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When you visit Tokyo, you’re sure to spend a lot of time exploring all the great sights and activities the city has to offer, but also make sure you set aside plenty of time for its amazing food scene.
Although originally from China, today ramen is considered a classic Japanese dish and there are many varieties, from tonkotsu et miso with soy sauce and salt, each with its exquisite flavor. In recent years, ramen has also become popular abroad, and you can now find ramen shops in cities like New York, London, and Paris.
Tokyo has an overwhelming number of ramen shops, each with their own take on this classic noodle dish and preparing it with painstaking care. Read on for a list of some of the best ramen shops to visit in Tokyo for a delicious bowl of steamy goodness!
1. Hachigo (Chinese Ginza Hachigo noodles)
At the Michelin-starred Chuka-Soba Ginza Hachigo you’ll find excellent ramen created by a chef who originally specialized in French cuisine. His soup called “Ajitama Chinese Ramen” is made by simmering seafood, mushrooms and various kinds of vegetables, like a Chinese bouillon, and offers a refined and refreshing taste.
2.Jiro Ramen
If you’re ever a ramen lover, you’ve probably heard of Ramen Jiro. Ramen Jiro has its flagship store in Mita and locations throughout Tokyo, and the chain is famous for its dedicated fans, known as “jirorians.” Ingredients include yeast pork, garlic, vegetables and Candy (concentrated soy sauce), allowing customers to customize the ramen to their liking. Ramen Jiro has made a huge impact on the ramen industry, and the mountain of vegetables in each bowl along with the rich, fatty flavor make this ramen unforgettable.
3.tsuta
Tsuta, located in Yoyogi, serves noodles made from 100% domestic wheat and a slow-cooked soup made from fish, chicken and pork. The restaurant offers three types of ramen: soy sauce (shoyu), sel(zodiac), Y tsukemen (dip noodles), each using high quality ingredients for the broth. The ingredients are carefully selected to create an excellent ramen that has won the hearts and stomachs of many customers. Tsuta was the first ramen restaurant to receive a michelin star!
Official Site: Ramen Tsuta
4. Kagari (Main Ginza Kagari Branch)
Kagari, a famous ramen restaurant in Ginza, has been selected and mentioned in the Michelin Guide for two consecutive years. The star dish of the restaurant is the ‘Tori paitan soba’, which is based on a rich chicken broth. This cloudy white chicken broth is made by slowly simmering sakura-dori (さくらどり), a popular brand of chicken from Kagoshima Prefecture. The rich chicken flavor will delight your taste buds as soon as you taste the first spoonful, and you will soon fall in love with its delicious taste. If you are looking for authentic ramen in Ginza, Kagari is the place to go.
Official Site: Ginza Kagari
5. Konjiki Hototogisu (SOBAHOUSE Kinjiki Fujoki Shinjuku Gyoen main store)
Konjiki Hototogisu is a ramen restaurant located in Shinjuku Gyoenet with only 10 seats inside the restaurant, it usually generates a long line and is usually full as soon as it opens, even on weekday mornings. zodiac et shoyu ramen are available, but the most popular item on the menu is the “zodiac ramen with sea bream and clams. These are rare ingredients for the soup’s broth, and the ramen is additionally seasoned with truffle oil and porcini mushroom pesto, alluding to Italian cuisine. If you’re looking for a creative take on ramen that goes beyond traditional Japanese cuisine, check out this Shinjuku gem.
Official website: Konjiki Hototogisu
6. Dokutsuya
Dokutsuya is a ramen restaurant located in Kichijoji where customers can customize the pork bone shoyu ramen to your liking by choosing your preferred level of flavor intensity, amount of oil, and noodle texture. The noodles have a sticky texture and mix very well with the rich broth.
7.Ushio
Ushio, located in Awajicho, is a wonderful ramen shop that serves two different types of ramen: black and white. White ramen is based on a thick chicken soup and is served with asparagus wrapped in pieces of meat, a rare garnish for ramen, which gives it a unique twist. The dark ramen comes with a rich soy sauce broth and is topped with a juicy boiled egg yeast pork for a simple, classic taste that never goes out of style. Choose your ramen according to your mood or your favorite color!
Akanoren is an authentic Hakata ramen restaurant known for its palatability. tonkotsu ramen (made from pork bones). The tonkotsu Akanoren broth, which is simmered for a whole day, has a very rich flavor and a clean aftertaste, thanks to the careful selection and preparation of the pork. Thin noodles are used for this ramen, which goes perfectly with the delicious soup. Akanoren’s specialty tonkotsu the ramen is the kind of ramen you’ll want to eat on a cold night in Roppongi!
Official website: Akanoren
9. Goryokaku
Goryokaku is a ramen restaurant in Ogikubo that specializes in the Sapporo style. zodiac ramen, and it’s perfect for those who just want a simple and flavorful bowl of ramen. The beautiful, clear broth is made from lots of shellfish, and the light flavor is so addictive, we’re sure you’ll be back for more.
10. Menya Musashi
Menya Musashi is unique in the way it uses two different types of broth, pork bone and seafood, resulting in ramen with an exquisite and complex character. Their seafood broth is made with large amounts of dried Pacific saury and Rausu seaweed and pork bone broth is slowly simmered with various types of vegetables to create the perfect combination of flavors. Enjoy that perfect ramen at their fancy bar counter!
Official site: Menya Musashi
Which of these 10 ramen shops will you visit on your trip to Tokyo? Ramen is a big part of Japanese food culture, and chefs are constantly striving to perfect their recipes to give their customers the ultimate bowl of steaming goodness. A world of ramen awaits you in Tokyo!
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