If you are going to Tokyo, then you are going to want ramen. But the city's ramen scene is truly vast, not only encompassing a range of local styles, like shoyu and tsukemen, but a ton of regional variations as well, from tonkotsu to miso. Tokyo is estimated to be home to over 10,000 ramen-yas—a.k.a., eateries where ramen is the star—and that can be fairly daunting if you're planning a a short trip.
So if you need some help navigating the labyrinth of noodles and hot soup, here are ten Michelin-recommended restaurants to get you started.
TSUTA
Awarded: Michelin Star
What our inspectors say: The triple soup is made from vegetables, chicken, clams and seafood and offers a balance of umami and richness. The base ingredients are Jukusei Nama age Shoyu matured for two years and dashi from beef or clams. Mongolian saltwater or mineral-rich Okinawan salt is added to wheat to prepare the noodles. ‘Shoyu Soba’ features the fragrance of soy sauce and truffles and the flavors fill your mouth, leaving a sweet, pleasant aftertaste.
1-14-1 Sugamo, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
NAKIRYU
Awarded: Michelin Star
What our inspectors say: The soups are made primarily with whole chicken and ingredients like beef bones, vegetables, dried fish and even a lavish helping of raw oysters. The ultra-thin tantanmen noodles have a distinctive sesame flavor and are made with little water and no eggs. The rich and fragrant soy sauce ramen features flat noodles of medium thickness with a good texture. Also popular are the roasted pork loin and slow-roasted pork shoulder fillet.
2-34-4 Minamiotsuka, Toshima-ku Tokyo
TANAKO
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
Searching for the Tokyo shoyu-style ramen? Look no further as Tanako holds the prime example. Handmade wholewheat noodles are nestled in a delicate niboshi shoyu ramen. The basic chuka soba combines rich Akita free-range chicken with sweet niboshi (dried sardines), making for a full-flavored broth that's not too greasy.
2-15-10 Nakanobu, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
ICHIFUKU
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
Helmed by a female chef, Ichifuku is a new Bib Gourmand ramen shop entrant in the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo 2017. Tucked in a nostalgic back alley just minutes away from the buzzing Shinjuku, Ichifuku has been ladling bowls of miso-based ramen to customers for over 20 years.
2-17-14 Honmachi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
MUGI TO OLIVE
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
This ramen-ya is so named for its use of olive oil in its ramen. Here, customers are encouraged to add a splash of olive oil to the broth once they are halfway through the ramen for an extra depth of flavor. Mugi To Olive serves three types of shoyu soup: one made with niboshi, one with hamaguri clams and another with chicken. Ramen is available in any of these varieties, or you can order a "triple soba" option that comes with a mix of all three.
6-12-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
GOTTSU
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
Located just a few minutes walk from Nerima station is Ramen Gottsu. The gyokai broth is made from flying fish, among other seafood, and has a super smooth mouthfeel.
1-29-16 Nerima, Nerima-ku, Tokyo
YAMAGUCHI
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
It's been awarded a Bib Gourmand for three years running, and while the bowl is a tad pricey for Japanese ramen at ¥830 ($7.32) each, the price tag isn't unjustified. The broth is simmered down with Aizu Jigamo, a prized breed of Japanese duck.
2-11-13 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
MENSON RAGE
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
In both style and substance, the laidback shop helmed by two young chefs represents the next generation of Tokyo's ramen-yas. Menson Rage offers a choice of three ramen types: shamo soba (a chicken-based shoyu ramen), niboshi ramen and maze-soba. All three are excellent, but the shamo soba is lauded as Menson Rage's most popular bowl.
3-37-22 Shoan, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
KAGARI
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
Search tip: if you spot a snaking queue, you're probably on the right track. Located down an unmarked alley in the middle of Tokyo's Ginza district is the Kagari ramen-ya. Kagari offers its ramen in two very contrasting styles. The tori-paitan soba is served in a luscious, thick soup the color and consistency of creamed corn, and the niboshi-shoyu soba is a dark, soy-based broth made from dried sardines.
4-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku Tokyo
SHINOHARA
Awarded: Bib Gourmand
Lying a couple of minutes from Kanamecho station in the western part of Tokyo is Shinohara. The ramen-ya serves up three different bowls: shoyu, dashi and red sea bream. (The latter is the real star.) The tare used for the ramen is a mix of soy sauce and red sea bream oil, which really sings with flavors of the sea.
3-1-4 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku
