By Rob GossFeatures correspondent
![Alexander Spatari/Getty Photo of two bowls of ramen](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0h0jlyn.jpg.webp)
From Tanaka Shōten to San Tora, professional ramen guide and Tokyo local Frank Striegl reveals the five spots no noodle lover should miss.
Ramen might be Japan’s best-adapted import. A version of Chinese wheat noodle soups said to have reached Japan via Yokohama’s Chinatown in the late 1800s or early 1900s, it has become the ultimate Japanese comfort food.
For some, the frenzied slurping of noodles from a piping-hot soup is the culinary hug that makes a bad morning in the office feel better. For others, it’s a satisfying (and cheap) way to cap a day out with friends or recover from a night of drinking. Some will even wait in line for hours to try the noodles at a famous ramen joint.
Though its name is derived from northern China’s lamian noodles, ramen comes in various styles in Tokyo today. Pork bone broths, soy-based soups and salty stocks are a few of the common varieties, all frequently topped with slices of braised pork (chashu).
Few people know ramen better than Frank Striegl. Born and raised in Tokyo, Striegl offers ramen tours across Tokyo, runs a popular ramen blog and eats 300 bowls of ramen a year. Here, he reveals five of the best places for a slurp in the city.
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![Frank Striegl Ramen Daishi's broth is slowly simmered for 10 hours (Credit: Frank Striegl)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0h0js9x.jpg.webp)
1. Best lunch option: Tokyo Ramen Daishi
The line of red-topped bar stools on the street outside Tokyo Ramen Daishi hints at the long queues of office workers that regularly appear for lunch at this no-frills joint in the under-the-radar Ochanomizu neighbourhood, one station from the far-more-famous Akihabara district. It’s a wait that is rewarded with a classic example of shoyu (soy sauce)-based ramen, underpinned like all good ramen by a magical broth. In this case, Striegl explains, the broth is created with a mix of whole chicken, scallops, bonito flakes and more that the chefs slowly simmer for 10 hours, before adding soy sauce to bring all the flavours together.
Into bowls of that moreish concoction go medium-thick noodles followed by a topping of chashu pork slices, pink and white naruto fish cake, menma bamboo shoots, half a hard-boiled egg, green onion, spinach and finally a touch of dried seaweed. That’s a lot of toppings by typical ramen standards.
There’s no English menu, but you don’t need it: you order by buying a ticket from a vending machine that has pictures of all the dishes available (the shoyu ramen is at the top-left, 750 yen; £4.15), then hand your ticket to staff who will soon deliver your food steaming hot.
Address: 2-1-2 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0034
Phone: +81 3 3813 1080
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![Frank Striegl As at many of Tokyo's ramen spots, you order at Seijo Seika by using a ticket machine (Credit: Frank Striegl)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0h0jrn8.jpg.webp)
2. Best for upscale ramen: Seijo Seika
Since opening in a quiet residential corner of Setagaya Ward in 2020, Seijo Seika has scooped up a third-place award on the prestigious Tokyo Ramen of the Year list in 2020, followed by a Bib Gourmand listing from Michelin since 2021 for its shio (salty) ramen.
The SpeciaList
Frank Striegl has reviewed hundreds of Tokyo ramen restaurants for his immensely popular 5AM Ramen blog. He also runs ramen tours around the city.
Listed as shio soba on the shop’s ticket machine, the shio ramen comes in standard (650 yen; £3.60), medium (750 yen; £4.15) or large (850 yen; £4.70) portions. While many bowls of ramen appear cluttered, this is a simple-looking affair, with thin, chewy noodles immersed in an almost clear, lightly coloured broth that’s sparsely topped with sliced white negi (spring onions) and thin chashu. Like a great consommé, however, the soup packs a deceptive punch, according to Striegl. It’s made with kelp and fish, plus a salt seasoning and an accent of aroma oil that combines to give a swirling depth of flavour.
The stylish presentation matches the eatery’s setting. With bright interiors, wood and metal counters and big white bowls for the noodles, Seijo Seika looks a far cry from a typical rough-and-ready backstreet ramen joint. Just be prepared to queue: it only seats six.
