No matter if it’s your first time to Tokyo, Japan or another trip to this amazing city, food is one of the things that we want to enjoy on our Tokyo adventures. Ramen is certainly one of the most popular dish in Japan, even though Japan is famous for sushi.
I believe ramen is one of the most popular foods, that’s why in this guide I want to share with you my best ramen shops in Tokyo, Japan, great places for your food adventures while exploring the city.
In the whole of Japan, you can find over 10,000 ramen restaurants, in Tokyo alone must be over a thousand Ramen shops. As it’s hard to find bad Ramen places, there are certainly some worth recommending.
I explored Tokyo for 3 months, often looking for best ramen in different Tokyo districts and now, when I’m back to my country I decided to share my best ramen shops in Tokyo, places I miss and can’t wait to go back to each one of them and have this beloved noodle dish of mine.
When tourists come to Tokyo, there are a couple of districts they certainly are planning to visit: Shibuya and Shinjuku are the most famous ones, Ginza would be popular for shopping, but those are not the only ones and when it comes to Ramen, it’s good to explore other districts as well.
Tourists that love Ramen, and looking for best noodles in the city certainly are going to visit Sugamo station as well, where the first Ramen restaurant that received Michelin Star can be found, and it’s very popular among tourists.
Ogikubo on the other side, which is 10 minutes train ride from Shinjuku is less popular however, a real Ramen lover should certainly visit Ogikubo.
Ogikubo is called “Ramen town” for a reason! Some of the greatest Ramen shops are located there (and some of them exists for over 70 years!), and here I’m certainly will share some unique choices from that area. That’s also where I resided for 3 months and I did all my best to try some of the best noodles in the area.
I’m sure you will find some interesting places where to eat tasty noodles.
What You Will Find in This Guide
In this guide I will share with you best ramen choices in Tokyo, focusing on some popular touristic districts but also going off the beaten path and hopefully, you have time and willingness to explore and try some of the places.
Here is the list of districts and best Ramen shops for you to try:
You can jump to any section you want, or go through them all and plan your Tokyo adventures appropriately.
However, if you’re looking for my top Udon noodles choice in Tokyo, I also share one great restaurant under the Shinjuku section.
Ogikubo: Ramen Town
While living in Ogikubo, I met great Japanese people from the area, they took me to some unique restaurants and shared great tips about “the Ramen Town”, I also received an Ogibon magazine, one that covered the best Ramen places in Ogikubo and I tried my best to visit some from the list (it’s a shame I couldn’t try them all).
When it comes to the cost of Ramen in Tokyo because Ogikubo is not so touristically popular location, that’s where you can enjoy great noodles for a very good price, under 1000 yen for a bowl.
Some shops will be more pricey though, especially if they are located on the main street. Certainly, you won’t pay more than 2000 yen for even the best Ramen dish in Ogikubo.
Here I share the best shops in Ogikubo, I’m sure you will find a Ramen dish that will match your taste.
十八番 : Garlic Ramen
I believe the picture of this Ramen dish speaks for itself. When I got the Ogibon magazine, that was the first shop I visited from the list, and I was there two more times afterwards. I called it “Garlic Ramen” because it’s certainly Ramen that’s full of garlic flavor.
If there is any Ramen shop I miss from Tokyo, that would be the one! That’s the place you can see how everything is being made and plated.
That’s how the signature Ramen looks like, the most popular dish.
Miso Ramen, my personal favorite dish from the shop.
About Ramen: As I mentioned already, very garlicky, but very tasty and amazing flavors. The first Ramen on the list is their signature one, and when you get there you will see that’s the most popular one among other diners.
Personally, I love vegetables, and Miso Ramen has plenty of them. Signature Ramen is the most popular dish in here, so I would say it’s a must-try one but Miso Ramen for me was a better choice and I might say it was the best Miso Ramen in Tokyo I had.
If I were in Tokyo again, I certainly would enjoy both of them again and again.
Miso Ramen comes full of tasty vegetables.
Don’t forget to order gyoza as well, as you see on the picture – gyoza is huge and also widely popular here.
Gyoza that’s often ordered here, big sizes and next to it is Miso Ramen.
