The 5 Best Ramen Restaurants (Ya-Tai) in Japan
- Katina
- Apr 21, 2020
- 2 min read
Ramen is undoubtedly the most popular food in Japan. This noodle soup dish has become such a popular food, there are now over 10,000 ramen restaurants (also known as ya-tai) in Japan.
There are endless variations of ramen depending on where you are in Japan, but the (2) basic components include:
A) wheat noodles
which can vary in:
i) thickness - thin, regular or thick
ii) doneness regular or firm
B) rich broth
there are 4 types of soup base:
a) shoyu - soy sauce
b) shio - salt
c) miso - soybean paste
d) tonkotsu - pork bone
How to Order Ramen in Japan
It is fairly common for ramen restaurants to use the vending machine method for ordering & paying; in these cases, you should purchase meal tickets at the machine near the entrance before being seated.
If you do not see a vending machine: proceed to being seated, place your order with the server & pay before leaving.
The 5 Best Ramen Restaurants in Japan
(5) Ichiran - $$
best known for: tonkotsu ramen
order & pay by vending machine
unique experience: order & then seat yourself at a solo cubicle; hand your order tickets to the server
cost: 890 JPY * there's a supersized version for 1490 JPY
important note: this is one of the most popular chain ramen restaurants; lines to get into the restaurant(s) is very common
various locations
* bonus Ichiran tip: order the matcha almond pudding for dessert -
it's delicious & inexpensive (390 JPY)!
(4) Kyushu Ramen Kio - $$
best known for: tonkotsu ramen
order off the menu & pay the server
cost: 810 JPY
various locations
Photo Credit: YingHua Chang
(3) Menya Shichisai - $$
best known for: niboshi (dried-fish) ramen & hand cut noodles
order & pay by vending machine
cost: 970 JPY * small (150g) , medium (200g) or large (250g) for the same price
various locations
(2) Tsukemen Toranoou - $$
best known for: tsukemen ramen (dip chilled noodles into hot broth)
order & pay by vending machine
cost: 830 JPY
3 Chome-3-8 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, 大阪市浪速区 Osaka 556-0002, Japan
(1) Hakata Furyu Nakano - $
best known for spicy tonkatsu ramen
order & pay by vending machine
unique experience: you can order a second serving of ramen noodles for FREE - you just have to say to the server is “ka-e-da-ma”
cost: 850 JPY
5 Chome-59-6 Nakano, Nakano City, Tokyo 164-0001, Japan
^ do not miss this sign ^
I hope these tips help to bring you one step closer to finding the best ramen in Japan!
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