Ippudo Takadanobaba: Tokyo 2017

On our first visit to Japan back in 2016, I recall dining at a ramen shop called Ippudo. It’s a fairly well known chain (perhaps not as popular as Ichiran) that serves up tonkotsu ramen. We found ourselves in Takadanobaba (an area on the northern outskirts of Shinjuku and the hometown of Astro Boy) when we came across this Ippudo location.

As it was mid-afternoon, it wasn’t very busy here (and we almost walked right past the entrance). Our communal table was full of self-serve items that you can use to customize your ramen (including crushed garlic, pepper, and a sesame seed grinder).

They have a small English menu with only a few options available. The Shiromaru Classic Ramen (1020円) lunch special (an extra 100円) included rice and an order of gyoza. Their original tonkotsu pork bone broth is cooked for over 18 hours and has a thick, rich taste.

Meanwhile, the Akamaru Special Modern Ramen (1080円) uses a special blend of miso paste with fragrant oil giving it a bit of spicy kick to it.

I believe you can customize how firm you want your noodles but we stuck with the basics. The shiomaru has a fairly thin, straight noodle compared with the medium thick noodles in the akamaru. Ippudo does a good job at putting out a very solid tonkotsu ramen and you don’t have to wait hours to be seated. Plus, this is a much friendlier environment to enjoy ramen if you’re eating with others as you’re not stuck in a claustrophobic cubicle.

Tōkyō-to, Shinjuku-ku, Nishiwaseda, 2 Chome−15−7

www.ippudo.com