Kyoto Ramen Koji — Restaurant in Kyoto

Honestly? Best ramen I’ve ever had!! 🍜☀️❤️

You have to look for it a bit, it’s on the 10th floor of Kyoto Station. Google Maps sends you to the wrong spot downstairs, but you actually need to go upstairs, right in the middle of the station. Take the elevator, follow the path, and I think it was the first ramen place on the right. I found it thanks to a photo someone else had posted otherwise, I never would’ve spotted it.

The vibe was great. No one standing outside trying to pull you in. Just chill. When I hesitated at the entrance, one of the staff immediately came to help with the ticket machine. After ordering, I got seated right away, and there was already a cold glass of water waiting for me perfect!!

The staff? Awesome. Only one man in the kitchen, and the rest were friendly, cheerful women. You could tell they enjoyed working together! smiling laughing, it made the whole place feel warm and welcoming.

And the food… wow. The noodles were perfect, the broth rich and flavorful, and the meat was super tender and well seasoned. You can even ask for extra noodles (I didn’t this time, but I definitely will next time).

In short: best ramen I’ve ever had. Friendly service, amazing food, relaxed atmosphere. If you’re in Kyoto, go up to the 10th floor and find this place above the station. You won’t regret...

Food: 4/5 Good quality ramen Service: 5/5 Efficient Value: 4/5 Reasonable value then (450Yen vs 650Yen now) Ambiance: 4/5 Typical eat and go ramen shop

Dropped by Ramen Alley/Street (ramen-kujo 拉麺小路) a few years back, was in the midst of returning to Osaka from a day trip to Kyoto. My friend noticed the poster for the Ramen Alley on our way to the train station and she was intrigued so we decided to take a look at the Ramen Shops that were there.

We decided to try the "Kyoto local" Ramen shop, Masutani.

Since we were not that hungry (we had lunch already) we decided to just share the smaller portion and the fried rice. The ramen itself was cooked properly, with plenty of texture and not overcooked, the broth was balanced and flavorful. Had expected a heavier broth given that the broth is pork based but was pleasantly surprised by it's lightness.

Hint: The entire point of places like the Ramen Alley/Street is to eat small portions at multiple establishments and to compare them in the same day. I have been to similar Ramen Streets in Hokkaido and Tokyo, as well as Ramen Festivals...

We asked 3 times to the girl at the entrance that was taking care of the queue if there were vegetarian options and she replied each time "yes" . We ordered to her 2 ramen, one of them vegetarian. The first ramen was served and the other, which was supposed to be the vegetarian one, never arrived to our table. We asked for clarifications, and we were told by the waiter that no vegetarian options were available.

The girl at the entrance didn't say sorry and when I asked her for clarifications she called her superior. I undestand she might not speak basic English, and that's why we asked 3 times if the vegetarian ramen was an option. We did the queue, we ordered, one of the rule they have is that each person should order one ramen and... They serve only one person without any explanation.

Worst customer experience in 35 days in Japan.

The ramen...