This is a chain ramen restaurant located near Waseda Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, if you walk from Meiji Street towards Waseda Street. I stopped by for lunch during a stroll, even though it was well past 1 o'clock, there was still a line of one group waiting outside. But I decided to wait because if you register as a member on the app of this chain restaurant, you can use a coupon for ramen priced at 550 yen. Once inside, I was guided to a counter seat with plenty of space, and when I mentioned using the coupon, I was told that I could choose from the regular menu instead of the coupon menu. Being a bit cheap, I ordered the most expensive item, which happened to be the "Special Spicy Extreme Karaage Ramen priced at 1290 yen" that matched my taste preferences. It came with toppings of seaweed, flavored egg, and 2 slices of chashu. When it arrived, the presentation was impressive. It also came with sesame paste. As I mixed the sesame paste in, the color turned red. It definitely had a spicy kick. My lips went numb after the first bite, but it was a manageable level of spiciness for me since I like it extra spicy. With breaks in between to enjoy the seaweed and chashu, I slurped the noodles and soup. If this was priced at 550 yen, it would be pure happiness. It was a good meal, as expected from Ippudo, especially their spicy ramen.

I love Ippudo and I often stop by. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice, the shiro maru ramen is of high quality, and most importantly, the quality of the bottled beer is high. The glass is very cold, and it's great when paired with gyoza and spicy bean sprouts. One thing I always think about is that it's hard to find the machine to record entry records with the app.

Just a 10-second walk from my parents' house, this place holds a special memory for me. About 20 years ago, when I was back home for childbirth, I suffered from severe morning sickness and could only eat McDonald's fries or rice balls every day. I remember coming here almost daily to eat at Ichiran. It wasn't a weekday this time, so they didn't have the dumpling rice set, and I ended up getting an extra serving of noodles. My children have been coming here since before they even had teeth, as they have been eating Hakata ramen through the umbilical cord since they were in the womb. It was a refreshing visit to Ichiran after a long time. ☀️

I stopped by because I was feeling a bit hungry. Even though it was close to closing time, I was happy to see the store manager-like woman and the hardworking Caucasian staff. Chain stores often have a reputation for being sloppy, but the female staff here was very polite. Good customer service enhances the taste as well. Thank you. The only downside is that the complimentary pickled vegetables are now available upon request. It feels more like a conveyor belt sushi restaurant now.

A huge sign on the corner serves as a landmark. The fact that there are always customers no matter the time could be because it's a town with many students. They offer a basic menu with the option for extra noodles. The mild flavors that you can enjoy every day, along with the tableside toppings, will make you crave rice for sure.

I visited Hakata Ippudo for the first time, finally fulfilling my wish with no wait at around 6pm on a weekday. I have recently become a fan of tonkotsu ramen, and I believe that if you want to eat tonkotsu ramen, you have to come here. This time, I chose the simple white ramen for my first visit. The noodles were firm and thin, and the soup was deliciously flavorful. I wanted to get a second helping, but I had to pass this time as I was planning to eat at another place as well. I would love to come back again to enjoy this delicious taste.

On the way from Waseda University to Takadanobaba, there is an Ippudo ramen shop. Since it was raining, there were hardly any customers, and the atmosphere of the shop was relaxed, allowing us to enjoy a leisurely meal. It had been a while since I last ate there, but it was the reliable taste of Ippudo.

It was right after the renovation, but I wonder if the staff were also renewed? Everyone is working hard and polite, but things don't seem to be working well together. How many people are handling trouble responses? The placement of the condiment set is terrible, having to move a small plate to get the pepper, then moving the bean sprouts? and touching unnecessary things. The taste is like Ichiran, but with this service, it might as well be in a food court.

I am not a fan of strong-smelling tonkotsu ramen. I can't stand it when the restaurant smells like it. However, this place doesn't have that strong smell at all. The tonkotsu flavor is deep without being overpowering, and the noodles have a great taste with each bite. The combination of the soup and noodles is amazing! In my personal ranking of tonkotsu ramen, this place is at the top. They serve mentaiko rice with a large piece of seaweed placed around the edge of the bowl, but the seaweed is too soggy and hard to chew. The half-size gyoza is small but tasty, and I don't think the price in the 1200 yen range is too high. It's not cheap either. The pickled vegetables and seasoned bean sprouts are all-you-can-eat, and you can also drink unlimited rooibos tea. Depending on your preferences, adding toppings at other places may end up costing the same. Since the rice dishes are not impressive, I'll stick to noodles and extra servings, enjoying the pickled vegetables and bean sprouts with some tea on the side.