Service: The chefs working here are very friendly, if you’re foreigner tourist, you will be eating in a full place of Japanese customers, hmm maybe that’s why you will find chefs super nice to you? There is no English menu, but the truth is… whatever you order in this place will be unique and very tasty, you will find English help if needed, so don’t worry.
Price: Ramen here costs under 1000 yen, and the dish is quite big.
Reviews: 4.3 out of 290 reviews! Very good rated Ramen and a busy place, but you won’t have to wait too long. Some of the reviewers say it’s the best Ramen they enjoyed in Tokyo, a refreshing and light taste, and the signature Ramen is one often recommended. The uniqueness of this Ramen is often mentioned. I agree you won’t find anything that tastes like a bowl of soup from this shop (you should like garlic though!).
This is how the restaurant looks on the outside, open only during evening service.
How to get here: You need to know it’s open only during evening service, here is a google maps link for this restaurant so you can check more details about the place and it will also help you navigate yourself to the restaurant. It’s within 5 minutes walk from the Ogikubo station, you can follow the smell of garlic ;).
h3>Goryōkaku: Shio Ramen
Very small shop, on the inner street, family-owned. Very kind service and they also have an English menu.
About Ramen: They do only have one Ramen dish in the shop, Shio Ramen (salt-based broth), but they made it to perfection in my opinion. The soup was very tasty and I certainly left the place with a big smile on my face.
Shio Ramen, very tasty broth!
Goryōkaku Menu. Just one ramen but it’s made to perfection! Plus some extra toppings and side options. Great beer price!
Price: 750 yen, plus whatever toppings you want to add. I posted a picture here of the menu, so just check it for reference.
Reviews: 4.2 out of 130 reviews! Some customers that do not like Shio Ramen, still found this place very good. Also, some people say the service is not nice, and I want to add that when I was there, the service was extremely nice and I’m quite sure that will be the same service you will experience.
Goryōkaku is located on an inner street in Ogikubo, this is how the entrance looks like so you won’t miss it.
How to get there: They are open during lunch as well as in the evening, however for the directions and more details about this place, please check here on google maps, It’s less than 10 minutes walk from Ogikubo station.
春木家本店: Haruki Ramen Shop: Since 1931!
Really not sure how to translate the name of that ramen shop. However, it’s not the most important thing as long as I can explain where it is and how to find it.
Ogibon magazine rated this shop as the best ramen in Ogikubo. However, when you visit there, you might be surprised. As tourists, we often have contact with new ramen style, and this one is just different than those new places. It exists since 1931! You must admit that’s a bit of history there and this is a very traditional Ramen place.
Traditional Japanese “floor” seatings, traditional interior of this place.
The place inside is very nice, quite unique and much bigger than most Ramen shops you’ll find in Tokyo, it’s quite spacious and it has a room with “floor” seatings. The menu of that place is quite big, there are many different dishes to be found, but if you don’t speak Japanese, you certainly will have a problem to find what you want.
Picture of the menu, many items and google listing is a place to go to see pictures of other dishes as in here you may want to try some unique dishes for you.
As I mentioned, the menu is big and there is no English menu. A woman that serves doesn’t speak English either (or maybe in different days someone else serves). However, that should not stop you from visiting. I believe it’s quite interesting to go to a restaurant where is hard to communicate and enjoy the experience.
When it comes to an egg in the ramen, it’s a hard-boiled egg, cause you most probably are used to the soft-boiled egg if you’re a tourist (that’s what most new places offer). A hard-boiled egg is the way it was made before the new school of Ramen came to existence. For some it’s perfect it is hard-boiled, cause not everybody likes soft eggs, and of course vice versa. For me, I like adventures and I find pleasure in eating an egg that’s hard or soft boiled (different experiences are always valued).
As it was also hard to communicate with the server in regards to Ramen noodles I wanted, body language did most of the talking. I asked for the biggest and “fullest” ramen. So I got a big bowl with meat, prawns, mushrooms and many other toppings. I still remember how good the mushroom in the soup was. You also should know that as not knowing the Japanese language was a bit of a problem, the server was super kind and did all she could to help me out. If you have the internet on your phone you will be just fine.
