Ichiryu Manbai - Kawaramachi — Restaurant in Kyoto

Can't express the satisfaction enough for this meal my partner and I had. We actually trained over from Kyoto Subway station to Shijō Station , then walked a solid 25 minutes to get to Ichiryu Mabai for dinner around 9PM because I wanted Ramen 😅. Hadn't been there before but partner felt it was the right choice. Firstly it had a vending machine style of ordering and the gentlemen who greeted us helped with the translation without question. We sat down at cute buffet style seating and dug into our ramen. We order the recommended Style. Soy based egg and toppings. So far in my travels around Japan I've only finished one full bowl of and in Fuji because I enjoyed it that much. This was just the same. I honestly devoured it in a lady like but hungry way 🤣. The flavours were so well rounded and smooth. Full of flavour throughout. The egg was delicious and the pork was smokey and flavorsome, with two different cuts. So tender. On top of all that the noodles were house made and you could certainly tell.

It was so good my partner decided to have a second bowl ,but tried the rain with dipping sauce. He enjoyed them both as much as I. Actually decided to go back there tomorrow for lunch.

Very happy....

First ramen in Kyoto. I didn't want to go to those overhyped and over-priced touristic ramen shops. Came across this shop when most restaurants nearby still yet to open in the morning. And it did not disappoint. There's an self-service ordering machine by the entrance with multiple languages, easy to use. I ordered soy sauce dipping ramen. I sat down by the bar table overlooking the chef's preparation for my ramen, not longer than 10 minutes, I was served with this lovely ramen, I was given an instruction in English showing me how I can properly enjoy it.

The ramen itself is rather thick than usual, but the chewiness is on point and is to my liking. The soy sauce dipping sauce reminded me of our Chinese cuisines where we use hot oil pouring over spring onion and shallot to make an aromatic sauce for many different recipes.

The pork shoulder char siu was slow cook to right about of tenderness and with a hint of smokiness. Chicken was also very soft and tender. The ramen also came with 2 generous onsen eggs. All I wanted today was a not too rich, oily ramen, this definitely served my needs today.

Thank you for the meal, chef! I wish more people would enjoy their meals here as I did....

One of the few places that open passes 10 pm on a week night. We came here not really expecting to be wowed but were pleasantly surprised by the noodles texture & the broth.

Clear Chicken based broth but with so much flavor. We got the #1 classic with chicken & pork, and egg and the #11 dipping ramen with egg.

Both noodles are different and both really good! The classic comes with thin noodles while the dipping noodles comes with thicker noodles. Both are on the firmer side - nice & chewy with a bounce. I personally liked the dipping ramen more as I like cold noodles with a bit of warm, and my husband likes the hot broth classic noodles more. However we both appreciated each dishes & thought they were really good for the price.

How to order: ask for an English menu if you can’t read Japanese. Insert cash into the vending machine & simply press the buttons that matches the paper menu.

The staffs are really...