For first-time visitors, the entrance may be a bit hard to find. You can get a parking ticket for the nearby parking lot (30 minutes). There are also other affiliated parking lots available. I always have the rich miso ramen. I visited around 3 pm after missing lunch, and when I was about to leave, I noticed the place was full. I would like to try the popular gyoza next time.

I abandoned my trip to Sapporo before returning to Kyoto, but I really wanted to eat miso ramen. I visited the restaurant with low expectations, just hoping for a miso-based ramen with unique yellow curly noodles. I decided to try their most popular dish, the "rich miso ramen." It seemed to have pork fat in it. To my surprise, it was delicious. I didn't expect much, but the ramen exceeded my imagination. My companion ordered a non-rich miso ramen, which was also delicious. Personally, I prefer the non-rich version. I even ended up ordering a beer, despite not planning to drink. I left the restaurant feeling very satisfied. I want to spread the word that you can enjoy high-quality miso ramen without having to go all the way to Sapporo, as there is a great restaurant in Otaru near the station.

I went to a ramen shop in Hokkaido. It was located on the second floor of a building and the interior was cramped. I could see various supplies and the staff seemed indifferent, so the atmosphere wasn't very pleasant. However, the ramen was delicious.

- Non-smoking - Members card: ¥100 discount or one free topping (please see the image of the members card) - Receive a ¥100 parking ticket near the station - The ticket vending machine right after entering the ticket system... It's tough for first-timers. It's been so long that I felt rushed as soon as I entered! Beginners might want to look at the menu and decide. Some people might decide after researching on the internet, but if you happen to enter and need a ticket, it can be stressful! It's even more stressful when you're in line behind others! You have to decide by looking at the menu outside the entrance of the building! This might be my second time in my life? My niece likes it here and always goes for the same set of three items: - Mini miso ramen - Gyoza - Rice - Spicy miso ramen (my sister) With the members card, you can get extra vegetables. I went for the rich miso ramen. It seems that I also went for the rich option the first time, but I have no memory of it, so maybe it wasn't that bad? Everyone orders using the members card. Everyone can get a members card, and if you have it, you can get a ¥100 discount or one free topping on your next visit (I might come back with my niece, so I took it with me on my way out). They ask if you want garlic with your ramen. Garlic is a must for miso ramen! They bring it in a small dish (I wish they brought a bit more!). The oil film is impressive! I wanted to measure how many millimeters it was! First sip of the soup -> salty. Slurping the noodles -> good firmness. Sipping the soup -> added garlic and pepper! -> a bit salty. Chashu rolls -> surprisingly good texture, a bit salty. Flavored egg -> just delicious. I debated whether to get extra soup... Well, in the end, I drank all the soup! Garlic is a must, it definitely makes it taste better. If it's not there, it feels like something is missing! The waitress was kind and had a cute smile. Cute waitress smiles are really soothing! [Result -> The miso ramen was just delicious] - I'd like the extra soup to be a bit lighter. - Personally, I don't really like chashu rolls in ramen... I'd prefer a thinner slice of regular chashu, but that's probably not possible. - I want more garlic, so I might try asking for extra next time. [Personal thoughts] This seems to be a common trend in ramen shops these days, but it seems like they offer a wide variety of toppings. I'd like them to keep it simple, maybe just with vegetables. Honestly, I don't need flavored eggs, chashu, or bamboo shoots! Of course, they're all delicious and great as snacks with alcohol, but sometimes I just want to eat a simple bowl of ramen, you know? There are times when I just want to enjoy the delicious soup and noodles alone. There are shops where you can do that, and the prices are quite reasonable too! It's an affordable price that you can enjoy every day. I'm not a ramen maniac, so around ¥1000 is a bit expensive... Otaru is a rural area with many elderly people, but there are a lot of tourists, so the prices of restaurants are surprisingly high. Plus, everything seems to be getting more expensive nowadays. But this place also offers mini ramen, which is helpful! However, why isn't there a mini option for the rich miso ramen? It would be nice to have one. So, for now, my recommended miso ramen is from Yadoya in Naka-Meguro, Tokyo. The owner is from Mashike, Hokkaido, and makes delicious miso ramen. It's a bit far from Naka-Meguro station, and you have to walk quite a bit, but if you have the chance, please try it out!