But, because you might be used to new ramen style, you may find it not as special as you may think it is. I certainly enjoyed the place and I wish I had some Japanese language skills, cause the menu is very interesting looking and when checking images on google maps from the place, it seems they offer many great dishes.
In case you’re like me and not sure which item to order from the menu, the google maps listing offers some images and if you have the internet on the go, you can always order by showing an image from the google listing. I’m posting a picture of the menu, it might be useful for tourists that are learning the Japanese language and are not yet fluent in it.
Reviews: 4.1 out of 108 reviews. Most probably you expected many more reviews for the place that exists for so long. However, it’s a place where mainly Japanese people dine. On the side of reviews, they have very good reviews and as I mentioned it was rated as the best ramen shop in Ogibuko (“Ramen town”!).
For many diners, it reminds of childhood Ramen, very traditional. A must-go place for people that want to know and taste Ramen that has history.
In the section of “how to get here”, you will have a link to Google listing of this restaurant where you will find many pictures of other dishes which seems very tasty!
Service: When it comes to atmosphere, a server, an older woman, even though we could not communicate in English, she was extremely kind and to my surprise, the main chef of the shop came out to me when I was leaving the place for a quick chat and to thank me for coming.
Simply, the chef made me smile by being curious about me and taking his time to come out to me and talk, it never happened in any other places. (it’s not like the service in other places wasn’t nice).
How to get here: It’s located inside Ogikubo, not super close to the station but not too far away either. Here you have google maps listing that will help you with direction, reviews and images of their dishes that might be necessary for you to order the dish you want.
Haruki-ya Ogikubo
A very famous place in Ogikubo, well-known for many Japanese people from the area but not only. Harukiya started in 1949 by a chef Itsuo Imamura.
Ramen noodles were brought to Japan by Chinese people and that’s the place that offers Chinese style ramen dish, you can order one with Wonton dumplings inside the soup. It’s a very popular place, often with people lining outside to get in.
Picture of a Wonton Ramen, very nice, mild taste served in a beatiful bowl.
About Ramen: On the flavor side, It has a mild nice taste, very delicate. If you’re Ramen lover it’s a place you must visit so you can see how Ramen used to taste 20 years ago. As I heard from Japanese friends, it’s a great restaurant but it used to be better back in the day.
The soup broth is made from several ingredients, one of them is “kaeshi” – meaning, it’s soy-sauce flavored broth. Broth looks similar to Michelin Star shop, Tsuta – discussed later in this guide.
Noodles are freshly made every morning. Certainly, it’s the place where it’s worth trying Ramen with Wonton dumplings.
They offer 3 main Ramen dishes:
- Chuka-soba (Chinese noodles, Harukiya’s basic Ramen) 850 Yen
- Wonton Ramen 1,250 Yen
- Chashu Ramen 1,350 Yen
As I mentioned, I had a Wonton Ramen.
Reviews: 3.9 out of 860 reviews! Some people call that place the best Ramen in the world. It’s a very important Ramen shop if you care about Ramen that has history.
Entrance of the Haruki-ya Ramen shop in Ogikubo, Tokyo. I love the colors.
How to get here: Here you have google maps link of the place, where you can find the directions but also a website of the restaurant if you want to check Ramen choices this place offers. Located about 5 minutes walk from the Ogikubo Station.
Nogata Hope: Hope Your Good “Ramen” Life
Nogata Hope was the place I passed almost every single day on the way to Ogikubo train station, I loved the saying outside “Hope Your Good Ramen Life”, which is also written on their beer glasses. The menu you can go through outside of the restaurant looks also very appetizing. I knew I will visit this place sooner or later, and so I did.
About Ramen: This place is open till 4:00 am! So I knew this is the place I will visit after a couple of beers. That’s also when many Japanese like to go for Ramen, am I wrong?
I must admit, the Ramen I had vas delicious after some beers, it seems it’s designed for beer-lovers to have after or with some cold beer. I was there one more time when I had no beers, and it was very good, but the first experience was a bit better I think. It’s a popular place and a lot of people recommend it, so I think you should try as well! I was here a couple of times.
“Hope your Good Ramen Life”, I love the saying which you can also find on the exteriors of the restaurant.
