KONJIKI HOTOTOGISU

Did this restaurant really merit a star in the Michelin guide a few years back? Some kind of gimmick perhaps. I don’t see an entry any more. The whole experience was utilitarian in the extreme, a tickeing system outside and menu choices to be made on a screen once your turn came to enter the restaur...ant itself. It had a typical set up of about a dozen seats, at least half of which at the counter. There were warnings not to hang around, even to chat, and the only drink on offer was water. There was no service to speak of. If there is a queue outside and you do have a ticket, turnaround will be quick. Subtleties in the flavour of ramen would be lost on me and although what I tasted was ok, the broth was light and the pork seemed of reasonable quality, I detected nothing particularly special about it. There was nothing for the non meat eater.

Visited August 2025

Probably due to my concerns over my sodium intake, I don't crave ramen as much as I did years ago when I could bore people with my nuanced insight into all the different broths, noodles, and toppings. That's why when I was chatting with our server Noriko at Den, I was surprised the conversation shif...ted to where the best ramen was served in Tokyo. Understand that my husband and I just had the most amazing dinner at Den. Of course, we were all ears. Noriko recommended this spot which she said served an excellent shio ramen in quite a small space. We looked for it on Google Maps and found it was conveniently located in Shinjuku Ni Chome quite close to the city's gay bars. You didn't have to twist our respective arms. When we found it in a quiet alley, there was already quite a queue of hungry people. We took a number and waited about twenty minutes for our turn. In the meantime, we were preparing ourselves to enter our orders in the terminal just inside the entrance. There was a Type-A guy who was impatiently policing the process, and believe me, you don't want to do anything to frustrate him. Once our number was called, we were told to sit on a bench to wait for our seats. We got lucky and secured a table for two and didn't get stuck at the packed counter. We both ordered the ¥1,850 Shio Soba with Extra Pork Chashu. It was a hearty bowl with a clean broth, al dente thin noodles, and a couple of large slices of Iberico pork chashu. We didn't realize we were getting a separate plate with each of us receiving three more pork chashu slices. We thought they were already in the broth, but we devoured it all with relish and surprising ease. Not that we were complaining, but competing for room in our bellies was a shared order of ¥550 Duck Loin Rice. Given the bargain price, we were surprised at the size of this side dish and quite enjoyed the succulent duck pieces accompanied by rice, green onions, and tonkotsu sauce. Although he didn't snap at us to hurry up, Mr. Type-A was likely pleased we were among the most expeditious diners in this compact space since the queue only got longer outside. Now that we know what to expect, we'll definitely come back. Domo arigato, Noriko-san. FOOD - 5 stars...shio ramen done right plus delicious pork and duck AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...it's a tight fit even if you get a table SERVICE - 3.5 stars...Mr. Type-A didn't become a Facebook buddy TOTAL - 5 stars...it's all about the ramen...trust Noriko

Visited June 2025

The shio ramen bowl was delicious. The mixture of flavors in the broth was superb. To eat here you go before 6:30 and get a ticket with a number (iPad next to the restaurant). Arrive before then and wait on line until your number is called. It was an easy process. This is a tiny, low key establishm...ent. If you are a big party split your party. There is no alcohol here.

Visited June 2024

My husband and I ate here and really enjoyed the food. I want to give my experience based on some of the other negative reviews I’ve seen. We arrived about 5 minutes after opening and got a ticket for spot #23. It took a little less than an hour to be seated. They do seat you in sequential order, bu...t if you are not there after a couple numbers have been called past your number then you probably won’t get seated. I didn’t find the staff rude at all; just very efficient haha. We did not feel rushed at any point, but it’s definitely not a place to linger and socialize. Once you’re seated, the food comes very quickly, you eat and focus on the food, and then leave. If this isn’t your expectation going in, then I can see how you could get a negative impression. The food itself, we enjoyed very much. It was one of the best meals we had while in Japan. I am super sensitive to seafood taste, so I was worried their clam-based broth would be too fishy tasting to me. I couldn’t taste anything like that and thought it was delicious. I also like that they provided a self serve water pitcher which I didn’t find to be common at a lot of restaurants. They also provided forks for your convenience, which is definitely not common.

Visited April 2024

To All Michelin restaurants hunters. First of all, the red Michelin certificate on the entry door is from 2018, at least 5 years old. Second, if you expect superb delicious food in an upscale ambience, this is not your place. To get there, you will have to get the number at 5:30. If you do not stic...k at the door till 6:30, you will not be seated according to your number, because they do not honor the numbers in a sequence. After all, you will have a bowl of a ramen soup, which in my opinion is not better then in many other places. Since Michelin aura made this restaurant very popular, there is a crowd outside waiting for you to leave. The owner put a sign asking you out of respect to others to eat fast, not to have long conversation with your party and others. Just eat and go away. In my opinion, we wasted an evening in Tokyo. Food itself – ton of noodles with broth with 2 pieces of ham and traces of some other stuff. I think this is what ramen should be, but I have no idea what does it have to do with Michelin.

Visited October 2023