Soba House Konjiki-Hototogisu

Love the soba noodle here. The soup is definitely the highlight. We ordered a cold and a hot soba. The cold noodles definitely have better texture. However, the hot soup is really delicious. Their portion is really big ( I'm a small eater). I tried my best to eat as much as I could, but still, I left about half( or less) of the noodle uneaten. I felt bad because the chef definitely did not look happy seeing that the food was not finished. I wish they had a smaller portion option. That way, I do not need to waste food. Nevertheless, it's still one of the best soba I've eaten in Tokyo.

Excellent Soba! Best we had in tokyo. Keep in mind this restaurant can only serve 6-7 people at a time and expects you to leave after finishing. Might have to wait in line but this is normal in Japan and worth it in this case.

The ramen is far from the best I had in Tokyo, it’s not bad but it’s just not worth the hype. The staff was very rude. My wife came for the tsukemen which was unavailable so I ordered the shio ramen and she sat with me. They made her leave the restaurant for not placing an order but there were several empty seats all the time and there was no one waiting to be seated outside.

Up a level from the normal Soba Noodle shops. Got there 20 mins before opening. First of 6 in to eat. The soup is so clean and refreshing! Well worth the visit!

It‘s delicious, but it’s not enough for me to make a special trip, but it‘s still good as a delicious lunch after visiting Shinjuku Gyoen👌 Note that the numbering system is strange. Even if you get the number in advance, you have to queue up as soon as possible.🫨

My first Michelin star Ramen experience. It just hits differently. Ordered the Special Shio Soba and they did not disappoint!!! The soup had a rich and deep flavor that was a masterful blend of sweetness and umami. The truffle infusion elevated this dish even further. The Chashu that was served was absolutely succulent and delicious! The noodles texture was also perfectly "Al dente". To dine here you have to be early (at least a long line before the store opens). You will also be prompted to get a queue number, for you to get seated. By no means it isn't easy to dine here but totally worth it.

Ramen is incredible- obviously the Michelin star speaks for itself. You must go early, get in line for a ticket. Once you get the ticket you wait for a text or in our case an email to confirm a time frame to come back for your seat. You order on a machine and wait a bit more before being seated at an actual table or counter. Once seated you must eat quickly and that is made very obvious by the signs posted, a person watching how far along you are and the cooks themselves watching you eat. You come here for the food only, no hanging out, no drinks other than water, and get moving. That being said, the soba noodles are outstanding and the broth is excellent. Well worth the experience!

MAR 2024 Arrived a few minutes after they opened and got in line after getting a ticket number from the machine. Wait time was close to an hour before I got in. Once you place your order from the ticket machine your ramen will be ready in a few minutes. I've ordered the shio (salt) soup base which is their most popular. The soup uses clams and red sea bream so it has a pretty strong seafood umami but not fishy. The ramen also has flavor packed toppings including white truffle oil, pancetta bacon bits and inca berry sauce to change up the taste with each slurp. The ramen was tasty and quite unique with the toppings, worth trying but wouldn't revisit if I need to wait more than half an hour, especially if the weather is bad.

Tokyo, Shinjuku. November 2024. The accolades for Konjiki Hototogisu are so consistent with this shop that visitors from around the world continue to seek out their ramen. Their Michelin Star has come and gone as the shio and shoyu bowls have continuously evolved over the years, but they are still crafted with quality in mind. This is no longer an independent stand alone shop. The rights have been sold to Japan Foods Holdings, a Singapore based company, that franchises ramen brands (including Afuri). Currently Konjiki Hototogisu has franchises in Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto, Dubai, and an instant noodle product. The story of Atsushi Yamamoto is well known. He started out barely scraping by until he got his broth to the point where people took notice. For the shio, he uses tai, and various clams as the basis, then adds a little chicken to round out the flavor. Back then, no one used the seafoods he used as a basic broth for shio ramen. Today there are a lot of imitators. The current standard for Tokyo shio ramen is to use clear light broths. Hototogisu's is clear and light. The tare for the shio is a blend of salts, among them an Okinawan sea salt and a Mongolian. The noodles are still made by the shop and are straight and medium thick. The flavor gets more complexity from a bergamot shirasu sauce, an inca berry sauce, and a paste of porcini duxelles. As you mix in them in the broth will deepen in color and intensity. At various times your palate will pick up different parts of the mix. It makes slurping the noodles a pleasure. To get a seat use the touchscreen outside to get a queue number for a time slot. The number printout has a QR code that you scan. You get a verification code that confirms your place and links to your email or LINE to keep you updated of your waitlist status. Do not stand aimlessly in the roadway - get in the queue or walk around the neighborhood. If you've wandered too far and others have gone in ahead of you then wait until a server comes out to call out the next parties' numbers and show him your number. Once inside you place your order, then take a seat (there is an order to where you sit and wait) until called. Only 7 counter seats and two 2-top tables - no parties of more than four (and good luck with four people). Follow the posted rules of courtesy. On Thursday only there is a special bowl. On Friday only a beef bowl is added. The shio soba - an outstanding bowl of intense complex flavor.

