The 11 best ramen in Shibuya - Amazing Shops Reviewed
What's the best ramen in Shibuya?
Shibuya is a special ward in Tokyo, a center for youth culture and shopping, offering unbelievable culinary adventures, but in this case Shibuya means the area around Shibuya station. This vibrant district is also known for the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing where 1,000-2,500 people cross every 2 minutes during busy times. In addition, if you exit Shibuya Station at Exit 8, the Hachiko Exit, you will get to see the famous statue of Hachiko, the loyal dog who waited for his owner’s return for more than 9 years until 1935 at Shibuya Station.
Ramen, a famous Japanese dish, has roots in Chinese noodle soups and has evolved into a cultural icon in Japan with regional variations reflecting local flavors. Initially popularized in the early 20th century, ramen has grown into a culinary staple enjoyed nationwide for its comforting, diverse, and rich taste.
The area around Shibuya Station is packed with bars and restaurants, so it is a great place to explore Japanese cuisine. However, there are so many options that anyone can feel overwhelmed. So, we created this guide so tourists could review the ramen options and find the best ramen in Shibuya that matches their taste. Let’s review various ramen with traditional flavors and innovative twists.
The ramen shops reviewed below have unique flavors such as yuzu-infused ramen, squid ink-flavored ramen, and basil ramen, but plenty of shops offer the classics such as pork bone, sardine, or soy sauce-based broth. Let us know in the comments what you think is the best ramen in Shibuya from the list below.
#1 Jikasei Mensho
Price
1,000 – 2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
11:30AM – 09:30PM
Specialty
Wagyu Shio Ramen
White Truffle Ramen
Vegan Tantanmen
Jikasei Mensho is a must-try shop with a unique approach to ramen. The shop offers high-quality unique bowls of ramen including Wagyu Shio Ramen, Yuzu Ramen and White Truffle Ramen. This ramen shop has excellent ratings due to their stylish interior, high-quality dishes and innovative culinary twists. Their idea to combine ramen with the famous Wagyu beef attracts great reviews from many. In addition, their vegan tantanmen is also worth a mention. Jikasei Mensho has great atmosphere and the best value for money in terms of ramen around Shibuya.
#2 Ramen Zukan
Price
1,000 – 2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
5:00PM – 11:30PM
Closed on Mondays
Specialty
Roast duck ramen
Ramen Zukan is a hidden, small, independent ramen shop run by a single chef on the 2nd floor of a bar. The shops’ specialty is the highly praised Roast duck chuka soba (chuka soba is an alternative name for ramen) that you can try with soy sauced-based (shoyu) or salt-based (shio) broth. However, the Shio Roast Duck Ramen is the absolute favourite of the customers. Ramen Zukan offer light, less-greasy ramen but its soup based is rich in flavor.
#3 Ichiran Shibuya
Price
1,000-2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
10AM – 6AM
Specialty
Tonkotsu ramen (pork bone broth), Ramen booth experience
Ichiran is a ramen chain specializing in pork bone broth (tonkotsu) ramen loved by locals and tourists as well. They started as a food stall in Fukuoka in 1960, today they have 80 ramen shops worldwide. Their famous tonkotsu ramen is flavored with soy sauce and their special spicy sauce creates a unique bowl of ramen rich in flavor.
Ichiran is one of the best ramen options in Shibuya due to its highly customizable ramen options, unique individual ramen booth setup, and long opening hours. First, you have to buy your ramen ticket from the ticket machine, then you can customize your ramen order on the paper ticket. You can fully tailor your order on the ticket without interacting with anyone which is great if you are not fluent in Japanese. Ichiran offers a unique ramen booth experience where customers can sit in individual compartments feeling the vibe of early 20th-century Japanese ramen shops. Finally, this is a great place because it is open all night. Therefore you can wander in at 3 AM if you crave a ramen and have one. Isn’t it great? If you are hit by jetlag and can’t sleep, Ichiran will welcome you with open arms and warm ramen.
#4 Menya Musashi
Price
1,000-2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
11:30AM – 10:30PM
Specialty
Tsukemen (dip ramen)
Menya Musashi is named after a famous samurai Miyamoto Musashi, the inventor of the double sword style in Japan. This beloved ramen chain is famous for its high-quality ingredients. It was founded in 1996 and currently has 14 shops across Tokyo. Menya Musashi is praised for its chewy noodles and dip ramen (tsukemen). Roast Pork Tsukemen is one of their most popular dishes, make sure to give it a try.
