Ramen Kanetora — Restaurant in Fukuoka

Came on a Sunday night and waited about half an hour. Wait was not bad at all, but only went downhill from there.

It all started with the girl at the front who was managing the customers. There was nobody in front blocking the vending machine inside so we wanted to go in and see the vending machine. The girl came up to us and told us to wait outside, which was fine. After she asked us to come in, probably about 10 seconds later, she starts rushing us, asking for our ticket. I would have understood if there was no one in front of us, but there were still people waiting (and customers who already had a seat were still waiting for their order as well). After we ordered, she asked for our tickets, which we handed to her separately to signify who ordered which dish. She asked us how much noodles we wanted (can choose between small and medium). My girlfriend said small and I said medium (each option had the amount in weight beside it) and she asked if I was sure and warned me that was it very big. Is this common thing to ask?? (Never been asked this before). She then asked who was having which noodles (which is why we separated them to avoid this confusion in the first place). At this point, you can also choose your level of spicy if you ordered spicy.

The noodles themselves weren't the worst, but felt like below average unless you really like soup that is quite salty overpowering what flavour the soup had in the first place. Would have given 2 stars, but the customer experience made me...

We arrived around 8:30 PM and found a 40-minute lineup. Fortunately, there are signs indicating the approximate wait time, which is helpful. While waiting, they provide menus so you can decide what to order in advance.

Once at the front of the line, you go inside to order from a vending machine. The machine supports multiple languages, and a staff member is available to assist if needed. One important thing to note: everyone dining here must order a tsukemen. We mistakenly ordered only one spicy tsukemen with egg (1,400¥) and a pork rice with chili garlic side dish (450¥) to share and was asked to either order an extra tsukemen or only 1 person can dine in. After ordering, you wait outside again until a table becomes available. The tsukemen was presented nicely, with a thick and rich broth—though much saltier than others I've tried. The noodles were thick, bouncy, and coated well with the broth. The pork rice with chili garlic was just okay; the portion was generous, but the flavor was quite bland—perhaps due to the overwhelming saltiness of the tsukemen. This location is cash-only, but there's another branch a five-minute walk away that accepts...

The spicy tsukemen is a must have! The “crazy” spicy level is already relatively spicy, so if your spicy tolerance is normal, don’t go any higher. We ordered the special, and it’s really a lot of ingredients. It comes with a bowl of sauce with braised pork and bamboo shoots, and noodles with a torched slice of pork. The sauce was really savory, not too salty. There’s a hint of citrus from some yuzu peppers that gives it a more refreshing taste. They also provide some dashi stock in case you want to dilute down the sauce. I personally recommend eating the noodles with the original sauce, then adding some stock and a bit of vinegar and drinking the remaining sauce as soup. The noodles were also very nice and springy. Goes perfectly with the sauce. And the torched slice of pork was perfection, with a nice smoky taste. Highly...