork bones, chicken, niboshi and maguro-bushi. Topped with fried potato and served with typical Sapporo-style noodles, this bowl is a late-night... More
Recommended bowl: Late night miso
Open since 2003, this late-night Sapporo spot is one of the premier destinations for miso ramen in the Susukino area. The rich, creamy broth is made from three types of miso, pork bones, chicken, niboshi and maguro-bushi. Topped with fried potato and served with typical Sapporo-style noodles, this bowl is a late-night go-to for many locals and tourists alike. There are two branches but this head shop is considered the best, open every night until 3am (12am on Sundays). Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Yotsuba (四つ葉 ) at Yotsuba (四つ葉 )
Recommended bowl: High-qual in the cuts
Yotsuba is one of the highest ranked ramen shops in Saitama. The master’s parents used to operate a sushi shop just next door, and the master's dad still helps out his son and serves a different type of nigiri sushi every day to go with the ramen. The soup here is a marvelous chicken and shellfish blend, served... More
Recommended bowl: High-qual in the cuts
Yotsuba is one of the highest ranked ramen shops in Saitama. The master’s parents used to operate a sushi shop just next door, and the master's dad still helps out his son and serves a different type of nigiri sushi every day to go with the ramen. The soup here is a marvelous chicken and shellfish blend, served with immaculately prepared toppings. Mazesoba and a few other bowls are on the menu — all worth trying. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Yoshino (よし乃 本店) at Yoshino (よし乃 本店)
Recommended bowl: Old school miso
A local Asahikawa favorite for miso ramen, served piping-hot with a mound of bean sprouts, onions, minced meat and bamboo shoots. The miso paste is made upstairs; it's mixed into each bowl by hand. The bean sprouts are cooked in a wok with dashi soup and poured into the bowl last. Now with nine branches in total,... More
Recommended bowl: Old school miso
A local Asahikawa favorite for miso ramen, served piping-hot with a mound of bean sprouts, onions, minced meat and bamboo shoots. The miso paste is made upstairs; it's mixed into each bowl by hand. The bean sprouts are cooked in a wok with dashi soup and poured into the bowl last. Now with nine branches in total, all located in Hokkaido. Most locals will tell you this OG flagship location is the best though. Open since 1968. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Yoshikawa (中華そば よしかわ) at Yoshikawa (中華そば よしかわ)
Recommended bowl: Saitama gem
One of highest ranked shops in Saitama, and a specialist in Niboshi. Located deep in the countryside, the shop has the feeling of a wooden construction box. A super raw, unfinished look. The soup is made using a blend of multiple types of sardines sourced from around Japan, to go with a rich deep shoyu tare. The result... More
Recommended bowl: Saitama gem
One of highest ranked shops in Saitama, and a specialist in Niboshi. Located deep in the countryside, the shop has the feeling of a wooden construction box. A super raw, unfinished look. The soup is made using a blend of multiple types of sardines sourced from around Japan, to go with a rich deep shoyu tare. The result is a smooth, luscious umami. The rice bowl with slices of raw iwashi is also great. Handmade noodles, too. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Yoroiya (与ろゐ屋) at Yoroiya (与ろゐ屋)
Recommended bowl: Double egg yolks
Yoroiya is an old school-style shop in the center of Asakusa, open since 1991. The soup is a light-clear broth made from chickens, pork, gyokai and vegetables, with both shoyu, shio and tsukemen also available. The gyoza are handmade every morning from scratch. What makes this shop really unique though is that each... More
Recommended bowl: Double egg yolks
Yoroiya is an old school-style shop in the center of Asakusa, open since 1991. The soup is a light-clear broth made from chickens, pork, gyokai and vegetables, with both shoyu, shio and tsukemen also available. The gyoza are handmade every morning from scratch. What makes this shop really unique though is that each of the egg toppings comes from an egg containing twins, so each egg has a double yolk. The eggs are delivered daily from a farm near Mount Iwate in Iwate Prefecture. How can they tell that the eggs will have a double yolk? Apparently the chicken farmers can judge just by looking at the size. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Yasuo (ラーメン ヤスオ ) at Yasuo (ラーメン ヤスオ )
