Ginza Hachigou

I’m so happy we were able to get a reservation at Ginza Hachigou during our time in Tokyo. I had tried before we departed for our trip and the website crashed but was lucky enough to sneak us in for the second week we were there. Be prepared to move fast when you’re booking, it is seriously in high demand! We got the last spot at 3:30 on a Friday, unfortunately they were out of the famous ravioli but it honestly didn’t matter. Hands down the best ramen I will ever have in my life. It’s such an enjoyable experience watching the chefs prepare it fresh right in front of you. It’s an intimate 6 person seating, so you can really just sit back and enjoy a master at work in a peaceful setting. As I said the ramen itself is incredible, flavorful broth, delicious pork, and perfectly cooked noodles. I would eat 2 bowls if I had the option. We also got a side of their pork rice with horseradish and onion, and it was fantastic. Cannot recommend this place enough as a stop during your time in Tokyo, this was a highlight of our trip and I’m so glad we finished here on a high note.

After trying for three years, I finally managed to secure a reservation at Ginza Hachigou, and it was well worth the wait. The restaurant offers an intimate dining experience with only six seats, where the chefs prepare and cook directly in front of you. This creates a warm and engaging atmosphere that perfectly complements the attention to detail in every aspect of the meal. The ramen broth was exceptional, rich, balanced, and deeply flavoursome, offering warmth and comfort with every bite. The use of a ravioli within the dish was truly unique and added a refined depth that elevated the overall experience. I would highly recommend.

Ginza Hachigou is all about perfect harmony in a bowl. Every element blends together beautifully, creating balance without trying to be flashy. I really respect how the chef personally prepares everything with such care and precision. It’s not about showing off. It’s about consistency and mastery. When a place can maintain this level of quality every time, that’s true perfection.

Honestly the most incredible ramen experience in all of Japan! If you only have one bowl of ramen in Japan, have this ramen. I ate over 30 bowls of ramen in my 9 week trip to Japan and this simply triumphs them all - it really is the best. I visited twice! Let’s start with the broth - French technique clear duck consumé, light dashi/kombu with a depth of relentless umami. Light, powerful and perfectly balanced. What would you expect from a place that previously held a Michelin Star? Broth is not too oily, but has just the right amount of fat, presumably chicken fat, that it coats your mouth in the best warming and inviting way possible. The noodles are cooked to absolute perfection - literally perfection to the very last second! Straight thin noodles complement the broth well, and it surprised me as I have visited Asahikawa on this trip and thought that shoyu ramen should be paired with curly fat noodles, how wrong I was. You see.. the broth is neither shoyu nor shio, but simply a heavenly creation from the master. It’s modern, innovative and ultra refined. Now onto the toppings. The char siu is simply the best I’ve ever had! Super thick cut at almost 1cm thick, you almost struggle to hold it in the chopsticks, easily the best I had in Japan. You can see in my photos the perfect ratio of fat to meat. The menma (bamboo shoots) are approx. 1cm x 1cm and have the perfect crunch. Never experience such good menma in my life. The negi (green onions) are mild but somehow perfume the bowl with such beauty. I’m sure the owner sources the negi from Kyoto or somewhere of incredibly high standards. The egg is simply perfect, soft and gooey on the inside it is simply cooked to perfection. The foie gras and truffle ravioli is… how do I say this politely?… simply orgasmic. Did someone say tumescent? Subtle yet powerful, like a true love scene. The last second crack of black pepper over the char siu complements the well-known “salt and pepper” taste so well, and is so aromatic that it’s almost the first aroma that hits you when the bowl is presented in front of you. The service is impeccable! I dined here twice during my two weeks in Tokyo and both times I could not fault a single thing. On the second time I even asked to swap seats with the guest next to me so I could have the same seat again, that threw the cooking a seating arrangement out, but all staff did not make a fuss and completely accompanied me - THANK YOU 🙏 For the rice with char siu, negi (white part), horseradish and freshly cracked black pepper. My god was this good! The owner kindly advises to add some of the ramen broth at the end to create a wet rice bowl. My recommendation, be sure to order this too if you’re feeling hungry as it’s only an additional ¥500. Now that you have read all the way to here! How to secure a seat? Well.. bookings online only open at 9am on Saturday, Tokyo time. Understandably the website crashes and the bookings are filled within a couple of minutes. There is walk-in seating between 11am - 12pm for each day they are open. My suggestion, get there before 9am to avoid disappointment. If there are more than 18 people in line, you will most likely be turned away. The restaurant seats 6. My understanding is that sometimes they open around 10:40am which gives customers approximately 20-30 minutes of seating time. After 12pm it is reserved for online reservations only. I hope this review assists you on your journey to the best bowl of ramen in Japan 😊 Ginza Hachigou, THANK YOU 🙏

This ramen place is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Ginza. Second time here and I'm still loving it! Hard to get a reservation, but the clear broth, rich flavors, and awesome service make it worth it Reservations for the following week open every Saturday at 9am Japan time. One of the hardest ramen spots to get into in Tokyo!

