Travel 2 minutes 30 October 2017

Where to Eat Ramen in Tokyo

10 Michelin-recommended Japanese eateries for your ramen fix.

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 is well-known for its dan dan noodles, a spicy dish that originates from Chinese Sichuan cuisine.
Nakiryu is well-known for its dan dan noodles, a spicy dish that originates from Chinese Sichuan cuisine.

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's signature shoyu chuka soba.
Tanako's signature shoyu chuka soba.

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

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