Shinjuku’s Best Ramen Spots: 5 Must-Visit Shops for Ramen Lovers
Updated: Nov 19
HELLO, I'M AYU!
I am one of the staff members at Patia, where we offer cooking classes specifically designed for foreign tourists in Tokyo. I have two children, and I love cooking! I look forward to sharing my passion for cooking with you and making your experience in Japan truly memorable!
Shinjuku is located in the heart of Tokyo, an attractive area with many tourist attractions, shopping areas, and entertainment facilities. It is also home to a particularly large number of ramen restaurants in Tokyo. With a wide variety of ramen available, you are sure to find your favorite dish. In this blog, we will introduce 5 must-visit ramen restaurants within walking distance from Shinjuku Station.
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Shinjuku’s Best Ramen Spots: 5 Must-Visit Shops for Ramen Lovers
Here are 5 best ramen restaurants to go in Tokyo. The following information below is current as of June 2024. These are subject to change, so please check each official websites in advance.
1. Shohei Ramen Shinjuku West Exit Branch
Source: Tabelog
Shohei Ramen is one of the oldest ramen restaurants in the west area of Shinjuku with a long history. It is conveniently located a 5-minute walk from the West Exit of Shinjuku Station or a 20-second walk from Exit E9 of Nishi-Shinjuku Station.
The specialty is homemade noodles made with high quality wheat and fresh eggs, so if you are not sure which one to try, we recommend the Tsukemen (dipping noodles), which will give you the best taste of the noodles. The soup is made from various ingredients such as pork, chicken, and seafood, but it is neither too rich nor oily, and it is made to take full advantage of our homemade noodles.
The restaurant also offers an extensive menu of Chinese a la carte dishes such as fried rice and dumplings. The restaurant has quite a few seats, including both counter and table seating, so you can enjoy lunch alone or in a group.
Hours Weekdays 11:00AM - 12:00AM (L.O. 11:20 PM), Weekends 11:00AM - 11:00 PM (L.O. 10:20 PM) *Close on Sundays
Map
2. Ramen Tatsunoya Shinjuku Otakibashidori
Source: Tripadvisor
Ramen Tatsunoya Shinjuku Otakibashidori is an affiliate established in 1999 in Kurume, Fukuoka, the birthplace of Tonkotsu (pork bone), and is located about 5 minutes walk from the north exit of Seibu Shinjuku Station. If you are looking for authentic Tonkotsu Ramen in Tokyo, this is the place to go.
The soup of this ramen is a thick broth made from 100% pork bones, which is cooked at high temperature using only pig's head bones and water. The flavor is concentrated to the utmost limit, combining a powerful richness with a mild flavor. The noodles are ultra-thin and straight, made from Tatsunoya’s special blend of flour, which was created through many trials using dozens of different flours. The thick soup and the thin noodles are a perfect combination, and once you try it, you will be captivated by tonkotsu ramen.
Hours 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Map
3. Dame Na Rinjin Shinjuku Branch
Source: Tabelog
Dame Na Rinjin Shinjuku is an affiliate of the popular Ningyocho ramen restaurant Dame Na Rinjin, which opened in Shinjuku under the same name. Dame Na Rinjin Shinjuku is located in the Kabukicho area, a 5-minute walk from the East Exit of Shinjuku Station and a 1-minute walk from Seibu Shinjuku Station, in an area lined with restaurants and other stores.
The only type of ramen they make is Shoyu Ramen (soy sauce). It is based on vegetable bouillon, bouillon de régume, put together with soy sauce and ginger confit oil, and is unique in taste and aroma anyway. The toppings are two kinds of chashu pork: rare loin meat marinated in homemade sauce and cooked at low temperature, and slow-cooked, melt-in-your-mouth rose meat.
Another popular menu item, apart from ramen, is a bowl of rice topped with black beef. The finest brand beef is used, and the melt-in-your-mouth fat and white rice soaked with the flavor of the meat make a perfect combination.
Hours 11:30 AM - Until soup run out
Map
4. Menya Kaijin Shinjuku
Source: Menya Kaijin
Menya Kaijin Shinjuku is located a 30-second walk from the Southeast Exit of JR Shinjuku Station, but please check the location in advance as it is located on the second floor of a small, crowded building and is a bit difficult to find.
Menya Kaijin Shinjuku is a popular ramen restaurant whose soup is made from fish ara, which is rare among ramen restaurants. The restaurant uses fresh fish ara, which is brought in daily, and offers ramen that makes full use of its flavor. Rather than always aiming for the same flavor, the ramen allows customers to enjoy subtle changes in flavor depending on the ingredients, which is unique to Menya Kaijin's Shinjuku branch. The ara used for that day's ramen is posted inside Menya Kaijin Shinjuku, and high-end fish is not uncommon.
The ramen toppings do not include chashu pork or menma, but instead include cod or shrimp tsukune and chicken tsukune with cartilage, and unique ingredients such as myoga and needle ginger in addition to green onion as condiments, making this a unique bowl of ramen that can only be enjoyed here.
Hours Weekdays 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 4;30 PM - 10:00 PM Weekends & National holidays 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Map
5. Ebisoba Ichigen Shinjuku
Source: Tripadvisor
Ebisoba Ichigen Shinjuku is located a 6-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station. Ichigen, a very famous ramen restaurant with its main branch in Sapporo, has opened a branch in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Another branch of the restaurant is also located in Tokyo Station in Yaesu Shopping Mall.
As you can imagine from the name of the restaurant, Ichigen's specialty is its unique shrimp ramen, which uses a large amount of shrimp. In addition to the soup made by slowly simmering the heads of amaebi (sweet shrimp), the ramen is also flavored with prawn-flavored tenkasu (dregs of heavenly fish) and powdered prawn powder made from roasted amaebi heads after the soup has been made.
Hours 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM *The store isn’t always open
Map
Patia’s Jiro-style Ramen Making Class in Tokyo
We run Japanese cooking classes in Tokyo. We also offer a Jiro-style Ramen making class with an English-speaking instructor. In this class, participants can go to a grocery store in Akihabara to buy ingredients, make Jiro-style ramen from scratch, and eat it. We are hoping you to enjoy Japanese food experiences and create unforgettable memories in Tokyo.
We share more behind-the-scenes moments, cooking tips, and beautiful photos from our classes on Instagram! Be sure to follow us and join in the Tokyo food adventure.
Check us out at @patiajapanesecooking
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