Maedaya — Restaurant in Yamagata

Maeda-ya is one of the mom-and-pop shops tucked away in the quiet side streets of Yamagata. Its unpolished decor suggests that they've been in the business of serving sincere, authentic food for many decades. The customers steadily trickling through the door gives testament to its quality, and rightfully so.

For my first visit, I ordered a wonton-chashu ramen and a side of gyoza. (Big mistake. The bowl alone was heavy enough to sate my hunger. The other diners didn't even finish their broth.) The bowl was a harmonious marriage of salt, fat, and umami, rich and unctuous without overwhelming the diner's palate. The restrained seasoning shifted the spotlight to the black pepper mingling with the broth. The noodles were firm and elastic, not a moment overcooked. Hiding under the generous cuts of chashu were silky wonton wrappers, just like how grandma used to make. (But...where's the rest of the wonton?)

Each order of ramen comes with a side of chilled pickles. Refreshing and much appreciated in this oppressive summer. The gyoza was crunchy and cooked to perfection.

Single diners can sit at the ramen bar for front row seats to the action. There are tables on the opposite side for those with company. There is tatami seating available for larger parties. As is per usual with casual Japanese restaurants, water and condiments are all self-service. Their menu is simple: noodles, their usual companions (i.e., dumplings), and libations. They specialize in noodles and do so very well. Go elsewhere for a complicated selection.

Maeda-ya has two parking slots (#3 & 4) for customers in the lot across the street. There's also paid parking a few meters further if luck isn't on your side.

This is the place to be for a taste far removed from the glitzy...

This was my first real ramen experience while in Japan. So my reference was the overpriced places in Melbourne. We arrived dead on opening after a day in the snow so was very much looking forward to a warm ramen. This place has a very simple menu which is more than enough and that’s what they do best. The ramen was the best I’ve ever had. Well balanced flavours and a generous offerings of pork slices. It’s worth walking the extra distance from the...

お店の斜め向かいの駐車場の、２番と３番が前田家さんのお客様駐車場だそうです。何年かぶりで訪問。相変わらず飲んだ後に食べたいラーメンだな～(^-^) 令和４年５月４年ぶりくらいに訪問。相変わらず混んでますね😄向い側の駐車場、前田家さん用は２番と３番のままでした。ワンタンチャーシューメン１０００円税込と餃子４００円税込注文。久々に食べて美味かったです。ライスも注文したかったけど、メニューに無いんですね。まぁ飲んだ後に来るお客さんはライス頼まないんだろな～ 令和５年１０月平日夜、一年以上ぶりに訪問。ワンタンチャーシューメン1,100円税込と特製ギョーザ400円税込注文。今回もライス無いんですよね？と聞いてしまいましたが無いですとの事。去年に比べてしょうゆ系だけ100円値上げしたんですね〜久々でしたけどワンタンチャーシューメンもギョーザも超御飯がすすむ美味さなんですよね〜でもメニューにライスが無い残念。 令和６年４月平日夜、山形駅前スズランさんで送別会の後、自宅迄の帰路歩いてて、ふと前田家さん思い出して訪問。混んでて玄関前で男性二人待ちでした。人見知りなので普段絶対声かけないんですが、酔っぱらい初対面三人で前田家さんの好きなメニューについて熱く語り合ってました🤣一人先に入店して5分後くらいで自分と二人も入店。話が合って店内でも盛り上がり、飲んだ後に食べるの初でしたが、飲んだ後の前田家さんやっぱ美味かったです。しかも仲良くなった方が先に帰るときに二人分お支払して頂いてご馳走になってしまい大変ありがとうございました美味かったです。 令和６年９月土曜日夜久々に訪問。ワンタンチャーシューメン1,300円税込と特製ギョーザ400円税込注文。美味かったです。素面でワンタンチャーシューメン頼むと高く感じるな（笑） 令和６年１２月金曜日夜忘年会からの歩いて帰宅途中酔っ払いが寄り道して久々に訪問。ワンタンチャーシューメン1,300円税込注文。年末だけあって、奥の座敷席は団体様でにぎわってましたね。飲んだ後に食べるワンタンチャーシューメ...