For Nara ramen, you have to visit these three shops! They're all located in Nara City and are the cream of the crop.
Nara Ramen - Heavy Hitting
Nara ramen comes in different delicious shapes and forms. But it often tends to be on the heavier side. This is also the case for the three shops below!
Menya Noroma
Menya Noroma is famous to the point that people from all corners of Japan flock to it. Its relatively central location in Nara City certainly helps. Their signature ramen is visually stunning, with the soup striking a balance between richness and gentleness in terms of flavor.
It's shoyu, or soy sauce based, and is anchored by pork and chicken bones. Complementing the savory soup are medium-thick noodles, crafted in-house from premium wheat flour sourced from Hokkaido and Nagano.
Mitsuba
Mitsuba does a similar bowl to Norma's. They're just as famous. But I give the slight edge to Mitsuba. The drawback is that they're a bit more out of the way (from central Nara). The soup at Mitsuba is chicken bone velvety and also has a rich shoyu base. But there's a foamy layer at the very top.
This isn't so much a game changer as it is a modern touch. The soup overall is amazing - creamy without feeling heavy. Additionally, the firm, high-hydration flat noodles are a delight. There's the option to opt for whole wheat flour noodles too.
Butanohone / Nara Gamushara
It's gets pretty easy to spot ramen bowls from the Muttepou ramen group. Let's just say that they love using a lot of pork bones to make a hefty pork based soup.
Despite the deep brown hue imparted by the shoyu in Gamushara's main ramen, the shoyu flavor remains subtly in the background. In other words, it's all about the pork bones here.
Make no mistake - this is one porky ramen, with the calories to match. You can even personalize your dining experience by choosing noodle thickness, soup richness, and the quantity of spring onions added. Lastly, this ramen shop is also a little more remote.
In summary, make sure to visit these three shops for the best of Nara ramen!