HOW TO ORDER RAMEN IN ICHIRAN JAPAN

5 QUICK STEPS ON HAVING YOUR ICIHIRAN RAMEN

How to order ramen in Ichiran Japan is quite simple steps to perform. As a first visitor in Tokyo, Japan, we were curious about how we can order ramen in Japan. It was during our visit to Japan when we first visit Ichiran. Due to its popularity and a lot of recommendations from online reviews and people who previously visited in Japan. During my visit to Tokyo, I told myself that I had to try it. By the time we arrived in Tokyo, we headed straight to Ichiran for our lunch. It was in the Shinjuku area that we went to find the restaurant which took us some time to navigate the place.

ICHIRAN is one of the famous restaurants of Ramen in Japan because of its unique type of service, cubicle dining table arrangement, and awesome food. Compare with other Ramen restaurants, only Ichiran allows you to customize your ramen experience that makes it preferable for most people. Here we provided helpful tips in the step-by-step process describing how to order ramen in Ichiran Japan.

sTEP 1: FOLLOW THE QUEUE

How To Order Ramen in Ichiran Japan

Since this is one of the most popular ramen restaurants in Japan, people won’t mind queuing outside the shop. The queue and waiting usually take around 15-30 minutes depending on what time of the day. Mostly during lunch or dinner, it is always crowded and likely you will have to wait as the number of people will tend to be more than the other time. When we arrived and found a restaurant, several people were queuing. It took us 20 minutes waiting and finally able to order. By the way, the restaurant that we went to was located in the basement with narrow stairs.

STEP 2: SELECT YOUR ORDER

Ichiran Menu Selection
How To Order Ramen in Ichiran Japan

Once you are inside the restaurant you will be greeted with the menu selection. From here you will need to choose from the menu the list of food selection. The most popular ramen set is “Ichiran Select 5” which includes regular ramen, additional toppings like a boiled egg, mushrooms, pork, and green onions. Also, you can choose or customize on how your ramen will be cooked (ex. soft, med, hard) and the kind of soup (ex. spiciness, thickness). Aside from ramen set, you can also order additional side menus which include rice, extra sliced pork, extra green onions, kikurage mushroom, dried seaweed, extra garlic. But this includes the additional cost that ranges from ¥120 to ¥500 per order. Drinks like beer and blended are also available.

STEP 3: PAY AT SELF PAYMENT COUNTER

Ichiran Self-Payment Machine

We ordered the recommended menu “Ichiran Select 5” and Classic Tonkotsu Ramen Set for a total of ¥2,560. After you have chosen your ramen you will need to prepare your money and pay it on the self-payment counter. On the screen are the details of your order and the total amount of order to pay. To pay, simply insert your cash on the slot, and the machine will automatically count and return exchange if there is any. Instructions can be easy as there is the English language available on the screen. After your payment, you get receive tickets, which indicate your order information.

STEP 4: WAIT FOR AVAILABLE SEAT

Ichiran Ramen Electronic Seating Chart
Ichiran Waiting Queue

After your payment, the machine will give you a print of what you ordered. Then you will need to queue again. The Ichiran staff will collect the ticket and will give you a sheet of paper for you to mark on how your ramen will be cook (ex. broth flavor, spice level, noodle firmness, etc.). Once you have selected your ramen options, you will need to wait again for someone to finish their meal inside which takes 5-10 more minutes. You will notice on the board with blinking lights indicating the availability of the seats. Once the seat is available, Ichiran staff will guide you on where you will be seated.

STEP 5: TAKE A SEAT AND WAIT FOR ORDER

How To Order Ramen in Ichiran Japan

Once available, Ichiran staff will help and ushered you on your seat, which is usually a private booth. Once you sit down in one of the boxes or cubicle. The booth is a U-formed shape which is the same as the cubicle. Once you have sat down in one of the boxes or cubicle, you will need to wait for your order to be served. A stool provided and it’s fixed. Space can be quite tight for large size person. Also, at the back is a hanging rack for your jacket/bag to place and hang. When your order is ready to serve, the wooden rolled down blind will be open and your order will be served.

It’s time to enjoy your delicious bowl of ramen!. There is a small button on the cubicle in case you want to order something else. Also, the curtain will once again lift to check if you have additional order and the server will be closing the curtain one last time. Once you are done, you can press the button in front of you to notify the Ichiran staff that you are finished. The Ichiran staff will take your bowl and clear the table

(Tip: No need to buy tea from the ticket machine as they provide free water in all ramen shops in Tokyo)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ichiran Ramen
How To Order Ramen in Ichiran Japan

Ichiran Ramen is a typical modern Japanese restaurant where it has a vending machine for you to order the food. And on top of that, a form is given where you can customize on how you want your ramen. Every bowl is specifically cooked to your liking (ex. toppings, amount of spices, oils, etc). The noodles were good and the soup was delicious. For us, the only feedback is that when you are inside the restaurant since you will be seated in a cubicle with partition, you won’t be able to talk and discuss with the other person. This only means that you can concentrate on Ramen that you have ordered. And most likely when you are dining in a group, chances are you won’t seat in the same row.

In terms of the ramen, it all depends on each own preference. Being said that, if you want to try tonkatsu broth ramen then Ichiran Ramen is a must-try restaurant to go.

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the gees travel

A wife and a mother of three toddlers | Previously working as customer service executive in a logistics supply chain | working at home mom. But in spite of this added responsibilities I still find time to travel and explore together with my family.