This former Michelin guide ramen restaurant was right around the corner from our hotel. We got in line at 8:30am-ish trying to take cover from the strong winds and rain. Around 9am, the door opened so we could get our ticket to return at our designated time to eat (60 minute window). We returned at or time only to find another line. Still more waiting! We got in the line and now you're seated as the seats/tables turn over. The entire places has approximately 6 bar seats and two small tables that fit two people each. Finally! We get to eat! We got one of the shio and shoyu. The shio was very "earthy" tasting with the truffles. Both were different, but hit the spot especially on a cold rainy day. The charsu arrived the side and was tender. A fast meal for all the waiting involved. We were in and out in 20 minutes and there's signage that the staff will "call you out" if you're taking too much time. A solid ramen choice if you're in the area.

Food 8/10 Fatty tonkatsu, gorgeous yolk, lovely noodles. A great bowl of ramen but not absolutely outstanding. I don't remember much about the ramen itself, I just remember it being a warm and fuzzy delicious meal that offset the freezing cold outside. Atmosphere 8/10 It is good ramen, but not worth the 2 hour wait kind of good ramen. Service 8/10 Very systematic process of ordering on a machine, then seating, slurping up the noodles, and departing. Their seating is not the most optimized, it's a first come first served process, which results in sometimes empty seats if the next party is too large and there are not enough empty seats between existing parties.

Thanks to Yelp Friend Justin L. for the recommendation, I got to try one of the few Michelin star Ramen shops in the world! I did some research prior to visiting and decided to come at 9am to wait for the ordering queue to open at 9:30am (restaurant doesn't open until 11:00am), and already there were 4 parties ahead of us! Once we got our ticket, we had 1.5hr to kill before our meal so we went to a cat cafe for a drink and place to sit. I thoroughly enjoyed this bowl of Shoyu Ramen, which has a clear clam taste to it. For those who are sensitive to clam or its essence, this may not be the best bowl of Ramen for you, but for me, it was delicious. Overtime, the clam taste becomes less noticeable. I enjoyed the clear broth, perfectly cooked Ramen, soft, boiled, egg, and Char Siu. While you can get a bowl of Ramen and order sides separately, I recommend getting the special order (under the "recommended" tab) that comes with everything in it already. When we ordered, the ordering machine said that side orders of Char Siu ere sold out, but they still give you Char Siu in the special Ramen order. Because of its popularity, it's recommended to minimize talking and focus on eating your ramen, then vacate your spot when you're done. The waiter is on standby to clear out a table the moment you leave. This is just courtesy for those waiting to eat the ramen as well. Overall, a delicious bowl of Ramen and well-deserved Michelin star !

First had Konjiki in Toronto a few years ago, then found out that they've held a Michelin star in Tokyo for multiple years, so we knew it was a must visit. The number one thing I would like to note is that we did not have to queue any earlier than 9am. We were there at 8am per some reddit posts and it was entirely too early. The staff will set up the queue line at 9am, then the ticketing system (which is a tablet) will open promptly at 9:30am. You can add a maximum of 4 people per reservation. After you make your reservation and grab the ticket, they ask that you promptly clear the area and wait elsewhere as they don't want you to loiter and disturb the neighbors. Your ticket will have a QR code that you can scan with your phone, and the website will notify you when you can head back to queue again to order and eat. When you queue in the second line, the staff will come out and call your number. Your entire party must be present. Once inside, you will place your order on the machine, pay, and give them your order ticket. We got their most popular bowl of Ramen, which was the shio special. The broth is salt based, which brings out the richness of the soup. Two bowls with extra chashu cost us $20.78, which is amazing for a Michelin bowl of Ramen. You are welcome to take photos of your meal, but they ask that you refrain from taking photos of the interior and of other people. No selfies are allowed. They also ask that you quietly eat your meal and not to dilly dally, which I completely understand as their space is very small. Excellent Ramen, excellent flavor!

