Kouya is king when it comes to Yotsuya ramen shops. They’ve been around since 1983 and are famous for ramen with massive dumplings.
Doughnut-Like Dumplings
Their trademark ramen features a light shoyu broth with a robust katsuo (bonito fish) flavor. But their thicker than average dumplings get top billing! They’re more doughy and almost look like mini doughnuts.
Wontonmen (Dumpling Ramen)
Lastly, they have just enough meat in them and come with a peppery kick.
Chicken Motsu Ramen
They have a chicken based ramen too, “tori soba”. It has a more potent flavor than the shoyu. It’s also like a less thick and more salty tori paitan ramen.
The chicken provides a certain creaminess. With the same pepper in the broth, some sips will cue chicken soup. But the most interesting ingredient is beef motsu (tripe). Soft and spongy, they soak up the broth add funk to it.
The area of Yotsuya isn’t exactly ramen heaven. That said, Kouya is the only place you need to visit for Yotsuya ramen.
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