Hyperlocal Tokyo

【Location】 It's about a 5-minute walk from Kinshicho Station. They open at 7 am and close at 3:30 pm, so I went there around 8 am on a Saturday in August. 【Inside】 It was already almost full. The restaurant only has counter seats, about 10 seats I think. You buy your tickets from a vending machine first. I didn't do much research beforehand, so I wasn't sure what to order. I ended up getting a simple ramen and a regular tuna bowl. It was less than 1000 yen. 【Ramen and Tuna Bowl】 This was my first experience with morning ramen. It was surprisingly good! The ramen broth was light and flavorful with seafood, making it easy to eat. The tuna bowl came with a raw egg and green onions. The sesame oil flavor was fantastic! I noticed they had a morning-only niboshi ramen after I sat down, but it was too late…😓 I'll try it next time. 【Other】 There's another Kitakata Shokudo in Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, famous for their ramen and tuna bowls. I've been there a few times, but the ramen and tuna bowl here have a different taste than the Sakura shop. Are the customers at this time locals? Maybe they're having breakfast before work. There's a steady stream of people coming and going. I wonder if it's like this until closing time? It's a popular place! I'll try the morning-only ramen next time.

For a meeting in Sumida Ward, I decided to visit this restaurant for some warm food on a cold, rainy day. Without hesitation, I ordered the "Aka" (Red) ramen. When asked if I wanted back fat, I readily agreed. The soup, which looked rich, was surprisingly light. The curly noodles were a perfect match for the broth. The back fat wasn't greasy at all, and the chopped onions added a nice touch. It was delicious! The ramen warmed me up nicely. Thanks for the delicious meal!

I was drawn to this ramen shop after hearing several young strangers on the street rave about it. I tried all the menu items to write this review, but I wasn't as impressed as they were. The only dish I'd recommend is the morning-only "Asa Ramen" (Red/White, ¥630). The other menu items might disappoint if you have high expectations. The morning-only niboshi (dried sardine) ramen uses whole wheat flour, but I couldn't taste any niboshi flavor at all. The Nagaoka Shoyu Ramen with ginger has a faint ginger flavor, but it's barely noticeable. As someone accustomed to the basic ginger noodle at "Kameido Ginger Noodle", a chicken and salt ginger ramen shop, this was simply not enough. The "Tokujou" (special) tuna donburi (rice bowl) is overpriced. For that price, you could get a lunch menu with fresher tuna at a sushi restaurant in the Tsukiji Market or Shin-ichiba area. Honestly, the only reason to come here would be for the morning ramen, which is served from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM, and its price.

I visited this popular ramen shop for the first time on August 12th, 2012 (Monday, a national holiday) around 7:50 am. There were three customers ahead of me and about ten behind. I've been to the Funabori and Taitō-ku Kitakata Shokudo locations several times, but this was my first time at this one. You can choose between "Aka" (red, dark soy sauce) and "Haku" (white, white soy sauce) broths, and you can also choose to have it with backfat, without backfat, or with a small amount of backfat (¥830 including tax). From opening until 11:00 am, you can also choose from "Kake Ramen" (¥630 including tax), a light "Niboshi Ramen" (¥700 including tax), and a spicy "Mazesoba" (¥800 including tax). For first-time visitors, I recommend deciding on your order beforehand to avoid confusion. There are also sets with tuna bowls, etc. (¥300-¥450 including tax). I hesitated a bit in front of the vending machine, but I ended up ordering the "Haku" with onions (¥50 including tax) and backfat. It took about 10 minutes to arrive. I took a sip of the soup first. Even with the backfat, it was light and perfect for breakfast. There were pepper, vinegar, and chili pepper on the table, so I added pepper. I realized after finishing that I should have tried the vinegar too. This time I chose "Haku", but I prefer a slightly stronger flavor, so next time I'll try the "Aka", the light "Niboshi Ramen", or the "Kake" and order a set.

It was the quintessential Kitakata ramen! The gentle broth with the sweetness of the back fat, and the chewy noodles. It's so good. The staff were also incredibly polite and made me feel welcome. I'll definitely be back!