Ichiran Ramen (Shinjuku) Food Review

When I told my friend that I've never eaten at Ichiran Ramen during my previous trips in Japan, she was shocked. She told me that the popular Japanese noodle chain served one of the best, if not the best, ramen in the world.

I was very curious to test that claim. I loved Japanese food, like takoyakis, okonomiyakis, Japanese croquettes, sushi and katsu bowls, but I was not a fan of ramen, or any noodle dishes in particular.

Based on the food places my friends recommended to me, Ichiran Ramen was something I should not miss, so I decided to give it a try. I have to admit, when I first heard of the name, I thought of Naruto's favourite ramen place (with the same name) in Konoha Village.

In my itinerary, I planned to visit the popular ramen chain for dinner during my first night in Tokyo. I first did some research on possible Ichiran Ramen locations beside train stations, as I would be commuting via the JR line. I ended up choosing the Shinjuku branch as it was walking distance from the JR Shinjuku station.

Shinjuku at night is amazing. When I stepped out of the station, I saw this beautiful sight and I couldn't help but take a picture of it.

Bright lights in Shinjuku.

I thought of using Google Maps during my walk from the station to the ramen place, but after 15 minutes circling around and getting lost, I decided to switch to Waze instead.

Contrary to what people say about Waze being inaccurate and all, it greatly helped me in all of my Tokyo travels because of its real-time GPS location. If I walked even just a tiny bit, my progress would be recorded on Waze.

It took me 30 minutes to get to Ichiran Ramen Shinjuku. Thankfully, it was a bit early so there weren't many people who were lining up. As I took my place in the line, more and more people lined up behind me until I couldn't see the end of the line anymore!

How Ichiran Ramen looks from the outside!

It took a while for me to get a seat. Before getting a seat, customers have to punch their orders in a machine. It works like a vending machine, but instead of hot food coming out, a receipt with your order will be printed out. You will have to give this receipt to the chef later.

Here's how the machine looks like!

I got the classic ramen bowl (800 yen or 6.7 euros) with a soft-boiled egg as an add-on (120 yen or 1 euro). After ordering and payment at the machine, I was whisked to a row of seats with wooden covers that offer privacy. I wasn't able to take a picture of the dining area because I thought it would be rude to the other customers.

Here's a picture of me inside my own cubicle.

I was served the soft-boiled egg before the ramen dish.

So, what happens is that a chef visits your cubicle and asks for the receipt you got from the machine. The chef will prepare your order according to your specifications. This is what I ate for dinner!

A totally IG-worthy picture of my ramen meal.

When I tasted the ramen, I was so shocked that all the flavours (the meat, broth, vegetables, egg and spices) came together like a symphony in my mouth. I am not exaggerating. This is one of the best ramen dishes I've ever tasted. I loved the dish so much that I finished the entire bowl.

There's an option for customers to ask for noodle, broth, and other add-ons. I wanted to ask for more noodles and soup, but I was super full from the huge serving.

When I left Ichiran Ramen, I felt a longing to come back. I guess the food, atmosphere and hype around it leaves that impression on you. It was because of my experience here that I started appreciating other kinds of ramen in my country.

Even if you're not a ramen lover, try this place out and you might just change your mind.

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