Ramen Misoya — Restaurant in Nagano

I had an extremely disappointing experience at Misoya, and I feel compelled to share it. Let me begin by saying this is not about the food, but about the appalling service and lack of hospitality, especially towards foreign customers.

I visited the restaurant around 6 PM, and when I arrived, the tables were full, with about three people waiting inside. The space was a bit cramped, but that wasn’t the worst part. As soon as I opened the door, an older man behind the counter impatiently waved his hand and said, "Go outside, wait outside," in Japanese, before I could even say a word. I understood what he said as I speak Japanese, but his tone and attitude were uncalled for. Despite feeling uncomfortable, I politely stepped outside and waited for 15 minutes until a staff member finally came out to guide us, even though there were empty seats inside.

A young female staff member eventually came out, flashed two fingers at us to indicate "two people," and showed no sign of warmth or courtesy. When we were finally seated, the same older man slammed two towels and two glasses of water in front of us without saying a word. Meanwhile, I noticed that he was at least polite to the Japanese customers behind us, giving him clear instructions in Japanese. This made it even more apparent that foreign customers were not welcome.

The restaurant has around 12 counter seats and no tables, so it’s not suitable for families or those with kids.

As for the food, the broth was too salty for my taste, and the meat was a bit dry. I was genuinely disappointed, especially after reading so many good reviews on Google. I even recommended this place to my friend, but it turned out to be a terrible experience.

I’ve been to many busy restaurants where I had to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour. However, those places always managed to treat their customers kindly, often apologizing for the wait and informing us of the estimated time. Some even offered chairs or water for those waiting. At Misoya, it felt like they didn’t value their customers at all and were only focused on making things easier for themselves.

I will never return, and as someone who works at a nearby hotel, I will not recommend this restaurant to any of my guests. Misoya’s service is not only unfriendly but also discriminatory towards foreigners, and no one deserves to be...

Rock solid, borderline exceptional ramen

I tried 3 different ramens, the original (to those that don't speak or read Japanese...that would be ramen #1 on the menu), Ramen #7 (special ramen with 4 pieces of char-siu meat and stone-milled noodle made from local wheat), Ramen #10 (special spicy ramen with 3 pieces of char-siu and home-made ground pork and stone-milled noodle made feom local wheat)

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The ramen - I liked the chewiness of the thick noodle, and preferred the stone-milled version

8.5/10

The soup - The original soup base is a combination of miso and pork bone + chicken bone. The spicy one added that extra kick to the aoup base and elevated the aoup to another level.

8/10

The others - the char-siu was deliberately to be made with more fatty cuts...the owner would grill the pork on a pan, made-as-you-order...I also really loved the bean sprouts, as they were fresh and sweet and refreshing contrast to neutralize the heavier taste from the ramen and the meat. The ground pork in the spicy ramen is amazing on its own

8.5/10

The verdict - Price and portion (CP值）is great...and the taste is really good, especially the spicy noodle. Mostly locals go there, but the owner does understand some basic English...so just go by the noodle number as...

This spicy miso ramen, served with stone ground Nagano flour noodles, is my single best ramen bowl I’ve ever had anywhere. I’ve tried many not only in Japan but in many countries too.

The process is simple, even for me as I dont understand Japanese. Stand in line(usually a line), when it’s your turn buy your ticket of choice at the machine and wait your turn for a seat, th present your ticket to the kitchen.

The soup here is delicious, my choice of spicy wasn’t overly spicy but had some heat level, overall excellent balance of flavours. The broth quite thick and rich, subtly miso and nutty, the pork slightly smokey. The stone ground flour noodles, perfectly cooked and firm just as I like it. I chose dipping noodles as I prefer the noodles to stay firm right till the end of my meal. If you look at the vids, you will note that the cooking process is quite clinical and precise, so they are able to put out these perfect bowls consistently.

If ever I’m passing anywhere near Nagano again, this will be a must visit even if it’s slightly...