Famous restaurant. I randomly walked in. The mild tonkotsu ramen was easy to eat but lacked uniqueness and was a bit unsatisfying. The unlimited spicy bean sprouts were a nice touch. I added pickled mustard greens, sesame, seasoning oil, and gyoza sauce to change up the flavors. Thank you for the meal.

On October 31, 2021, after voting in the election, my wife and I visited the Tenkaippin ramen restaurant in Takadanobaba for the first time. We saw a promotion where you could get a free seasoned egg or a larger portion if you showed your voting receipt. We arrived at the restaurant at 12:49 and there were 2 people waiting outside. It was quite crowded, possibly due to it being lunchtime on a Sunday with many families dining. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes, we were seated at a large table with another family with kids. I remembered visiting Tenkaippin once a few years ago after a children's event, and I found the broth to be quite sweet, so I ordered the Yaseuma ramen for 1150 yen with firm noodles. My wife ordered the Akamaru Shinaji ramen for 890 yen with regular noodles. We also ordered the Hakata bite-sized gyoza for 470 yen, two servings of mentaiko rice for 430 yen each, and requested to add seasoned eggs to them as we had just voted. Our orders arrived in about 6 minutes. The broth was the same sweet, creamy, and rich tonkotsu (pork bone) broth that I remembered from before. It was flavorful without being overpowering, and had a nice kick of spiciness when mixed well. The noodles were firm and had a good bite to them, cooked just as I had requested. The chashu pork slices were thinly cut and mildly seasoned. The vegetable toppings included cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, and shredded wood ear mushrooms. The seasoned egg was slightly runny with a strong sweet flavor. The gyoza were small and had a thin skin, served with a dipping sauce and spicy yuzu pepper. The mentaiko rice had a small amount of mentaiko on top, along with seaweed and pickles. Overall, the food was delicious, but even after eating the ramen with the side dishes, we felt slightly unsatisfied, especially considering the high prices of over 2000 yen for the meal.

The Takadanobaba branch is a shop just a few houses down from my home, and I always get tired of the regular red or white circle ramen, so I always look forward to the limited-time menu. The regular negi ramen is delicious as expected, but I tried the maze soba for the first time, so I had high expectations. Well... it's a taste that may divide opinions among those who love tonkotsu ramen. The maze soba has a refreshing salt flavor. It's not as heavy as the sauce in Taiwanese maze soba, and personally, I like the taste. I tried changing the flavor with the default lemon slices, but since the original taste is already quite acidic, there wasn't much change. So I added the hot bean sprouts and pickled mustard greens on the table for a flavor change challenge. It was a challenging menu, but it might be difficult to become a regular menu item... I think it's good for a change of pace to eat occasionally.

Today, I had ramen at Ippudo. When people think of this restaurant, they often imagine thin noodles with Hakata tonkotsu broth, but today I chose thick noodles instead. I was completely satisfied with the taste and portion of the ramen that was served. This is it. This is what I'm talking about.

Arrived around 12:15 on Friday without waiting in line. Was seated at the counter with a partition separating neighboring seats. Ordered the limited soy sauce tonkotsu ramen. It took quite some time, possibly due to the thick noodles. The bowl arrived after about 15 minutes. At first glance, it seems to be inspired by the tonkotsu style, but the broth has a lower viscosity. Upon taking a sip, the broth has the familiar creamy taste of tonkotsu, yet it feels lighter and has a touch of Ichiran's uniqueness. While it lacks the impact of a traditional tonkotsu ramen, it is more universally appealing. The thick noodles, while not my preference in terms of broth balance, offer a very interesting texture.

When it comes to tonkotsu ramen, the first place that comes to mind is "Ippudo". I sometimes visit the Takadanobaba branch. On my way back from university, I stopped by for a quick dinner. When I entered the restaurant, there were no other customers. It felt like I had the place to myself. As soon as I sat down, they served me tea. The tea was delicious, with a refreshing taste like rooibos tea, which helped cleanse my palate from the rich ramen. That day, I had the Shiromaru ramen with normal noodle firmness (750 yen + tax). The bowl looked slim, but surprisingly had a good amount of food. The noodles seemed never-ending, always waiting for me to eat more (laughs). I was a bit worried if I could finish it since I had a tapioca drink before, but I managed to finish it without any problem. Ramen that easily fits into your stomach is dangerous (laughs). The chashu was tender and flavorful, and the soup had a strong taste that made me want to keep drinking it. However, as more customers started coming in, I quickly finished my meal and left.