When I feel like eating ramen, I go to this place. For me, eating ramen out is like eating junk food, so I usually like their rich ramen here, but this time I went for the seafood ramen (1,100 yen). I'm glad they didn't go out of business due to the corona situation, and there was a decent crowd. (^_^) It's been a year and a half since I last visited "Nishiya"! ...I should have stuck with the rich ramen after all. The things I don't usually eat are just okay. It's delicious, but my brain keeps saying, "This isn't it"... If the corona situation continues to settle down, I will make sure to order my usual next time!! I'm happy they didn't close, so I give it 4 stars. I will definitely go back again.

I tried the most popular rich miso ramen. At first, I took a sip of the soup and felt a familiar taste similar to Sapporo Ichiban miso ramen. As I continued eating, that familiar taste faded away, but I couldn't quite understand the meaning of "rich" until the end. It was just a delicious miso ramen. The noodles and soup didn't impress me much, but I really liked the diced chashu with its flavorful seasoning that screamed "roast pork!" The seasoned egg was also delicious, maybe it's the same seasoning? I liked it a lot. I enjoyed the chashu and seasoned egg so much that I wished they were sold separately for drinking with alcohol. However, the ramen itself didn't leave a strong enough impression for me to want to eat it again.

In front of Otaru Station, there is a restaurant called Nishiya. My family wanted to go here, so we went. We parked the car in the parking lot in front of the station and entered the restaurant. First, we bought food tickets at the ticket machine. It's not a bad system, but after buying the food tickets, there are menus at the table! Don't you want to sit down and leisurely decide on your order?! It's a ramen shop, after all! Well, let's not worry about the details. The seats were a mix of counter seats and table seats, and there were many university students and tourists. My companion, who is a regular, ordered the Salt Butter Corn Ramen (900 yen). I decided to play it safe and ordered the Light Salt Ramen, just like last time. They also have rich ramen, but when I hear "rich," I tend to hesitate. That's just me being hesitant. Please forgive my unique language. I'm a bit hesitant. Oh, I remember now, my companion ordered the Salt Butter Corn Ramen last time. How many years ago was that? It feels nostalgic. The Light Salt Ramen (760 yen) is truly a classic salt ramen. It's definitely light. Hmm, it's the basic taste. But it's not quite satisfying. I also ordered rice, but for some reason, I couldn't finish it. Why is that?! I tried a bit of the Salt Butter Corn Ramen that my companion ordered. Ah, I see now. "Base." The foundation, the basis, the basics. The Butter Corn Ramen adds various accents to this base salt ramen. Richness, sweetness, greasiness. It's a little sweet, but it has richness and is delicious ramen. My companion likes this one. I understand that. Ramen is a matter of personal preference. So, what does this Light Salt Ramen that I ordered mean? Do I need to appreciate the base taste? Was the choice here the rich option? Hmm, it's a puzzling question. It's not a bad ramen, it's delicious and well-made, but I realized that it was created with the assumption of changing flavors. This is truly a base ramen. Not bad at all. When we mentioned that we parked in the station parking lot, they gave us a parking ticket, which was a nice service. However, it's also a bit of a downside that you wouldn't get it if you didn't mention it.

I visited a ramen shop in Otaru for the first time in October 2019, which was my 58th ramen experience of the year. The first bowl I tried was at a Chinese restaurant, so I couldn't confirm the true value of Otaru ramen. So, where should I eat my second bowl in Otaru? Unfortunately, I can only walk around, so it's impossible to cover all of Otaru city. This time, I am exploring ramen shops in the central part of Otaru. The shop I visited this time is located near Otaru Station. It's a bit unusual for a ramen shop to be on the second floor of a building, accessed by stairs. I wonder if this has any impact on customer traffic. The most popular menu item is the "rich" style. I decided to start with the regular soy sauce ramen priced at 760 yen. The appearance of the ramen was not particularly distinctive. The toppings included thick slices of pork shoulder chashu, seasoned bamboo shoots, and boiled egg. The tonkotsu clear broth was light and refreshing, but I didn't feel any standout features. Although the ramen looked dark, it wasn't overly salty, which I appreciated. The noodles were from Sapporo Kanejin Food, and while the overall bowl was decent, it didn't leave a strong impression that would make me want to come back for more. There seem to be two shops in Otaru, but for now, I need to explore other ramen shops.

