Restaurants
- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Miso Matador (みそ味専門 マタドール) at Miso Matador (みそ味専門 マタドール)
Recommended bowl: Best beef-bone miso
Miso Matador is master Miso Matador is master Iwatate-san's follow-up to Matador, the wildly delicious and rightfully famous gyukotsu institution in Kita-Senju. Here, Iwatate-san makes miso ramen using a rich beef broth as the base.
The broth is balanced, creamy and smooth. The noodles, served firm, are sourced... More
Recommended bowl: Best beef-bone miso
Miso Matador is master Miso Matador is master Iwatate-san's follow-up to Matador, the wildly delicious and rightfully famous gyukotsu institution in Kita-Senju. Here, Iwatate-san makes miso ramen using a rich beef broth as the base.
The broth is balanced, creamy and smooth. The noodles, served firm, are sourced from Mikawaya Seimen, the toppings are diverse and decadent: rare roast beef, lotus root, tomatoes, green onion, bean sprouts, and various roasted beef parts.
There are several other ramen and tsukemen options on the menu. Order anything that strikes you as appealing. You can't go wrong when you're in Iwatate-san's hand Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Ishihara (支那そば いしはら) at Shina Soba Ishihara (支那そば いしはら)
Recommended bowl: Tasty wontonmen
Ishihara is a discrete little hole-in-the-wall shop in Nishi-Ogikubo serving shoyu wontonmen in the old-school Tokyo style. Master Ishihara-san founded Hamadayama's legendary Tantantei, one of Tokyo's finest wontonmen shops. Ishihara-san does all the cooking solo, while his wife handles the cash and the prep.
Ishihara's... More
Recommended bowl: Tasty wontonmen
Ishihara is a discrete little hole-in-the-wall shop in Nishi-Ogikubo serving shoyu wontonmen in the old-school Tokyo style. Master Ishihara-san founded Hamadayama's legendary Tantantei, one of Tokyo's finest wontonmen shops. Ishihara-san does all the cooking solo, while his wife handles the cash and the prep.
Ishihara's soup is light, simple and satisfying – the kind of bowl you could casually crush on a weekly basis. The noodles are supplied by Obata Seimen. Both pork and shrimp wontons are available. The shrimp wontons are particularly enjoyable – light and slightly sweet. Order the "mixed wonton" option if you'd like to try both. The bowl comes with a small slice of chashu, which has a hint of the tangy sweetness of Chinese cured pork.
The shop also serves various snacks and drinks, and seems to be a hangout of sorts for some locals. An interesting little neighborhood spot. Less
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- 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 Soup Noodle 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 Men 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)
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 Niboshi Tsukemen 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 Tori no Ana (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 Chuka Men Tokoro Dotonbori (中華めん処 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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半チャーハンとラーメン / Han-Chahan to Ramen / Chūka Ryōri Shinkarō — Nakano-Sakaue, Tokyo
Machi Chūka style shoyu ramen comes with doubutsukei soup and noodles by Yamaguchiya (based in Ikebukuro). Topped with pork chashu, menma, negi, nori and naruto. Half size fried rice set with gyoza on the side.
Chūka Ryōri Shinkarō is... More
半チャーハンとラーメン / Han-Chahan to Ramen / Chūka Ryōri Shinkarō — Nakano-Sakaue, Tokyo
Machi Chūka style shoyu ramen comes with doubutsukei soup and noodles by Yamaguchiya (based in Ikebukuro). Topped with pork chashu, menma, negi, nori and naruto. Half size fried rice set with gyoza on the side.
Chūka Ryōri Shinkarō is run by 80-year old master Tadashige Endo-san, who operates the shop along with his wife. Endo-san lost his father in the war when he was young and was raised by his mother and grandfather. After graduating from junior high school in his hometown of Yamagata, he moved to Tokyo to find work and picked up a job at a restaurant named ‘Teito’ in Kichijoji. It was there he learned how to cook, mastering Japanese, Chinese and Western style dishes. Because of this experience, he not only offers Machi Chūka but also some Japanese and Western items. Open in the same location for over 50 years, most of the customers are regulars and many call Endo-san by his first name. The signboard outside (and on the menu) says ‘King of Taste.’ 26 seats. Open since 1969. Less