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OkonomiyakiEkimae
Reichan is the veteran okonomiyaki counter inside ekie at Hiroshima Station, running from late morning through to the last shinkansen crowd of the day.
OrderSoba okonomiyaki, 790 yen with noodles
TipSquid and prawn toppings are the house extras here; the plain soba version is the fastest plate off the griddle.
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RamenShintenchi
Bakudanya is the Shintenchi shop that pushed Hiroshima tsukemen beyond the city: cold noodles dipped in a chilli and seafood-stock sauce you grade yourself.
OrderHiroshima tsukemen, choosing your own heat level
TipThe dipping sauce comes in graded heat steps, so order low on a first visit and add chilli powder at the table.
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RamenEba
Chukasoba Youki has cooked one dish in Eba since 1958, and its soy and pork-bone bowl is exactly what Hiroshima people mean when they say chuka soba.
OrderChuka soba, the only thing the kitchen makes
TipThe Eba flagship shuts on the 1st, 12th, 13th and 26th of each month, so check the date before crossing the river.
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RamenOtemachi
Musashibo serves Hiroshima's broth-free tantanmen a short walk from the Chudenmae tram stop, ordered by vending machine and graded by heat at no extra cost.
OrderShirunashi tantanmen, stirred thirty times before eating
TipHeat runs on a four-step scale with level two as the house standard, and stepping up costs nothing extra.
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RamenMinami Ku
Mongoi-tei in Tanna builds a chicken, pork and seafood broth finished with dried fish and prawn oil, one of Hiroshima's busiest late ramen rooms.
OrderThe seafood tonkotsu ramen with extra dried-fish oil
TipThe Tanna flagship sits south of the centre near Ujina, and it runs lunch every day but shuts the dinner service on Tuesdays.
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RamenNishi Ku
Tsubame Ramen works a small Higashi-Kanon room in western Hiroshima, a neighbourhood chuka soba counter rather than a stop on any visitor circuit.
OrderChuka soba, the shop's soy-and-pork standard
TipService runs unbroken from 11:30 to 22:00 on every day except Sunday, which is the one day the shutters stay down.