There is a tasty side dish on the table, not sure the name (they are yellow), very good though so enjoy some before your Ramen arrives (thanks to the woman who was seated next to me for that tip!).
Also I enjoyed gyoza there which is worth recommending.
Service: Very nice people, and nice-looking place. Some staff speaks some English and they had an English menu on hand. I based my Ramen choice by asking a Japanese walking by a person for his recommendation and it was spot on, I guess I also inspired him for Ramen bowl, cause after asking him he decided to stop by for some noodles as well.
Reviews: 3.7 out of 222 reviews! Many Japanese, as well as some tourists that visited the place, enjoyed it, especially at late night Ramen (open till 4 am!).
How to get here: Located in an inner street, but it’s hard to miss this place. Has a beautiful menu outside that certainly can convince you for a visit. Here is the google maps listing so you can find specific directions and more details about this Ramen restaurant.
Shinjuku
Shinjuku station is the busiest station in the world, it’s hard to believe but there will be over 3.6 million passengers per day who catch a train there. That’s why the station is on Guinness World record book since 2011.
It also means there are many tourists and many restaurants around, many of those tourists are looking for good food to enjoy while staying around and here I share some interesting choices, especially for tourists.
Gotsubo
This small Ramen shop would be the least touristic one on the list of Ramen restaurants in Shinjuku. That’s why I also decided to write about this place as the first one, cause it’s one of the best ramen shops you can find in Shinjuku.
The place is very small, run by a single chef, who speaks just a bit of English but she’s lovely and will treat you very nice for sure. You order your ramen through a vending machine outside.
If you don’t speak Japanese, just head inside and I bet the chef will be glad to help you with your order.
It’s located around 20-25 minutes walk from Shinjuku station, maybe that’s why the prices are not high and it’s not a busy place, or maybe we were lucky to be there when it wasn’t super busy.
More I look at this picture, more I want to go back to this unique Ramen shop!
About Ramen: Ramen was very delicious, on our 2 visits there we tried 3 different dishes and all were perfect. We also had an oyster side dish (and I have oysters), but oh, those were delicious.
If you like oysters most probably you will love them.
Oysters! I’m not a fan of oysters, but those were so tasty!
The place has a special dish which changes quite often, the time we went there it was Vegan Ramen (no soup), and it was so good, that’s the one on the picture.
Vegan Ramen dish, no soup but extremely good. It was a seasonal dish on the time of our visit there.
If you order Ramen soup bowl, it’s worth knowing that extra noodles are just 150 yen (or something like that), so if you eat a lot don’t be cheap on yourself and get some extra noodles, the chef will also give you some extra soup most probably.
Service: As I mentioned, it’s one-person show in this place, but the chef is very nice. No English menu however, you will make it through just perfectly, the chef will be very helpful. Most visitors to the place are Japanese (a good sign, right?).
Reviews: Google reviews are at 4.0! Almost 200 reviews shared. But I must mention that many reviewers say it’s the best ramen they ever had. Many great reviews for their Vegan Ramen, not sure if they always serve Vegan ramen, but I had one and I agree it was an amazing Vegan dish.
The shoyu Ramen broth (soy sauce base) is something people just love it here, try it and you won’t regret!
How to get here: Check it’s google maps page. Even just for the pictures, cause it’s an Instagram worthy place you will find. Go through reviews in case, enjoy pictures of their dishes (the plating of some dishes is beautiful) and use it to find out how to get there cause you will need that!
Ichiran: Tonkotsu Ramen
If you’re a Tokyo first-timer, you may not know what’s Ichiran Ramen however, I believe that’s the most famous Ramen restaurant in whole Japan for foreigners.
They have their restaurants in many districts in Tokyo but also in other cities and other countries. If you’re from the United States, you can even have it there!
If you’ve never heard about Ichiran, that’s the place you must visit as a tourist! You order your food through a vending machine (totally English friendly place!) and I would recommend going all-in! You have an option for ordering a recommended dish with some extra toppings and extra meat.
Your Ramen choices and side dishes in Ichiran, an ordering machine.
