Kitakyushu Ramen: Gyorantei Is the City’s Tonkotsu King
- Frank
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Kitakyushu Ramen – Start Here
Kitakyushu is often overshadowed by nearby Fukuoka City, but it’s actually the second-largest city in the prefecture and has a quietly impressive ramen scene. Historically an industrial powerhouse, the city has a down-to-earth charm - and ramen that reflects it.
Kitakyushu ramen is firmly tonkotsu (a pork bone base), but not defined by one single style. Bowls range from light and milky to gritty and bone-intense. And right at the top sits the city’s most famous shop: Gyorantei (ぎょらん亭).
Gyorantei – The Soul of Kitakyushu Ramen
Founded in 1948, Gyorantei is one of the true pillars of Kitakyushu ramen.
Their signature bowl, Doro Ramen, is built on a broth made exclusively from pork trotters, simmered for over 10 hours in a pressure cooker. The result is a soup that’s smooth and gently sweet, with impressive body but without the aggressive heaviness you’d get from head bones.
This is despite the name “doro,” which literally means muddy or thick. A light foam forms on the surface, giving the broth a rich, velvety texture. There’s even a subtle, nutty quality to it - almost peanut-butter-like.
The noodles pair beautifully with the broth. They’re slightly thicker and more substantial than classic Hakata-style noodles, giving the soup something to cling to.
Seasoning comes from Yamani shoyu, a local soy sauce that adds quiet depth rather than sharpness, allowing the natural sweetness of the pork to stay front and center.
And at the heart of the bowl is Gyorantei’s signature touch: a small mound of seabura (pork back fat). It melts slowly as you eat, subtly enriching the broth with each sip.
A Note on Their Other Ramen
Gyorantei also serves a lighter bowl blended with chicken stock, known as Ni-Hachi Ramen, while their Juwari Ramen is said to be less heavy than the signature Doro Ramen.
Final Thoughts
If you’re exploring Kitakyushu ramen, start with Gyorantei. It’s the city’s tonkotsu benchmark. Kitakyushu may not have the spotlight of Fukuoka City, but its ramen scene has real character, and Gyorantei is its brightest star.