In August 2019, I visited a ramen restaurant near JR Otaru Station, which may be the closest ramen restaurant to the station. Originally, I had planned to eat at a different restaurant that day, but the weather unexpectedly worsened. The rain wasn't heavy, but the strong wind made my umbrella useless. I had no choice but to seek shelter in this nearby restaurant. Although I knew about this place beforehand, its location on the second floor of a mixed-use building didn't pique my interest much. However, the opportunity presented itself, so I decided to give it a try. Upon entering, I purchased a ticket from the vending machine and sat at the counter by the window. I chose the most popular "Rich Miso Ramen," which cost 890 yen. The presentation of the ramen was impressive with chunky chashu, boiled egg, and a thick layer of oil on the soup. The soup itself wasn't as rich as expected, but the oil layer was quite prominent. The noodles were medium-thick curly noodles, typical of miso ramen. The toppings included the unique chunky chashu, menma, and chopped green onions. While I may not have the chance to revisit due to the many other ramen shops in Otaru, the convenient location near the station may lead me back in the future.

I had some business to attend to in Otaru, so I left work early and headed over. I arrived in Otaru around 5:00 pm, so I decided to grab something to eat first. I had been to Ramen Kyowakoku (Ramen Republic) before and enjoyed their ramen, so I decided to visit again. I remembered liking their soy sauce ramen, but my colleague had recommended the "rich miso" last time. However, I decided to stick to my original plan and ordered the "rich soy sauce ramen" for 860 yen. When the ramen arrived, there was no steam coming off it, but there was a noticeable oil film on the surface. The soup was hot! It was probably the fried onions floating in it that I remembered. However, it was a bit salty... The taste was not bad, with a tonkotsu base and a double soup with added dried fish, and the vegetables blended in well. The sweetness of the vegetables was just right, but it was salty... I needed some rice to balance it out. Maybe things have changed since last time, or maybe I've gotten older, or perhaps I didn't actually have the rich version before? Haha. I wonder how the miso or normal flavors are. I'll have to try them if I get the chance. Thank you for the meal!

A ramen shop on the second floor of a building. You can eat while watching travelers in front of Otaru Station and cars passing by on Route 5 from the second floor. The entrance and interior of the shop don't have much atmosphere, but the taste is solid. Delicious miso ramen from the north. Thick noodles with a lot of lard in the soup. A place I want to visit again.

The ramen shop I wanted to go to was closed until my third choice, which was disappointing. I asked the hotel front desk for a recommendation and ended up here. The ramen was very salty and heavy on the soy sauce, and even though I added garlic, it was just okay. The mini chashu rice bowl was not good - the chashu didn't taste great, the green onions smelled like they were from the fridge, and the rice was not good. If my third choice is closed, I won't compromise and go to a different restaurant. I definitely won't go back here!

I stopped by for lunch at a popular restaurant where you order by ticket and there is a line. I had my favorite old-fashioned gentle bonito dashi soup and enjoyed all of it.

The rich miso flavor was really delicious!

Located just a 1-minute walk from Otaru Station, this restaurant is in a small mixed-use building on the second floor, so it may be a bit hard to find. You need to prepay for your meal ticket. It tends to get crowded during lunchtime. The salt-flavored ramen was neither good nor bad, just average. Next time, I will try the highly recommended miso ramen.

Miso ramen with added egg and chashu, total 990 yen. Waited 20 minutes longer than expected for the ramen to arrive. Contrary to the reviews, it was too salty and I couldn't finish it. Disappointing.

The rich soy sauce garlic is served in a separate dish.