02 Feb 2024
Written by Pitari Japan Team
Top 6 Best Unique Ramen Near Shibuya and Futako-Tamagawa
Clam Broth, Abura Soba, Ayu Ramen, and more!
Ramen (ラーメン, Rāmen) is undoubtedly one of the most iconic Japanese dishes, and yet, oftentimes foreigners only touch the most mainstream options like Tonkotsu Ramen (豚骨ラーメン, Tonkotsu Rāmen) from popular chains like Ippudo and Ichiran. The world of ramen is vast and unique, especially within Tokyo where the boundaries of food are always being challenged. Some of the unique ramen concepts that foreigners might have never even heard of include dry ramen, clam ramen, and all sorts of other unique creations that you are unlikely to find outside of Japan.
So here's a list of the Top 6 Unusual and Unique Ramen Concepts near Shibuya (渋谷) and Futako-Tamagawa (二子玉川, Futako Tamagawa)!
Best Unique Ramen In Shibuya
1. Oil-Based Ramen: Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten
東京油組総本店 渋谷
Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten Shibuya
Delicious Dry Ramen
Abura Soba (油そば) is one of the big ramen trends of the 2020s in Japan, with the Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten chain (sometimes also just called Tokyo Abura Soba) leading the charge. This dish looks deceptively simple, like a bowl of ramen that forgot the soup. But once you mix, it and slurp down your first mouthful of noodles, the umami (旨味, Savoriness) hits you straight away. Even though this chain has spread far and wide across Japan, you'll find long snaking queues of students and salaryman lining up for their bowl of abura soba at all of their branches.
The menu in the shop is simple, there's only one dish, abura soba, with the main choice being the size of the noodles (regular, large, or double), all at the same price. There's also a spicy option for those who want to challenge their spice tolerance, be warned that this isn't your usual Japanese spice level. Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten is a great way to fill your stomach up after a long day of work or exploring. The shop's mantra is "When it comes to an abura soba where the noodles are delicious, it has to be Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten!".
東京油組総本店 渋谷
Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten Shibuya
2. Dry Mixed Ramen: Mazesoba Shichi
まぜそば 七
Mazesoba Shichi
Comforting Dry Ramen in South Shibuya
Mazesoba Shichi is a maze soba (まぜそば) specialty shop located on the south side of Shibuya. This unassuming shop serves up various forms of dry ramen including maze soba, abura soba (油そば), and also the traditional forms of shoyu ramen (醤油ラーメン, Shōyu Rāmen, Soy Sauce Ramen) and shio ramen (塩ラーメン, Shio Rāmen, Salt Ramen). What sets the shop apart is definitely its maze soba, that is topped with minced meat, blocks of chashu (チャシュウ, Chashū, Roasted Pork), an egg, negi (葱, Spring Onion), nori (のり, Seaweed), with some tare (たれ, Sauce). Mixed together and eaten, it's like a flavour explosion in your mouth! You can also choose your spiciness level for those who are inclined.
Their recommended way of eating is as follows:
- As it is served hot, be sure to mix the maze soba as soon as you can. Then eat it as-is to enjoy the original taste.
- Squeeze in two rounds of vinegar, two rounds of chili oil, one scoop of fresh minced garlic, some pepper, and then mix it again.
- For those who want, you can top-up for diced tamanegi (玉ねぎ, Onion) (¥30) or beansprouts with cabbage (¥100)
- Furthermore, depending on your mood that day, you can add more chili oil, kasansho, curry powder, mayonnaise, or pork fats (each ¥30)
- At the end, leave behind a bit of the tare and noodles. Then add a single mouthful of rice (¥70) or a bowl of rice (¥150) and a raw egg (¥70), and then mix it all together for the ultimate palate cleanser.
まぜそば 七
Mazesoba Shichi
3. Germ-Noodle Tsukemen: Dogenzaka Mammoth
道玄坂マンモス
Dogenzaka Mammoth
Shibuya's Popular Gyokai Tsukemen Shop
Dogenzaka Mammoth specializes in an ultra-thick variant of tsukemen (つけ麺, Dipping noodles), and its tucked away on the western end of the Dogenzaka area in Shibuya (渋谷). The dipping broth for their tsukemen is made out of a thick mixture of tonkotsu (豚骨, Pork bones) and gyokai (魚介), so its extremely rich in umami, without the use of any form of oil. The broth perfectly coats the noodles, making for a very satisfying slurp when you eat a bowl. Dogenzaka Mammoth offers two types of noodles: an in-house specialty, the nutritious Haiga-men (胚芽麺, germ noodles), and the springy Mocchiri-men (もっちり麺). The Haiga-men is generally recommended for first-timers, in order to try out this noodle unique to Dogenzaka Mammoth.
