Dreaming of Tonkotsu: Tokyo’s 9 Best Tonkotsu Ramen Restaurants
Soy sauce, sea salt broth, miso, or pork bone broth – everyone has their very own favorite way of savoring ramen. This time around, however, we’d like to focus on the delicious tonkotsu – ramen in a savory pork bone broth. From Shibuya to Shinjuku to Akasaka, here are Tokyo’s best tonkotsu ramen hot spots.
1.Hide-chan Ramen: Serving the Authentic Taste of Hakata in Akasaka
Hakata City in Fukuoka Prefecture is particularly famous for its tonkotsu ramen. In Tokyo’s gourmet town of Akasaka, you can get a taste of authentic Hakata style pork broth ramen, served by a restaurant called Hide-chan Ramen. Not only the noodle soup itself is delicious, though – on the shop’s menu is a huge variety of different side dishes and alcoholic drinks to be enjoyed alongside a hot bowl of Hataka tonkotsu.
Ramen-ya Hide
107-0052 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 2 -chome, 1758
2.Far From Home: Kyushu-Style Tonkotsu
The incredibly thick, savory broth of the typical Kyushu tonkotsu ramen has evoked a real tonkotsu mania among fans and connoisseurs. Tokyo actually has a lot of famous and popular shops that do serve delicious bowls that will tickle your tongue with thick pork broth straight from Kyushu.
Moriya
270-2265 Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture Tokiwadairajin'yamae 9-15
Hakata Nagahama Ramen Doryu
105-0021 Tokyo Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, 1-2-13
Hakata Shiroten
156-0053 Setagaya-ku, Tokyo Sakura 3-8-12
Bus Ramen
182-0012 Chofu, Tokyo Jindaijihigashi cho 5-26-4
Fukuya Minamikoshigaya-ten
343-0845 Saitama Prefecture Koshigaya Minami Koshigaya 1-17-8
3.Shime no Ramen: The Art of Ending an Evening With Ramen
There’s hardly anything more satisfying than ending a fun evening of bars and drinks with a nice bowl of tonkotsu ramen. In Japan, these late-night noodles are called shime no ramen, basically translating to “ramen closer”. As such, there are a variety of ramen specialty shops that are opened until late at night or even the next morning, offering the perfect shime no ramen experience for night crawlers.
Yamachan Ginza-ten
104-0061 Tokyo Ginza, Chuo-ku, 3-11-10
4.A Match Made in Heaven: Burdock and Tonkotsu at the Ramen Battlefield of Horikirishobuen
Horikirishobuen is an area northeast of the famous Ueno and Asakusa that has gained a reputation as being a hot spot for one particular ramen creation: burdock tonkotsu ramen. This refers to a bowl of tonkotsu being topped with fried burdock root, tempura style – this fried root is also often called goboten. This trend has left its mark on Tokyo’s ramen community, having led to Horikirishobuen becoming a battleground of ramen restaurants which are now showing off their burdock tonkotsu creations.
Shokyu
124-0006 Katsushika-ku, Tokyo Horikiri 4-57-15
Kin to Kuro
124-0006 Katsushika-ku, Tokyo Horikiri 5-4-1
Shinzui
124-0006 Katsushika-ku, Tokyo Horikiri 5-3-1
5.They Come From Far and Wide: Local Specialties From All Over Japan
Japan’s 47 prefectures and their cities do, of course, have their own ramen creations and specialties to offer. Tokyo, being Japan’s capital, does have a great selection of these local ramen varieties to be savored by each and every one, for example from Saga or Fukuoka Prefecture. But take care – tasting these delicious tonkotsu might just invoke the wanderlust inside!
Shin Fukusaikan Azabujyuban-ten
106-0045 Tokyo , Minato-ku, Azabu Juban 1-2-5
Ramen Hiro
101-0025 , Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Sakumachō, Tokyo 2-25
Kingu-ken Tokyo-ten
105-0011 Tokyo , Minato-ku, Shiba 2-10-5
Menya Buchi
120-0002 Adachi-ku, Tokyo Nakagawa 4-24-11
Chinese Soba JAC
166-0002 Suginami-ku, Tokyo Koenjikita 1-4-12
6.Ramen Fans, Behold: The Amazing Transformation of Ippudo
In October of 2015, one of the top ramen restaurants in all of Japan, the famous Ippudo, has completely renewed its classic menu – and the outcome is amazingly delicious. As for tonkotsu ramen, the “Hakata Kinugoshi Tonkotsu” immediately wins any fan over with its smooth, rich taste and offers an incredible pork bone broth experience. This transformation of the old, classic menu item is really something special that shouldn’t be missed by anyone calling themselves a tonkotsu fan.
Ippudo
150-0012 , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Hiroo 1-3-13
7.Fukuoka’s Tonkotsu Taste, Now Available in Tokyo
A specialty among local ramen varieties is the Fukuoka tonkotsu, with Hakata ramen probably being the most famous soup among all. Fukuoka is the spiritual home of the pork bone broth, so it is only natural that the authentic experience is sought after anywhere in Japan. Why not savor the different styles and versions of the famous Fukuoka tonkotsu in the capital of Japan?
Muteppo Tokyo Nakano-ten
165-0022 Nakano-ku, Tokyo Ekoda 4-5-1
8.Only in Shinjuku: Tonkotsu Tsukemen
The bustling area around the massive Shinjuku Station features a huge variety of different ramen shops and restaurants, many of them focusing on the savory tonkotsu broth – and some ramen rarities are to be discovered all around the neighborhood.One of them is Ramen Tatsunoya, a restaurant that is usually known for its authentic Kurume style ramen. The Shinjuku shop, however, serves excellent tsukemen in a savory tonkotsu broth, as the only Ramen Tatsunoya that has this item on the menu.
Fuunji
151-0053 , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Yoyogi 2-14-3
Gonokami Seisakujy
151-0051 , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Sendagaya 5-33-16
Machidaya Shinjyuku-ten
160-0022 Tokyo , Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku 4-1-20
Menya Shou
160-0023 , Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nishi 7 -chome, 2234
9.Savory Soup for Shibuya’s Young and Modern Crowd
Shibuya, Tokyo’s center for young and modern fashion and lifestyle, does have a nice variety of different tonkotsu ramen restaurants that do specifically cater to Shibuya’s very own crowd. Ramen Nagi Tonou might just be one of the most famous ramen shops around the area, feeding hungry shoppers, tourists, and the general Shibuya regulars with a thick, savory soup that is made by cooking an entire pig’s head and back fat. This broth brings out the real tonkotsu taste and has gained many a fan in the 10 years of Ramen Nagi Tonou’s history.
Ramen Kojiro 526
150-0033 , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Sarugakucho 1-3
Shinbusaki Shibuya
150-0043 , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Dogenzaka 2 -chome, 10-3
Hayashi
150-0043 , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Dogenzaka 1-14-9
Ramen Nagi
150-0011 Tokyo , Shibuya-ku, Higashi 1-3-1
Kiraku
150-0043 , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Dogenzaka 2-17-6
