鮎ラーメン

Ayu Ramen

Clear Shio Broth Ramen w/ Grilled Fish

Operating Hours

11:30 to 14:30 (Daily)

18:00 to 23:00 (Daily)

Budget

Ayu Ramen specializes in well, its namesake, , which is an extremely light and clear 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 , a slice of , 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.
Shio Ramen from Ayu Ramen in Futako-Tamagawa, Tokyo

Ayu Ramen's Unique Points (こだわり, Kodawari)

The shop only uses fresh ayu fished from (岐阜県, Gifu-ken) Mazegawa (馬瀬川) and Miyagawa (宮川) Rivers where the water is extremely clear as it flows down from the . The thin noodles are also shipped directly from a noodle producer in (高山), Gifu Prefecture. Since the ayu are specially sourced from these clear rivers, they don't have the typical fishy stench that many other river fish do. Since the quality of the ayu is also rather high, the depth of the taste comes through well in the final dish.
The broth is made using ayu, chicken fats, and a variety of fresh vegetables. Each ingredient is specially selected to bring out the best of its taste, and slowly boiled for more than seven hours in order to bring out the light richness of the ayu broth. The result is a perfectly clear soup that is packed with the fragrance and taste of the ayu.
The ayu is also grilled to order, so that when it arrives freshly grilled atop the ramen, customers can enjoy the freshness and fragrance of the fish.

Ayu Ramen Review and Thoughts

Recommended
In all our time in Japan, we've never seen something quite like Ayu Ramen. Shio Ramen are not commonly found in Japan, because it's difficult to get it right. The seasoning needs to be just perfect, because too light and bland, too heavy and it's just a single note of saltiness. And so, not many places today dare to specialize in a single shio ramen broth and pull it off as well as Ayu Ramen can.
Of course, having a grilled fish atop your bowl of ramen is a great novelty and all, and the fish itself is definitely sweet and delicious. But what makes this dish work for us, is how delicious the clear broth and light noodles are. We could eat an entire bowl of just the noodles and soup, and be perfectly satisfied. It's just that good.
They also open pretty late, so nothing beats coming late at night, sitting by the counter, and eating a nice piping hot bowl of ramen. It's just one of those classic Japanese experiences. Of course, if you want something heavier, you can also add on one of their signature yaki-onigiri, but we just love the simplicity of their shio ramen.
It's difficult to describe in words just how good this dish is, without having you try it for yourself. But we can guarantee you, that you won't regret it.
Do note again, that they only serve this for dinner at their main branch in Futako-Tamagawa, but you can get it for lunch at their Toranomon Hills branch.

Ayu Ramen's Story

Ayu Ramen was founded by Saito Takashi (斎藤敬, Saitō Takashi) who spent 10 years conceptualising Ayu Ramen, and took 3 years of trial and error to perfect the recipe. His aim was to impart his love for the taste of to his customers, and his attention to detail for the ingredients showcases that.

Ayu Ramen Menu Recommendations

鮎ゴトラーメン

Ayu Goto Ramen

¥1,050
The signature dish is the Goto Ramen, which means its a ramen that comes with the whole fish. In fact, the shop only sells this one single type of ramen, with the only choice being if you want a whole fish, half a fish, or a quarter of the fish. That's how much confidence that they have in their signature dish.

鮎焼きおにぎり

Ayu Yaki Onigiri

¥220
The recommended side dish to get is the grilled , where the rice from the onigiri is actually cooked using broth from the ayu. The best way to eat it, is to mix it into the soup at the end of your meal, to change up the taste, and enjoy the perfect harmony of flavours and textures.

Ayu Ramen Is Mentioned In

Getting to Ayu Ramen

From

二子玉川駅

Futako-Tamagawa Station

DT

07

田園都市線

Den-en-Toshi Line

OM

15

大井町線

Oimachi Line

Take West Exit

Walk
5 mins
300m

Check out other spots in Futako Tamagawa

Kishin-en Garden at Futako-tamagawa, Tokyo

二子玉川

Futako Tamagawa

Kanto.jpg

東京

Tokyo

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