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#5 Afuri Harajuku
Price
1,000-2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
11:00AM – 10:30PM
Specialty
Citrus-infused broths: Yuzu ramen, Pomelo flavoured ramen
Seasonal vegan ramen
If you walk towards Yoyogi Park and Takeshita Street, you will find one of the branches of Afuri a bit further away from Shibuya station. This modern-style chain opened its first shop at the base of Mount Afuri in 2001. Afuri has an innovative take on ramen introducing citrus-infused broths that complement the greasy, heavy ramen amazingly. They have Yuzu, Pomelo, and Ume ramen broths.
Afuri’s signature dish is the Yuzu Shio Ramen which has a yuzu-flavored salt-based, lighter broth. Afuri offers the best ramen in Shibuya for people who find ramen too heavy as this shop provides lighter broth alternatives. The shop has a modern, stylish interior with a different vibe compared to the traditional nostalgic setting of other chains such as Ichiran.
#6 Ramen Kokuu
Price
1,000-2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
12:00AM – 3:00PM
6:00PM – 8:00PM
Closed on Sundays
Specialty
Wantanmen/Wonton ramen aka. ramen with dumplings
Ramen Kokuu is a small independent shop specializing in wantanmen or wonton ramen which means ramen with dumplings. Wonton is a Chinese dumpling usually filled with meat and vegetables and seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil. Wontons have a thin skin and are used in soups. Ramen Kokuu’s ramen has a light soy sauce-based broth but they also offer curry and dan dan noodles.
However, their seating area is quite small and they only accept cash. In addition, Ramen Kokuu is only open during lunch and dinner time for a few hours. Due to the seating area being quite limited I recommend going there a few minutes before opening time to secure a seat.
#7 Ramen Nagi Shibuya Tonkotsu
Price
1,000-1,500 yen/person
Opening hours
12:00AM – 3:00PM
6:00PM – 8:00PM
Closed on Sundays
Specialty
Niboshi ramen aka. sardine broth ramen
Squid ink-flavoured ramen
Basil & bacon ramen
Ramen Nagi is a ramen chain famous for their sardine-based broth called niboshi. However, they have other unique flavor options worth discovering. The special Black King Ramen is flavored with squid ink with tasty and amazing-looking black broth. Nagi also provides a ramen with an Italian twist called Green King. Green King is seasoned with basil and contains cheese and bacon.
This ramen shop is among the top not only due to its unique taste profiles and innovative approach to ramen but thanks to its affordable prices as well. So, Nagi is the best place for foodies to eat a truly unique bowl of ramen for an affordable price.
#8 Ramen Hayashi
Price
1,000 – 2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
11:30AM – 3:30PM
Closed on Sundays
Specialty
Seafood-infused tonkatsu ramen
Ramen Hayashi is a lovely, small ramen shop with a small seating area and very limited opening hours. Their ramen ticket machine only takes cash. Many reviewers hail their signature ramen as the best they ever had, no wonder that it attracts queues.
Hayashi has a unique take on tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen. They infuse it with seafood-based broth creating a lighter, but even richer flavored broth. This small place is run by a single person and however delicious the food is it can take longer to get your food at this local favorite.
#9 Ramen Tajima
Price
1,000 – 2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
11:30AM – 10:30PM
Specialty
Sardine-based broth (niboshi)
Mazesoba (soupless ramen)
Ramen Tajima is another small, independent hidden gem tucked away in the lobby of a building. Their niboshi broth contains sardine, soy sauce, kombu, and lard. Tajima’s broth has a strong salty and fishy flavor and their slow-cooked chasu pork slices are highly recommended. They also offer tsukemen (dip ramen) and mazesoba (soupless ramen) if you are keen to try these, this is a great place. Ramen Tajima is a less crowded, relatively new shop with modern interior. In addition, you can order in English at their vending machine, which makes the process much easier.
#10 Shimbu Sakiya Ramen
Price
1,000 – 2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
11:00AM – 04:30AM
Specialty
Spicy miso ramen
Gluten-free ramen and dumpling option
Vegan ramen and dumpling option
Shimbu Sakiya Ramen is another beloved ramen shop that is open all night to satisfy your ramen craving at 3AM. Furthermore this shop is a gret option for people with dietary restrictions as it offers gluten-free and vegan ramen and dumpling options as well. The shop offers tsukemen and fried chicken as well. On top of all these, Shimbu Sakiya is known for its fantastic spicy miso ramen. Their vending machine has multiple language options including English, so it is easy to order your ramen without knowing anything in Japanese.
#11 Ramen World
Price
1,000 – 2,000 yen/person
Opening hours
Unknown
Specialty
Tonkotsu Ramen with creamy broth
This small, independent shop called Ramen World is becoming famous for its creamy broth. It is quieter compared to the shops of famous ramen chains, but their soups are so tasty. They offer garlic tonkotsu (prok bone broth) ramen and lighter broth ramen as well.
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