Shibaraku 博多ラーメン しばらく

It all started with Jangara, and I still love tonkotsu ramen. But that definitely has taken a back seat in Tokyo, since the rise of tonkotsu gyokai (豚骨魚介) has pretty much taken over first place in my heart. Still, every once in a while, it is nice to have a change and go back to my roots. Shibaraku, being close to the office, was one option that I had to explore.

Hakata-style ramen shops has your typical menu. Ramen, with topping options, kaemada (another serving of noodles), gyoza, and some rice options.

I love gyoza, but it's not something I usually order at a ramen shop. Pretty normal for the locals to have ramen + gyoza, or ramen + rice. The gyozas here were good, nothing spectacular, but more than fit the bill.

Here comes the ramen. Bowl is small to begin with, which means the bowl is completely filled to the top with the noodles, soup, and toppings. The bowl looks small, but there is more than enough food in there.


Soup is well balanced here, but the hakata-taste was a bit stronger than I liked. But if you like the hakata-style flavor, this place is good for you.

The tamago was done VERY well. Nice orange color, soft on the outside, yolks still a bit liquidy. Amazing!

Noodles were your standard hakata-style thin noodles. It is what we come to expect. As with any hakata-style ramen shop, you can ask to have the noodles cooked longer to be a bit soft, or shorter to be a bit hard.

Being close to the office, it earns kudo points already. And this place wasn't bad at all. I've been back a few times, and it's always done consistently. You'll have to like Hakata ramen though to appreciate this place, but it is one that usually has a packed hour during lunch time. The businessmen around the area know, if they want a good meal for lunch, Shibaraku is a solid option.

City: Tokyo, Japan (one other location in Tokyo, three in Fukuoka)
Location: Nihonbashi area, 5 minutes walk from Suitengumae Station
Hours: 11am - 8pm
Website: No official website, http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/3840.html
Ordering system: Menu
Available in English: Minimal

Akasaka Ramensan 赤坂ラーメン

With all the ramen shops available in Japan, competition is fierce and it's really hard to stand out. While I've had some amazing ramen in Japan, sometimes you just want a meal that is satisfying where you don't have to stand in line for two hours.


On my first trip to Japan, I stayed in the Akasaka-Mitsuke area. This area is full of places to eat, and Akasaka Ramensan kind of stood out with it's huge sign and logo on top of the shop.


I'll be the first to admit, I've become a spoiled ramen eater. It's hard after you've had some of the top rated ramen shops in Tokyo not to become picky. But today, I was in the Akasaka area for work, and I just wanted to satisfy my hunger. So I decided to give this place a try.


I am such a sucker for ramen with nice layered pork, and Akasaka Ramensan does it great. The pork is very tender, it's done very well. And as you can see, the tamago is top notch. The yolk is cooked to perfection.


The noodles was average at best, it looks like you typical instant noodle. With so many ramen shops in Tokyo that servers amazing, homemade noodles, this place is nothing to write home about.


With that said, this place is no sloutch. Although not comparable to the top shops I've been to in Tokyo, if you are looking for a good meal, this place is worth a try.

City: Tokyo, Japan (also 5 shops in Taiwan)
Location: Akasaka, minutes walk from either Akasaka-Mitsuke or Akasaka Station
Hours: 11am - 5am Monday - Saturday, 6pm - 4am Sunday
Website: http://www.akasakaramen.com/
Ordering system: Machine
Available in English: Minimal

Kohmen 光麵

One of the more famous chains in Tokyo, Kohmen has always had a decent reputation for bringing unique taste. Don’t be fooled by a chain ramen shop, this one is actually more than decent.

They are several types of ramen offered here. Their standard ramen is shouyu-based, called 元祖光麵. Of course I chose 熟成光麵, which was tonkotsu-based. They also have 坦坦麺, which looks excellent.

The 熟成光麵 ramen offers tonkotsu-based soup, with thin noodles, and chashu. There is not your traditional tonkotsu ramen, as the noodles and soup are a bit different. However, it does bring its uniqueness here. The combination of chashu, menma, and tamago, with the soup gives just the right balance for a bowl of ramen. It won’t knock your socks off, but definitely good enough if you have a craving.

The next option in line is their 全部 toppings with your 熟成光麵, which they put all the super duper toppings on a plate. Included in niku (pork), chashu, tamago, menma, seaweed, fried garlic, some sort of veggies, and grilled negi. The tamago here is excellent, by the way. You add these toppings to your bowl of ramen as you wish. A very different way to eat ramen (haven’t found anything similar).

