Restaurants
- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Hatsune (はつね) at Hatsune (はつね)
Recommended bowl: Legendary tanmen
Open since 1961, Hatsune is famous across Tokyo for its tanmen. The shop is run by a husband and wife; she is the daughter of the OG master, keeping the shop alive for a second generation. Her husband, the current master, used to be a Japanese chef. He arrives at the shop at 8am every morning to begin making the soup.... More
Recommended bowl: Legendary tanmen
Open since 1961, Hatsune is famous across Tokyo for its tanmen. The shop is run by a husband and wife; she is the daughter of the OG master, keeping the shop alive for a second generation. Her husband, the current master, used to be a Japanese chef. He arrives at the shop at 8am every morning to begin making the soup. The soup contains pork bones, vegetables, pork meat and chicken fat. The master brews up a new pot of soup every day. He sources the soup's vegetables from a local veggie shop just around the corner. The noodles are supplied by Kusamura Shouten, and toppings include yaki chikuwa (fish cake) instead of menma. The shop, although somewhat famous, is known to turn down interviews and media coverage. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Shinasoba Tanaka (支那そば たなか) at Shinasoba Tanaka (支那そば たなか)
Recommended bowl: Tantantei roots
Master Tanaka-san trained at the famed shop Tantantei for seven years, and he originally opened this shop as a branch of Tantantei in 2000. The shop changed names in 2004, then closed in 2016 and reopened in 2017 in its current location. The soup is made from pork and chicken, and comes topped with niboshi oil. Like... More
Recommended bowl: Tantantei roots
Master Tanaka-san trained at the famed shop Tantantei for seven years, and he originally opened this shop as a branch of Tantantei in 2000. The shop changed names in 2004, then closed in 2016 and reopened in 2017 in its current location. The soup is made from pork and chicken, and comes topped with niboshi oil. Like Tantantei, the recommended bowl is the mixed wontonmen, which offers both shrimp and pork wontons. The shop is closed on the 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th, 24th and 28th of every month. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at at Motsuke (ほっこり中華そば もつけ )
Recommended bowl: 100% domestic ingredients
Master Okada-san trained at the shop Bunbunmaru before opening Motsuke in 2016. The soup here is made from chicken, katsuo, saba and three different types of niboshi. Every day, Okada-san adjusts the soup bit by bit, so it is constantly evolving. All of his dishes are made with 100% domestic Japanese products,... More
Recommended bowl: 100% domestic ingredients
Master Okada-san trained at the shop Bunbunmaru before opening Motsuke in 2016. The soup here is made from chicken, katsuo, saba and three different types of niboshi. Every day, Okada-san adjusts the soup bit by bit, so it is constantly evolving. All of his dishes are made with 100% domestic Japanese products, with house-made noodles prepared on site. No MSG. Shoyu-based chuka soba and tantanmen are the specialties. Okada-san is from Tsugaru in Aomori Prefecture. In Tsugaru dialect, 'Motsuke' means a frivolous person. Less
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Recommended bowl: Hamaguri clam ramen
Launched back in 2006, master Yamamoto-san's Hototogisu became known as one of the very first shops to incorporate Hamaguri clams as the main component of its soup, and one of the first to use a delicate triple soup as well. He has tweaked the menu slightly over the years, but Hototogisu still ranks among the elite... More
Recommended bowl: Hamaguri clam ramen
Launched back in 2006, master Yamamoto-san's Hototogisu became known as one of the very first shops to incorporate Hamaguri clams as the main component of its soup, and one of the first to use a delicate triple soup as well. He has tweaked the menu slightly over the years, but Hototogisu still ranks among the elite upper echelon of Tokyo ramen shops.
