Ichiran Shimbashi — Restaurant in Tokyo

Read positive reviews and decided to stop by for a late lunch as we were in the Shimbashi neighborhood. It's in a basement just as you come out of Shimbashi station, opposite the old locomotive and near McDonald's. You might just miss it though, so look carefully. Since we were there after lunch time, it wasn't very crowded and just 4 people in front of us. Took about 15mins to get in. You'll have to queue on the narrow stairs and there's people squeezing past you to go downstairs :)

When our turn came, we used the machine to order the full set (as always!). The good thing is all menu options are in English and the staff speak passable English too. They lead you into a small cubicle, so a bit of privacy :) For the set, apparently you could choose from 5 different items (which is what the menu said) but we just got 5 standard items (like egg, seaweed, extra chashu etc). because we weren't sure where to exercise these options. There are other add ons on the menu and you could order them. Fill in the options for the ramen like - spice level, noodle texture, richness etc. on a sheet. Press the button when ready and the staff will appear from nowhere to take the order. You don't see them as they're kind of part hidden behind the screen. They serve you quickly and once the bowl of ramen is served, they pull down the little screen through which they served the ramen, and let you dine in privacy. At first they serve a hard boiled egg (for the full set) and they keep a small card that says you could call the staff if you can't break the shell!

Ramen was delicious and came exactly as ordered. Rich tonkotsu with nice springy noodle texture and a bit spicy (even for 'mild'). Soft cooked chashu added zing to the ramen. Nice, hot and a welcoming bowl of fantastic ramen, so we just slurped it down as we always...

I arrived here around 8:15pm on a Friday evening in a party of 3. There was a line outside We checked in and was given a ticket with a QR showing a 45 minute wait. We returned 8:35pm, per wait list notification. However, there was a still wait. It was like the original wait was just to join the inside wait, lol.

We made it to the top to order a little after 8:50pm. We ordered on a kiosk. You can change the language to English, which was awesome! I got the classic tonkotsu ramen with a side of rice. After ordering, we got into another line where we completed a food preference sheet where we indicated how much seasoning, richness, amount of garlic and green onions, how much spice, etc. This form is in English and Japanese.

We were sat at 9:10pm. The seats are individual booth/cubicle like seats. We handed the staff our receipt and preference form. I received my food at 9:15pm. It was my first time having ramen (that wasn’t packaged). While I enjoyed it, it made me realize I’m not really a ramen guy. The hardest part for me was using the chopsticks! I was struggling, lol.

They do have items to where you can communicate with staff without actually talking, which is cool. The back of them is the English translation. One mentioned it being nosy and another mentions stepping away from seat but will be retuning. There is also an extra item form in case you wanted more food. The downside to this is that you’d need to pay in cash. You can pay with card in the beginning when you first order and there is an option to buy extras.

To me, this is not something I would choose but many do as it’s so popular. I feel the lack of variety is what I dislike. My friends really enjoyed their meals and are...

Ichiran Ramen in Shimbashi, Tokyo, is a hidden gem located inside a building that’s easy to overlook at first glance. When we arrived at midnight, we thought the restaurant was nearly empty. However, we soon realized that the line of people was hidden in the stairwell, waiting patiently for their turn. Despite it being late, we still had to wait around 30 minutes to get seated.

This was my first time trying Ichiran Ramen, even though there are branches in Taiwan, where I live. I’ve always heard great things about it, and I was excited to finally have the chance to try it in their original place during my visit to Tokyo.

The ramen did not disappoint and was perfectly suited to my taste. The broth was rich and flavorful, while the thin noodles had a delightful texture. One of the best features of Ichiran is the ability to customize the flavor according to your preferences. Being a fan of spicy food, I opted for the extra spicy seasoning, which added the perfect amount of heat.

The price per bowl is around JPY 1,350, which I found to be quite reasonable for the quality and experience.

What makes Ichiran truly unique is the individual seating arrangement. Each person has their own private booth, allowing you to fully focus on the delicious ramen in front of you. This setup is definitely a must-try experience when...