ICHIRAN Shibuya — Restaurant in Tokyo

I knew Ichiran was popular — I’d seen the photos, read the hype — but nothing really prepares you for just how satisfying this experience is. If you’re a ramen fan (especially tonkotsu lovers like me), this place is absolutely unmissable. Yes, it’s a chain, and yes, it’s tourist-friendly — but it lives up to the hype in all the right ways.

What makes Ichiran stand out isn’t just the ramen (which is amazing), but the whole ritual of eating here. You walk in, buy a ticket from a vending machine, then fill out a form choosing exactly how you want your ramen: richness of the broth, noodle firmness, spice level, garlic amount, green onions or no — even the thickness of the noodle. As someone who’s picky about texture, this is heaven.

But the real twist? The solo dining booths. I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually genius. You sit in your own little cubicle, separated by wooden partitions. You pass your ticket under a curtain, say nothing, and within a few minutes, a steaming bowl of custom ramen slides into view — no distractions, no conversations. Just you and the soup.

And what a soup it is. The tonkotsu broth is incredibly rich — creamy, porky, with just the right amount of fat. It’s bold without being greasy, and it clings to the noodles perfectly. I ordered mine with “extra richness” and medium spice, and I swear it was one of the best bowls I’ve ever had. The noodles were springy and firm, and the spicy red sauce added a great kick without overpowering the pork flavor.

I also recommend getting the kaedama (noodle refill). Halfway through, when you realize you never want the bowl to end, you just press a button, pay a few extra yen, and they bring you fresh noodles to drop into your broth. It’s pure joy.

Service is fast and silent, which feels weird at first, but honestly makes the whole experience feel kind of meditative. No pressure, no judgment — just focused eating.

It’s also very affordable for Tokyo standards. I spent about 1,300 yen total, including a boiled egg and an extra topping of green onion. Considering the quality and experience, it’s a steal.

The only downside? There’s often a line, especially during lunch or dinner rush. I went late at night (around 11 p.m.) and got in with no wait, which was ideal.

Ichiran isn’t fancy, and it won’t win any Michelin stars — but it doesn’t need to. It’s comfort food at its finest, done with absolute consistency and attention to detail. Whether it’s your first bowl of ramen in Japan or your hundredth, Ichiran will deliver.

Would I go back? 100% yes. It’s one of those places that reminds you how deeply satisfying simple food can be — especially when it’s...

It's a quirky and tasty experience, probably one of the reasons people visit Japan. To consider: serving Ramen only, long cue and none-group-friendly sitting - along a counter, with wooden buffers that partially separate you from your fellow diners. Bottom line: recommended once, because of the unique experience, the Ramen is good, and because the restroom will never runout of toilet paper... :). We were looking for a place to eat near us, saw this one close by and highly rated on TripAdvisor, so went there without knowing what we were in for. The cue on the street consisted just of us and 4 more people, so it seemed weird the doorman said it will take 40min. We believed he was exaggerating. We should have known better than to doubt Japanese accuracy :) It turned out the cue continued on the stairs going down to the sub-street level, and then in the hallway, before entering the rather small dining area. When we finished and went out, the cue on the street was long! I don't want to imagine how much time they waited, but it seems waiting in cues for small dining places is a habit in Tokyo. Anyway, once in, you order and pay through a vending machine (they're simply addicted to vending machines in Japan), where you choose the basic Ramen, and can add to it very few extras. Yes, this place is only about Ramen (which meant we'll have to go to another restaurant afterwards, because one kid doesn't eat noodles...) After that stage, you wait in the hallway, where a staff member - they're not really waitresses - ask you to fill a form with regards to cooking preferences: with oil, little oil, no oil; soft noodles, medium or al dente; Salt, Mild Salt, no Salt, etc. after that you wait some more, staring at an electric board, with small lamps representing the seats, flashing with different lights, to say which guest just started eating, which is about to finish, and which is free. We had to wait extra time, since we were 4, and wanted to seat together, as much as together is possible there. Finally, when called inside, you seat along a counter, with wooden buffers separating you from those dining next to you (you can partially open it, if you're a group). You then see two hands serving your order to you, through an opening in front of you, without you seeing the face of whoever serves it. If you want to order some more, there's a form ready for you to hand to the person behind the opening. Needless to say, it's a very warm and friendly atmosphere... but that's what so special about this place. The Ramen was good and the experience was interesting, but we wouldn't go there again because of no variety and long...

不要去吃附近西班牙坂店的一蘭 解釋很多次自己是台灣人還被員工當成中國人對待就算了 員工自己犯錯沒有收到任何道歉 反而被處處刁難

Around 9:30 PM today, I visited the Ichiran Ramen Spain-zaka branch in Shibuya. I ordered a bowl of ramen, four slices of chashu, and a half portion of noodles. The staff handed me a ticket for the half portion.

After finishing my meal, I thought the half portion had already been included in the ramen, so I ordered an extra full portion (210 yen) and gave the staff 1,010 yen, expecting 800 yen in change.

Later, the staff came and said, “We haven’t given you the half portion yet.” So I replied, “Then I don’t need the full portion, just give me the half portion.” He said, “Okay.”

However, they ended up bringing both the half and full portions. I repeated that I only wanted the half portion and didn’t need the full one. They took the full portion away, but I never got my 800 yen change back.

After waiting for a while and no one came, I pressed the call button.

Another staff member came, but he only spoke English. I tried to explain the situation using the VoiceTra translation app, but he rudely told me to use Google Translate instead. Then he handed me a smartphone with Chinese pinyin input and told me to type using that.

I said, “I’m not Chinese, I’m Taiwanese. I don’t use pinyin.” But he replied in a harsh tone, “Just type it, it doesn’t matter.” It was extremely uncomfortable and disrespectful.

Even though I explained multiple times that I’m Taiwanese, he ignored that and kept insisting I use pinyin, which was very offensive.

Eventually, the first staff member came back and refunded my money, but never apologized.

The issue started because he was training a new staff member while handling my order, and failed to give the correct change.

I remained calm throughout the situation, but the second staff member’s attitude made me feel like I was the one at fault.

At other ramen shops in Japan, I’ve had no problems using VoiceTra to communicate. Only this location treated me so poorly.

It was truly a terrible experience. This kind of service is an embarrassment to Japan. I say this as a customer from Taiwan who has always respected Japanese...