Yum! Came back to Konjiki Hototogisu with a friend and loved both the Shio and Shouyu dishes. We came on a Monday at 0905 and got the first reservation ticket when it opened at 0930. We returned at 1100 to be seated first. Food came out quick and we were done in 15 minutes after slurping the delicious soba.

A perfect bowl of noodle soup. Process first: get a ticket for the queue, wait in line, when you get in buy your meal on the machine, wait for your table to be ready inside, finally you'll be seated and your noodles will be there soon. This bowl of noodle soup feels simple but packs a lot of flavor. Noodles have a slight al dente texture and perfectly cooked to how I like it. Broth is amazing toppings are amazing. And no frills as the typical tradition of ramen eating in Japan. Get in and get out, no time for chit chatting. If you want a great bowl of noodle soup and don't mind a little to long wait, this is a place for you.

Upon the recommendation of a coworker, I stopped by Soba House during my recent visit to Japan. This one Michelin star spot is tiny, so arrive early and be prepared for a wait. When you arrive, check in on the ipad out front! This will give you a time range for dining. You can check in as early as 9:30am for the lunch seating starting at 11, and at 5:30pm for dinner starting at 6:30. If you arrive during their hours, I recommend staying and waiting as they may be able to get you in ahead of that time anyway. There is a menu outside with English translations so you can plan your order. When it's your time to go inside, you'll be directed to a vending machine to place your order. Then another short wait in a crammed booth til a seat is ready. The dishes are around 1000-1300 yen ($8-10). You have your choice of shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), or tsukemen (dipping noodles with either sauce). Shio is the most popular. The noodles are finished with truffle oil, mushroom sauce, and pancetta. You can get extra toppings like egg, bamboo, seaweed, and pork. Overall the flavor of this dish was salty with some mushroomy tastes. It was not our favorite but it was good. Please note: they ask for you to dine quickly, not linger, due to the long waits. Also, they ask for photos not to be taken of the shop and staff, only of the food.

Tokyo has a couple ramen One Michelin Star restaurants where you can dine for around $10 or less and Soba House Konjiki Hototogisu is one of them. The restaurant is walk in only and, during the time of our visit, they only serve 50 bowls a day. We arrived 45 min before opening and there was already a line outside, which took about an hour or so to get through. The line was closed about 10 customers after us so we barely made the cut. Additionally the line did move quickly as the menu is limited to three options and you're only allowed to order one ramen bowl. When you get inside the restaurant, you place your order through a machine in which you receive a ticket that you hand to the staff. - shoyu soba - shio soba The three type of bowls you can order include two soups bowls and one dipping soup. We opted for one of each of the soup bowls. They are most well known for the shio soba, which consists of a broth made from hamaguri clams and red sea bream. Both dishes however, were so delicious. The flavors were comforting, incredibly complex, and perfectly balanced. You can also add additional toppings to your bowl like egg or iberico pork which definitely takes it to the next level. While said that we crushed our bowls so quickly after waiting an hour, it was one of the most delicious bowls of soup I've had, especially considering the distinction and price. Also, one thing to note is that while photos may be taken of the food, it is prohibited to take photos of the staff / what's going on behind the counter.

Very solid michelin star restaurant. We showed up about 20 minutes before tickets were passed out and hung out around the area until opening. We were amongst the first wave of people to eat upon opening. I would definitely come here again

