Kitada — Restaurant in Kyoto

If you see a huge lineup for this place and are on the fence about waiting, it is ABSOLUTELY WORTH THE WAIT.

This gem of a place was the peak highlight of the last day we were in Kyoto. We waited in the rain for about 20-25 minutes. They have an English menu you can browse while in line by either scanning a QR code or reading the menu when you get to the front, and make sure you have cash! It is a bit small inside so this is a sit, eat and get out kind of place so other people can use the space.

You order from a vending machine that only accepts cash, but it does have English on the buttons for those who need it. You give the food tickets to the workers, and service is incredibly quick!

We got the Kaidashi and Hamaguri (salt/shio) ramen, both with egg. It was so delicious!! The main difference between them was the Hamaguri came with 2 actual Hamaguri clams while the Kaidashi didn't come with any clams. The clam part for both was in the broth. The noodles have the smoothest chewy and bouncy consistency, and the broth had the richest umami clam flavor!! (Don't forget to slurp! It shows you love the food!) My personal favorite was the Hamaguri broth, it had a light but deep sea flavor, without being too overwhelming with clam taste. The Kaidashi was amazing too, but it was a little too rich and slightly too salty in flavor for me. Tastes deeply like the Ocean, so those who enjoy strong flavors will love this one!

A must-try before you...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at a Ramen restaurant near Kyoto station and I must say, it was an experience to remember. The restaurant caught my attention due to its unique shellfish soup base which I was curious to try.

Upon arrival, I was pleased to see that there were only about 5-6 people waiting outside the restaurant. Fortunately, I was able to get a seat within 20 minutes of arriving. The restaurant had a vending machine where you can purchase your ticket which is a common practice among Ramen shops in Japan.

I ordered the clam ramen with clam boiled rice and I was pleasantly surprised with how good it tasted. The seafood soup base was something new to me and it definitely exceeded my expectations. The rice was also cooked perfectly and complemented the ramen well. I must say, it was a truly fulfilling meal and the price of 1300 yen was quite reasonable considering the quality of the food.

Overall, I had a great experience dining at this Ramen restaurant. The unique shellfish soup base and the fulfilling meal made it a memorable experience. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a good bowl of Ramen in the Kyoto area. Just make sure to bring cash as the vending machine...

We were 8 for having dinner, as the space for the waiting line was small, at some point, for like 5 minutes, just 1 person remained at the line while the others where next to the wall or walking around. Some other client arrived and, when he realized we were 8, he went and complained to the staff about us not being all on line. Then the staff came and told us just 2 of us could enter and the other 6 should go to the back of the line, just behind 6 other clients. We try to explain to them we wouldn't mind entering in small groups, as we understand we are a big group, but we don"t find fair having 6 of our group being sent to the back of the line. Being this my 3rd time visiting japan, and after all my experiences with people being so kind and helpful I cannot avoid the feeling of them wanting us out of the Restaurant. I cannot judge the food because I couldn't try it , but I feel the situation would have been sorted out differently if we would have been japanese. Is really sad to have left the place with this...