Japanese MAZEMEN MARUTA — Restaurant in Kyoto

While taking a tour of Japan from the US, we were looking for a vegetarian ramen option that was within walking distance of our hotel in Kyoto. Thanks to other reviewers, we found Japanese Mazemen Maruta. We had not previously heard of mazeman, so did not realize it is ramen without soup, but were pleasantly surprised after taking the server's recommendations.

From the beginning, this was an incredible experience. The servers were so friendly, hospitable, and accomodating to our needs (both as vegetarians and non-Japanese speakers). The decor and details in the menu were beautiful, and the design of the space created an intimate feeling. The plating and food were like works of art. The dishes achieved so much depth of flavor while at the same time subtleness and a high level of sophistication. The mazeman was so good that we decided to order a side dish afterwards. The chef personally delivered and explained to us the dish, which was also incredible. Finally, the cost of the meal was so affordable and could easily have been so much higher for the experience created.

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough and wish the chef and his team all the best, as I really hope this restaurant continues...

A hidden gem. How it is not 5 stars is beyond me. I have had Aburasoba, mazesoba, and Tsukemen. First time trying Mazemen and absolutely blown away.

Noodles are thinner and not as chewy as what you expect from a ramen but the greens and other things added to the dish create a melody of different textures. There is some hidden spice/heat which is not apparent when you first look at the dish. Then comes the onsen egg and char siew, the stars of the show. Combined with some greens that add a delicate crunch and some earthy notes, the luscious onsen egg covers the entire dish and just melts your heart away.

We were instructed to drip some lime juice over it and the acidity of the lime was a pleasant addition.

I also ordered the rice bowl with pork and onsen on top. The smokiness of the pork rice is a delicious contrast to the delicate yet hearty Mazemen. I ate the rice bowl too fast and forgot to take a photo. A must try when visiting Kyoto. I for one will make a trip to Kyoto just to stop...

Modern and fine-dining style ramen, seeking for a new twist on noodle bowls. Don’t expect crowds, counter seats only, and fast local eaters here. Probably this spot is aimed at Japanese looking for new experiences and foreigners feeling more comfortable seeting on a table and having longer times for a meal. Regarding the dish, I had white miso yuzu sashimi mazemen: miso soup was really scarce but really flavorful and offering a lovely hint of yuzu. My main critic is the small amount of soup which was insufficient to appreciate it fully and considering the price of the dish. Noodles were good containing some buckwheat. Wagyu beef was of course good but also scarce. Roasted red peppers were okay but didn’t really match with the other ingredients, though provided some nice color to the dish. Staff was kind and communicated in English. Price was way higher than usual (2.780¥) but we had the wagyu...