Tokyo currently has three Michelin star ramen restaurants, and I made it my mission to visit all three on a recent trip! After tasting the spicy Sichuan-style ramen at Nakiryu and the French-inspired special ramen at Ginza Hachigō, my expectations were high for Soba House. This restaurant uses a virtual queue system. There's a tablet near the entrance to register your party (4 per numbered ticket) and your preferred time slot (first come, first serve). Grab the receipt and scan the QR code to monitor your place in line on the airWAIT website or the LINE messaging app. The page will update when they are ready to seat you. Since it's a popular spot, prepare to wait in a physical line in order to get onto the virtual line. I came at 4:30 PM and there were nine people in front of me. The tablet started taking registrations at 5:00 PM, and they notified me to come back at 6:28 PM. The menu has two main options, shio (salt) soba and shoyu (soy sauce) soba. There are a few toppings that can be added for an additional cost. You can also order the dipping noodle version of both (tsukemen), rice bowl dishes, and the special shio with all toppings. The ticket machine only accepts cash. There's an English guide if you need one. From what I remember, there were six counter seats and two tables. There were wooden dividers between the seats. The counter wall was a bit high, so it's not easy to sit and watch the chef prepare the food. I ordered the shio soba, which was ¥1100 or $7.85 USD. What makes this ramen unique is the seafood-based broth. It's made with red sea bream, clams, Mongolian rock salt, and Okinawan sea salt. With a dash of Italian white truffle oil. It was light, fragrant, and not overly fishy. I thought the temperature could be higher because the pork slices were served pink-ish. The handmade six-flour noodles were well cooked. They top the bowl with porcini mushroom sauce, pancetta bacon bits, and inca berry sauce, which were interesting. Green onions were fresh, couldn't care less for the bamboo shoots, and wasn't a fan of the raw onions. Stellar broth, chewy noodles, decent chashu, and a very strange combination of toppings that either worked well or didn't. Could be because my taste buds are not refined enough to admire the complexity of the ingredients, you might enjoy it though. To me, it was a lot going on and it didn't feel cohesive. Like someone haphazardly added things that sounded fancy.

It's a destination Ramen spot. It's virtuosity in a bowl. Tucked in back alley, line up outside, when space permits, file in and order at a kiosk. Shortly you will be seated and served a bowl of Ramen as close to perfection as you deserve. It's a limited, perhaps common menu, but it's common done uncommonly well. You cannot find better and it's worth the wait and the trip.

BE QUIET! Don't upset the neighbors. Because Soba House is in an alley, your voice echos. 9AM OPENONG WINDOW. This is when you can start getting tickets for your place even though they open at 11am. SERVICE was so so. There was no one in line, but she wanted us to wait for our slot, which was 2pm even though there were open tables and 10min away from being 2pm. Her service was very different from the usual service we got in Japan. Amazing flavor and texture of noodles!

When you first arrive. It could be confusing but follow these steps: Step 1: You must check in at the kiosk to retrieve a number (max 4 ppl) by the front door entrance. You cannot sit around in front of the restaurant as it is located in a neighborhood. Step 2: scan the QR code at the bottom of the receipt to get notification when your number is called either through email or Line. Step 3: Go walk around, grab coffee by Starbucks or drink at Bar Pelota just down the alley. Step 4: when numbered is called. Go back to the restaurant and stand in line to be let in. Step 5: when you get inside, Order/pay. Then you are instructed to sit/wait. Step 6: get seated and wait for your food. ENJOY!

Clean broth, perfectly cooked noodles. They want you to come in, mind your own business, eat your food then get the f out. Not a place for a social time... just an amazing bowl of noodles

Michelin well deserved. A rather efficient and busy ramen house, lines always in que. Ordering ramen might feel a bit rushed due to the line wait yet the soup delivers. Portion are good size, you might to crave for more but the portion actually hits just write. Clean broth, noodles are definitely hand made feel. Excellent flavor!

My first time trying Konjiki ramen in Japan! At the time they were only doing 50 bowls per day, first come first serve, and when we arrived at 10:30am, there was already around 40 people ahead of us and we waited around an hour. They only have two kinds of ramen in Japan: Shoyu and Shio. I had the Shio Ramen and I think the broth was what stood out to me. Very strong clam flavour and not super salty like most ramen places. The ramen noodles and pork quality were pretty average though. I've never had Konjiki in Toronto so I can't compare. I would be back again in the future though for the broth!

Came here 30 min early and still had to wait over an hour due to the long line. Even though it's earned a Michelin star, there are plenty of other ramen restaurants in Tokyo alone that are just as good (if not better) than soba house. Regardless, the ramen is worth the wait if you're in Tokyo. They're known for their shio ramen so if it's your first time I recommend getting that.

