Ramen Blog

The 5 AM Ramen blog dives deep into the world of ramen. "Best Ramen Lists" include top picks in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan. Check out "Not Ramen" for other delicious food.

Takadanobaba Ramen: Chicken Ramen at Kageyama

Kageyama (鶏白湯蔭山高田馬場店) is an excellent choice for Takadanobaba ramen. Their showpiece is a fusion tori paitan ramen. It’s savory, thick, and similar to cream of chicken soup. Fusion Tori Paitan Kageyama’s fusion tori paitan (thick chicken ramen) is East meets West. It’s ramen but at the end, particularly tastes like a cream of chicken soup. Black pepper and garlic chips sprinkled on top contribute to this unique marriage. There’s even lettuce in the broth and it really absor

gotsubo in Shinjuku: Ramen with Iberian Pork

Ramen with Iberian pork in a light oyster and chicken broth sound good? Menya Shono no gotsubo in Shinjuku has your name on it. Choose Shio or Shoyu Between the shio and shoyu ramen, both are top-notch. But I’m a bigger fan of the shio. You can taste more of the oyster sauce and the gentle brininess it brings. Shio with Egg: ¥890 In addition to the oyster sauce, the broth uses various veggies, niboshi fish, chicken and a special daizu (soy) oil. The broth looks light – and it

Fusion Spice Ramen in Shimokitazawa: Ten to Sen

Spice Ramen Ten to Sen has the most interesting ramen in Shimokitazawa. Their colorful ramen are all about non-Japanese spices and roar with flavor. Ten to Sen’s ramen fall under the “spice ramen” category, or ramen with more exotic spices. This makes sense. Their operating company is famous for soup curry (a Hokkaido born curry dish). They proudly source most of their ingredients from Hokkaido – meat (pork, chicken, fish) and vegetables. Paprika and Cashews – not your typic

Filipino Fusion Ramen in Manila / Sitdown with Owner

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Miguel, who’s co-owner at Oyasumi Ramen, one of the hottest shops for ramen in Manila. Oyasumi Ramen boasts a diverse menu, even offering a Filipino fusion ramen with chicharon! With Co-Owner Miguel I asked Miguel about what prompted him and his brother Martin to open a ramen shop. Why “Oyasumi Ramen”? What’s behind the name? Miguel: “Oyasumi” has a nice ring to it. It’s pleasant sounding and easy to pronounce. Also, since the word tran

Contemporary Ramen and Tsukemen: Men Labo Hiro

Men Labo Hiro near Gakugei-Daigaku station serves sensational contemporary ramen. This shop has won multiple awards since it opened in 2016. The Ramen In their ramen, or “Tori Soba”, chicken plays a prominent role. The chicken collagen supplies just the right amount of richness to the broth. But the broth also has a hint of fish. You can choose a saltier shoyu or a springier shio as a base. For either, a touch of mitsuba, capers, and yuzu citrus peels round everything out. St

Niboshi Ramen Master: Ramen Emoto in Naka-Meguro

Ramen Emoto (らーめん恵本将裕) is the perfect introduction to Niboshi Ramen (dried fish ramen). Tucked away in the backstreets of Naka-Meguro since Sept 2014, they take their craft very seriously. Epic Wall Art Emoto-san, the man behind it all, is actually from Kyushu – best known for rich tonktosu ramen. But it was in niboshi ramen that he decided to make his mark. Niboshi Ramen – Shoyu Niboshi is dried sardines. At Emoto they use 3 types of sardines and 1 type of horse mackerel.

Pumpkin Ramen, Red Ginger Ramen in Meguro

Ramen shop Only One Noodle Ichifuji in Meguro is now serving a seasonal pumpkin ramen that’s insanely good. But if pumpkin isn’t your thing, you can choose from 4 other sauces, including lemon / yuzu citrus. Pumpkin (Seasonal) Niboshi (Dried Fish) Lemon and Yuzu Citrus Sichuan Pepper Pumpkin Ramen / The Broth What a bowl, this pumpkin ramen. They use the pumpkin just enough to make it feel like an Autumn ramen. Regardless of your sauce choice, the broth is light and clear, wi

