Kyoto is one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations. It's highly popular among foreigners for its numerous temples and shrines that vividly preserve Japanese history, and for the subtle, elegant atmosphere of traditional Japan.
As the long-time capital of Japan where the emperor once resided, Japanese food culture developed primarily in Kyoto. Now, not only traditional Japanese cuisine but also various other food categories are represented by many renowned restaurants, making it known as a gourmet city.
While Kyoto is characterized by its elegant atmosphere, it also has many shops serving ramen, a Japanese dish popular among foreigners, making it a fierce battleground for ramen establishments. From simple ramen to the rich and hearty style known as "Kyoto ramen," there's a wide variety, with many ramen shops even registered in the Michelin Guide.
In this article, we'll introduce some ramen shops in Kyoto!
Five Must-Visit Ramen Shops in Kyoto Selected for Bib Gourmand
Menya Rennosuke
source：Tabelog
First on our Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 list is "Menya Rennnosuke." Opened by a chef who trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant, this shop has been selected for Bib Gourmand.
The soup has a well-balanced umami from kombu and dried sardines, with a refined taste similar to a slightly concentrated version of the dashi that forms the basis of Japanese food culture. The noodles are soft, chewy, and thin straight noodles. In addition to standard ramen, they also offer tomato ramen with a whole tomato and ramen with Kyoto duck breast.
The interior decor is sophisticated and chic, unlike typical ramen shops. In this atmosphere, enjoy ramen made only with carefully selected ingredients, without chemical seasonings or preservatives.
There's also a wide variety of menu items besides ramen. My recommendation is the luxurious way of enjoying ramen together with sake.
- Name: Menya Rennnosuke
- Address: 56-32 Shimokashiwano-cho, Murasakino, Kita-ku, Kyoto
- Access: 18-minute walk from Kitano-Hakubaicho Station
4-minute walk from Kenryu-ko-mae Bus Stop
- Phone: 050-5592-3283
- Hours: 11:00-15:00, 17:30-20:30
Closed on Thursdays
- Official Instagram
Menya Inoichi
source： Official website
Next in our Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 guide is "Menya Inoichi." This shop has been selected for Bib Gourmand for 8 consecutive years and always has a line of customers.
The broth doesn't use any animal-based ingredients like chicken or pork, but instead uses abundant katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) from Kagoshima Prefecture, which the owner sought out. The special soup, which has a concentrated bonito flavor, comes in two varieties to match the toppings. You can enjoy either the white dashi that pursues umami or the black dashi that enhances the soy sauce flavor to pair well with toppings like "seared wagyu beef."
The noodles are thin, house-made noodles using several types of Hokkaido wheat flour, which blend well with the soup. While ramen might have an oily image, the ramen at this shop is surprisingly light, and even I, as a woman, could easily finish a bowl.
If you want to enjoy ramen with a flavor that allows you to savor Japanese dashi, be sure to visit Menya Inoichi as part of your Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 experience.
- Name: Menya Inoichi
- Address: 542 Ebisuno-cho, Teramachi-dori, Bukkoji-sagaru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Access: 3-minute walk from Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station
- Phone: 050-5592-3283
- Hours: 11:00-14:00, 17:30-21:00
Closed on irregular days
- Official website
Kobushi Ramen
source：VACAN
"Kobushi Ramen" is a famous shop selected for Michelin Bib Gourmand, where you can eat unique ramen that's said to be unparalleled not just in Kyoto, but in all of Japan. It's a must-try for your Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 journey.
Its distinctive feature is the luxurious taste using "Kyoto duck," an essential ingredient in Kyoto cuisine, and "nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) dried fish," known as a high-grade fish with good fat content. I've never seen this combination of ingredients anywhere else.
The rich and unique soup, made with a meticulously crafted blend, clings well to the noodles and provides ultimate satisfaction after eating. The elegant fat of Kyoto duck, felt within the light fishy aroma, is unforgettable once you've tasted it, leading to many fans and repeat customers.
While you might see ramen using each of these ingredients separately elsewhere, you can only taste the harmony of these two at "Kobushi Ramen."
- Name: Kobushi Ramen
- Address: 1-16 Shujaku-Shokai-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Access: 5-minute walk from JR "Umekoji-Kyotonishi" Station
- Phone: 075-351-3608
- Hours: 11:30-14:30, 18:00-22:00
Closed on Wednesdays
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
source： Official website
"Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto" is, as the name suggests, a shop that serves vegan ramen. The soup is made without any meat or fish extracts, concentrating the umami of kombu and mushrooms. Although it's light, it blends well with the thin noodles made from organic wheat flour and whole wheat flour, providing great satisfaction.
Instead of chashu pork, there are vegetable toppings like tomatoes and onions that pair excellently with the soup. Depending on the toppings, you can also choose a miso-based soup.
The art displayed in the shop is impressive, and the sophisticated interior with its fantastical atmosphere makes you feel like you've entered another world. I visited before and had a wonderful time with the beautiful interior and vegan ramen.
