Ramen
Photo: Mariaaa05 · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Chinese soba shops opened in 1910s Tokyo, but the form exploded after American wheat aid in the late 1940s. Sit-down ramen shops took over Tokyo by the 1950s; Nissin launched instant ramen in 1958. Tsuta in Sugamo became the first ramen with a Michelin star in 2015, opening a Bib Gourmand wave that named 18 ramen shops in the 2026 guide. The city now runs 5,000-plus ramen counters across the wards.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Egg, Pork

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1kg chicken bones
  • 500g pork bones
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 5 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 30g ginger, sliced
  • 1 piece kombu seaweed (10cm square)
  • 80ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
  • 40ml mirin
  • 400g fresh ramen noodles
  • Toppings: 8 slices chashu pork, 4 soft-boiled eggs marinated in shoyu, 4 sheets nori, sliced scallions

Method

  1. Blanch the chicken and pork bones in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, rinse off scum. Return to a clean pot with 3 litres cold water, onion, garlic and ginger.
  2. Simmer uncovered for 3 to 4 hours, skimming foam, until the broth tastes deeply savoury. Strain and discard solids.
  3. In each ramen bowl, combine 20ml shoyu and 10ml mirin as the tare base.
  4. Cook noodles for 90 seconds to two minutes in fast boiling water (follow packet), drain.
  5. Add 350ml hot broth to each bowl over the tare, lay the noodles in, top with chashu, halved egg, nori and scallions. Serve immediately.

Tip from the editors. Bone broth is the difference; cubed dashi will not get you there. Make the tare and toppings ahead of time.

Where to eat ramen

Ramen in Tokyo

Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta ★ 4.7

¥ Japanese

Tsuta in Tokyo's Yoyogi-Uehara was the first ramen shop with a Michelin star (2016 guide), still under 1,800 yen for the truffle-oil shoyu soba.

TryShoyu soba with truffle oil

TipClosed Tuesdays. Lunch only 11:00-15:00; no ticket system, queue in person.

Directions

Afuri Ebisu ★ 4.5

¥¥ Japanese ramenUntil 05:00 (last order 04:30)

Afuri in Tokyo's Ebisu runs yuzu-shio ramen until 05:00 daily. The cleanest late-night clean bowl in the city, three minutes from Ebisu Station.

TryYuzu shio ramen

TipCashless only at this branch. Order at the vending machine; the yuzu shio is lighter than the shoyu.

Directions

Ichiran Shibuya ★ 4.0

¥¥ Japanese ramenUntil Open 24 hours

Ichiran in Tokyo's Shibuya runs 24-hour tonkotsu ramen for solo-booth eaters. The vending-machine ticket and slip make it the canonical late bowl.

TryTonkotsu ramen with custom slip

TipQuietest 02:00-06:00; busiest 22:00-02:00 on weekends Kitchen close differs from bar close.

Directions

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