It’s a “you design your Ramen” place, what I mean is – you will have a card and you decide how you want your broth to be made, your noodles and how much (if any) garlic In it and the level of spiciness. When it comes to broth, Ichiran offers Tonkotsu based Ramen (pork-based broth).
This is how you design your own Tonkotsu Ramen in Ichiran. 10 out 10 spiciness, that’s the way to go!
On the picture here you can see I went 10 out of 10 when it comes to spiciness and it was hmm, very spicy not too much but just perfect, the way I loved it. If you’re planning to have some beers later on, get it spicy the beer will taste so good after this!
Ichirans’ Tonkotsu Ramen.
You will enjoy your food in a single person booth, quite unique but that also means it’s not a perfect place for a date.
Maybe not a place for a date, but certainly a good place for a good bowl of Ramen!
Price: 890 yen for simple ramen, 1490 yen for the recommended option that includes extra toppings and I say, go for the big deal, especially if you can eat it all. I could. For its popularity, I would say that’s a very decent price.
Service: It’s hard to comment on service, you barely will talk to anyone there, it’s a place of a special way of ordering and eating (in a separated booth) but certainly something worth experiencing on your Tokyo adventures.
Reviews: As I mentioned, the place is very popular (often lineups), when it comes to reviews it is at 4.3! (pretty high, right?). Over 3700 reviews have been shared, that’s wow amazing. Now you know it’s very popular Ramen restaurant!
People love their pork there and the broth, I agree with them! Depends on the day and time you may have to wait up to 45 minutes to get in. That’s why I would recommend going at a different time when most people go for dinner to save some valuable time.
You may grab a box of noodles or your trip to your home country, it’s about 20 dollars for 3 Ramen soups and noodles for you. Perfect as a gift for your family, friends or yourself!
Here is the logo and the entrance to Ichiran that’s very close to Shinjuku station.
How to get here: Here is a google maps listing, to help you to get there and check more images if needed. It’s located very close to Shinjuku station, 5 minutes walk from the nearest exit.
Ippudo
That’s another place which I would compare to Ichiran (also Tonkotsu based broth). I felt they are both as a face to face competition and type of Ramen.
You won’t eat your Ramen in a booth but on a table, so if you’re looking for a place for a date, that’s a better environment. English menu is available and they also can be found in the United States (San Francisco, New York).
Ramen was very tasty, they have only 3 levels of spiciness, I took nr 3 (the spiciest) and I felt it was spicier than Ichiran’s, but I visited them a month apart, so I certainly might be wrong.
This is how Ippudos’ Tonkotsu Ramen looks like at the highest level of spiciness.
Service: The servers were extremely nice and friendly and I liked the place.
Reviews: It has very good reviews, standing at 4.2. Shinjuku location has 170 reviews shared, much less than Ichiran but it’s important to know that Ichiran is very well known among tourists. People loved the service and the food itself, I believe you will enjoy as well.
How to get here: Check their closest google maps listing to Shinjuku station for directions, some images and reviews. They have many locations.
You’re most probably visiting Asakusa on your trip, so here is Asakusa Ippudo’s location.
Udon Shin
Now you might be thinking that what it is? I was supposed to share the best Ramen restaurants in Tokyo but here we have an Udon place. True…
Well, I believe you are a tourist who’s looking for some amazing restaurant adventures in Tokyo. Ramen is noodles, Udon is noodles, a bit different… but great food is great food!
I really felt like I need to share this place with you, cause this place is amazing. I went there 3 times during the same week, cause just wanted to try different dishes. 3 TIMES IN ONE WEEK! If I could go there now, I certainly would!
But it’s not so traditional Udon place I would say, cause you will find cheese and other interesting ingredients in some dishes. But you will also find traditional Udon dishes.
Udon noodles, no-soup dish with soft Bacon Tempura, parmesan cheese, black pepper and egg. Delicious!
Very tasty broth, freshly made noodles and soft-boiled egg tempura.
Freshly made noodles, you can see the whole process of creation while waiting in line outside the restaurant, and it’s an interesting view. The menu itself was just amazing, I wanted it all, spent 20 minutes to make a decision. You can enjoy your Udon in a hot soup, cold soup or no soup style.
Egg tempura looked amazing, noodles were amazing and my bacon tempura from my Udon was also a great, soft and very nice piece.