Ok I went back to this soba/ramen place to see what the hype was. First off you cannot just stand in line on Saturday; you need to get a blue ticket and you must make a deposit to get the ticket. Each ticket is 1000 yen and is a deposit unless you lose the ticket or don't show up, then they forfeit the money. There is a 30 minute window where you need to present the ticket. Not only that, having the ticket only allows you to stand in line, otherwise, get in the back of the line. They have an extremely haphazard dividers that are not setup properly and like the other night this results in the line not being "correct". When you are in line, there are signs telling you not to take pictures of the workers or the room or people but ok to take of food. This is fine. However when you sit down there is a similar sign and another that tells you to basically enjoy but eat as fast as possible and leave so others can enjoy. The ordering system is also haphazard. There is a ticket machine and everything could be solved either simple pictures. But the pictures are on separate laminated pieces or paper and they do have English and they have numbers corresponding to the machine. However, there's a better English paper on the wall that describes everything much better but most people don't see it. Once you get your tickets, everything is like other places but of course with all the signs, you feel like you need to finish fast and keep quiet. So now we get to the ramen. There are basically 2 types of broth, shio (salt) and shoyu. Both were ordered so we could compare. The bowls came out after a while and they are large. Could be some of the biggest bowls of ramen I have eaten. The Michelin bowl of shio ramen tasted like clam broth with ramen. The shoyu was a good deep tasting shoyu broth and it was nice. I didn't find the clam broth to be incredibly amazing but it did have a nice clam broth taste. The egg was bordline overcooked for the type of egg it was and the flavor was not anything different. To be fair I have been noticing that Japan in general is cooking their ajitama egg a little more and more. The charsiu was a tender type of pork cut. Just a tender piece of pork. I ordered extra so the portions were generous. The beer they serve was very tasty. The ramen/soba was not as al dente as other places but it was a fine cook - just not as firm as other places. To me, it was a solid 3. To me all the pomp and circumstance to eat a bowl of ramen was not needed. At any time there seemed to be a wait of about 20 people and the restaurant can fit 11. There were 3 people working when I ate there. Honesty, Afuri makes a bowl with more precision and their bbq pork is so good! Ippudo has a timeless deep broth and Ichiran is ... well Ichiran. Go here because it's darn close to the APA hotel and if you don't mind standing in line and dealing with all the demands.

Okay, this was my second Michelin star rated restaurant on the same day because they were so close to another Michelin star rated restaurant. I arrived at Konjiki Hotogisu around noon and there was a short 20 minute wait before being allowed in. I loved how organize everything was including picture describing how to line up to get in. Once inside, you made your selection via an English menu and automated ticket vending machine you then sit in the order that you arrived and are seated accordingly. Fortunately I was seated at the end of the counter and could see the chefs preparing the noodles behind the glass. You simply had your ticket to the server and your noodles arrived a few minutes later. It was delicious! I'm using not a soba fan but I loved it! Water is self service refills from the pitcher in front of you. Again it was almost all foreign tourist but I did see a few single local people eating there. I would definitely return. Strongly recommended!

Simple but complex ramen noodles. The truffle goes perfect with the ramen. The soba noodles are perfectly bouncy and chewy. We got the Shio Soba and Shoyu Soba. The Shio soba is lighter and has a more subtle clam flavor and the truffle really enhances everything. The Shoyu soba has a deeper, richer flavor with truffle which was equally if not better than the Shio soba.Definitely add the extra hard boiled egg. We got in line at 6:00PM on a Wednesday night. Waited about 20-30 minutes after opening to get in. Worth the wait. The line moves fast and they are efficient at moving people into the restaurant. There are English signs next to the vending machine where you order your food. The instructions are easy to follow. Make sure you insert money first into the machine and then make your selection.

This was my first Michelin Star restaurant in Japan and was so closed to my hotel which is good since there was a line especially during rush lunch and dinne hours. You are basically paying twice the price of soba than the average price in Tokyo. What their famous is the clam stock broth and be honest is kinda hard to used to it and I like clam but didnt think it mix well with the soba. I think soba best is cold not mix with hot. Perhaps Hot Soba not my thing if it is then wait to try but there's just way too many good restaurant in Tokyo so visited michelin guide one or no isn't that big deal.

On my first day in Tokyo, I wanted ramen and saw that Konjiki Hototogisu had recently gotten a Michelin star. We were walking distance nearby and the restaurant was just opening, so why not? It was about 15-20 minute wait when we arrived at 11am which wasn't so bad. We finally sat and got our ramen, and it was really good. I've been to Japan before and have had some pretty stellar ramens, so I wasn't blown away by this one. I did get an extra ramen egg and that was excellent. But I thought back to a ramen I had in Osaka and was dreaming of that. Don't get me wrong, excellent ramen here, but personally in the future I'd skip the wait and go somewhere equally as good.