It had been a while since we visited the restaurant for a weekend lunch with the family. We arrived around 12:30, and the restaurant was almost full, but luckily we got in without waiting. In the past, when the kids were younger, they used to share one bowl of ramen, but now that they are both in elementary school, they each ordered their own bowl. The older child got the one with vegetables, the younger one got the plain one, and my wife and I ordered the one with egg. We also ordered two sets of gyoza (with rice). It was nice that they offer lunch sets even on weekends. It was our first time at Ichiran in a while, and it was consistently delicious. The noodles in the one with egg seemed a bit different from before, a bit thicker maybe. Overall, it was a satisfying lunch for the whole family! Thank you for the meal!

I opened the door of a ramen shop in the late night in Nishi-Waseda, around the middle of Takadanobaba Station and Waseda Station, near the Jizo Yokocho. There were a few young customers inside. I ordered the Shiro Maru ramen, gyoza, and mentaiko rice set, along with a bottled beer. I was seated at the counter with a partition due to COVID-19 measures. The spicy bean sprouts were delicious, and the Shiro Maru ramen had a slightly sweet and gentle flavor that paired well with the thin noodles. The mentaiko rice was slightly spicy and tasty. Despite feeling guilty for eating ramen late at night, I enjoyed the meal without thinking about it. Eating ramen in the late night feels like a forbidden act.

I came to try the newly renovated Kara Miso Ramen. I ordered the Special Extreme Kara Miso Ramen with normal spiciness for 1090 yen. It came with two slices of chashu, three sheets of nori, and an egg. The ramen arrived in about 5 minutes. The tonkotsu soup had spicy oil, meat miso, and tempura bits, providing a nice level of spiciness. I ordered an extra serving of noodles and added sesame bomb halfway through, which mellowed out the spiciness. I enjoyed the two different flavors and was satisfied with the delicious bowl. Thank you for the meal.

〜〜〜〜〜September 2, 2020 revisit〜〜〜〜〜On this day, I went back to Ichiran after a long time. I haven't been to Ebisu recently, so I haven't had Ichiran for a while. I heard that Ichiran recently launched an official app. By registering as a member on this app, you can get a coupon for a ramen bowl for ¥500. I signed up right away. Now, which ramen should I choose... the white one or the red one... I was pondering when I heard a voice from above. It said to go for the most expensive one since they are all ¥500. Also, toppings are not included, but the ones that come with the ramen are okay. So... I went for the special spicy miso ramen! - Special Spicy Miso Ramen: ¥1,090 (excluding tax) with nori, half-boiled seasoned egg, and 2 extra slices of chashu. I ordered it with medium spiciness and requested the noodles to be the firmest, which was not on the menu, but they made it happen by adjusting the flour dusting. It's like a pork bone-based tantanmen. Maybe I should have gone for the red or white one after all... - Cod Roe Rice Set: ¥290 (excluding tax) with cod roe rice for ¥300 (excluding tax). The cod roe here is really delicious. It's soaked in a flavorful broth. Usually, I avoid ordering rice dishes when I get extra noodles, but I just can't resist Ichiran's cod roe rice. - Extra Noodles: ¥100 (excluding tax), also with the firmest texture. Since I've installed the app now, I want to aim for a higher rank and visit a few more times. But, there's no convenient location for the shop to easily drop by. Visit date: September 2, 2020 〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

To Ippudo: It was so hot outside, and even though I went in after seeing the poster for the summer limited edition cold noodles, I somehow ended up ordering the usual hot noodles. And it was the weekend, so there was a lunch special! My son had the shiro maru lunch set, and I had the karaka-men (spicy level 3) lunch set. The tables had free-flowing rooibos tea, which was very generous! Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, condiments like spicy bean sprouts, takana, and garlic were available upon request from the staff. At the entrance, there was hand sanitizer, and the tables were disinfected after each customer left. The place was almost full, probably because there were many families with children. We sat at the counter. My son's order came out quickly because he had ordered the harigane noodles... and mine, as I had ordered barikata, came out shortly after. We often go to Ippudo, but this particular branch served the rice bowls extremely hot!! Perhaps that's why, even though I eat slowly due to being sensitive to hot food, by the time I finished my meal, it was still piping hot. The lunch's bite-sized gyoza were also delicious. Thank you for the meal!

It had been 3 years since I last visited Ippudo, and 7 years since I visited the Takadanobaba branch. I used to go there often, even if I had to wait in line. I ordered the Akamaru with mushrooms and green onions as toppings, and the noodles were firm. I also had some alcohol. The bean sprouts, pickled vegetables, and red pickled ginger on the table were just right as snacks with drinks. I used to have them with rice as well. The soup had a moderate pork bone smell and a slightly sweet taste. The firm noodles went down smoothly. I added extra noodles and squeezed fresh garlic for a change in flavor. It's a special treat that I can only have before my day off. The taste was consistently delicious. I truly enjoyed my long-awaited visit to Ippudo.