This unique offering definitely earns its place in the Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 lineup.
- Name: Vegan Ramen UZU KYOTO
- Address: 146 Umenoki-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- Access: 6-minute walk from "Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae" Subway Station
- Phone: 050-5457-0541
- Hours: 11:30-15:00, 17:30-21:00 *Tuesday dinner only
Closed on Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays
- Official website
Chuka Soba Mugi no Yoake
source：Official X
The next shop in our Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 guide is "Mugi no Yoake," which, true to its name (meaning "wheat's dawn"), provides ramen with originality that creates a new trend in the ramen industry. The owner, a ramen enthusiast who ate his way through Kyoto's ramen shops as a student and even worked at a flour milling company, opened his own shop.
Aiming for unique and particular ramen, he continued to experiment and developed "Scallop and Sansho Chinese Noodles."
The soup features a delicate balance of the sweetness of scallops and the spiciness of sansho pepper, creating an exquisite flavor. The house-made noodles, which utilize knowledge from the flour milling company, are rich in flavor. You can also order a mix of thick and thin noodles for a new texture experience.
In addition to the scallop-based soup, there's also a beef soy sauce-based soup (also with plenty of sansho pepper) and seasonal limited menus, all of which are excellent.
- Name: Mugi no Yoake
- Address: 12-5 Nishishichijo-Kakekoshi-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Access: 6-minute walk from "Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae" Subway Station
- Hours: 11:00-14:00, 17:30-20:00 *Sunday lunch only, hours may vary slightly by day
Closed on Mondays
What is the "Rich and Hearty" Kyoto Ramen Famous For?
Kyoto might have an elegant image, and you might think of Japanese cuisine there as having a light taste with dashi. However, "Kyoto Ramen" is actually known as one of the richest and heartiest styles of ramen in Japan.
"Rich and hearty" refers to a soup that's thick and full of fat. It has a deep, addictive flavor that you'll crave once you've tried it.
Here are three shops where you can enjoy representative Kyoto ramen, essential for your Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 experience.
Three Shops to Enjoy Kyoto Ramen Praised by Locals
Honke Daiichi Asahi Takabashi Main Store
source：Tabelog
The first "rich and hearty" ramen on our Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 list is from Honke Daiichi Asahi Takabashi Main Store, characterized by its strong soy sauce flavor and pork umami.
At "Takabashi Honke," established in 1947 and located right near Kyoto Station, you can enjoy Kyoto ramen with a gentle yet rich taste.
The chashu pork on top is soft and juicy, melting in your mouth. It's also appealing that you can enjoy plenty of vegetables with lots of bean sprouts and green onions.
You can also enjoy a slight change in flavor in the latter half by using the gochujang (Korean red chili paste) placed on the table. It's open from 6 am to 1 am, so you can use it for various occasions like breakfast or as a final meal after drinking.
- Name: Kyoto Takabashi Honke Daiichi Asahi
- Address: 845 Higashishiokoji-Mukaibata-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Access: 5-minute walk from JR and Subway "Kyoto" Station
- Hours: 6:00-1:00
Closed on Thursdays
- Official website
Iicho Ramen
source：Tabelog
Iicho Ramen serves ramen with a rich and hearty soup that combines chicken bone broth with pork fat.
Established in 1998, "Iicho Ramen" uses the parts of each ingredient that produce the richest flavor for their soup. For chicken bones, they use the shin part, and for pork bones, they deliberately use a large quantity of small bones.
They don't just pursue richness, but mix ingredients in proportions that the owner feels are most balanced, resulting in a well-balanced flavor.
They also constantly taste and adjust the flavor meticulously to maintain a consistent taste. Enjoy Kyoto ramen in an interior reminiscent of an old-fashioned Chinese restaurant, mingling with regular customers.
- Name: Iicho Ramen
- Address: 70-10 Shimogamo Higashihangi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Able Higashihangi 1F
- Phone: 075-711-0141
- Access: 10-minute walk from "Kitaoji" Subway Station
- Hours: 11:00-15:30, 17:30-21:00
Closed on Thursdays
Tenkaippin Main Store
source： Official website
"Tenkaippin" is now a chain restaurant with over 200 stores across Japan. It's famous nationwide in Japan, and I often went there during my student days. The main store of Tenkaippin is in Kyoto, serving "rich and hearty" ramen.
The characteristic of Tenkaippin is its unique rich soup based on chicken bones, slowly simmered with dozens of types of vegetables. The original owner, who started from a food stall, completed this soup after about four years of research and development. The soup, which looks brownish and might surprise you at first, is so delicious with the sweetness of melted vegetables that you'll want to drink it all.
When visiting Kyoto, be sure to visit the main store as part of your Kyoto Best Ramen 2024 tour.
- Name: Tenkaippin Main Store
- Address: 94 Ichijoji Tsukida-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Maison Shirakawa 1F
- Phone: 075-722-0955
- Access: 10-minute walk from "Kitaoji" Subway Station
- Hours: 11:00-1:00
- Official website