After trying Nakiryu's Michelin star ramen, I was satisfied but left wanting more...left with the desire to understand what the TRUE soul of ramen was. I was hoping to find that with Konjiki Hototogisu, a newer ramen shop famous for its untraditional ramen. The shop is located in a quiet street, easily recognizable by the line outside. I waited for about 45 minutes, with around 15 people in front of me. Similar to Nakiryu, there's a staff member keeping everything orderly and addressing any concerns the whole time. When getting in, I was first struck by the clean and minimalist decor - it really matches the clean taste of the soup. In addition, the staff was a joy to watch, as they moved and grooved like a well-oiled machine that was dressed in all-black like modern-day ninjas. One chef in particular had a huge headband and looked like the ramen game Rajon Rondo or something. As for the food, I ordered the signature shio clam ramen. I was first struck by how aromatic and just different it smelled from your standard soy or tonkotsu ramen. The broth tasted very clean and fresh, but I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of the clam taste. Don't get me wrong, it was very well-made, but maybe just not my cup of tea (or broth). The noodles, veggies, and pork were also fine - the pork was not the best I've had and I honestly expected a little better quality for a Michelin-star ramen joint. I would give it more of a 3.75 than a 4, but I'll round up for the entertaining staff and innovation in their ramen.

Wow oh wow this place certainly deserves its Michelin star. Hell, it deserves all three of them. Definitely not because of service, but because it's the best ramen I've ever had. I really don't like ramen because most are either pork-based and tastes super rich and heavy or they're miso based and crazy ridiculously salty. The broth here is clam based and it's sooooo delicious. It's rich yet light and it doesn't make you feel disgusting after eating it. We came here early about half an hour after they opened and only had to wait about 45 minutes on line. While waiting, we did extensive research as to what button to press to order our ramen since everything was in Japanese and found that B1 was their famous hot ramen (they also serve the lesser famous, apparently just as good dipped ramen too). The machine takes only cash but no worries if you don't have exact change they will provide change for you. You then take your ticket and give it to the employee and wait for your seat at the booth. When the ramen arrived it was steaming hot and I couldn't stop slurping it. It was so ridiculously tasty. I was tempted to get another order!

Once we're inside the small shop, we put ourselves into the hands of Hiroshi and he swiftly recommended us what to try as first-timers. We made and paid our orders on a vending machine that disperse the order tickets for us to hand to the chefs. As we getting to know each other and waiting to "crush" a bowl of ramen as Hiroshi says, I can't help but notice that the way the 2 chefs prepare a bowl of Ramen is like an intricate and ritualistic dance of a respected professional artistry. They seamlessly worked with each other like they've done it way pass the 10,000 hours of Mastery. Each steps is precise and timed, and each movement has a purpose to advance the process of putting their best work into a bowl. The Ramen chefs work with their heart and soul but with ease, that is something you can't teach or replicate. When the Shoyu Ramen was put in front of me, I was completely ready to finally try my first bowl of Ramen in Japan. I asked Hiroshi, what should I do first. Hiroshi pointed to an opening on the bowl, where there is less noodle showing and not covered by any toppings, just perfect to scoop a spoonful, and said "try the soup first." I transported a spoonful of clear broth with a film of oil to my mouth and sampled it. Rich, complex, savory, and a very slight hint of Truffle, wow... Temperature is not super hot, but it's hot enough to enjoy the whole bowl from start to the finish. "What should I do next?" "The Noodle" The noodle is distinctly different from everything I've tried in America. Noodle is al dente at the core, but the outer surface is softer and smoother. When I saw how Hiroshi expertly and happily slurped his noodles in strong inhale, I guessed that the smooth surface is very conducive for easy slurping, but once you have the noodles in the mouth, you want the right firmness for more enjoyable chewing. "Slurp it," Hiroshi suggested. I eagerly tried, thinking that I got this, but my inhale didn't have enough force to pull the noodles all the way up and some even get into my throat. "Rookie!" my mentor teased me and laughed. I really like how Hiroshi has this open and lively laughter that spread joy to his surrounding. I need to work on my slurping! "The toppings." Only after tasting the all important broth and noodles, that attention is paid to the toppings. The Charsiu has a medium firmness, with a good blend of fat and meat. Every bite is enjoyable, but I also get the sense that the reason for its existence on the bowl, like other toppings, is just to serve its masters, the broth and noodles, albeit having a higher rank. There is no comparison when it comes to the Ajitama, a whole marinated egg with soft center yolk. As you travelers know, eggs taste better almost anywhere outside of the US. The bright orange yolk looks great and tastes fantastic. There is nothing left in my bowl when I'm finished with it. I think back to all the other Ramen I had before in the States and naturally draw some comparisons. I will leave those thoughts to myself, or maybe in personal friendly discussions. At least now I have some basis and background knowledge to gauge Ramen shops that are available in America. What I want to simply share is that a good bowl of Ramen is dependent on so many intricate factors. Hiroshi told me that the ingredients are very important. It's very hard to produce a good bowl of Ramen if the right ingredients cannot be sourced. Training of the chefs too is vital. You cannot just grab someone who doesn't have any experience, train them for 2 weeks, and expect them to produce top quality Ramen. The most indescribably factor to me in making of great bowl of Ramen is the word "Harmony". All the elements have to come together perfectly without any part lacking or overpowering. I find "Harmony" in that simple yet the most difficult bowl of Ramen to produce. All the factors come together and cooperatively produce a great bowl of Ramen. I think it's very difficult for Western to have the same reverence, respect, love and patience, Japanese has for Ramen; thus, it's hard to find a comparable bowl great Ramen in the Western world. Hiroshi has a great app for people to download that has ratings and locations for Ramen shops his team has rated in Tokyo. The link is available on their company site www.ramenbeast.com. It's filled with useful Ramen related tips and information, and past 10 years of sampling Ramen shops around Tokyo. It also has a more detailed review of Hototogisu and its exceptional owner Yamamoto-san, the Ramen shop we went to. All these invaluable resources are free of charge because it's a labor of love from people who love Ramen and eat them daily.

