The Best Ramen in Japan (Or Even In The World!) – Ichiran Ramen

I had the best Japanese ramen ever at Ichiran Dotonbori Osaka (一蘭 道頓堀店)! Ichiran’s Hakata style ramen which is thin noodles with tonkotsu (pork) soup base is known to be one of the best ramen places in Japan. The Ichiran Ramen franchise has been around since the 1960s and it is so popular they are always full with long queues unless you come at the odd hours (this outlet in Osaka Dotonbori opens 24/7). I came here twice during our stay at Namba and fell in love with their noodles instantly. Ichiran is also famous for their ordering system due to the high demand of seats. 1st is to queue to enter the restaurant, then you will see a vending machine, next choose the items you want, pay and get your meal ticket printed.

After that, a waiter will show you to a room once seats are available. Be warned! If you’re in a party size of 3 or more, there’s no guarantee of getting to sit together. Three of us went in and got separated in between as all the seats here are individual cubicle shaped as a long table so it was entirely different dining experience for us who are so used to dine together with friends seeing each other faces than facing a wooden screen with blind.

The 24 hours Ramen shop

Ramen Ordering Vending Machine

I don’t know what to choose!

Inside the restaurant

The Ichiran Ramen – Why I Love It

Once we were seated in our own cubicle, we had to fill up our customised menu for the noodle we’d paid from the noodle texture and the char shu (sliced pork), to the flavour strength and richness of the soup to the amount of garlic and green onion. Last but not least their signature red sauce (i.e. chilli), made with 30 different spices which will significantly enhance the taste depending on how much you order. I started with 2x and tried 5x the 2nd time around (I also later tried 10x at the Hong Kong outlet). I love the red sauce as it was very spicy, but I’m a well-known chilli addict so I could take a lot of the red sauce without breaking any sweat. For the average people, you can order the red sauce accordingly to be suited to your individual palate so that you get the bowl of ramen you want. I was very happy to see my noodle finally came from behind the blind in front of me, which I quickly slurp away loudly. (Note: It is socially acceptable to eat your ramen loudly in Japan, and if you eat your ramen quietly they might think that you are not enjoying your noodle.)

So for ¥890, I was extremely satisfied with the ramen that came my way, it was even cheaper and tasted much better than the ones (i.e. Ippudo) that we have back in Kuala Lumpur. A definitely must try for noodle/ramen lovers~! I hope Ichiran Ramen will open soon in Kuala Lumpur. So now it’s your turn to tell me where’s your favourite ramen place…

Customisable Menu

Your own eating cubicle

My customised ramen

The instruction in typical Japanese illustrations

Do you want to eat in your own cubicle?

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Check out my previous Japan Kansai Area Trip Itinerary (Kyoto & Osaka mainly) here and here.

Check out my other posts on Kyoto here.

Check out my other posts on Osaka here.

Check out my other posts on Japan here.