Last thing to talk about here is the gyoza. Nothing spectacular, but it’s pretty good.

You can say Kohmen is your backup plan, your go-to setup man that’s always reliable. It certainly won’t be dazzling your taste buds, but you will leave there a satisfied customer.

City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Numerous locations throughout the city
Hours: Varies (check website)
Website: http://www.kohmen.com/
Order system: Menu
Available in English? Some

Tonchin 屯ちん

It’s always a plus to find a decent ramen shop near Shinjuku, as it is easy access for me when I need a good meal. There were many that I was really excited about, but I read good things about Tochin, so on a Saturday afternoon, I decided to give it a try.

As with many ramen shops, the machine system makes ordering quick and painless. It wasn’t too busy on a Saturday afternoon, especially with plenty of places to eat around this area. The kitchen here is wide open, so you can see the ramen artists here at work.

This place essentially has got three types of noodles: Miso, Tonkotsu, and Tsukemen. Quite an interesting combination as usually we do not see these three together in one shop. I of course always opt for my usual, tonkontsu. Without too long of a wait, my ramen came.

One of the things that differentiate the tonkotsu ramen here is that one of the standard topping is green onions and menma (looks like it is stir fried and a bit spicy). It provided a bit of a different taste to a standard tonkotsu-based ramen. The other usual suspects are here: seaweed, hanjyuku tamago, and chashu.

The soup is quite tasty here, with just the right amount of fat and heaviness.

The chashu also quite excellent, with a nice balance of lean and fatty meat.

The tamago was your standard hanjyuku tamago, but the yolk may have been cooked a bit too much.

All in all, not a bad bowl of ramen. I wouldn’t mind trying the miso ramen next time if I am around, but not exactly near the top as far as tonkotsu-based ramen. The stir-fried green onions and menma didn’t really do it for me. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but would definitely consider it if I didn’t have too many options to choose from.

City: Tokyo, Japan (also in Kawasaki and Fukashima)
Location: Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Sunamo

Hours: Varies (check website)
Website: http://tonchin.foodex.ne.jp/index.html

Order system: Machine
Available in English? Some

Hakata Tenjin 博多天神

My love for Hakata ramen should be well known if you are familiar with this site. No matter how much I love Tokyo ramen such as Kissou or Itsukiga, my heart still sits with Ichiran and Jangara like the love you had for your first car. It was just something special that can never be replaced. So I am always on the look out for good hakata ramen, and after seeing this chain nearly everywhere I go, I had to give it a try.

The first time I laid eyes on Hakata Tenjin was in Shinjuku's Kabukicho area, where there is this is this huge pig statute standing outside. Again, this is one place that always has customers, and even in there various location, it's never empty. With that pig standing there, I thought, well, the charshu here should be at least decent. So I gave it a shot!

I went with my friend Hiroko, and it's always nice to have a friend who speaks Japanese when you go to a place you never been before. It makes the ordering process much easier, especially since my Japanese is really, really bad. The menu actually isn't all that complicated. While there are several choices, it's mostly on the different toppings you can have. The foundation of the ramen is all the same, tonkotsu based.

I ordered the charshu men with negi and tamago, and when the bowl came, drool nearly came down the side of my face. I was't sure weather it was because I was hungry, or just how white and creamy the soup looked, but it sure looked damn good. I always take a sampling of the soup before I dive into the noodles, and the soup was very good, but not spectacular. You can, however, taste the tonkotsu, which you know it took hours and hours to make.

Onto the noodles, which was very standard Hakata noodles. Thin, cooked a bit harder than usual, which is Hakata style. The toppings were generous and blended well with the soup and noodles. The tamago was average and nothing special. But this bowl of ramen is good, and a good sign is when I enjoy the soup and noodle enough to get 'kaedama', which is an extra order. For the extra order, they will ask what your preference for the hardness of the noodles.

Hakata Tenjin doesn't have all the bells and whistles like the other ramen shops. It's a no-frills place that you go in, pay, eat, and leave. Kind of like Ichiran, but even more down to earth. It's not a place I would wait 60 minutes for, but it's not a place you will have to wait at all. With various locations around Tokyo, this place is perfect for a quick meal if you are on the go.

City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Various location around Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, etc.)

Hours: Varies by store

Website: http://tokyo.cool.ne.jp/hakatatenjin/
Order system: Menu

Available in English? No (some of them speak a bit of English)