RAMEN MURAJI — Restaurant in Kyoto

Tucked into a narrow side street in Kyoto’s Gion district, Ramen Muraji is one of those little gems that surprises you the moment you step inside. From the outside, you might miss it — a simple wooden door with a modest sign. But as soon as I walked in, I knew this wasn’t going to be your average ramen joint. Muraji blends modern elegance with the soul of traditional ramen, and it does it beautifully.

The first thing that stood out was the atmosphere. Clean, minimalist, and a bit upscale — more like a modern café than a bustling noodle shop. Soft lighting, wooden interiors, and quiet music in the background made it feel instantly calm and inviting. It’s a great place to sit down and really enjoy your bowl, especially after wandering around the busy Gion streets.

Their specialty here is “white chicken ramen” (shio tori paitan), and I went straight for it. I also added a soft-boiled egg and some yuzu seasoning on the side. When the bowl arrived — wow. It was almost too pretty to eat. A creamy, white broth topped with slices of tender chicken breast, thin noodles, crisp mizuna greens, and a drizzle of yuzu oil that gave it a bright citrus note.

The broth was incredible. Rich and velvety without being too heavy, full of depth, and surprisingly clean. It had this perfect balance — comfort food, but elevated. The chicken was lean and perfectly cooked, and the noodles had just the right firmness to soak up all the flavor without getting soggy. The soft-boiled egg was also spot-on — golden, jammy center and slightly seasoned.

I also ordered a side of karaage (fried chicken) and it was golden and crispy, not greasy at all, with a bit of peppery seasoning that paired perfectly with a cold beer. Everything was beautifully plated and well-paced — they clearly take pride in presentation and service here.

The staff were friendly and welcoming. There’s an English menu available, and they didn’t mind explaining a few things when I asked. It felt very tourist-friendly without being gimmicky. I saw both locals and travelers eating there, which is always a good sign.

The price? Very fair. I paid around 1,200 yen for the ramen with extra toppings, plus a side dish and drink. For this quality and atmosphere, it felt more like a high-end lunch than fast food.

Final thoughts: Ramen Muraji is perfect if you’re looking for something different in Kyoto — lighter, refined, but still deeply satisfying. It’s ramen with a modern twist, and one of the most memorable meals I had in Gion. Whether you’re a hardcore ramen lover or just someone who appreciates balanced, thoughtful food, this place is definitely...

First of all, we understand there are no reservations yet the biggest table had reservation placards all over it. When I asked if I could make a reservation I was simply told no.

I wish I was kidding but here is how the conversation went after standing in line for 20 minutes:

Me “Hello, can we sit at that table?”

Hostess “No it is reserved”

Me “Oh but the website said no reservations”

Hostess “Yes”

Me “Can I make a reservation?”

Hostess “No.”

After standing in line for 30 minutes we found out that table was reserved by someone who walked into the restaurant while we were in line and made the “reservation” in front of our faces. When I asked how they got a reservation they said they just walked in and asked for it. Very rudely might I add.

There were several people standing behind us in smaller groups that could have been seated ahead of us with what availability we could see. However, they were not seated. This included a heavily pregnant woman who they did not offer a seat to while she waited.

Service is fast and staff is very friendly once you eventually get seated so that is some saving grace.

Food wasn’t worth the wait. Mediocre at best. The white ramen just tastes like Campbells cream of chicken. This is the worst ramen of my trip so far. I had better from Lawson.

Very instagram friendly restaurant, which seems to be its strength.

I think most of these problems besides the food quality stem from there only being 3 staff members and a potential language barrier with the person...

ATTENTION TOURISTS: DON'T COME.

**Point to add 9days after my visit: Just want to emphasize this is the worst ramen i have ever had in japan. Definitely worse than any local ramen store you could find in your home country. Period.

I am some of a big fan of ramen myself, looked forward a lot when I saw the lemon ramen pics, but sadly it led to an awful experience.

Long story short, the soup of lemon ramen tastes nothing citrus, bite the lemon slices urself if you want that. All toppings are ice cold, the noodles have a strongly irritating alkali chemical smell. I doubt if any locals would actually come.

I was sitting at the bar table and here are what i saw: your chicken slices are machine sliced just like those in supermarket; 90% kitchen works are done by clearly amateur part time waitress girls, NO COOK AT ALL. Whats the most unacceptable was they are serving convenient store icecream to customers, while claiming the icecream is homemade on menu! I saw a waitress coming back to the restaurant with a bag of those icecream and started scoping them onto plates and served to customers!

And when I pay the bill, the waitress even forgot to give me the change of thousands of yen!

One more thing to notice is that crew members of the restaurant consist of just the male boss at his 50s and a bunch of 10s~20s girls, nothing else, feels strong...