Ramen Touhichi

This ramen shop’s Michelin star is well deserved and the hype is well deserved! We came here on a Sunday morning, roughly 30mins after it open and there was a line outside, before you get seated, you need to place an order at the vending machine and it only takes cash. We ordered the limited edition chicken broth tsukemen, chicken and soy sauce ramen and chicken and soy sauce Tsukesoba. We got seated at one of the tables rather than the counter, the atmosphere was cosy and intimate there was one waiter whom was patient and spoke very little English however all the menus have English on them. I had very little expectation as I didn’t want to cloud my judgement. When I had that first bite of ramen it was love at first bite. The chicken broth was so strong it felt like they used over farm full of chicken bones to make the broth. The ramen and Tsukesoba texture was nice and chewy, there was an egg yolk like texture coating the Tsukesoba which was sensational. Suffice to say we devoured this without saying a thing, the restaurant was full of slurps and silences. A very good sign of good food! We will be coming back for another round of heir limited editions. The Michelin star is legit!

Well-made chicken soup, that’s all for the rating. But, yes, maybe not everyone’s cup of broth—like me as well, gaijin friendly too, but yeah, there’s also a lot of other ramen that would be other people’s preference in the ramen street. I had the cold noodles because it was hot these days. The noodles were chewy and firm. You can tell the great quality of the local chicken, and the meat was pickled. There’s also wasabi to go with it, which was perfect to mix per bite. I’ve also put translations in the images. Other directions: PLEASE LINE UP during busy times. Someone will come and ask how many people you are, and they will direct you to the machine. Pay there.

My rating is solely based on their 鶏白湯ラーメ (Ramen in thick chicken broth). I must admit, this is my first time trying 鶏白湯ラーメ, despite having tried hundreds of ramen and thousands of bowls of various Chinese and Asian noodle soups. This is by far the richest noodle soup I've ever tasted—the broth is incredibly thick, almost foamy, leaving you feeling thirsty after each sip. As a noodle soups lover, I found this ramen to be too heavy for my taste, and likely not suited for most regular tourists like myself. If you've never tried it before, you might still want to give it a taste just for the experience, but be prepared that you may not enjoy it. I gave it a try, but I'm unlikely to do so again.

Once again Michelin failed me. Michelin never my friend, 9 out of 10 times im disappointed. Only felt the chicken is very soft and good, the rest... no food satisfaction at all. Normal noodle, and the chicken soup base... first sip...am I drinking oily chicken soup! Ahhh waste my carb limit 😤😃

We were the first in line on a Saturday, and the line grew from there. Good ramen with a nice broth, but I didn’t particularly feel the taste nor service deserved Michelin recognition.

Chicken based broth ramen here is most favourite of mine. Soy sauce based broth ramen is also a nice one though. Ramen noodles are very smooth and tasty in this shop. They use to put both pork and chicken meat inside the bowl. Very friendly customer service. You need to wait and queue for about 10 minutes but it really worths.

One of famous chicken based ramen restaurants in Kyoto. There are several types of soup, both clear and condensed were so wonderful.

If you are a ramen lover, you won't want to miss Touhichi. From the delicious soup to noodles with perfect texture, every element of their ramen is top-notch.