Recent Reviews
A popular ramen shop with long queues This shop is known for its exceptional shrimp tsukemen (dipping noodles) and has been selected as one of the "Tokyo Ramen 100" best ramen shops. Located just a 4-minute walk from Shinjuku Station South Exit, a 3-minute walk from Shinjuku Sanchome Station, and in a back alley near Shinjuku Takashimaya. I visited on a Sunday night around 7 pm and there was already a line of about 30 people! The wait time was about 40 minutes. While waiting in line, you purchase your tickets from a vending machine and hand them to the staff. The interior has an L-shaped counter. The open kitchen allows you to enjoy the live cooking experience. Paper aprons, cold water, and towels are self-service. You can choose from large, regular, or small portions of noodles. Large portions are an additional ¥150. Small portions come with a complimentary piece of chashu (pork) or menma (bamboo shoots). I had ordered in advance, so my tsukemen was ready as soon as I sat down. The shop's signature dishes are the "Shrimp Tsukemen" and "Shrimp Tomato Tsukemen." This time, I ordered the "Shrimp Tomato Tsukemen" for ¥1000. The rich shrimp broth is perfectly balanced with the sweetness and acidity of the tomato. The noodles are thick and chewy, made in-house. I ordered a small portion, which was just the right amount for a woman. The regular size seems to be like a large portion at other places. The rich broth is filled with large pieces of chashu, block chashu, menma, cherry tomatoes, and onions. The size of the menma was also a surprise! The noodles come with basil paste, which you can add to the broth for an Italian twist. The basil pairs perfectly with the shrimp tomato broth. They also provide a baguette, which you can dip in the broth. You can get a refill of the broth if you finish it. For the final touch, there's a soup dilution option! There are pots for soup dilution behind the counter, so you can do it yourself. They also have seasonings available, so you can customize the flavor to your liking. I finished every last drop of the broth! The shrimp tomato noodles were absolutely delicious. Shrimp lovers will be in heaven! It was worth the wait. This is a tsukemen you'll want to wait in line for. It was so good, I'm already craving it and want to go back for more.
There was a line of about 9 people in 5 groups. I started queuing around 16:50 and got in after about 15 minutes. When you join the line, a staff member will greet you, so you can buy your ticket at that time and then return to your place in line. I ordered the shrimp miso tsukemen, and the soup was rich with shrimp flavor and delicious. The menma in the dipping sauce was also large and tasty. The cabbage served with the noodles was a nice palate cleanser, so I could eat without getting bored. On the back of the counter, there were water, towels, aprons, hair ties, toothpicks, chili powder, pepper, and soup for diluting the dipping sauce. It seems that this restaurant, which has been selected as one of the top 100 restaurants on Tabelog, is popular with overseas customers. Payment was cash only.
A renowned shop known for its incredibly rich shrimp tsukemen, worth the wait. 🦐 I arrived at 6:30 PM on a weekday and miraculously found no line! I usually hesitate because of the long lines, but I was lucky enough to walk right in. 😆 Normally, you have to wait in line, buy your ticket when a staff member calls you, and then go back to the line, but this time there was no one, so I went straight in and sat down. Water and aprons are self-service. The restaurant has wide aisles and an L-shaped counter where you can see the chefs at work. There are also luggage racks under the seats, and the staff includes young women, so the atmosphere is not stiff or cramped, which is nice. Since it was my first time, I ordered the standard shrimp tsukemen with special toppings for ¥1,500 and basil rice for ¥250. The staff asked if I wanted a small or regular portion, and I chose regular. The dish arrived after about 10 minutes. The amount of noodles was much more than I expected! The square noodles were beautifully arranged. And the shrimp dipping sauce was thick and rich, just as it looked. Just drinking the soup, it was shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, with a tingling sensation! It was the richest shrimp ramen I've ever had. The bamboo shoots were diced, giving them a good bite. The special toppings included some on skewers, but I'm not that big of a fan of bamboo shoots, so I didn't need that part! The char siu was diced and scattered throughout the soup. The char siu from the special toppings was also delicious. The cabbage was a great palate cleanser for the rich soup and went really well with it. The soft-boiled egg was perfectly seasoned and slightly runny, another delicious addition. 🙌 The cheese also went well with the dipping sauce. The basil rice was flavorful on its own, but I mixed it with the leftover dipping sauce to make a kind of porridge and finished off every last drop of the soup. It was a pretty large portion, but it was so delicious that I finished it in about 15 minutes. Even at ¥1,500 for the special toppings, it felt like a good value for the quality. Even the regular version, without the extra toppings, would be satisfying enough because the dipping sauce is so good, so maybe I'll try that next time. I definitely want to come back again, and I want to try the other flavors too! This is a place I highly recommend.