Tokyo Ramen Show 2018: Uni Ramen to Premium Kelp Ramen, 12 Bowls

This year’s Tokyo Ramen Show at Komazawa Park was spectacular, featuring 36 hand-picked ramen shops from all over Japan. Over eleven days, they diligently dished out thousands of deliciously complex ramen bowls. There was so shortage of variety – from the top voted uni ramen, to premium kelp ramen. In total, I dived into 12 bowls this year. Check them ALL out below and even find out where the shops are located throughout Japan. First Group: Oct 25 – 30 Snow Crab Miso Ramen T

Indian Ramen in Ikebukuro – Ramen Spice Shaka

Indian Ramen?? Ramen Spice Shaka in Ikebukuro has boldly and beautifully created ramen that incorporates a great number of Indian spices. Still…Indian Ramen? Indian Ramen might sound like a novelty. But this this new ramen shop is the brainchild of Tomoharu Shono, the legend behind the Mensho ramen shops and Shankar Noguchi, an Indian cuisine maniac and spice expert. So this ramen shop doesn’t mess around. Indian cuisine is ridiculously complex, much like ramen. But they’re b

Revolutionary Ramen: Mapo Tofu Ramen in Tokyo

A Tokyo ramen shop that calls itself a “laboratory” serves a spicy Sichuan style Mapo Tofu Ramen. 2 culinary worlds deliciously collide – China and Japan. Niigata Sanpoutei Tokyo Labo (新潟三宝亭東京ラボ) is this shop’s name. Just try and remember Sanpoutei, the name of the group company. Sanpoutei has origins in Niigata prefecture and they have Chinese restaurants and ramen shops all over the country. But the only have 2 ramen “laboratories” in Japan. 1 is in Shibuya and 1 is in Nak

Touka - Refreshing Sea Bream Ramen

Near Shinjuku is Taishio Soba Touka, a ramen shop that’s mastered sea bream ramen.

Mountain, Sea, Sky and River Themed Ramen near Shinagawa

Tokyo ramen shop Soba Dining Quattro has remarkable ramen. Featuring an assari (lighter) broth, their ramen is as contemporary as it is flavorful. They have four distinct, themed bowls: Mountain, Sea, Sky and River. Soba Dining Quattro is near Omori station – just a 6 min train ride from Shinagawa station. The Seasoning and Soup Quattro uses 2 types of seasoning – shoyu (soy sauce) and seafood-heavy shio (salt). Here’s to give you an idea of how complex their ingredient gathe

Creamy Mushroom Ramen near Tokyo Station – from Soranoiro

Soranoiro Tonkotsu and Kinoko has some truly unique ramen, including a signature mushroom ramen. Near Tokyo Station, this ramen shop is brought to you by the same creative geniuses behind Soranoiro in Kojimachi (quality vegan ramen). Mushroom Ramen Their mushroom ramen (Kinoko Veggie Soba) will have mushroom lovers rejoice. The broth literally tastes like cream of mushroom soup. But the broth is also powered by veggies, soy milk, and wheat. They also pour a layer of mushroom

3 Heavenly Hiroshima Ramen Shops

For food, the city of Hiroshima is best known for its noodle-filled savory pancakes, or Okonomiyaki. But if you dig a little bit, your shovel will find some legit Hiroshima ramen shops. Many of them are obsessed with the numbing Szechuan pepper. From numbing pepper ramen to wagyu ramen, here are 3 Heavenly Hiroshima Ramen Shops. The last 2 are open super late….so you can stumble in after drinks, in true 5 AM Ramen fashion! #1: Masara (Shiru Nashi Tantanmen Masara) Tantanmen,

Oreryu Shio Ramen: Many Choices Under 1 Roof

Tokyo ramen chain Oreryu Shio Ramen (俺流塩らーめん) is the perfect introduction to ramen for visitors to Tokyo. They have English menus and there’s a good variety of ramen to choose from, whether classic Shio Ramen or Fried Chicken Ramen! Multiple Shops in Tokyo There are several Oreryu Shio Ramen shops in Tokyo, with the majority of them in Meguro and Shibuya city. Just look for the orange sign. Crazy Hybrid Ramen, Light Shio If you’re up for it, they do have interesting hybrid ra

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