Men-ya Inoichi Hanare — Restaurant in Kyoto

An unassuming store front which you would likely past without taking a second glimpse - at least if it were not for the large lines outside.

Absolutely deserving of its Bib Gourmand designation, Men-ya Inoichi serves a hearty bowl of ramen for the weary traveler.

Having arrived around 1 PM on a Wednesday, we were able to catch the tail end of lunch rush. Queuing behind around 10 other customers, we were met with a 20-30 minute wait before we were seated. Menu's were tourist friendly with both English and Chinese menu's available. To ensure peak efficiency a staff member handed out menus to people in line and provided recommendations, ensuring that time spent inside the restaurant loitering was kept at a minimum.

We ordered a Pear Juice with Pulp and a Ginger Ale and although it is unlikely these were made in house, both drinks were absolutely delicious (who could've known that Ginger Ale made with Japan Spring water would make such a big difference).

Both of us ordered the Sliced Roasted Pork Bonito Ramen with White Soy Sauce (as it was recommended to us) as well as a order of the homemade Shumai to share. The ramen was delicious as expected, a perfectly balanced broth (was not so rich that we couldn't finish it but packing the perfect umami hit), combined with extremely thin cut and tender pork, perfectly cooked noodles and a slightly runny soft-boiled egg to top it all off. However, the unexpected hit was the homemade Shumai. Despite having ordered it out of a fear of not having enough food, the Shumai was perfectly tender and unlike any traditional Chinese Shumai. I can definitely see why the store has Shumai available for take-away order.

Needless to say, we will definitely come back in the future if I'm ever back in Kyoto!

Only reason the store does not get a 5-star rating is because there isn't necessarily anything special our extraordinary about the service or atmosphere. Beyond the absolutely delicious food, everything else is pretty much on par with any efficient ramen...

We went there on a rainy day and reached the restaurant 45 minutes before it opened. We thought we were wayyy to early, because we read that the queue starts 30 mins before opening time. But within seconds from our arrival the queues were fastly forming behind us! So glad we came early!

Fun fact:It was quite funny that they set this rule where you can take a picture of your food, but not of the restaurant or the people working there.

The menu was simple, but good. We ordered the homemade green smoothies to start. It came in a shot glass. The taste was surprisingly very refreshing! Definitely recommend anyone to try it!

Then we ordered homemade shumai as an appetizer. You got 3pieces per portion althougthe menu said only 2 😅. The shumai was quite big, packed with juicy tender and super flavourful minced pork meat! 1 per person is more than enough!

For the main event, you can choose between ramen or rice bowl. Obviously we chosed the ramen. Then you can choose your soup base, white soy sauce or black soy sauce. Personally I love black soy sauce more as it tasted richer. Then choose your protein, either the roasted pork from kyoto bonito ramen or grilled wagyu beef bonito ramen. For peoe who can't choose between the two (like us), don't worry, there's an option to add just the meat or other condiments as extra toppings! So I settled with wagyu beef bonito ramen with an addition slice of roasted pork and bamboo shoots. It did not dissapoint! The wagyu was super tender and flavourful that it makes me a bit sad when I finished my last bite. The roast pork was equally good, just enough balance of fat and meat. But having tasted both, I would choose the wagyu at any time.

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience, definitely...

Got really disgusted by the experience.

I went to this popular ramen place after seeing it trending on Xiaohongshu. Because my girlfriend had another appointment and couldn’t make it in time, I ended up dining alone. While waiting in line, I asked the staff multiple times if I could order a rice bowl or some small dishes to go, but was told no, as the chef only allows gyoza for takeout. I then asked politely if I could take my rice ball home in case I couldn’t finish it, and was gently refused again — so I let it go and sat down.

Near the end of my meal, a foreign customer next to me asked the chef if she could take her unfinished ramen to go. The chef first refused, and she explained that she didn’t want to waste food. A few minutes later, the chef came back with a takeout container and helped her pack it up.

？？？？

I asked the chef directly, “I just asked your staff and was told no takeout — so can I also take mine?” She said, “No, no takeout.” I pointed to the other customer: “Then why could she take hers?” The chef just replied: “Special. Special.”

Excuse me… what? I paid, stood up, and left immediately. She kept saying “sorry, sorry” with an awkward smile.

Maybe it wasn’t discrimination. Maybe she was just trying to be nice to that customer. But honestly, that doesn’t make it any better — it still felt awful.

Also, the food? Not worth the hype. Pretty...