photo by Sig.
Ramen is a very familiar food for Japanese people, and the number of ramen shops reaches as many as 30,000. If all eateries like local diners or Chinese restaurants that serve ramen are included, there are more than that. So, we definitely can say that ramen is Japanese soul food. It is also quite popular in other countries. As it is such a popular food, big cities naturally have numerous ramen shops. Also in Osaka, the biggest city in Western Japan, there are so many great ramen shops all over.
Yodogawa-ku: Human Beings Everybody Noodles (Soy ramen)
The shop’s name is very unique thus it is well-known in Osaka. They have three kinds of ramen on their menu: Macro with strong shellfish-based soup, Micro with rich broth, and mild-taste Genten Ramen. All of these are soy sauce soup ramen. In addition to the yummy soup, toppings like soft and juicy steamed and special bamboo shoots are delicious. Among other shops in Nishi-Nakajima where many ramen shops gather, this shop always has a queue of people who crave ramen.
Human Beings Everybody Noodles
Address: 1-12-15 Nishi-nakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka
TEL: 06-6309-9910
Trading hours: Mon – Thu 10:00 – 3:00, Fri 10:00 – 4:00、Sat 9:00 – 4:00, Sun 9:00 – 3:00
Access: Short walk from Hankyu Kyoto Line Minamigata Station or Osaka Metro Midosuji Line Nishinakajima Minamigata Station
Fukushima-ku: Moeyo Mensuke (Duck broth noodle, Shellfish broth noodle)
Moeyo Mensuke, which is a very unique name, is a small but very popular shop. Normally, soy sauce ramen soup is made with chicken broth soup, but this shop uses rich duck broth. Also, the non-greasy chicken and shellfish broth-based ramen is popular. Their ramen is served with standard toppings like a boiled egg, duck chashu, spring onion, and bamboo shoots, matching very well with their special noodles and soup. You probably have to wait in a queue before you can go inside the shop, but it is worth waiting.
Moeyo Mensuke
Address: 5-12-21 Fukushima, Fukushima-ku, Osaka
TEL: 06-6452-2101
Trading hours: Tue – Sat 11:30 – 15:00/18:00 – 21:00, Sun 11:30 – 16:00/18:00 – 21:00 (Mon closed)
Access: 1 min from JR Osaka Loop Line Fukushima Station, or 2 min from Hanshin Line Fukushima Station
Kita-ku Osaka City: Hayato (Miso ramen)
Opened in 2015, Ramen Hayato is a rather new but well-known shop in Osaka. Among the three types of ramen: salt, soy sauce, and miso, miso ramen is the best-selling dish here. Medium-thick noodles with garlic-flavored miso-based soup fill you up well. This shop’s miso ramen is so popular that its instant noodle version manufactured by Myojo Shokuhin is available. Meanwhile, salt ramen and soy sauce ramen are served with thin noodles. The clear but rich soup is perfectly matching with the noodles and even addictive.
Hayato
Address: 1-2-2 Minamimori-machi, Kita-ku, Osaka
TEL: 06-6312-8276
Trading hours: 11:00 – until ingredients run out
Access: Short walk from JR Minamimori-machi Station, 3 min from Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line/Sakaisuji Line Minamimori-machi Station
Chuo-ku Osaka City: Ramen style Junk Story (Salt tsukemen)
This shop has only 9 seats at the counter and is so small but their ramen tastes heavenly! They have four types of salt-based ramen and one soy sauce-based ramen. Among them, salt tsukemen is the most popular. Thick-cut chashu is also rich and tasty. Both salt-based soup and soy sauce-based soup are light-taste and match perfectly with their thin noodles. During summertime, cold salt ramen will be a great choice. Eating hot ramen would be too much during summer, but cold ramen will be refreshing.
Ramen style Junk Story
Address: 1-2-11 Takatsu, Chuo-ku, Osaka
TEL: 050-5487-4303
Trading hours: Mon – Fri 11:00 – 14:30/18:00 – 22:00, Sat, Sun & public holiday 11:00 – 22:00
Access: 3 min from Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line/Sen-nichimae Line Tanimachi 9-chome Station
Nishi-ku Osaka City: Kadoya Shokudo (Chuka noodle)
This shop is long-established and well-known in Osaka. The exterior of this shop is exactly like a typical local ramen shop. The red signboard and door curtain catch your eye. There are a few chairs outside the shop for those who wait in a queue, proving how this shop is popular. Their menu includes chuka ramen, salt-based ramen, wonton noodles, tsukesoba, and black pork soup ramen. Among these, soy sauce-based chuka ramen is the best-selling. The straight medium-thick noodles, thick chashu, chopped spring onion, and toppings are simple. They also have a few types of rice menu.
Kadoya Shokudo
Address: 大阪市西区新町4-16-13 キャピタル西長堀 1F
TEL: 06-6535-3633
Trading hours: 11:00 – 17:00LO (Tue closed)
Access: 3 min from Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line/Sen-nichi mae Line Nishi-nagahori Station
Bon appétit!
Ramen seems a simple dish at a glance, but actually, it has many different types such as soy sauce-based soup, miso-based soup, salt-based soup made with different types of broth as well as a variety of types of noodles. There are numerous ramen shops across Japan and some of them are so popular for their locally-based or uniquely customized flavoring to the extent that their ramen is sold as instant noodles. This time, only 5 shops out of more than 1000 ramen shops in Osaka. Typical of Osaka, the city of comedy, some of them have really humorous names. But the names are not the only reason they stand out, people love these shops simply because their ramen tastes fantastic.