Definitely worth the hype. I got 15 minutes before opening time to grab a ticket for 12:45 and everything went smoothly when I returned. Definitely not the atmosphere if you want to chat and hang out, it is very much a sit in your spot and eat your food in silence kind of deal. The broth is fantastic- it gives ocean vibes without having an overly fishy taste. I'm not as impressed with the char sky, but the egg was fantastic- perfectly salted and still soft inside. Would highly recommend getting egg. Overall great experience for foodies. For about 10 usd you get a phenomenal meal and the wait honestly isn't too bad if you use the queue system.

I was there yesterday. A young man kept everything orderly with the line (the approximate wait was 30 minutes). I also needed change, which he happily obliged. You pay at a ticket vending machine, and then you're given a spot at a table and brought your ramen. The ramen was amazingly good. It the best I have ever had in my life. The 900 Yen cost converted to USD $8.55, which was a bargain for a Michelin star restaurant main entree. I highly recommend this restaurant. Be sure to follow all of the posted rules, which are thankfully in both Japanese and English.

This is the original (though this is the new location) of the Tokyo establishment. I decided to try here because they opened a location in Toronto a year ago. I ordered the original clam based broth ramen to give a side by side comparison to the one in Toronto. I also ordered a special rice bowl with meat and topped with raw egg and seaweed. All I can say is, they deserve the 2018 Michelin rating. The clam based broth was powerful, much more than in Toronto. Depending on your preference you might find this really good, or too strong. I found it really good yet not salty. Large portion with one slice of cha siu, the ¥950 price is very reasonable. The side rice dish was ¥200 and was also really good. Not too rich and deliciously sweet and savoury, I wish this could be an everyday menu item in Toronto.

The Phil Mickelson of the Tokyo ramen scene no longer; Hototogisu just got its first Michelin star! This is after years of being regarded as top-5 shoyu and shio ramen in Tokyo. Shio broth is made with a giant clam, and the flavors really come through in an excellent broth. However, when the porcini mushroom is mixed into the soup, it overpowers all the other flavors. Noodles are either handmade or specially-made, but are not notable on their own. Pork shoulder chashu was notable, but the connective tissue had not broken down as much as one may like. Overally, a fine ramen crafted with great care. The mushrooms really threw a lot of things off. Go with the shoyu instead.

