Since the beginning of this year, the restaurant has changed from its third generation to its fourth, making some adjustments to its menu. With the help of a certain ramen shop, they were able to somewhat maintain the taste of the original (except for the soy sauce ramen). As a fan of 50 years, I was relieved to see this, but it was short-lived. Following advice from a famous ramen shop owner in Sapporo, they learned how to bring out umami without using chemical seasonings, and decided to create a completely different ramen to add their own twist. While they may have gained new customers with this change, many long-time fans of the original "Ichiban" are starting to drift away. When the restaurant changed from the first to the second generation, some fans left due to the difference in taste, but this time, the complete transformation has raised doubts about whether they can still call themselves "Ichiban." At this point, all we can do is watch in silence.

I have been living in Otaru for about 35 years. During this time, the main owner of the shop has changed from the first generation to the fourth generation. Currently, the main owner is the fourth generation. I had soy sauce ramen. The soup made by the fourth generation has the strongest thickness among all the generations. Now, let's talk about the noodles. The noodles are chewy with a smooth surface. The contrast between the chewy noodles and the thick soup was not achieved. I think it would be better if the noodles had a firmer texture and could hold onto the soup better. Although they advertise it as "high-water noodles," it would be fine if it weren't for the name of the shop being "Ichiban." I came to eat ramen at Ichiban, after all.

Ordered salt ramen and tamago kake gohan. The soup, made with natural ingredients and bonito broth, had a gentle flavor that I liked. The chashu was tender and juicy, and the noodles were smooth and delicious. The tamago kake gohan, with its rich egg and hot rice, left me feeling full and happy. It was a very satisfying meal~

2022/12 Revisit 36th visit to Otaru City, where "Ramen Ichiban" is located, with passionate fans. Since I am not from Otaru, I do not know the true taste of "Ichiban". I was invited by the "local boss" who has been a regular since the founding of "Ichiban" last time in January 2021. According to the "local boss", the owner at that time was the third generation, and although he said it had become quite different from the founder, he praised it as "quite good". I am not particularly fond of the "thick tonkotsu" similar to this "family style", but surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Later, the management changed to the fourth generation, and the "local boss" described it as "completely different from Ichiban" during his "regular observation", which piqued my interest, so the boss took me there. According to the boss, they sought guidance from "Ramen Kyoya" and requested custom noodles from them. Furthermore, they are in the process of trial and error while seeking advice from the owner of "MEN-EIJI HIRAGISHI BASE", Mr. Furukawa, who is a mentor to "Ramen Kyoya". If it involves "no chemical seasoning" and the involvement of Mr. Furukawa from "MEN-EIJI HIRAGISHI BASE", then I can expect a new taste. The base of the menu "Classic Soy Sauce" for 830 yen is almost the same as the last time I visited "Ichiban". The soup is a thick tonkotsu base that has been emulsified without any peculiarities or odors. The ingredients include tender simmered chashu, seasoned menma, bean sprouts, seaweed, and noodles are medium-thick noodles made in-house by "Ramen Kyoya", which are not too high in water content, but have a chewy and delicious texture. You can feel a hint of garlic in the distance, which is characteristic of "Ichiban", but despite the "family style" soup, the noodles are delicious, and even I, who had reservations, could enjoy this bowl. The "local boss" seems completely dissatisfied because he is seeking the taste of "Ichiban", but as someone who is not fixated on "Ichiban", I found it to be a fairly satisfying bowl among Otaru ramen. I would like to try other flavors here, so I plan to ask the "local boss" to guide me again, but I suddenly thought that it might be better to challenge new tastes by raising a new curtain rather than being fixated on "Ichiban", and that was my conclusion.

It's been a while since I last visited. The classic miso ramen for 800 yen is thick and rich. The noodles are well coated with the miso soup. The crunchy vegetables are a nice touch, but I wish there were more of them. Even though it makes my throat dry and seems unhealthy, I can't help but drink the soup (⌒-⌒; ) It would be nice if they provided tissues at every table, not just every other table. The service is decent. The background music and TV volume are very low.

