Harukiya Ogikubo

A ramen shop that has lasted the test of time in Ogikubo. Super classic shoyu recipe that hasn’t changed one bit with a subtlety that is either hated or well appreciated. The strong use of lard oil is noted as your tongue gets burnt within the first minute. Niboshi, kelp, shiitake are present in the soup. Noodles are chewy and very enjoyable and the charsiu, while dry looking at first, is cooked to perfection. The wonton and menma are unremarkable. I recommend the charsiu-men or simply, the regular chuuka soba is good to satiate, particularly with the higher pricing.

I’m not the biggest fan of ramen but I appreciate the flavour of the broth, the chewiness of the noodles and the soft pork. Lots of locals eat there. The line moves pretty fast. Great service here. They’re always refilling water and turning over tables quickly

I got the large bowl; ¥1,500, with chashu pork and bamboo shoots. Let’s start with the broth — it’s a soy-based broth with seasonings, pork, and fish (baby sardines, actually) somewhere in there. There is a bit of oil on top. It’s a balanced broth — can’t say it’s thin or rich, but I drank every drop of it. The broth entertained the taste buds without overpowering it. Flavorful and nourishing. The pork is lean, and lightly-seasoned. It’s quite bland, actually, but not dry. It is easy to bite and quite easy to chew — not stringy at all. The texture reminds me of boiled pork. The bamboo shoots are superb. Sweet and soy. It’s the strong flavor in the bowl you’ll need if you want a kick on your taste buds. I guess this is the balancer for the rather bland pork. And the star — the hand-made noodles. They’re perfect. Chewy, al dente, and they take in the broth flavor really well! This is one of the best ramen bowls I ever had. No wonder they’re still here after 60 years. I will be back.

A post-war ramen shop serving the famous Ogikubo-style fish-base ramen noodles. A welcome respite from the ubiquitous tonkotsu in simple surrounds.

A massive queue to get seated increased our expectations, not let down but nothing remarkable. Good noodles and light soy broth. A little pricey for the wantan ramen about the 1,200 yen mark

Popular and famous fish soup ramen shop.

Best shoyu ramen I've ever eaten

An authority of the traditional chuka soba, aka shoyu ramen. The ramen is on the light side but with an assertive soup that is light but very memorable. The noodle is on the thicker side, but it all comes together as a well rounded dish. This is how I remember ramen from some 20 years ago.

my husband's good friend wanted to meet here for lunch, quoting that it was one of the best ramen shoppes in tokyo. i did a bit of reconnaissance before we dined here and learned that this place has been around since 1949! and based on the photos, i could tell that this was a tiny place with a capacity of maybe 15-20ppl max, so i understood why we had an early lunch date the next day! we arrived around 11.30, hoping to avoid the crowds and long wait. we were semi-successful, since there was a bit of a line, but no more then 3-4 small parties ahead of us. they actually prefer to take your order while you wait, so that when your table is ready, your food is also ready. so we perused the menu, placed our orders, and about 10 min later, our table was ready. well, it wasn't quite a table, more like 3 seats along the bar seating area, but a couple of minutes after we sat down, 3 piping hot bowls of ramen were presented! our friend ordered a large ramen & wonton combo bowl, hubby ordered the regular-sized ramen & wonton combo, and i ordered the regular basic ramen (chuka-soba) with a side of extra bamboo shoots and a hard-boiled egg. i thought the ramen was good, the noodles were a bit different from what i was accustomed to, but they were fresh and i could tell they were handmade. the broth was ok, nothing that i hadn't had before. price-wise, i thought it was very fair, about ￥8500 for my bowl, ￥1250 for hubby, and ￥1450 for his friend's large bowl. we'd definitely have paid more for these bowls of ramen in the states, for an inferior quality meal too! since this was a hole-in-the-wall, cash only, and once you're done, you are expected to leave and make room for the other customers, waiting outside in the cold, hungry for their hot bowls of noodles! located just steps from the ogikubo train station, and near the lumine department store (where we actually went for dessert after!)

Great flavor for a shoyu broth. I suspect there's fish broth in it. I tried the 'wonton men'. It came out piping hot. Apparently there's a line up during the day so I recommend arriving just before closing.

Ok. My parents live nearby and this place has been around since 1940. Small place. But apparently the origin of Tokyo ramen started here. Awesome noodles and broth is amazing. I've been here twice in 20 years and still amazing I had the chashu ramen. And will tell my kids to visit here when we come back