Tequila Ramen? Hawaiian Blue Broth? The Top 10 Quirkiest Ramen to Try in Japan

AS
Apr 25, 2019
6 min read

It seems as though everybody is crazy about ramen these days. People will line up for hours just to get a taste of the newest bowl of ramen that has recently made its way over from Japan.

Ramen, as you know, is the soul food for the people of Japan. To validate this statement, there are approximately 32,000 ramen restaurants in Japan!

Traditional ramen bowls are noodles generally served in a chicken, pork or miso broth, with pork bellies, bamboo shoots, corns, and boiled eggs. However, there are many ramen restaurants around Japan that think "outside (actually, way beyond) the box".

In this post, I will be introducing you to the top 10 quirkiest ramen to try out on your next trip to Japan. Not only are they weirdly tasty, but a lot of them are visually surprising, and definitely Insta-worthy (hey, that's important nowadays right?)

Ok, enough talking. Let's dive right in!

1. RAMEN KIPPOSHI (Tokyo, Japan)

(source: https://www.travel.co.jp/guide/article/34154/)

Yes, "blue" ramen really does exist in the Ramen Motherland. But don't worry, it won't taste like Jolly Ranchers or Starbursts, I promise. How they create this beautiful teal colour is actually not publicized, but the ramen itself tastes like any other (chicken-broth) shio ramen, if not, better. It is surprisingly delicious and very light to the stomach — nothing adorned or extraordinary in terms of how it tastes. (Just how it looks.. ha.)

The ramen is priced at 900 yen, which is a pretty average price for a bowl of ramen in Tokyo. And honestly, isn't this the most photogenic bowl of ramen you've ever seen?

Location: #101 Azuma-bashi Heim, 3-1-17 Azuma-bashi, Sumida Ward, Tokyo (1 minute walk from "Honjo Azuma-bashi Station" of the Asakusa Subway Line)

Hours: 11:30~15:00/18:00~22:00. CLOSED on Wednesdays.

2. RINSUZU SHOKUDO (Tokyo, Japan)

(source: http://lineatguide.blog.jp/archives/40213589.html)

When life gives you lemons, you make... lemon ramen? At Rinsuzu Shokudo, lemon slices are placed neatly on top of their noodles, as pictured above. I mean, does it not look more like a piece of art than a bowl of ramen?

As for how it tastes, it doesn't actually taste all sour-y and acid-y as one would imagine. In fact, it has a very mild tasting broth that is extracted from dried bonitos. There is only a hint of citrus as an aftertaste, so think more of these lemon slices as decorations. The owner, however, recommends that you take the slices aside once the soup is served, to prevent the broth from tasting too acidic.

The ramen also comes with a side of chicken tempura, and is priced at a mere 900 yen. Now that's a good offer you gotta try.

Location: Building NARUKE (first floor) 5-7-3 Oshima, Koto Ward, Tokyo

Hours: 11:30~15:00/18:00-21:00. CLOSED on Mondays.

3. TAINAN-MEN KACHIKACHI-YAMA (Aichi, Japan)

(source: https://tabelog.com/en/aichi/A2305/A230501/23042776/)

Wondering what this gigantic white blob in the middle of the ramen might be? It's meringue — just, a lot of it. The "snow mountain" ramen as they call it, is one of the many quirky items offered on their menu (others including "milk ramen" and "green juice ramen").

The meringue mountain itself is really soft and unflavoured, and well, isn't the most tasteful thing ever. The ramen itself is pretty good with a tiny kick of spice. Though if I'm being completely honest, I would recommend you enjoy this bowl of ramen more for its visual presentation than for its taste.

This "snow mountain" ramen is priced at a mere 682 yen, by the way, so I guess you got nothing to lose.

Location: 3-10-2 Maruyama-cho, Toyota City, Aichi

Hours: 11:30~14:00/17:30~22:00. CLOSED on Mondays.

4. RAMEN MARUI (Wakayama, Japan)

(source: https://tabelog.com/en/wakayama/A3001/A300101/30000030/)

You might as well skip this one if you're not a huge fan of green onions. At Marui, their noodles are covered in green onions, or negi, which we call in Japanese.

You can choose the amount of green onions you want on your ramen, ranging from none to regular. (FYI, the one in the picture is their "regular" amount) But because their tonkotsu-shoyu broth match so well with the green onions, I wouldn't recommend having their ramen without them.

The ramen is priced at 850 yen, which is an average price for a bowl of ramen. It's going to be worth the negi-breath, I promise!

Location: Le Chateau Jyuni-bancho (first floor), 87 Jyuni-bancho, Wakayama, Japan

Hours: Monday to Saturday 11:00~21:00. Sunday 11:00~17:00

5. KOBE CHERI-TEI (Kobe, Japan)

(source:https://matome.naver.jp/odai/2147369614718420501/2147369748118863203)

This one is for all you big-eaters out there. At Kobe Cheri-tei, you get this massive bowl of ramen including 1kg of bean sprouts mounted over 3 servings of thick noodles.