Udon noodles soup with meat, chicken Tempura on the right side next to egg tempura and on the left more tempura add-ons.
But the most important addition (you just must order !) was a chicken tempura side dish. Oh, boy and girl, that was perfectly made chicken tempura, the meat was so juicy and I don’t think I had that good chicken tempura before in my life.
The best chicken tempura I had in my life, so soft and juicy.
When it comes to main dishes, I don’t think you can go wrong there. Every dish looks special and amazing, try it all? ;).
I just wanted to share one more picture of a dish from this place, that’s how badly I want it now!
In summer months I would like to try cold Udon with Wagyu beef, but because it was cold outside when I was there, I chose different dishes.
Service: Very nice service, especially when they knew I’m the third time in the same week they were even nicer.
Reviews: 4.2 google reviews score out of 1600 reviews. That’s a big number of reviews I would say. Some people complained that the wait can be 30 minutes or longer, and I would say you should expect to wait there as It has only 12 seats and it’s a quite busy place.
How to get here: Check google maps for reviews, images and directions. Google maps say it’s in Shibuya, hmmm. It’s about 10-15 minutes walk from the Shinjuku station. Maybe region-wise it’s under Shibuya.
Sugamo
Sugamo station is not a very popular station when it comes to tourists, there are a couple of interesting things to enjoy.
Certainly, the most of the tourists would head to Sugamo for its Ramen, cause that’s the station where you will find a first Michelin Star Ramen, and if you come like me, from a place where it’s hard to find any Michelin star restaurants, it’s worth going and trying what Michelin Star food tastes like, especially when it costs just about $20 dollars.
Tsuta: First Michelin Star Ramen in the World!
First Ramen Restaurant in the world which received a Michelin Star. They do only serve 150 Ramen bowls per day. So you need to be in the early morning to get yours.
But it doesn’t mean you will eat it in such an early morning. They have “Japanese Soba Ramen”, something not that common in Ramen soups.
They have a unique system of ordering your dishes, you should arrive early in the morning. I was around 8 am, got the ticket for 12 o’clock ramen and head out to enjoy my day. Came back 30 minutes before my time to get in line and order a dish.
It’s a busy place but I find their system works just fine. When it comes to evening service, there is no ticket system, first come first served, so I believe you might wait for quite a bit and there is a chance to miss the spot.
If that happens, a street away is another great Ramen restaurant – Menya Imamura which I describe just after this restaurant.
Here is my Japanese Soba Ramen from Tsuta. Very clear looking soy based broth.
About Ramen: It was a very good Ramen, quite an interesting experience for my first Michelin Start restaurant visit. Most probably my expectations were super high. Was it super amazing?
Well, it’s about individual preferences. Maybe my taste buds are not that developed. I’m not trying to say the Ramen was not good, I certainly recommend you to try it, at the end it’s the first Michelin star Ramen restaurant in the world, right?
When you finish your soup you will find this beautiful writing. Yuki Onishi, a chef responsible for this great restaurant.
On the picture you can see their menu, I wish to go back and try some other dishes there.
Here is the menu of Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles Restaurant. Many interesting choices.
Price: Expect to spend around 1500-2000 yen per person.
Service: A person who works outside was very nice, in the restaurant though I felt like maybe they are tired of tourists and because they are super busy it’s not the most friendly place (but it’s not like they are not nice). You won’t simply find “special” care that other places provide in Tokyo.
Reviews: 4.2 out of over 1200 reviews! Interesting that Ichiran beats on the number of reviews. When it comes to food, many people say it’s the best Ramen they had in their lives, most reviewers are tourists though, when Gotsubo lets say, it has a great number of Japanese reviewers. But as I mentioned, many diners enjoyed the food, they loved it so it’s worth trying.
Check google maps for detailed reviews, more images and how to get there.
They also have gift boxes you can buy to bring back to the home country.
Here is how Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles Restaurant looks on the outside so you won’t miss the spot.
How to get here: It’s located within 5 minutes walk from Sugamo station, check here for google maps listing to find exact directions, reviews and some images.
Menya Imamura
Located just a street away from Tsuta Ramen, you may treat this place as one to go when you miss getting a spot in Tsuta, but that would be a mistake to call this place as a replacement only.