I had lunch at a tsukemen (dipping noodles) restaurant that has been repeatedly selected as one of the top 100 ramen restaurants on Tabelog! Even on a weekday afternoon, there was a huge line out the door, which was a surprise. I think it's a restaurant worth waiting in line for. The location is about a 5-minute walk from the southeast exit of Shinjuku Station. It's a street-level shop in a back alley. You'll be able to find it easily because of the line. First, you join the line and tell the staff how many people are in your group. You then purchase your tickets from a vending machine in turn. After purchasing, you rejoin the line and hand your tickets to the staff. At this point, you'll be asked about the amount of noodles you want, so I told them I wanted regular or a smaller portion. If you choose a smaller portion of noodles, you can choose a topping of chashu (roasted pork) or menma (bamboo shoots)! I would recommend a smaller portion for women. Even the regular portion was quite filling. After waiting in line, you'll be seated and your tsukemen will arrive within a few minutes! It's great that they prepare it while you wait, which makes the turnover quick. Water is self-service, and they also provide paper aprons. This time, I ordered the "Ebi Miso Tsukemen" (Shrimp Miso Dipping Noodles). I also ordered the "Basil Rice" from the side menu. They serve alcohol at lunchtime, so I also had a ZIMA. My friend ordered the "Ebi Tomato Tsukemen" (Shrimp Tomato Dipping Noodles). The tsukemen instructions on the table said to try one noodle first, so I did. The thick noodles were chewy and had a nice springy texture, which was delicious. The dipping sauce was super rich! The shrimp flavor was strong and incredibly delicious. It was thick and coated the noodles well, and the balance of the deep miso flavor and shrimp was perfect. I added some chili pepper for a change of flavor and also ate it with rice, so I could enjoy it without getting bored until the end. I finished the meal with a soup broth and drank all the soup. I also had a bite of the tomato tsukemen, which was refreshing and had a nice basil flavor. I definitely want to go back!
This time, I'd like to introduce "Tsukemen Gonokami Seisakusho." I visited the Shinjuku location. I arrived at 10:30 am and there were already about 15 people in line. It was a very hot day, but the occasional breeze was refreshing. The sun was strong, but the staff provided umbrellas, which was very helpful. This kind of service is definitely a reason to come back again. Before opening, they take orders and collect tickets from those in line, then return to their original spot. After that, a staff member comes out, confirms orders, and collects the tickets. This way, the food is ready as soon as they open, which is very convenient. When they opened, I was able to enter on the second round. The restaurant has only counter seating, with about 13 seats. Water, paper aprons, and towels are self-service (located near the entrance). The interior is very clean and you can see what they're making from every seat, which adds to the live experience and is great. I ordered the "Ebi Tomato Tsukemen with Ajitama." You can choose between regular and small portions of noodles (same price). I ordered the regular... and I made a mistake! The regular portion was huge! It was like a large portion at a regular tsukemen shop. The noodles were thick and beautiful. They were topped with basil sauce and a baguette, giving it a truly Italian feel. I ate the noodles as they were, and the sweetness of the wheat came through. Just mixing the noodles with the basil sauce is delicious! There are so many ways to eat it, it's amazing! The soup had 2-3 large pieces of thick bamboo shoots and large pieces of perfectly sized char siu. Honestly, it's luxurious for this price. The soup has a very strong shrimp flavor, but it's not just shrimp, it's well-balanced with other flavors and easy to drink. It feels like a shrimp bisque slightly diluted with broth, a testament to their creativity. This is the best shrimp tsukemen I've ever had. I sometimes eat shrimp ramen, but this is the absolute No. 1. After finishing the noodles, I added cheese rice to the soup! The beginning of a decadent flavor (laughs). It's like a shrimp tomato cheese risotto. It's a shame that my description is so cheap, but it's truly the best tsukemen I've ever had. I highly recommend it, even if you have to wait in line.