Ginza is known as Japan's premier luxury shopping district, lined with high-end brand shops and historic department stores. Today, "Ginza" itself has become a brand, hosting flagship stores of various shops. With its dazzling shop windows, it's one of Japan's top shopping areas where you can enjoy even window shopping, getting excited just by walking around.
Ginza also boasts numerous restaurants, from long-established famous shops to those at the forefront of trends. While you can enjoy various cuisines, this time we'll introduce 8 popular recommended ramen shops.
The Ramen Scene in Japan
Ramen, one of the globally loved Japanese foods, has its history starting in 1910 in Yokohama's Chinatown. Since it was first served in Chinatown by a Chinese shop owner, many Japanese still think ramen is Chinese cuisine.
However, ramen has become an indispensable part of Japanese life and is one of Japan's national dishes. Ramen shops are found all over Japan, with long queues forming everywhere for ramen. Many people also enjoy ramen at home, as instant noodles and fresh noodles can be easily bought at supermarkets.
Types of Ramen
Ramen actually has a wide variety of variations. For example, the standard soup flavors are miso, soy sauce, and salt, but there are countless variations like seafood, garlic, tomato, and more. The noodles also vary in thickness, length, shape, and ingredients, drastically changing the taste.
In Japan, some people even share their favorite ramen soup as an icebreaker when introducing themselves to new people. That's how ingrained ramen is in Japanese food culture.
Moreover, each region in Japan has its own "local ramen," often using local specialties and embodying the region's charm and culture. By the way, my favorite local ramen is "Hakata Ramen" from Fukuoka Prefecture, known for its distinctive soup made by boiling pork bones.
Best Ramen Shops in Ginza for 2024
Hashigo Main Store
source：Tabelog
Hashigo, established in 1964, is a famous tantan noodle shop with 60 years of history. Their tantan noodles can be enjoyed even by those who don't like spicy food. The mildly spicy soup is fragrant with sesame and yuzu, with the richness of soy sauce spreading throughout your mouth. You can choose the spice level, so even those who don't like spicy food can visit with peace of mind.
At Hashigo, it's also nice that rice is served for free. There are various ways to enjoy the rice, but the recommended way is to soak it in the remaining soup after finishing the noodles. Some people also eat it with the free pickles provided on the table or the tantan noodle toppings.
My recommended menu item is the Paikou Tantan Noodles. Instead of char siu, it's topped with paikou, a curry-flavored pork cutlet, making it very filling.
<Basic Information>
• Address: 1F Second Soirée de Building, 6-3-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: [Mon-Fri] 11:00 AM - 5:00 AM next day
[Sat, Sun, Holidays] 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Closed: Open daily
• Phone: 03-3571-1750
Ginza Kagari Main Store
source：Tabelog
Ginza Kagari is a shop where you can fully enjoy the umami of chicken, from the chicken-based soup to the chicken char siu. The ramen served here is called "tori-paitan," made by simmering chicken bones over high heat for a long time until the soup turns white and cloudy. The thick and creamy soup, almost like corn potage, is packed with chicken umami.
For a slightly luxurious day, I recommend the "Tori-paitan Shoyu Soba." The addition of truffle fragrance to the chicken's richness creates an elegant and high-class flavor.
It's also nice that you can wait without standing in line at Ginza Kagari. You can make a reservation on the tablet at the storefront and then spend your time as you like until it's time, making it recommended for those who want to use their time efficiently for sightseeing or shopping.
<Basic Information>
• Address: 1F, 6-4-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: 11:00 AM - Last Order 9:30 PM
• Closed: Irregular holidays
• Phone: 03-6263-8900
• Official Instagram
Ginza Hachigo
source：Official X
The ramen at Ginza Hachigo is characterized by a gentle soup that lets you taste the umami of the ingredients. Generally, ramen is made by adding soy sauce or other main flavoring to a soup made by simmering chicken bones, but here, after simmering chicken, duck, kelp, mushrooms, etc., to extract the flavors, they add only a small amount of salt and nothing else. This allows you to directly taste the flavors of the ingredients.
If you want more impact on the taste, it's recommended to dissolve the pepper on top of the char siu into the soup. It instantly gives a tighter flavor.
The recommended menu item at Ginza Hachigo is the "Ravioli Gourmandise Chuka Soba." This menu features ravioli, a square pasta dough that looks like a pie, as a topping. The ravioli contains truffle and foie gras. By soaking the ravioli in the soup, you can enjoy ramen with an even more elegant aroma.
<Basic Information>
• Address: 1F Dai-ichi Hanabusa Building, 3-14-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: [Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri] 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
[Sat, Sun] 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Closed: Every Monday, Irregular Tuesdays
• Official X
Mendokoro Ginzasa
source：Tabelog
Mendokoro Ginzasa is a unique ramen shop where you can enjoy not only ramen but also sea bream rice. Their signature salt ramen is characterized by a strong, clear salt flavor.
Calculated to pair well with the sea bream rice as well as the ramen, you can enjoy a delicious ochazuke by pouring the leftover soup over the sea bream rice after finishing the ramen. The owner is a skilled chef who trained at a famous Japanese cuisine restaurant. The attention to detail, from the way the sea bream is cut to the rice cooked to the perfect firmness for ochazuke, is filled with the craftsman's dedication.