RES are a must. 8 am on Saturdays (JP time), to book the following Tuesday-Sunday. Tablecheck res. 100/10. The flavor was incredible, every bowl made to order after you sit down. The texture of the noodles was PERFECT. The special when I went was 2200 yen with truffle ravioli, bamboo shoot, soft egg and cha shu piece (THICK). 6-seats only. Would I travel just to eat here again, YES.

Michelin recommended and for a reason. I waited two hours because I was without reservation. So better book it. The calm, only 6 seats, the art of managing such a wonderful place. The softness of the meat, the broth, so wonderful. And the cook made a personal note to appreciate my two hours waiting. Memorable

The famous foie gras & truffle ravioli was very interesting and different. It's definitely a unique culinary experience you should try at least once. The ambiance is very cozy and clean. It felt very inviting and it smelled amazing as soon as you walk in. Everything was meticulously arranged like delicate art from the table settings to the ramen itself with ravioli, chashu, and perfectly soft boiled egg carefully placed within the bowl. With only 6 seats, closed on Mondays and sometime Tuesdays, there's a few things you need to know if you want to go. Check IG to ensure they are open when you want to go. Reservations open on Saturday at 9am for that upcoming week online at Table Check for a small service fee. I suggest you book an early slot because if they sell out of the ravioli, they sell out. If you can't get a reservation but have time to.spare, get there by 9am to line up outside before they open. Sometimes they will start food service at 10:30am (11am is the posted time). Once they've filled up the slots, they will put a sign out to say they aren't taking any more walk-ins. Each person has 30min to eat (took me only 20min). Please be mindful of those waiting outside and so the restaurant can stay on schedule with its reservations. They will take your order while you're outside and you go in to pay and then back in line until they are ready to seat you. This is a Michelin recommended restaurant for a reason (and used to have a Michelin star until Michelin removed all ramen restaurants from its list in 2024). You won't be disappointed. Not only is the food good, the chef and the hostess are so welcoming and friendly. Such wonderful and warm treatment made the experience that much better.

This Michelin star ramen restaurant with French-infused flavors seats only seats 6 people, so we made sure to make an online reservation on TableCheck to secure seats. There is a small reservation fee, but it was worth it rather than waiting in line. Pro tip though, we made a reservation for 2 PM, which was too late as they were sold out of the chef recommendation Ravioli Gourmandise Chuka Soba. That was a bummer, so I highly recommend getting an earlier time if you want to eat that. I went with the Ajitama Chuka Soba instead, which was a tasty ramen bowl with a boiled egg, pork-belly chashu, bamboo shoots, and green onions. The ramen bowl came nicely presented and everything was very delicious. The price is very affordable, the ramen was 1400 yen and it was a filling bowl. I really wished I got to try the Ravioli Gourmandise Chuka Soba, so that made the visit a little disappointing. However, the Ajitama Chuka Soba was still a delicious bowl of ramen.

The newest Michelin star ramen restaurant in Tokyo. I had to go because it was only 1400 yen! Or just over TEN U.S. DOLLARS. Expect to wait two to three hours. No reservations, only six seats inside, and they sell a limited amount of bowls each day. I recommend lining up before 10 AM if you want to eat at a reasonable time. On the day I visited, they closed the queue before the restaurant even opened. Bring lots of sunscreen, there wasn't too much shade in the morning. The ordering process is a little unorthodox. Basically, everyone leaves the line to place their order inside and then returns to their place in line. So as soon as the person(s) in front of you returns, you leave your place in line to get a ticket from the machine, hand your ticket to the staff, and then get back in line so that the party after you can go place their order(s). Cash only. There were no English labels, but you ask for assistance from the staff or use Google Lens to translate. It's a very simple menu, with three ramen choices and a rice bowl dish. The cheapest ramen was 1100 yen or $7.87 USD. I got their signature special ramen with all the toppings. The broth is mostly a combination of duck and chicken. The flavor is further enhanced with the addition of scallops, prosciutto, sea salt, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions, and seaweed. It looks transparent and watery, but it was super savory and umami! The noodles were chewy, with the perfect level of firmness to it. I loved the slices of chashu pork with a light seasoning of pepper, each bite was heavenly! The egg yolk was decently runny, and the accompanying bamboo shoots/green onion toppings were like icing on a cake: makes a good thing even better. They provided a cup of hōjicha (tea) to drink after the meal. Definitely one of the more unique bowls I've had, with a lot of ingredients you normally don't find in ramen!