Shoyu Ramen (soy based broth) in Menya Imamura, Sugamo, Tokyo.
The ramen they have it’s very tasty and the place inside is nicer than Tsuta’s. Ramen in this place is great too, especially if you’re looking for a dish with chicken.
They have 2 ramen dishes there: Shoyu (soy sauce base) and Shio (salt-based) Ramen.
Both are Tori-Niboshi Ramen:
Tori – chicken
Niboshi – Japanese Style of dried small sardines.
The price for the first one is 850 yen, for the second one is 800 yen.
I loved the Ramen here, price-wise as you can see you will spend around half of what you would spend in Tsuta, taste-wise… as for me not sure if it wasn’t tastier than Tsuta.
While waiting for your dish, you can enjoy watching how the chicken is being grilled.
You also can enjoy watching how they prepare chicken on the grill for their Ramen cause as I mentioned it’s Ramen that comes with Chicken.
An egg has super nice writing on it.
That’s the first place in Tokyo I saw an egg with such a beautiful writing.
No lineup here, at least when I was there.
Service: Very nice service, felt very welcomed.
Reviews: 4.2 out of 260 reviews. So it seems like the score is the same for this place when we compare to Tsuta’s. Many more Japanese diners here though. Many great reviews, people seem like they love the place and it was found by many due to too long waiting for Tsuta Restaurant. No lineup and food received very quickly. Many locals dine here.
That’s how Menya Imamura Ramen Restaurant looks on the outside.
How to get here: Check google maps for directions (within 5 minutes from Sugamo station), a street away from Tsuta.
Ginza
Ginza is a very popular shopping district, but you will find some great restaurants in the area as well.
There is one Ramen shop in Ginza I must certainly recommend.
Which is also the top-rated Ramen restaurant according to Google reviews, so it must mean something. From my experience, I must say that I enjoyed the food and general experience there.
Kagari
That’s the restaurant I need to mention when we are talking about Ramen noodles in Ginza. The restaurant is very nice, and the food is very different than other Ramen restaurants. The menu offers some very unique choices and it’s hard to make a decision, it’s certainly a place you may want to visit more than once.
This place is listed on Michelin guide and it was awarded a Bib Gourmand.
My full order, everything was beautifully plated.
Here is the Chicken Ramen with extra toppings added to the dish.
About Ramen: I ordered a creamy broth with rich taste and it was delicious! The Ramen here comes with chicken (and I know some tourists prefer chicken more than pork).
Extra toppings come with an egg, extra chicken and some vegetables and I would recommend ordering it. You can also order some interesting side dishes, but as for me, it was something great to try but taste-wise it wasn’t my thing. Ramen, on the other hand, was amazing.
I recommend ordering an extra toppings for your Ramen. Here they are!
Side dish, I ordered extra with my Ramen. Meat on rice (sorry, I forgot the name of the dish).
I would love to go back and try different Ramen dishes here, and I believe I will come back one day!
Service: Busy ramen places in Tokyo offer sometimes not so good service. However, this place is very good on that side.
It’s also the only place I have been to where you can’t pay cash, you can use a credit card or Pasmo card if you have one. English menu is available.
Reviews: It’s the highest-rated Ramen restaurant I have been to in Tokyo! Google reviews are at 4.5 out of 250 reviews! I would say that is extremely high! That’s another reason for you to visit this place.
This is how the restaurant looks outside, no lineup at this point cause picture was taken after last call, otherwise you can expect lineup.
How to get there: Check google listing of the restaurant for directions, hours, images and reviews of other diners. It’s open for lunch and dinner service. However, no lunch is served on Saturdays and holidays.
Other Ramen Places in Ginza to Try
I have been several times to Ginza, but not often for Ramen. However, if you’re looking for something else than Kagari Ramen, you can also find Ippudo in Ginza (google maps listing to find directions). Under Shinjuku station, I shared more information about Ippudo Ramen.
Nakano
Nakano station is located between Ogikuko and Shinjuku. I was quite often in the area and had a chance to try two very unique Ramen places there.