The toppings at Ginzasa are also very appealing. The char siu is not only large and voluminous but also lightly seared, causing the fat to melt and enhancing the umami and sweetness. The soft-boiled egg is also exquisite, with the half-cooked yolk melting in your mouth.
<Basic Information>
• Address: 1F Fuji Building, 8-15-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM • 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM
*Closes when soup runs out
• Closed: Sundays and holidays
• Phone: 050-5486-9166
• Official Website
Ginza Kamo Soba Keisuke 9th Generation Ginza Store
source：Tabelog
At Kamo Soba Keisuke 9th Generation, you can eat ramen full of duck, with a soup that lets you taste the rich flavor of duck simmered down, and duck char siu.
The ramen at this shop is broadly divided into "kamo-paitan" and "kamo-chintan." The difference between these two is the simmering time of the duck when making the soup. Kamo-paitan, with its longer simmering time, is recommended for those who like a rich taste, while kamo-chintan, with its shorter simmering time, is recommended for those who prefer a lighter taste.
You can also enjoy duck dishes other than ramen, such as a special duck rice bowl (rice topped with duck meat) and minced duck rice. All dishes use duck meat generously and luxuriously, maximizing the flavor of duck. Therefore, it's recommended not only for duck lovers but also for those who are not very familiar with duck.
<Basic Information>
• Address: 1F Ichigo Ginza 612 Building, 6-12-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM (Last Order 9:30 PM)
• Closed: Open daily
• Phone: 03-6274-6655
• Official Website
Mugi to Olive Ginza Main Store
source：Tabelog
Mugi to Olive is an elegant ramen shop that just reopened last year (2023), characterized by its Western-style exterior and Japanese-style interior.
The specialty of Mugi to Olive is a light ramen fragrant with the flavor of clams (a type of bivalve with a deep, intense flavor similar to asari clams). Clams are not only used as an ingredient in the soup but are also placed as a topping, enhancing the seafood flavor of the ramen.
While this shop's ramen already comes with plenty of toppings like clams, char siu, and fish cake, for those who want to indulge even more, the "special topping" is recommended. It includes many toppings that make the ramen even more delicious, such as soft-boiled egg, bonito sashimi, and additional char siu.
<Basic Information>
Address: 1F Ginza Stella Building, 6-12-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM / 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
• Closed: Wednesdays
• Phone: 03-3571-2123
• Official Instagram
• Official X
Ginza Oborozuki
source：Tabelog
Oborozuki is a famous tsukemen shop with 53 years of history (as of 2024). Their tsukemen features a rich dipping sauce and thick, chewy noodles that pair perfectly with it. The dipping sauce is seafood-based, and the fish powder placed on top enhances the seafood flavor. Oborozuki's ramen is designed to be easy for women to eat as well, with a mild sweetness felt within the rich flavor.
After finishing the noodles of the tsukemen, you should try the "soup wari" (soup division). They pour a refreshing soup with the aroma of mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley) and yuzu into the remaining dipping sauce, transforming the rich dipping sauce into a light soup. This light soup after eating the rich tsukemen permeates your body.
<Basic Information>
• Address: 1F Daiichi Takahashi Building, 6-3-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM • 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
*Open until 11 PM on Thu, Fri, Sat, ends when soup runs out
• Closed: Open daily
• Phone: 03-6280-6166
• Official Instagram
Homemade Noodles Ito Ginza Store
source：Tabelog
Homemade Noodles Ito is a hidden gem in an old basement, characterized by its dried sardine-flavored soup and firm noodles.
As the name suggests, this shop makes its noodles in-store with strong dedication, changing the amount of water daily according to temperature and humidity. As you'd expect from noodles made in-store, they pair perfectly with Ito's soup. The toppings here are only char siu and green onions, allowing you to focus on enjoying the perfectly matched noodles and soup.
The recommended menu item at this shop is the "Hinai Chicken Meat Soba," a luxurious menu that generously uses "Hinai Jidori" from Akita Prefecture, known for its tender meat. The sweet soup, which mixes the umami and richness of chicken and dried sardines, will be gone before you know it.
<Basic Information>
• Address: B1F Tokyo Ginza Building, 6-12-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
• Business Hours: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
*Until 8:00 PM on Sat, Sun, Holidays
• Closed: New Year's holidays
• Phone: 03-6274-6445
• Official Website
Summary
In this article, we introduced the following ramen shops:
• "Hashigo" recommended for tantan noodles
• "Kagari" filled with chicken umami
• "Hachigo" where you can eat ramen topped with ravioli
• "Ginzasa" where you can also enjoy sea bream rice
• "Keisuke" with duck-centric ramen
• "Mugi to Olive" fragrant with clam flavor
• "Oborozuki" delicious for tsukemen
• "Ito" where you can enjoy meticulously crafted noodles
Even though they're all ramen, each has completely different characteristics and they all sound delicious, don't they? With such a diverse range, anyone should be able to find their favorite ramen. By the way, my recommendation is "Ginzasa." When you visit Ginza, please enjoy these unique ramen experiences.