Note: Cash Only I wanted to try Michelin starred ramen when I was in Tokyo and decided to try Ginza Hachigou. It was really good, but I ended up waiting 4 hours and no food is worth a 4 hour wait. I came for Friday lunch. I didn't do my research beforehand and made the mistake of coming too late. They open at 11, and I came at 10:20 thinking that would be early enough, but I was shocked that right after I got in line, a restaurant employee came out and told me they were sold out after me. I later asked and they said they serve only 80-90 bowls of ramen a day. I finally got seated at 2:20, so it was a 4 hour wait. The wait was pretty brutal as there's nowhere to sit, and I was by myself so I couldn't leave my spot in the line at all. Once you get close enough, you can go in and pay for your order at the vending machine at the front of the store. Just wait for the party in front of you to leave and come back with a ticket, and then you'll know it's your turn. As is standard, the vending machine only takes cash, so make sure you have some on you. The menu is very straightforward. There's only three options plus a side: -chuka soba - 1100 yen -chuka soba + egg - 1250 yen -special chuka soba - 1400 yen -meat with rice - 500 yen The bowl of ramen was solid, though I don't know if I'd call it the best bowl of ramen I've ever had. Everything was cooked to perfection, the broth was rich, and the chashu was melt in your mouth tender. If you decide to come here, just make sure you don't make the same mistake as me and at least 2 hours early!

Michelin starred ramen? Now, was it worth the hype??? Oh, hell yes!!! That egg was molten gold. The noodles with firm, yet soft. And the broth wasn't heavy but packed with flavor. Oh, and I can't forget the pork - it broke apart with the touch of my chopsticks. Expect to wait about 2 hours, even if you go early. The line is pretty organized but there's limited seating on the inside so it does take time. Be patient - it'll be worth the wait.

I lined up maybe an hour and half before opening and in total probably waited around 4 hours before I ate. The ramen was probably the best bowl that i have tried so far. everything from the broth, egg, pork and soup were superb! me and my friend described it as an ethereal experience. would we wait that long again? probably not!

Best ramen I've ever had. I'll update my post if I find something better, but this place takes #1 for me currently. I got in line at 10:12 AM and got seated around 12:00PM. Recommend going early and waiting. Another day, went close to 09:15 AM and got seated at opening. THEY OPEN HAVE 6 SEATS and THEY SELL OUT every day. The clear broth was insanely amazing, I believe it is a chicken and duck broth. The way they plate the ramen is a work of art, so simple but so perfect. The meat is so tender and some pieces even broke off as I tried to lift it with my chopsticks. The menu is extremely simple with only a few items which includes ramen, rice bowl with meat, and beer. Definitely WORTH THAT WAIT, especially for the umami broth. To finish your meal, they offer you a small cup of tea, tasted like Jasmine tea. Luckily, the main chef served us on the day we went. I didn't get to try the rice bowl, but I definitely will on my next trip. Yes, I WILL go back here!

You will spend almost 2 hours in line. No matter if you decide to show up at 9am to be the 5th in line or at 12pm to be the last in line, expect a long wait. That's the price of admission for this small ramen shop. It's not even my issue, though. I was hoping to get a number and a time to come back, but anticipated a wait. My real issue with the ramen here was the oily quality of the broth. I know with the addition of duck to the broth that some fattiness would no doubt seep out. However, the richness mixed with the salt just made the broth sink in my stomach and left a little film in my mouth. Don't get me wrong, the noodles and the contents of the ramen are high quality. Just don't expect to feel your tip top self after eating.

I went to this super famous ramen shop in Ginza that can have a line with enough people to sell-out before even opening on a Tuesday morning, arriving at 8:40 to be the first person in line. At 9am, the line was already long enough to fill all 6 seats inside twice-over. It seems a bit crazy to line up for ramen so early, but the experience felt incredibly luxury. The staff provided shaded umbrellas with fans inside while I waited, and the shop ended up opening a bit early at 10:45 this particular morning. I ordered the special chashu ramen for ¥1400. The egg was large and well cooked, the chashu was nicely seasoned, and the broth was incredibly delicious. Additionally, houjicha was served halfway through the meal. The warm towel, comfortable seats, and the free hairband to keep my hair out of the soup all added to the luxury feel of this place. I left feeling satisfied despite the long wait, and can recommend to those who are willing to get up early.