First visit. Parked the car in front of the store but it was crowded. Surprisingly, there were no customers inside the store. The staff were a bit unfriendly. Ordered miso ramen. It had the classic taste of miso ramen that I haven't had in a while. I didn't get tired of eating it and finished it all.

Visited for the third time in 2021, always taken to Otaru for lunch by the "local boss" in a limousine. This person is usually someone whose tastes align with mine when it comes to alcohol and food, and they were actually the one who inspired me to start using "Tabelog." I never imagined that I would have this kind of relationship with them. However, the one thing we don't see eye to eye on is ramen. Despite both being close to being ramen enthusiasts, our favorite flavors are complete opposites. He is the "Hokkaido Headquarters Chief of the Yamagoya Fan Club," while I am the head of the "Protecting Hokkaido's Clean Air from Yamagoya" organization. He loves Yamagoya, but I want to protect Hokkaido from that smell. I love niboshi ramen without chemical seasonings, but he is an advocate for eradicating niboshi. We just can't seem to understand each other, like democracy and communism, it's inevitable. Despite this, I will do my best to take him to "Ichiban," the one and only unique ramen shop in Otaru that he loves. The shop has a strong pork bone smell, which is not to my liking. I have been taken there three times before, but each time it was closed unexpectedly. I thought it was just not meant to be for me. On the fourth try, the limousine drove through Otaru's streets and we arrived. I was expecting the smell of Yamagoya, but the shop only had a slight pork bone smell. I ordered the soy sauce ramen for 780 yen, which the boss recommended. He ordered it extra firm, which is not typical for Hokkaido ramen. The broth was a milky pork bone broth, but the smell was not overpowering. The toppings were well-seasoned thin menma and tender chashu. The noodles were medium-thick noodles made by a local company, Katou Seimen, with a nice wheat aroma. It was better than I expected. It had a strong garlic flavor. I always felt that there were not many good ramen shops in Otaru, but this one was not bad. We also shared the half-fried rice for 380 yen, which was made with chashu, egg, and green onions. It was also good. I prefer ramen with a strong impact over forgettable ones. Despite my initial hesitation, I enjoyed this bowl of ramen. However, the garlic aftertaste lingered for a long time, which was quite intense. This ramen is definitely addictive. It seems like I still have a lot to learn to get used to this garlic flavor.

When my husband and I visited Otaru for sightseeing, we decided to stop by "Ramen Ichiban" together. The reason we didn't visit famous shops like "Shodai" is because...truth be told, ever since I was in elementary school, my family used to frequently drive on the highway to eat ramen, and our go-to spot was "Ichiban." It left a strong impression on me as a child. The owner of the restaurant was a ramen enthusiast, the soup was extremely rich, and you could smell it from far away (laughs). The taste was bold, the noodles were delicious, the chashu was meager, and the bean sprouts were a bit wilted (laughs). It was a ramen that clearly conveyed the message "don't try to cover it up with toppings," with an intense addictive quality. By the time I had finished about 80% of the very junky ramen, I would start to feel slightly nauseous, as if I might throw up, and I remember slurping it down while burping (laughs). Despite the shabby appearance of the shop, it was always a popular spot, and we would often wait in line to eat there. I apologize for getting too excited. This place, although the location and appearance of the shop are different, is inspired by that legendary taste. The shop is new and clean, with counter seats and table seats. The key oini (richness) is quite close to the original, but the building is still new. It's about a quarter of the original oini. For reference, we visited around 11:30 am on a weekday and were the first customers. I ordered the "Shoyu" ramen for 800 yen, and my wife ordered the "Old-fashioned Ramen Shio" for 750 yen. The ramen arrived in 10 minutes after ordering. Despite being "Shoyu," it looked more like "Miso." Memories of the past come flooding back. The toppings are more tailored to modern tastes, with chashu, menma, nori, negi, and bean sprouts neatly arranged. When you slurp the soup...the direction is the same, but the edges are smoother and easier to eat. However, it can also be said that the individuality has been diluted. I wish it had a sharper, more distinctive taste that not everyone would appreciate. I want the soup to be scalding hot until the very end...I can't help but compare. The egg noodles are delicious. The toppings are also quite tasty. By the way, I personally feel that the ramen here is similar in direction to the famous shops in Tobetsu, "Nakamura" and "Yamaokaya." If you like that style, please stop by. My wife's salt ramen was also delicious. But personally, I think the shoyu ramen here is better. Thank you for the meal. I will definitely visit again!