Wari Soup (割りスープ, Wari Sūpu) is also available on the table for you to dilute your dipping broth, so that you can drink it up as soup at the end of the meal. If you feel like your soup has gotten cold, feel free to call for an atsumori (あつもり) to heat it back up, and get it back to its original delicious self. If you're in the Shibuya area, and looking for an off-the-beaten-path ramen shop, be sure to check out Dogenzaka Mammoth for a filling and satisfying meal.
道玄坂マンモス
Dogenzaka Mammoth
Best Unique Ramen in the Suburbs near Shibuya
4. Clam Broth Ramen: Kuramu (Futako-Tamagawa)
貝出汁中華そば くらむ
Kuramu
Tokyo's Best Clam Broth Ramen & a Hidden Ramen Gem
Kuramu is one of Tokyo's best hidden finds, specializing in an out-of-this-world clam broth ramen (ラーメン, Rāmen). Located in Futako-Tamagawa (二子玉川, Futako Tamagawa), a short ride from Shibuya (渋谷), this hole-in-the-wall shop always commands a queue of locals during lunch and dinner. The soup broth is jam-packed with the umami from the kai (貝, Shellfish) and hotate (ホタテ, Scallop) that have been boiled down to produce this lovely concentrated, and yet light and addictive broth. There's nothing quite like it, and that's why it's such a favourite amongst ramen enthusiasts.
貝出汁中華そば くらむ
Kuramu
5. Whole Grilled Fish Ramen: Ayu Ramen (Futako-Tamagawa)
鮎ラーメン
Ayu Ramen
Clear Shio Broth Ramen w/ Grilled Fish
Ayu Ramen specializes in well, its namesake, Ayu (鮎, Sweetfish) Ramen (ラーメン, Rāmen), which is an extremely light and clear shio ramen (塩ラーメン, Shio Rāmen, Salt Ramen) served with an entire grilled fresh ayu sitting on top. The dish is so minimalistic, it's almost a work of art. The soup is bright and clear, with their own in-house thin noodles, topped with some sliced negi (葱, Spring Onion), a slice of nori (のり, Seaweed), a bit of herbs, and that beautiful ayu that has been gutted and deboned. The shop itself is also a very much, hole-in-the-wall shop, just with a long queue outside. Consisting of a single set of 8 counter seats by the roadside, this is very much a no-frills, yet homely ramen. The soup is extremely light, yet also deep and delicious at the same time. Before you know it, you'll have downed an entire bowl, and are contemplating if you should get a second round of noodles! That's just how good Ayu Ramen is, and it's why it's built a strong following in ramen guidebooks, and the area!
Do note though, that while the shop is open for lunch and dinner. They only serve Ayu Ramen for dinner, and serve a seasonal ramen for lunch.
鮎ラーメン
Ayu Ramen
6. Kamatama Ramen: Kamatama Chukasoba Napoleon-ken (Toritsu-Daigaku)
釜玉中華そばナポレオン軒
Kamatama Chukasoba Napoleon-ken
Created by a Ramen Legend
Kamatama Chukasoba Napoleon-ken went viral on the internet, television, and social media with its completely unique creation the Kamatama Ramen. Typically, Kamatama Udon (釜玉うどん) is freshly made noodles served with a raw egg, and mixed with shoyu (醤油, Shōyu, Soy Sauce). Napoleon-ken has taken this dining concept and applied it to ramen (ラーメン, Rāmen), serving up freshly made ramen noodles with a raw egg, sliced negi (葱, Spring Onion), and a deceptively delicious tare (たれ, Sauce). A giant signboard outside the shop says "When it comes to delicious freshly-made noodles, the best way to eat it is Kamatama" (美味い麺を作ったら1番美味しい食べ方は 釜玉でした, oishii men wo tsukuttara ichiban oishii tabekata wa kamatama deshita).
There is really, nothing quite like this dish around. When you first dig into it, the taste of the freshly made noodles comes through, and the dish tastes so simple, and yet it is insanely addictive, umami (旨味, Savoriness)-filled, and a much deeper taste than you first expect. There's also 12 condiments that you can mix together with your noodles to change up the taste including fried shallots, special kamatama shoyu (醤油, Shōyu, Soy Sauce), black fungus, maitake (舞茸) vinegar, grated shoga (生姜, Shōga, Ginger), grated garlic, chili oil, and extra-spicy chives. We personally highly recommend the maitake vinegar, it's an extremely unique taste that brings together the expensive fragrance of the maitake, with the sour lightness of vinegar, and it's not a vinegar that you can really find anywhere else.
釜玉中華そばナポレオン軒
Kamatama Chukasoba Napoleon-ken
Top 6 Best Unique Ramen near Shibuya and Futako-Tamagawa
These are 6 of the top unique ramen concepts that you should try out when you're in Shibuya or nearby. Some of these are definitely extremely popular with the locals, and some of them are far off-the-beaten-track. Whichever ones you try, you're sure to broaden your concept of what ramen is, and how there's always near forms of Japanese cuisine to be discovered!
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