Mitaka ramen TOP 10! Home to the Ghibli Museum, this West Tokyo area has a crazy number of delicious ramen shops. Whether classic or modern, delicate or heavy, the Mitaka ramen scene is deep. Let’s dive in!
1. Golden Chicken Ramen at Suzuki
Tori Koku Suzuki (鶏こく中華 すず喜) specializes in a lip-smacking chicken and fish ramen. The bold seasoning holding up the soup is 3 salts (1 from the Seto Inland Sea). But they also employ a delicate white soy sauce.
The soup resultantly has a golden flavor, with the the chicken being most prominent. But sparkles of fish (mackerel and horse mackerel flakes) flavor come out as well. The ramen here is quite affordable – it pays to visit early!
2. Delicate Clam Ramen at Sukoyaka
Alongside chicken, Sukoyaka (ラーメン 健やか) uses beef bones, kelp, and most importantly, asari clams in its salt-seasoned ramen. All these flavors come together in a gentle way. But the clams are definitely the star.
Furthermore, they sprinkle on some truffle oil. But it’s just the right amount. At Suzuki (entry no. 1), onions help cut through the heavier broth. But here, a bouquet of green kaiware sprouts are the appropriate choice.
3. One of TOKYO’s Best – Sakurai
Menya Sakurai (麺屋 さくら井) is technically the highest ranked ramen shop in Mitaka. It’s also one of the highest ranked in Tokyo! The first 2 entries were all about a salt seasoning. Sakurai is all about soy sauce (shoyu).
Their soy sauce blend includes 6 types. It allows savory chicken (Daisen and Nagoya Cochin) flavors to come alive in the soup. A huge highlight are the chicken and pork chashu toppings – they’re among the softest in Tokyo.
4. Junkyard Ramen at Manten Suzuki
Suzuki Manten (元祖スタミナ満点ラーメン すず鬼) is only open at night. It’s also run by entry no. 1 on the list…and it’s located right next door. The ramen here is well, pretty insane. But there is a method to the madness.
The salty soup is chockfull of fried onions, big chunks of pork, pork back fat, and mounds of garlic and ginger. The Jiro-style noodles are massively thick. Finally, topping extras like quail eggs made this a fun and tasty ramen mess.
5. Quality Sake + Ramen at SAL
Sakeba SAL (三鷹 らーめん酒場 SAL) is as close to a ramen bar as you can get. This is the second shop via entry no. 3, Menya Sakurai. But the ramen they serve here is inspired by Niigata (a region that loves its ramen).
The ramen choices include a soy sauce-powered chicken ramen with sharper fish flavors and pork back fat floating on top. You can expect the same high-quality chashu pork toppings like at their first shop!
6. Classic Dumpling Ramen at Chukasoba Mitaka
With a history going back to 1952, this place (中華そば みたか) is definitely the most historic and local. Their ramen is also the most affordable on this list. Naturally, it’s an old-school Tokyo style soy sauce ramen.
The chicken and fish soup is relatively light, packed at the top with super soft chashu pork and fluffy wantans (dumplings). Lastly, I have to point out that the noodles are special – thick and awesomely chewy!
7. Pork Bone and Bonito Ramen at Bunzo
Ramen Bunzo (らーめん 文蔵) does a mean bowl of pork bone + fish ramen. The soup does possesses a rich, porky flavor. But it’s thin and not too heavy. Alongside this you get powerful notes of bonito fish (katsuboushi).
The big slabs of ham-tasting chashu pork are so soft that they easily fall apart when you pick them up. The noodles here are also special. They’re thick and slippery like udon noodles. But they’re much firmer.
8. Fancy Ramen at Yamamoto
In the evening, Yamamoto (鶏そば 山もと) is an up-scale restaurant serving yakitori (grilled chicken) and sake. But for lunch, it serves various types of ramen. Their main ramen is with a base of chicken and Pacific saury (fish).
Its salt seasoning ensures that the chicken comes out first, followed by the flavors of fish. The ramen truly matches the elegant Japanese-styled interior. Perhaps Yamamoto offers a most relaxing ramen experience too.
9. Syrupy Chicken Ramen at Kujira Shokudo
This place (くじら食堂bazar 三鷹店) is the second brand from Kujira Shokudo. Their signature ramen is based off of a regional style (Okayama). Chickens are the centerpiece and no other ingredients really get in the way.
The pure soy sauce (Nihon Ichi) is sweet and sour. It properly lights the way to a vigorous chicken flavor. But there’s still an old-school simplicity to the bowl. The tougher chashu (from older chickens) toppings are a nice treat.
10. Visually Stunning Ramen at Himawari
The award for prettiest looking bowl might just go to Chukasoba Himawari (中華そば 向日葵). Like many entries on this list, Daisen breed chickens are the chief ingredient in the soup here.
Think of Himawari’s ramen as a souped up, modern Tokyo style. It has a warm chicken flavor that’s guided by a soy sauce blend that’s slightly more sweet than salty. Also – they even they have a “kids ramen”.
11. BONUS – Spicy Dumpling Ramen at Mangetsu
Mangetsu (ワンタンメンの満月 三鷹店) does a Yamagata style ramen. They’re headquartered there. They even send their silky dumpling wrappers directly from HQ to this Mitaka outpost. The dumplings are great of course.
The pictured ramen has a spicy kick from a homemade sesame / chili oil mix. The light double soup is whole chickens, grilled flying fish, niboshi (dried sardines), and soudabushi (dried frigate tuna). Yum.
Hope you found this list comprehensive! I camped out in Mitaka to complete it 🙂
Check out the below video to see more on these bowls:
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