It is, however, surprisingly finish-able. The soup is very light to the stomach, and bean sprouts are, well, basically all water. It does take a long time (people say around 10 minutes) to get to the noodles though, so I recommend you go on a day you're really hungry.

Location: 5-1-21 Namimatsu City, Nagata Ward, Kobe

Hours: 11:00~15:30/18:00~0:00

6. MENYA KAWANO (Tokyo, Japan)

(source: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1322/A132204/13223680/)

At first glance, it looks like a regular bowl of ramen, doesn't it? But notice the lime slice attached to the bowl?

Yeap. This is the one and only tequila ramen in the world.

Only at Menya Kawano can you get a bowl of ramen with tequila. It's a surprisingly good match with their original ramen broth, and goes well with the cilantro on the side. Talk about a Mexican bowl of ramen! But because of the alcohol, you must be 20 years or older (aka the legal drinking age in Japan) to be able to order this ramen.

Location: 2-2-13 Akatsuka-shinmachi, Itabashi-Ward, Tokyo

Hours: Monday 12:00~15:00; Wednesday to Sunday 12:00~15:00/18:00~21:00. CLOSED on Tuesdays.

7. MENBAKA FIRE RAMEN (Kyoto, Japan)

(source:https://www.tripadvisor.jp/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g298564-d6520634-i283811808-Menbaka_Fire_Ramen_Kyoto_Ramen_Restaurant-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html)

This ramen place in Kyoto is LIT, in the most literal sense of the word. At Menbaka Fire Ramen, their ramen go up in flames before being served. So yeah, lit.

They offer only one type of ramen here, which is "negi (green onion) ramen", but you do get combo options like ramen + side dishes. Their ramen is priced at 1250 yen, which is on the pricier end, but I guess it's all worth it for the show?

It's really important at Menbaka to follow the rules. Don't worry if you don't know Japanese though; the staff should be able to assist you in English, since most of their customers are foreigners. FYI, some rules include: no standing during the fire show, wearing your paper apron on at all times, etc.

Location: 757-2, Minamiiseya City, Kamigyo-Ward, Kyoto

Hours: 11:00~23:00

8. UMA TSUKEMEN (Tokyo, Japan)

(source: https://snaplace.jp/maps/?id=180)

This one has got to be a total game-changer in the tsukemen industry. Tsukemen is a popular type of ramen where noodles are eaten after being dipped in a separate bowl of broth. But what is so unique about UMA's tsukemen, is that their broth is inside a pot pie. And this unique collaboration between tsukemen and pot pies are increasing in popularity throughout Japan.

Once the ramen is served, break the dome-shaped pie and dip your noodles inside the steamy broth full of yummy chunks of chashu (pork belly). Their noodles are made from scratch with whole-wheat flour, which give them an extra chewy texture. Yum.

Location: 1-3-15 Nishisuna City, Tachikawa, Tokyo

Hours: Monday to Thursday 11:30~14:30/17:30~22:30; Friday to Sunday 11:30~22:30

9. PINEAPPLE RAMEN PAPAPAPAPAIN (Tokyo, Japan)

(source:https://www.timeout.jp/tokyo/ja/%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3/%E9%96%89%E5%BA%97%E3%83%91%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8A%E3%83%83%E3%83%97%E3%83%AB%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A1%E3%83%B3%E5%B1%8B%E3%81%95%E3%82%93%E3%83%91%E3%83%91%E3%83%91%E3%83%91%E3%83%91%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3)

Want a taste of Hawaii in Japan, and still enjoy Japanese food? At Papapapapain (hope I got all the "pa"s correctly...), you get to experience just that.

Inside this small ramen joint, Hawaiian music welcome the guests; the owner in an Aloha shirt works alone in a brightly-lit, tropical-themed interior.

And their ramen? It's actually surprisingly delicious. The pineapples that are simmered until tender match very well with their broth, and with the rest of their ingredients. You don't even taste the pineapples, really, because they are so well blended into the broth. Definitely a must-try, if you are ever in the area.

Location: Machida Terminal Plaza (2nd Floor) 3-1-4 Hara-Machida City, Machida, Tokyo

Hours: 11:00~15:00/18:00~21:00

10. COFFEE RAMEN AROMA (Tokyo, Japan)

(source: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1324/A132403/13043170/)

Yeap, you read that title correctly. This one is for all you adventures and risk-takers, willing to potentially ruin (?) your ramen experience.

First of all, look at the bowl closely. That IS a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle of the broth. And do I see some kiwis? And..salami on slices of banana?!? What. Is. This!?

FYI, this is not photoshopped. The ramen will come out looking exactly as pictured. And the best (worst?) part is, their broth is coffee-based. Ew.. or not? You have to taste it yourself to see!

Location: 2-19-16 Takaramachi, Katsushika-Ward, Tokyo

Hours: 11:00~19:00

Lastly...

Alright. Here it is. The complete list of top 10 quirkiest ramen of all time! However, there are so many ramen stores yet to be (and waiting to be) discovered all around Japan. Who knows, you might discover a bowl of ramen even more obscure than the pineapple or coffee ramen described above. And that's for you to explore!