Four Tokyo Ramen Eateries with Michelin Stars

The Long Road to Michelin Recognition

Long a comfort food beloved throughout Japan, ramen is now rubbing shoulders with the world’s culinary all-stars in the prestigious Michelin Guide. How did a humble bowl of noodles typically costing less than ¥1,000 find its way onto a list synonymous with renowned establishments offering full-course meals for several times that amount?

The Michelin Guide, which began awarding its coveted stars to dining establishments in France in 1926, turned its attention to Asia with the release of Michelin Guide Tokyo in 2007. It was not until 2014, though, that ramen was included under the special Bib Gourmand award for restaurants offering the best value for money, with the shop Aoba in Tokyo’s Nakano earning pioneering recognition for its ramen in seafood and pork-bone broth. Another shop in the capital, Ramen Yamaguchi in Takadanobaba, followed in its Aoba’s footsteps, making the list six years running. To date, 22 ramen restaurants in Tokyo have received Bib Gourmand accolades.

The first restaurant to win a Michelin star was Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta, which it did in 2015. Now located in Yoyogi-Uehara, Tsuta initially made the grade with offerings like its specialty soy sauce ramen, then priced at a reasonable ¥850.

Tsuta offers a more up-scale feel than the typical ramen restaurant. (© Tsutanote Inc.)

A Pillar of Japan’s Noodle Culture

First, a brief recap of Tsuta’s history. Founder, the late Ōnishi Yūki, originally worked in the apparel industry and often traveled abroad for business. It was during these trips that he developed a renewed appreciation for the appeal of Japanese cuisine. It sparked in him a desire to give ramen steeped in an umami-rich Japanese-style broth a global presence. He learned the ropes under his father, who ran a ramen shop at the time, and went on to open a tiny, nine-seater eatery in Sugamo in 2012. The name of the shop reflects his firm belief that ramen had earned a place alongside soba and udon as a proud member of Japan’s noodle culture.

Working night and day to perfect his craft, Ōnishi created Tsuta’s signature dish of soy sauce ramen with black truffles in 2014. In just four short years, his efforts paid off with the first Michelin star awarded to a ramen restaurant. Since then, gourmets from every corner of the globe have flocked to Tsuta, with their ardor bolstering ramen’s reputation further among overseas visitors and sparking a full-fledged boom.

So, how did ramen make it into the Michelin Guide? Although the guide does not divulge its selection process, criteria for inclusion run from ingredient quality and preparation skills to perfection of flavoring, creativity, and overall consistency. On these merits, ramen fits the bill in many respects, and the restaurants chosen all meet the guide’s high standards, elevating ramen to the realm of sophisticated cuisine.

Satisfying the Most Finicky Gourmand

Tsuta’s Soy Sauce Ramen with Special Dish is priced at ¥3,000. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

To experience Tsuta, start with the shop’s most popular offering, its special soy sauce ramen. The soup—a multilayered flavor experience bursting with umami from stock derived from a whole chicken, aromatic herbs, short-necked clams, konbu, and bonito shavings—offers a sublime taste experience.

Accompanying the ramen are Japanese Black A5-grade wagyū beef prepared sukiyaki-style and other carefully selected fare, which diners can enjoy with house-made raspberry and black truffle sauces for variety. Attentive presentation holds guests’ attention, with this ultimate ramen presenting itself like a full-course meal fusing Western and Japanese cuisines.

One aspect that should be noted in connection with Tsuta is its pioneering role in breaching the so-called ¥1,000 barrier. Being particular about ingredients and preparation method means higher expenses, but the idea of a bowl of ramen costing more than ¥1,000 was jarring to most people, who cherished the dish as an affordable and hearty staple. To those who spent just a few hundred yen on a bowl of ramen, paying more than ¥1,000 was simply unthinkable, and the price stood as the de facto cap for ramen purveyors.

