Ichiran is SO popular, and because of that, it’s also super divisive. We’ve been seeing it covered all over YouTube and Instagram, with a whole lot of raving reviews and plenty of ones that are less enthusiastic. We can recognise why people like it, and while we were genuinely excited to eat one of the biggest ramen chains in the world it doesn’t have the same life, soul, and effort that you’ll find in small mom-and-pop stores. Ramen is a blend of art, science, and passion. You can eat fatty soups anywhere.
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Ichiran (Nanokawa Store)
2 Chome-2-10 Nanokawa, Minami Ward, Fukuoka, 815-0081, Japan
https://ichiran.com/shop/kyushu/nanokawa/
¥980 per bowl
**Disclaimer: The title of this Short is a joke.
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is ichir run worth the hype for our first ever try of the world’s most famous Ramen chain we went to the original shop in fukoka it’s the same as other ichir runs with the ticket machine the booths and the ordering system Noms ordered normal for everything and I ordered a richer and stronger broth and it was it was it was fine there was no doubt that this potent combination of fat salt and MSG would trigger all the right parts of our brain but common complaints amongst the Japanese diners are that the flavor has changed from before intense standardization has sucked all the soul from this Ramen and because of its price at 980 y for just the noodles and a slice of chashu this is eye wateringly expensive when you get bowls like this and this and this for cheaper not to mention it’s very salty even at a normal seasoning level the issue is that non-japanese have come to expect Ultra fatty clatty broths to be the definition of rammen which is like saying that anime is the epitome of Japanese Visual Arts there’s nothing wrong with eating it but it’s definitely not worth queuing up for our verdict is that ichiran tastes good in the same way that something like McDonald’s tastes good but it’s not a quality Ramen would you agree
30 Comments
I just had Ichiran today in Tokyo, literally a couple of hours ago. For the last week, I've been eating at different Ramen shops all throughout the different districts of Tokyo. And by far, Ichiran is the best.
So I disagree. It's definitely worth it.
My order:
Tonkotsu, w/ egg and xt egg, strong, rich, green onion, with sliced pork and xt chashu, extra spicy (x10+), extra firm noodles with xt 1/2 order.
There are so many flavors and varieties of ramen that most people would, individually, prefer one over the others. Other cuisines/countries have similar foods (such as Pho & Banh Mi in Vietnam, sandwich/pizza in the US, pizza in Italy, etc.) that would fall into same category.
The way I gasped
hype is created by ichiran, tourist support the hype, no one else give a S about piss ass noodle but Korean and Japan. try a better fry chicken like how Korean is doing
damn I wanna try some genuine Japanese ramen
Locals don’t hype up Ichiran or Kobe beef as much as foreigners.
I think the analogy of Ichiran and McDonalds is fair.
The cheap, everybody has tried “tonkotsu like” ramen is probably Sugakiya, at least for people from the Tokai area.
Sup
Yeah, so far from what i've heard(and known as i also live in a country with plenty of tourists) is that the best stuff for the cheapest price can be found in the dingy street corners, or small restos by the side of the road. Famous among locals > Famous among tourists.
Ramen in Hakata is so much better!!
Try ippudo
For capitalist? 😂
Why does this voice sound so blue hair liberal
I think it serves as a good baseline for people who have never had ramen (including the instant kind). Once they try other chains or independent stores, they can appreciate the variety better and have an informed favorite across the many different locales/styles.
And about the inherent saltiness: I think that’s inevitably true for most ramen shops/styles in Japan; they tend to season their broth saltier since it helps keep you warm in the cold months. You could say it’s a matter of the owner’s culinary history or personal upbringing from eating or working at other ramen shops.
…so for normal people?
please stop talking like you just ran a 20 mile marathon
Going to Fukuoka and not getting Hakata style
I think the popularity is mainly accessibility for tourists. Like if a restaurant in America had mid food but you could order in any language or jus not have to talk to anyone thatd be popular with tourists methinks.
Isn’t 980 yen just about $6? That’s not expensive to most foreigners Compared to the New York branch it’s incredibly cheap
Yes
Food glorious food 🍱
Yummy
Delicious
No I disagree
its not worth lining up for
You……don't know what capitalism is.
What is the height of japanese visual arts?
Ichiran is your basic ramen, you can never go wrong with it. It’s delicious enough and a total definition of tonkatsu ramen.
You can find others that are better definitely but ichiran is still more than decent to satisfy tonkatsu ramen craving. Let no one tell you otherwise.
what does capitalists mean?
I’m Japanese and partially I agree. Ichiran is okay but not the best for me. it’s a large chain restaurant so their advantage is stability. you can walk into any of their shops and you are guaranteed to have a standard “fairly okay” level of taste and service. And it’s a good thing for those who are not familiar with how each ramen shops works. but I do feel surprised to see a huge queue in front of Ichiran and almost all of them look tourists.
but for me it’s a bit expensive like you said. 980 yen is not expensive, but the topping is just minimum, and noodle portions are significantly smaller than other restaurants, which is also their business model – to fully experience their hakata style ramen, you need to add some topping and it easily goes up to 1000,1200,1500 yen or even more, while there are way more generous ramen shops that has full topping with 800-1000 yen, run by locals of each town.
I really do suggest visitors to try many types of ramen in Japan, not only that large chain restaurants but local small restaurants. if going only to Ichiran, you might be missing your opportunity to discover new favourites and actual local vibes.
Looks pretty good for $6, can’t even get a QP from McDonald’s with that