Ichiran - Kyoto Kawaramachi

The best ramen in the world! The ramen taste amazing and they are made so fast. Be aware that there are times where there is quite a long waiting line to eat at Ichiran restaurants. We ate here for lunch and there was not so much people waiting. You sit on like a bar table in a long line, like in a small box. So you just focus on your own food and cannot see what other people have. For the ramen you can choose just the way you like it. And the taste of the ramen are amazing. We will definitely come back here when we are in Japan again

Ichiran Ramen is one of Japan’s most popular ramen chains, with outlets all across the country. We visited the Kyoto branch, and it was our first meal in Japan — a great way to start the trip. Before entering, you place your order at a self-ordering kiosk machine, which is quite fun and efficient. You can fully customize your bowl — from choosing how rich you want your broth (light, medium, or strong) to adding extras like garlic, spice, chashu (pork), and boiled eggs. After placing your order, you take your token and find a seat in their signature individual counter booths, where a small window opens and your ramen is served directly to you — a very unique and quintessentially Japanese experience. The ramen itself was delicious and comforting — the broth flavorful, and the noodles perfectly cooked. While I wouldn’t say it was the absolute best ramen we had in Japan, it was definitely a must-try experience, especially for first-timers. We did have to wait for a while since we went during peak lunch hours, but it was worth it. Our friends also tried the matcha green tea almond pudding, which they said was excellent (we missed tasting it!). Overall, Ichiran Ramen offers a fun, authentic, and satisfying ramen experience that’s easy, efficient, and delicious. Definitely worth visiting at least once on any Japan trip. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Nice experience! At the entrance you order via interactive screen, pay and receive tickets. The queue to get a seat is conveniently inside and not outside in the cold. You can personalize the taste of the ramen. The individual stalls have a sensor\button to ask for additional food or to receive your order such as for dessert. The ramen was very good, and the dessert fresh, I enjoyed them a lot!

Tried: Normal, everything standard, firm noodles Noodles - 7.5/10 thin and with a good balance of wheat and egg. Charsiu - 6.5/10 thin but still has a lot of porky flavour. Good but not memorable Broth - 7.25/10 tonkotsu broth is well balanced, not too light, good flavour nice and porky, slight pepperiness, the half spice lifts it well Condiments - none Overall - 7.25/10 i think this is a great example of a good standard tonkotsu, well balanced not too rich. It's a good place to take for someone first ramen or if they want to try something very typical, but there are hundreds of better more flavourful variations to explore. The almond matcha dessert was good, interesting combination that works but only if you like almond.

The ramen was very nice. Choose rich broth with mild spicy. Food got delivered fast. Very filling and nice. The atmosphere was unique. Like studying in the library with all the cubicles 😆. All in all, a good experience.

Had at least 15 ramens on papers in Japan and Ichiran will hit every single time. It’s your classic and benchmark tonkotsu broth and this branch does it just as good. Noodles are great. I love that thin, bouncy, slightly chewy noodle. It really soaks up all the broth and works perfectly with the style. The meat, the egg and everything else is tender – not the most tender or the most flavourful I’ve ever had – but it’s done right. If you’re looking for the full experience, it can get longer in peak times, but I came around 4 o’clock and there was virtually no line. Maybe just a five-minute wait after the machine to order and then you’re in. Very consistent bowl every time. 👍🍜

The ramen was priced decently and portions were good. Went a bit past noon on a weekday so there was no line. Enjoyed the experience as you get a small booth and don’t really have to interact with anyone except going in and getting seated. I think it’s a great way to decompress after a long day of walking around crowded places.

Got the whole experience of ordering from the machine out at the door. It spits out little raffles that you would give to the waiter. It's great that they queue you inside the hallway instead of out in the cold. You get to specify everything - noodle firmness, how oily, how salty & what toppings. The stalls are truly isolating. You can't even see the face of the server. Water dispenser is right in the stall, how convenient. Come give it a try.