However, Tsuta punched through the ceiling in 2019 when the shop revamped its menu with its move to Yoyogi-Uehara. Tsuta defiantly adopted higher pricing, with regular ramen going for ¥1,300 and the most expensive menu item priced at ¥3,550. This drew criticism, with some pointing to it as proof that the Michelin star had gone to Tsuta’s head. Nonetheless, breaking the ¥1,000 barrier paved the way for other ramen restaurants to follow suit. Tsuta boldly went ahead, its chef working creatively to achieve his ideal, and pricing his efforts and vision accordingly. It has subsequently become more common to come across ramen costing above ¥1,000, showing that the “wall” is crumbling.

Umami Stars in Nakiryū’s Tantan Noodles

Nakiryū’s mellow tantan noodles are priced at ¥1,200. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Pricing trailblazer Tsuta was soon followed by other ramen purveyors acquiring a Michelin star. Sōsaku Menkōbō Nakiryū in Ōtsuka joined the elite club in 2017 with its flagship tart tantan noodles.

A layer of house-made spicy sesame paste and chili oil floats atop a soy sauce-flavored soup, giving the dish a distinctive multilayer flavor that blends as the diner eats, creating a subtle spicy mellowness. The broth, derived from a combination of chicken, beef bones, vegetables, and other ingredients, is accented by black vinegar and apple vinegar.

Given their roots in Sichuan cuisine, tantan noodles can pack a fiery punch. However, even diners with a low tolerance for heat need not worry about enjoying a bowl at Nakiryū. Those who want to punch up the spice can top the dish with Sichuan pepper.

Soba House Konjiki Hototogisu

A bowl of soy sauce ramen at Konjiki Hototogisu is priced at ¥1,300. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Soba House Konjiki Hototogisu, formerly in Hatagaya and now in Shinjuku, earned its star in 2018, which it held for five years until 2022.

The restaurant is noted for its layering of umami from a three-soup combination of duck, chicken, and beef broths, hamaguri clam broth, and Japanese-style dashi. Slowing blending fragrant black truffle sauce and red wine marinade on the spoon while slurping the noodles adds another level of enjoyment.

Konjiki Hototogisu revamped its menu in May 2024 to offer stronger and more complex umami, fattiness, and aroma to its noodle offerings. Not content to rest on its Michelin laurels, it continues to experiment with flavors in the quest for a better bowl of ramen.

Ginza Hachigō: The Maverick

Ginza Hachigō’s Special Chūka Soba is priced at ¥1,600. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

The latest establishment to be awarded a star is Ginza Hachigō in Higashi-Ginza, which was recognized in 2021. The dish served here was developed by Matsumura Yasushi, a chef with a 40-year career in French cuisine. The shop is known for its deviation from orthodox ramen preparation methods. Bringing a novel approach to the ramen world, it has influenced many up-and-coming artisans.

Ramen’s flavor is usually determined by a concentrated flavoring called kaeshi that is made from soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. But Ginza Hachigō eschews kaeshi, using bouillon prepared according to French culinary techniques instead. Nagoya Cochin chicken, duck, and dried vegetables like shiitake and tomato go into the bouillon, to which prosciutto is added to give it a salty tang. The resulting thick, golden soup is fragrant and mellow, the ingredients producing umami that warms body and soul.

The four establishments described here are all in Tokyo. While shops in other Japanese cities may be listed on Bib Gourmand, none of them have acquired stars yet.

A look at the Bib Gourmand list in the Michelin Guide 2024 reveals that the Tokyo edition includes 19 ramen restaurants, although Kansai is fast catching up with 17 listed in the Kansai edition of the guide. Restaurants like Ramen Tōhichi in Shūgakuin, Kyoto—on the list for eight years running—and Mugi to Mensuke in Nakatsu, Osaka, which regularly attracts long lines of diners, are among the strong contenders for winning a Michelin star.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta’s Soy Sauce Ramen. © Yamakawa Daisuke.)