Wow, wow, wow, wooooow!!!!! This place is one of the best ramen shops I've ever been to in my life! It is definitely deserving of a Michelin star! I've eaten at the other 2 Michelin star ramen shops (Nakiryu, and Tsuta) and this one is my favorite of the three. That being said, in my opinion there are many ramen shops that are better than the 3 aforementioned and will only be a matter of time before they earn a star. Now let me tell you about this ramen. I ordered the Shoyu ramen and it absolutely blew my mind. The broth was a mixture of a pork base and a clam base. When I heard clam base, I wasn't too sure I was going to like it because I've had many seafood based ramen broths that I did not like and thought was just too fishy for my liking. This was not the case here. There was definitely a strong seafood flavor but it was so smooth and not fishy at all. Furthermore it was blended perfectly with the pork and truffle oil where no one ingredient really stuck out over another. The flavors danced in my mouth with the pork, clam, and truffle being equally represented in harmony. I was so stunned by the quality of the broth I near dropped my spoon an chopsticks on first sip of the soup as I was paralyzed in flavor shock! I think the guy sitting across from me noticed and probably thought I was about to go into a seizure. Everything else in this ramen was also perfect. The noodles perfectly complemented the broth and had that bouncy chewy texture that everyone loves. The slice of pork was sweet and tender. The egg was perfectly gooey in the center, and the menma had a bold flavor with that almost crunch to its texture. If you haven't been here before, don't let the long lines intimidate you as it will be well worth the wait. I can't wait to go back and try their signature Shio ramen the next time!

Excellent, unique ramen. We visited this place because we knew it has a Michelin star and wanted to experience a well-crafted ramen; this did not disappoint. They now provide an english menu, which is super useful. There's usually a wait, so come early!

5/20/2019, 10:35 am: Thirty five people (tourists, one in a dark suit and locals dressed casually ) passed the time reading books and spinning at the Angel Statue pokestop while waiting in line for one-star Michelin soba with us before the small, 11-seat restaurant opened at 11am on Monday. The sliding door opened at 11:07 am to a vending machine where ramen was ordered. Inside, there were no voices of customers who knew no talking was expected and read the restaurant's sign that customers should eat their ramen quickly. Ordered Shio Soba (handmade noodles with 6 different flour) with pork, green onions, Hamaguri clams and Red Sea bream, mushrooms, bacon bits. Complex flavors to the very bottle of bowl: clams, truffle, mushroom, in shio Ramen was good but friends, who are normally extroverts, tried to quickly select their order from the machine and stayed silent while we waited for our order and ate without speaking, as did everyone else in the small restaurant. An Asian man with a friend made his way to two open chairs only to be sternly shooed away by a staff member. Atmosphere Does Matter. The ramen was good but it's difficult to enjoy a meal when you can't enjoy the meal talking a little with your friends.

Short and simple: this place is excellent. Longer story: the restaurant was recently relocated to this location, but I have only visited at this current Shinjuku location. In any case, the ramen was spectacular. It is a tiny hole in the wall; the only give away was the line of people outside waiting for it to open at 11.20 am. Once you get to the front of the line, you order via vending machine. It is all in Japanese but there is an English reference for the buttons towards the right of the machine. The descriptions are short, and not going to give you a thorough idea of what you're ordering, but just give it a go - it seems like all options are delicious!! I went with the top left hand option - I believe the salt based ramen in which the clam based broth really shone through. The bf had a soy based ramen, also very delicious from the broth sips I stole from him. Overall, this was easily the best ramen we had, polishing off the whole bowl down to the last sip of broth. The atmosphere was great with the team here welcoming and the restaurant decor warm and woody. Only pictures of your food are allowed hence no pictures of the decor. I would come back here in a heartbeat.

The soba was interesting, but not among the best in Tokyo by a long shot. Of the Michelin star rated restaurant I've eaten at, this is the only one which left me wondering why it got the rating - maybe it's declined, as happens to some restaurants after they get awards. Separate from the food, the service was quite rude - the only interaction I've ever had in Japan which I'd call extremely rude. We were pressured to eat faster after we had been seated for only 10 minutes (clock time, no exaggeration). My wife texted me a question, and the waiter came to tell me not to look at my phone. The waiter started coming by every 2 minutes while I was eating to tell us that other customers were waiting. The table next to us was empty. As we left, we saw a 3 person line. We were out 15 minutes after being seated, regretting we had entered.

"The first thing I did was to give it a good, long sniff, and indeed, the smell of truffle is quite evident. Next, I used the provided spoon to taste the soup, and again, because of the truffle oil, the taste is quite distinctive - sharp but not too rich. Then, at last, I was ready to start slurping the noodles, which, according to the description, are homemade and contain six different kinds of flour. They were thinner than average making it easy to pick up and devour many at the same time - I was stunned by the speed at which my neighbours managed to polish off their bowls!" More here (with photos): http://tadaimajp.com/2018/08/soba-house-michelin-shinjuku/