I share a post about the best money exchange places in Tokyo and my favorite is located in Nakano, just in case you’re looking for good exchange place before or after you enjoy delicious Ramen bowl in Nakano.
Tokyo Niboshiya Honpo
Aburasoba – “Ramen noodles with no soup”, that’s a different experience for Ramen lovers, where you can have your noodles and do not feel like having a soup that day.
Everything mixed, and ready to be eaten!
About Ramen: When it comes to Ramen here, I would certainly recommend the place if you love cilantro and want to have a nice, big piece of meat with your Ramen. If so, it’s certainly a must go place. Ramen here is amazing!
Ordering machine with my order, On the bottom left corner, that was an extra cilantro! I love cilantro!
Service: The chefs are very polite and genuine, they will make sure you enjoy your dish. When it comes to ordering, it goes through a vending machine, however, no English menu is offered but whatever you will choose, you can’t go wrong I believe. Just in case I’m sharing a picture of a vending machine and what I ordered and what I got. I would love to have exactly the same order if I could right now!
Reviews: 4.1 from 200 google reviews! Many great reviews and one that’s especially interesting. “A great place to improve mental health when you feel a bit depressed” In general, many great reviews from tourists but also from local, Japanese diners. Personally, I highly recommend.
An entrance of “Tokyo Niboshiya Honpo”.
How to get here: Check google maps listing for exact direction, more reviews and images of their dishes, so many interesting choices. It’s about 10 minutes walk from the Nakano station.
横浜家系らーめん 二代目武道家
Sorry, I don’t have an English name of this place, like a place I discussed before, it’s located close to Nakano station, just in another direction. This one is a choice for Ramen soup if you’re looking for that. Certainly, a great place to enjoy a Ramen after drinking, cause you can have a very heavy Ramen if you wish. I can eat a lot and I barely could finish my bowl, it was big!
Very heavy (due to my choice) Tonkotsu Ramen, great for hangover. It was a large bowl, I can eat a lot and it was a lot of food!
About Ramen: Tonkotsu and soy sauce mixed broth, very rich pork broth that’s mixed with shoyu (soy sauce), something many Ramen lovers enjoy! I was during lunchtime (the day after drinking). Saw many people like me who needed a great “healing” Ramen soup for a hangover.
Service: Young Japanese chefs, very energetic and super friendly! You will feel super welcomed. You order your dish through an ordering machine, but if need help the chefs will gladly help you. You can get a free bowl of rice if that’s your thing.
Reviews: 4.0 out of 400 reviews on Google! Many Japanese diners and very popular place. The staff in this place was one of the nicest I experienced and on reviews, it seems not only me.
That’s how the entrance of this Ramen shop looks on the outside.
How to get there: Check google maps listing, it’s very close to Nakano station, but check the listing to check other reviews, images and directions.
Ichiran Nakano
Very close to Nakano station you will also find another Ichiran Ramen. If you skipped, you can go back and check about Ichiran place, or just head on to Ichiran Nakano google listing for directions (I told you there are many Ichiran shops in the city!), the reviews of this Ichiran are not that high as Shinjuku’s. I assume it’s because Nakano is not as touristic and there are other interesting Ramen choices here.
If you want to read more about Ichiran Ramen, you can go back to where I discuss Ichiran in Shinjuku.
Shibuya
If you are in Shibuya and looking for ramen there, I assume (hopefully not wrongly), that you are in Japan for a very short period and places as Ichiran or Ippudo might be not known to you.
If I’m right, please check what I have to say about Ichiran in Shinjuku, and Ippudo in Shinjuku, here are their google maps listings if you want to have more details:
- Google maps of Ichiran Ramen in Shibuya, 4.4 out of over 2000 reviews on Google maps listing.
- Google maps of Ippudo Ramen in Shibuya, 4.0 out of 300 reviews on Google maps listing.
Great Ramen places that will offer menu and service in English.
Few More Words About This Guide
I hope I shared with you some great choices to enjoy great Ramen in Tokyo in different districts, hopefully, you will find one near you, or somewhere you’re going to travel but most importantly I hope you will enjoy your noodles as I did.
I encourage you to share this guide with your friends on social media and pin it for later as maybe one day it will be of good use to you or others.
