For ramen in Otsuka, locals love Kita-Otsuka Ramen (北大塚ラーメン). This unassuming ramen shop serves salty shoyu ramen with a big blanket of meat – come hungry!
Best Ramen in Otsuka? Kita-Otsuka Ramen!
The Otsuka area is home to Michelin star ramen shop Nakiryu. But little Kita-Otsuka Ramen is favored by locals the most. The older Mongolian couple that run it make one type of ramen and they make it right.
It’s a simple but wonderful bowl of messy shoyu ramen. It’s ¥650 for the standard. But the most photo-worthy is the ¥850 chashumen. This comes with a blanket of fatty but delicious pork chashu.
The shoyu broth is dark, salty and packed with calories. But upon completion, you won’t feel as heavy as eating a porky tonkotsu ramen.
The spicy versions of this ramen cost exactly the same. They’ll add peppery minced pork with raiyu chili oil in the corner of the bowl.
Perhaps not so Hole in the Wall
From the outside, the shop looks like a car that hasn’t been washed in a while. In other words, it looks like your typical neighborhood ramen shop. But it’s different on the inside.
It’s clearly been renovated – it’s bright and welcoming. In the same regard, there’s actually an English menu above the vending machine! So there are no worries about which button to press.
In short, this shop is a fantastic bang for the buck. There’s a reason why it’s everyone’s favorite in Otsuka.