Tokyo’s Best Ramen Shops vol.1
The Tokyo ramen scene is fiercely competitive. With more than
3,000 shops vying for customers, it’s not easy to select the “best
of” in the genre. There are dozens of variations on the traditional
broth and noodle combination, and every shop boasts a selection of
mouthwatering choices. Here, ramen connoisseur Hayato Ishiyama
shares his top 10 picks for Tokyo’s tastiest ramen. The list includes both
centrally located shops and others somewhat off the beaten path that are
nevertheless worth a visit for the memorable taste experience they offer.
Tokyo
1.Ramen Dining
JinGu
Hayato Ishiyama provided creative input for this shop, which features ramen in a beef-based broth. The stock, made fresh every day, contains two parts each beef and pork bones to one part chicken for a light yet full flavor. Once it’s ready, a few drops of house-made oil flavored with slow-rendered beef fat are added to give the soup its distinctive taste. The springy noodles are made to order from Hokkaido wheat. Toothsome slices of roast beef top off this singular and satisfying bowl of ramen.
4-32-5 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-6434-9910
11:30 AM to 11 PM; Saturdays, Sundays,
and holidays 11:30 AM to 10 PM
(earlier if ingredients run out); open daily
Gyukotsu Ramen ￥780
◆ Distinctively different
miso ramen ◆2.Ramen
Kinryu
This is not your typical Sapporo-style miso ramen! The chef, who decided seven or eight years ago to focus on miso ramen, has developed a highly original take on the genre. The soup is made from sauteed vegetables, two types of miso, and other seasonings; its mellow flavor is allowed to develop over a 48-hour period. Loyal fans make regular visits to get their fix, unable to forgo the spicy flavor and nose-tickling aroma of this remarkable ramen.
303-30 Kanegasaku, Matsudo, Chiba
Tel. 047-387-3520
11:30 AM to 3 PM (last order 2:45 PM),
6 to 9 PM (last order 8:45 PM)
Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays
Miso Ramen￥880
◆ Featuring a luxurious,light-tasting beef broth ◆
3.Gyukotsu Ramen
Matador
Kita-Senju branch
Gyukotsu broth is made from a base of beef bones and tendons; here, specially selected chicken parts are also used. The broth simmers for nearly 12 hours, and then Chiba Shimousa soy sauce, diluted with seafood stock, is added to finish the soup. The umami-rich ingredients harmonize perfectly with the thin, flat noodles and generous slices of tender roast beef.
Nakamura Bldg. 1F, 2-4-17 Senjuhigashi,
Adachi-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-3888-3443
11:30 AM to 2:30 PM, 6 to 9 PM
Sundays and holidays 11:30 AM to 4 PM
(may close earlier if ingredients run out)
Closed Mondays
Zeitaku Yaki-ushi Ramen ￥1,050
◆ Clean-tasting broth gives a nod to dashi culture ◆4.Motenashi
Kuroki
Whole chickens, pork, and loads of vegetables go into the stock, along with Rausu kombu, grilled flying fish, and other ingredients. The skillfully blended broth owes its exquisite balance of flavors to the owner’s background in washoku traditional Japanese cuisine. Six different varieties of salt—from seas, mountains, and lakes—are used to season the soup. The noodles are house-made; patrons can select either thin or flat ones in their soup.
No 3 Yonren Bldg. 1F, 2-15 Kanda Izumicho,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-3863-7117
1:30 AM to 3 PM, 6 to 9 PM
and Wednesday evenings
Aji-tama Shio Soba ￥1100
(Actual presentation may vary from image shown)
◆ Tonkotsu shoyu ramen of
the highest pedigree ◆
5.Kichijoji
Musashiya
"Ie-kei,” a type of ramen featuring thick, straight noodles in a tonkotsu shoyu broth, was invented by Yokohama’s Yoshimuraya. Musashiya has carried on the Ie-kei tradition to great acclaim, being especially renowned for its pork- and chicken-bone stock. The thin-sliced roast pork that tops the soup absorbs the luscious broth, and is made even tastier by the light sheen of chicken fat on the surface.
Yayoi Bldg. 1F, 1-8-11 Kichijoji Minamicho,
Musashino, Tokyo
Tel. 0422-77-0180
11 AM to 1:30 AM (last order); to 12:30
AM (last order) Sundays (except when Monday is a holiday);
open daily
Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen ￥650
Photography by Wataru Nishiyama, Ryuichiro Sato,and Hayato Ishiyama.
Text by Mieko Otaki In cooperation with Hayato Ishiyama.
Translation by Julie Kuma
Copy Edit by Katherine Heins
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