Instagram: @seijoseikano1/
Address: 3-1-2 Minami Karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157-0062
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![Frank Striegl Tanaka Shōten is renowned for its pork bone-based broth, which is made by boiling a pig's head for three days (Credit: Frank Striegl)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0h0jp33.jpg.webp)
3. Best broth: Tanaka Shōten
Striegl says that for many ramen aficionados, nothing beats a tonkotsu (pork bone-based) ramen. Heralding from Fukuoka in western Japan, the style features a fatty, flavourful and creamy broth that – when done right – can be addictive. Striegl maintains that Tanaka Shōten arguably has the finest version of it in Tokyo – and this success is rooted in a dedication to the broth, which they make by boiling pig’s heads for three days. This process creates an intense aroma that you can smell before you even open the restaurant’s door.
That rich soup then becomes home to your choice of noodles (you can select how firm you want them to be). A basic topping of fatty chashu slices and chopped negi are added, plus a sheet of dried seaweed with “thank you” printed on it in multiple languages. Extra toppings such as boiled egg can be ordered (using an English menu), and there are condiments on the countertop.
It’s a bit of a trek to find this place in north-eastern Tokyo’s Adachi Ward, but they have also opened an easier-to-reach branch in the Diver City mall in Odaiba, a family-friendly entertainment district in the Tokyo Bay area.
Website: https://www.tanaka-shoten.net/
Address: 2-14-6 Hitosuya, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 121-0075
Phone: +81 3 3860 3232
Instagram: @tanakashouten_group/
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![Frank Striegl Ramen Aun can only seat eight people, but its fiery-hot spice packs a punch (Credit: Frank Striegl)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0h0jphm.jpg.webp)
4. Best for spice: Ramen Aun
Tantanmen (sometimes spelled: tantan ramen) is a Japanese take on Sichuan dandan noodles, and like its Chinese inspiration, it can be fiery.
Striegl’s insider tips
• Ramen is best enjoyed immediately after it’s served. There’s nothing worse than lukewarm soup and soggy noodles.
• Have a sip of soup before trying the noodles. It’s the heart and soul in any bowl of ramen.
• Slurping noodles is recommended. It cools down the soup and allows more oxygen to enter your nose to enhance the flavours. It also shows the chef that you’re enjoying the ramen.
• Don’t linger at ramen restaurants, especially in Tokyo. This keeps the line moving and ensures a quick turnover.
At the tiny Aun, which seats just eight, it comes in several guises, each with customisable spice and numbness levels (the latter from tingling sansho pepper).
What to order? One of Striegl’s favourites is the black sesame soup-less tantanmen, which features thick noodles and fried beef, topped with baby shrimp and mizuna (Japanese mustard greens). It delivers a peppery and smoky flavour, thanks to the use of a sweet-bean sauce (with an addition of Nagoya miso) and a broad bean chilli paste imported from China. Another option is a white sesame soup tantanmen with thinner noodles that rest in a glistening, creamy broth coloured red by the addition of a flavourful chilli oil said to combine more than 10 ingredients.
To order, Striegl explains, use the ticket machine with pictures, where the numbers (0-6) represent spice-numbness levels. Be warned that option six comes with the kind of heat that can leave you drenched in sweat and momentarily unable to speak. Aun recommends level two for first-timers.
Website: https://szechuan-aun.com/
Address: 1-1-13 Nishi Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0035
Phone: +81 3 5828 5525
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![Frank Striegl The sign of good ramen is people waiting outside (Credit: Frank Striegl)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0h0jqcs.jpg.webp)
5. Best miso ramen: San Tora
San Tora cooks up several styles of ramen, but it’s the miso-based version that has won plaudits for this tiny spot buried in the backstreets of Shinjuku Ward. Originally created in the 1950s in Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido (where the owner-chef learned his trade), miso ramen features a rich broth that San Tora makes by blending ingredients such as white miso, dried sardines, pork bones and kelp.
Once strained of debris, that broth is then combined with firm, yellow noodles shipped from Hokkaido, before being topped with slices of chashu pork, chopped green onion and a little grated ginger that Striegl says adds the occasional sweet counterpoint to the heavy broth. All told, it’s the closest you’ll get to being in Sapporo without hopping on a plane.
After a short walk from out-of-the-way Edogawabashi Station, San Tora is easy to spot as it has its name in English on the white signboard above the shop. There will probably be a queue outside too: that’s the universal sign of quality ramen.
Address: 362 Yamabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0801
Phone: +81 3 6265 3989
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