Recommended bowl: A shop for the heads
A hard to find, back-alleyway spot nestled in a quiet pocket of Minami Shinjuku. The shop is very raw inside, almost feels like a workshop. A man’s kind of shop. After the ticket machine on the left you’ll see the noodle machine where master Yasuo makes the fresh noodles daily. On the wall behind the machine... More
Recommended bowl: A shop for the heads
A hard to find, back-alleyway spot nestled in a quiet pocket of Minami Shinjuku. The shop is very raw inside, almost feels like a workshop. A man’s kind of shop. After the ticket machine on the left you’ll see the noodle machine where master Yasuo makes the fresh noodles daily. On the wall behind the machine are various measuring cups and tools. The bowls here are somewhat similar to Jiro style — fatty, salty, shoyu soup with chunks of fat, and slabs of pork. Before you get your bowl you’ll be asked if you want fresh garlic and ginger topping. You also have the choice of thin or thick noodles. Most customers go for the thick, which are massive, almost like udon, and very chewy. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at あいだや at Aidaya
つけ汁 2種 味玉 つけめん / Tsuke-jiru Ni-shu Ajitama Tsukemen / Aidaya — Okachimachi, Tokyo
Tonkotsu-gyokai soup uses pork bones and chicken stock, along with seafood oil and fish powder. Garlic shoyu soup consists of a similar pork and chicken base, combined with soy sauce tare, mirin and chopped garlic (shrimp and tantan soups also... More
つけ汁 2種 味玉 つけめん / Tsuke-jiru Ni-shu Ajitama Tsukemen / Aidaya — Okachimachi, Tokyo
Tonkotsu-gyokai soup uses pork bones and chicken stock, along with seafood oil and fish powder. Garlic shoyu soup consists of a similar pork and chicken base, combined with soy sauce tare, mirin and chopped garlic (shrimp and tantan soups also available). House-made noodles contain 50% udon flour and can be served either hot or cold (recommended). Topped with ajitama and two types of pork chashu. The kuroge wagyu sirloin rice bowl is a popular side order.
A tsukemen specialty store run by master Hiromitsu Mizuhara and the popular Ramen Koike group. Other shops in the group include Ramen Koike, Chūka Soba Nishino, King Seimen, Tsukemen Kinryū and Koike no Iekei. Nine seats. Open since October 2nd, 2023 @aidaya_ueno @hiromitsu_mizuhara @ramenkoike_tokyo Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Yamatame Shokudō (山為食堂) at Yamatame Shokudō (山為食堂)
Recommended bowl: Udon & Ramen
Family run since 1953, Yamatame Shokudou is as much of an udon shop as it is a ramen-ya, with an extensive noodle menu featuring curry udon and lots of other options. The shop's most popular dish is probably the chūka soba though. The bowls feature a rich tonkotsu soup, shoyu tare and medium-thick noodles. The tonkotsu... More
Recommended bowl: Udon & Ramen
Family run since 1953, Yamatame Shokudou is as much of an udon shop as it is a ramen-ya, with an extensive noodle menu featuring curry udon and lots of other options. The shop's most popular dish is probably the chūka soba though. The bowls feature a rich tonkotsu soup, shoyu tare and medium-thick noodles. The tonkotsu comes through hard and is the dish's main force. Topped with kamaboko fishcake, a Wakayama ramen staple. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Washo (めん 和正) at Washo (めん 和正)
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
It's easy to walk right past this shop without noticing it, unless there is a line, which isn't very uncommon. A sole master working the kitchen himself, meticulously preparing bowls of ramen and tsukemen at his own pace. The soup is a light gyokai and pork base, with medium-width noodles supplied by Nankinken-Shokuhin.... More
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
It's easy to walk right past this shop without noticing it, unless there is a line, which isn't very uncommon. A sole master working the kitchen himself, meticulously preparing bowls of ramen and tsukemen at his own pace. The soup is a light gyokai and pork base, with medium-width noodles supplied by Nankinken-Shokuhin. One of the stars is the chashu, which the master soaks in soup for a few minutes as the noodles are boiling. Soft and decadent, it melts in your mouth. Less