Atariya Shokudo (あたりや食堂) serves amazing Kyushu style ramen in Tokyo's Yanaka neighborhood. Their ramen recipes go back to 1948!
These recipes were passed down by the owner’s grandfather in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki (Southern Kyushu). In Tokyo’s Yanaka district, Atariya Shokudo's owner serves the same fantastic ramen!
Note: Atariya Shokudo recently moved from Akihabara to Yanaka / Nezu.
RaiRaimen – Bursting with Flavors, Textures
The “RaiRaimen” is Atariya Shokudo’s pride and joy. At the very top of this ramen is a thick and starchy layer of ankake. In fact, it’s almost a fun workout to pull the Champon noodles out. Champon noodles (from Nagasaki, Kyushu) are thick and softer than your standard ramen noodles.
The starchy layer is packed with vegetables like nira and onions, seasoned minced pork, and satsuma-age (a fried fish cake from Kagoshima, Kyushu).
The flavor is sweet and zesty all at once, thanks to a chicken stock base, a sweeter Miyazaki (Kyushu) soy sauce, and an appropriate amount of tougarashi spice and pepper. This is truly a unique ramen, unlike anything I’ve ever had.
Miyazaki Chicken Ramen
Their no. 2 on the menu is a chicken ramen. It has just enough richness to it, with a wonderful chicken flavor brought out by shio (salt) seasoning. It’s also assisted with just the right amount of garlic.
Overall, the ramen looks and feels like what you’d get in Miyazaki. This includes smaller bean sprouts and pork chashu sliced paper thin. The chashu are also marinated in the same sweeter Miyazaki soy sauce. The noodles are much thinner.
This chicken ramen is more than a worthy sidekick to the RaiRaimen. Check out both in the video below!
Nagasaki Champon
Depending on when you visit, they may have Nagasaki Champon on the menu. Again, this is the dish that the Rairaimen gets its noodles from. But the similarities stop at the noodles.
Nagasaki Champon features a colorful array of stir-fried toppings. This includes squid, bean sprouts, spring onions, fish cake, and wood ear mushrooms. The soup itself is creamier. They sometimes offer a spicy version of this too.
They also serve awesome gyoza (fried dumplings)! They're crispy on the outside and pork juicy on the inside.
Cozy Ramen Shop
Atariya Shokudo has counter seats and tables. While it isn’t tiny for a Tokyo ramen shop, it's not huge. Therefore, the overall vibe is still intimate.
In addition, owner Sakamoto-san has lived in the UK and speaks English. He’s a great guy and fun to speak with.
Look for the red bulls eye outside. For ramen in Yanaka / Nezu, Atariya Shokudo most definitely hits the target.
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