I visited with my family!! We were deciding where to have lunch, and my sister has been into ramen lately, so we decided to come here ( ´ω` )/ I also love ramen, but I'm terrible at writing reviews. I have a limited vocabulary and can only say it's delicious (lol) But it's because it's delicious ( ´•̥ω•̥｀) I can only judge if I like it or not... The ramen here is my favorite!! We came during lunchtime. They have raised seating so it's safe even if you have kids. They also have regular tables (꒪˙꒳˙꒪ ) Since everyone in my family has different tastes, we all ordered different things. It's okay because we can all try each other's soup. ☻ Number One Ramen (Miso) 1100 yen ☻ Number One Ramen (Soy Sauce) 1100 yen ☻ Old-fashioned Ramen (Salt) 750 yen ☻ Roasted Pork Fried Rice 750 yen ☻ Gyoza 400 yen I had the miso ramen. It's rich and has a mild flavor!! I love medium-thick noodles so I'm happy about that \( ˙꒳​˙ )/ Even though my personal favorite is miso, the soy sauce ramen was the most delicious among these. I can't explain what's different about it (lol) The pork slices were thick and tender!! I was happy to find a boiled egg in it too ♡ We shared the fried rice among the three of us!! It's a simple, old-fashioned style fried rice ♡ The gyoza was a bit burnt, so they gave it to us as a service!! If it's a ramen shop in Otaru, then it's a favorite of mine. Thank you for the meal!!

I missed lunch and wandered until I found a ramen shop that I knew had been around for a long time. It was always crowded at lunchtime, so I never went before, but today it was empty so I decided to give it a try. I ordered the #1 ramen, which was miso flavor with 100% pork bone broth. The ramen arrived with thick, tender chashu pork and one soft-boiled egg and five sheets of seaweed. The soup was a bit thick and rich, but slightly salty. The noodles were thin curly noodles. I couldn't finish the soup, but overall it was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

After a long time, I had the special miso chashu ramen and half chahan. The miso flavor here is rich and incredibly smooth, I really love this taste. I wanted to finish the soup as well, but it's too salty so I stopped haha. The chahan is also delicious, surprisingly good! Phew, I'm satisfied, satisfied. Thank you for the meal!

The car is parked diagonally in front of the store. Since there are only about three parking spaces in front of the store, it may be better to visit on foot. You can already smell the pork bone broth outside the store. To avoid the smell sticking to your clothes, it's a good idea to wear something that you can easily wash. I ordered the "Number One Ramen (Miso)" and "Half Fried Rice". The fried rice came first, and it had a crunchy texture that seemed like coarse salt. I was surprised by the salty taste with every bite. The ramen had a thick and extremely salty broth, even more so than the fried rice. The boiled egg was delicious. The noodles were just the right thickness and not too curly. I visited based on a recommendation from a colleague, but the saltiness was too strong for me.

I ordered the Marutoku Ichiban ramen. It seems like they focus on tonkotsu (pork bone) here, but I ordered the miso flavor! Both the tonkotsu and miso had a distinct taste and were very delicious!

Great! Although it's a young restaurant, aim to catch up and surpass the leading ramen shops in Otaru! The miso ramen was delicious, and the service was good. I want to eat there again.

The soup was a bit lukewarm. The staff seemed to be taking it easy.

The miso is not tasty after all. The noodles are too soft. It's taking too long for a first-time customer!

There are many foreigners here!

This ramen is addictive... unforgettable bowl! ● Special Miso Ramen ¥1000 ● Small Rice ¥100 This ramen with a strong garlic and ginger flavor, thick soup, curly noodles that mix well, and thick slices of chashu have a great impact. It's not as heavy as it looks and you can eat it quickly. As lunchtime approaches, customers start coming in one after another. It's amazing! I'll definitely go again! Haha.