The shio ramen is the recommendation here. The soup is a light, clear triple blend of Hamaguri clams, pork and dried gyokai (sea ingredients). On top of the bowls come extravagances like porcini mushroom duxelles sauce, golden inca berry sauce, white truffle oil, and pancetta bacon bits. Noodles are homemade in the shop using six types of flour. Originally located in Hatagaya, Hototogisu moved to a new location in Shinjuku Gyoenmae in 2018. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Kikuchi (荻窪らーめん 菊池) at Kikuchi (荻窪らーめん 菊池)
Recommended bowl: Aomori + Marushin roots
Master Kikuchi-san is from Aomori prefecture and started working at a Chinese restaurant when he was 23 years old. He then worked at the Ogikubo ramen shop Marushin, where he stayed for over 25 years. He opened his own shop, Kikuchi, in 2006. His dashi is made from chicken, saba, soudabushi and kombu, with... More
Recommended bowl: Aomori + Marushin roots
Master Kikuchi-san is from Aomori prefecture and started working at a Chinese restaurant when he was 23 years old. He then worked at the Ogikubo ramen shop Marushin, where he stayed for over 25 years. He opened his own shop, Kikuchi, in 2006. His dashi is made from chicken, saba, soudabushi and kombu, with the choice of shoyu, shio or miso tare. There's also tsukemen on the menu, but most customers go with the shoyu ramen (ramen kuro). This is typical old school Ogikubo style shoyu. Noodles supplied by Daiei Shokuhin. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Chibakara (ちばから ) at Chibakara (ちばから)
Recommended bowl: Creamy Jiro style
Located in Ichihara, Chiba, the name of this shop literally means "from Chiba." The soup is a rich tonkotsu stock, paired with house made noodles. Toppings include pork belly chashu, bean sprouts, cabbage and optional garlic. The master here trained at Jiro and loves the style, but he wanted to make an original version,... More
Recommended bowl: Creamy Jiro style
Located in Ichihara, Chiba, the name of this shop literally means "from Chiba." The soup is a rich tonkotsu stock, paired with house made noodles. Toppings include pork belly chashu, bean sprouts, cabbage and optional garlic. The master here trained at Jiro and loves the style, but he wanted to make an original version, hence the use of pure pork bone creamy soup in place of Jiro's salty tonkotsu-shoyu soup. It looks like Jiro style but it's quite different. One of the highest ranked shops in the area, the shop often draws long lines. A second branch is located in the heart of Shibuya. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at 下北沢 at Kaimen Mikawa (貝麺 みかわ)
特製貝麺 / Tokusei Kaimen / Kaimen Mikawa — Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
Kaimen uses a shellfish soup made by cooking asari clams and scallops (fresh and dried) over high heat, served with shellfish paste. Custom made medium-thin flat noodles utilize Yumechikara brand wheat from Hokkaido. Three types of chashu highlight the toppings: Chicken breast... More
特製貝麺 / Tokusei Kaimen / Kaimen Mikawa — Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
Kaimen uses a shellfish soup made by cooking asari clams and scallops (fresh and dried) over high heat, served with shellfish paste. Custom made medium-thin flat noodles utilize Yumechikara brand wheat from Hokkaido. Three types of chashu highlight the toppings: Chicken breast and pork shoulder are vacuum sealed and cooked at a low temperature to ensure moistness, while pork belly chashu is prepared just before being served to maintain a meaty and juicy texture. Also toped with ajitama, negi and red onion. Each bowl is finished with shellfish flavor oil. The standard shoyu and shio ramen combines shellfish broth with a beef broth made by slowly simmering beef bones, the shio ramen in particular uses a combination of natural sea salt and sea salt harvested from seaweed (both sun-dried). Shellfish rice bowl (on the side) contains seasonal ingredients that change monthly.
Master Taichi Maeda-san is the former chef of a Japanese restaurant at a hotel. He claims 90% of his customers drink the entire soup in each bowl. Seven seats. Open since April 30th, 2021 @kaimen.mikawa Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Jimon (じもん) at Jimon (じもん)
Recommended bowl: Anus destroyer
Opened in 2012, Jimon first specialized in tsukemen before switching up the menu completely to Katsuura tantanmen. Customers can choose the level of spiciness here, from 0 to 6. According to the menu, if you choose level 4 and higher your "anus will be destroyed." That's a direct quote. The soup is made from chicken... More
Recommended bowl: Anus destroyer
Opened in 2012, Jimon first specialized in tsukemen before switching up the menu completely to Katsuura tantanmen. Customers can choose the level of spiciness here, from 0 to 6. According to the menu, if you choose level 4 and higher your "anus will be destroyed." That's a direct quote. The soup is made from chicken and gyokai, and comes topped with minced meat, onions and raw Chinese chives — classic Katsuura style. Tiny shop. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Fujishiro (麺屋 藤しろ) at Fujishiro (麺屋 藤しろ)
Recommended bowl: chicken & veal soup
Master Kudou-san apprenticed at the legendary ramen shop Honda, after working in an array of other restaurants, including a yakiniku spot, an Italiian restaurant, a French restaurant and a hamburger shop. But finally he settled on ramen. Fujishiro is located down an indoor alley off the main street — a bit tricky... More
Recommended bowl: chicken & veal soup
Master Kudou-san apprenticed at the legendary ramen shop Honda, after working in an array of other restaurants, including a yakiniku spot, an Italiian restaurant, a French restaurant and a hamburger shop. But finally he settled on ramen. Fujishiro is located down an indoor alley off the main street — a bit tricky to find. The soup here is a rich and creamy broth made from chicken bones, whole chickens and veal bones, as well as some roasted beef. No MSG. Noodles supplied by Kokonoaji Shokuhin. There's ginger lemon on the counter to add to your soup midway through. This is classic tori paitan style but heightened with beef Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Matsunoya (ラーメン松野屋) at Matsunoya (ラーメン松野屋)
Recommended bowl: Garlic Spice
Matsunoya is a popular roadside shop with a large menu and an old school feel. This being Katsuura, the standard bowl is, of course, none other than Katsuura-style tantanmen, served with a formidable layer of chili oil, and topped with diced onions and minced meat. The soup is made from chicken and katsuobushi. Only... More
Recommended bowl: Garlic Spice
Matsunoya is a popular roadside shop with a large menu and an old school feel. This being Katsuura, the standard bowl is, of course, none other than Katsuura-style tantanmen, served with a formidable layer of chili oil, and topped with diced onions and minced meat. The soup is made from chicken and katsuobushi. Only one pot of soup is made per day, so when the soup runs out the shop closes. The minced meat is cooked with copious amounts of garlic, giving this bowl a very garlicky kick. Open over 15 years. Less