Around 11 o'clock on Sunday. I visited a restaurant for lunch before heading to the Wine Festival at Institut Français Kansai Kyoto in the afternoon. It is located in a square near Demachiyanagi Station. When you pass through the curtain and proceed to the back of the alley, you will find a stall-like restaurant that is quite spacious. It felt strange to be so close to the station. I had heard that the tantanmen was delicious, but when I looked at the menu, Vietnamese cuisine was at the top, so I ordered pho. The pho bo was authentic, with beef. The flat noodles were like somen but made of rice flour, so they were light. It was delicious to eat cilantro and meat together. I am also interested in trying the thin noodles bun, and the tantanmen allows you to choose the type of noodles, so I must come back again. After eating, I walked slowly to the former Kansai Nichifutsu Gakkan.

There are many restaurants named "Roji," but this one is not the Roji in Kyoto, but rather a Southeast Asian Roji. I thought I had entered the restaurant at the entrance, but the actual restaurant was even further back. There was a space that looked like a Southeast Asian street food village for some reason. I tried the delicious and spicy Tantanmen for 940 yen. It wasn't too spicy, but it was definitely flavorful and spicy. There are various condiments on the table. I ended up using a lot of powdered Sichuan pepper. It seems like they also have a variety of Vietnamese dishes. A unique restaurant in the Demachiyanagi area. I would like to go back again.

I visited the restaurant around 17:00 on a regular day. There was one customer before me. Even after that customer left and I was the only one there, I could still smell cigarette smoke. I wondered if the staff was smoking or if it was coming from somewhere else. I ordered the Bunzo Set for 1400 yen. The noodles were wider than pho and very tasty. The dish included pork ham as well. The soup had a delicious flavor with the fragrance of cilantro. The salad was like a green salad. The banh mi had a tough texture with the meat skin, making it hard to chew. Eating both the noodles and the bread made me very full!

The shop right in front of you as soon as you come up from Demachiyanagi Station is a hidden gem to the point that you wouldn't know it existed without the street sign. I tried the limited-time menu item, Negi Shoga Ninniku Ramen. You can choose between thick noodles, thin noodles, or Chinese noodles when you order. This time, I went with Chinese noodles. The ramen that came out had a clear, salty soup with plenty of grated garlic, ginger, and leeks as seasoning. It tastes similar to the condiment "ginger and scallion sauce" that was popular at a certain wholesale store. However, because the ramen is really simple with almost no toppings, it does feel a bit lacking. Maybe some bamboo shoots for a little extra something would be nice.

Located right by Demachiyanagi Station, this restaurant serves both izakaya dishes and ramen, with their specialty being tantanmen. The place also doubles as a Vietnamese cuisine restaurant, creating a unique Asian street food atmosphere inside. The recommended dish is the Spicy Tantanmen for 940 yen, with a choice of thin, thick, or Chinese noodles. I went with the recommended thin noodles and the soup was incredibly delicious, especially when mixed with the roasted garlic on the table. The thin noodles were a bit disappointing though. The Fried Chicken Wings (3 pieces for 450 yen) were well-seasoned but the bone-in part was a bit off-putting. The Okonomiyaki-style dish for 450 yen had a taste similar to a thin, savory omelette. Overall, it's a great spot for a meal near the station in Demachiyanagi, so definitely give it a try!

I visited around 17:00 on a regular day. It was early, so there were no other customers. I ordered the Bun Bo set for 1300 yen. I chose Bun Bo because the menu photo had more green than Bun Bo Hue and Bun Bo Xao. It tasted just as I expected, with beef. The set also came with rice, fresh spring rolls, and another dish with meat. The restaurant had air conditioning, unlike the outdoor restaurant next door.

There is a delicious tantanmen near the company! Let's go! It's a bit hard to find, but if you walk deep into the narrow alley, you will see a stall-like place. Do you want Vietnamese food or tantanmen? Well, Vietnamese food sounds good too, but I really want to try the tantanmen! I ordered the fried chicken set for 1100 yen (tantanmen, fried chicken, and rice). The tantanmen was tasty, but I wish it had more depth. It's delicious but lacks a bit of punch. The fried chicken, on the other hand, was so delicious! I really love the flavor! They also offer takeout, so I might try that next time. The rice was also cooked perfectly! Would I come back? Hmm, maybe. It was delicious, but...

Lunch visit. I ordered the Tan Tan Men with Karaage Set with thin noodles. You can choose between thin noodles, thick noodles, and Chinese noodles. The interior of the restaurant has a vinyl roof over the courtyard, which gives it an open and airy feel that I personally like. A must-visit spot. The Tan Tan Men has a perfect balance of sweetness, richness, and a spicy kick, and it's incredibly delicious. The Karaage is perfectly fried with a crispy outer layer and juicy, tender meat inside, a classic thigh Karaage. They also have a wide variety of noodle dishes and side menu items like fried rice and chicken wings. Highly recommended restaurant.

It is located right outside Demachiyanagi Station. You enter a narrow alley-like street, with a ramen restaurant (tantanmen) on the right and a Vietnamese restaurant on the left. The Asian chaotic atmosphere is very nice. The Vietnamese dishes, including pho, were all delicious. They also had banh mi. There were some foods with unknown names as well. It was great to experience the Asian atmosphere in Kyoto, with a sense of being in a different world.

When you enter the open-air market in front of Demachiyanagi Station, you'll find a cozy tan-tan noodle shop that feels like a food stall. The half-open atmosphere is nice. There's no pretentious trendy vibe, instead, the charmingly unpolished feel is appealing. The tan-tan noodles itself have a creamy soup that goes well with the noodles. In the summer, the cold tan-tan noodles are recommended. Eating the fried chicken along with it will make you even happier.

[Visit on May 18, 2021] - Karaage Set: 1,100 yen - Regular size - Rice - 3 pieces of chicken thigh - Pickles Such a great deal! Ro-ji (Karaage Set) Phone: 050-5597-8286 Address: 20 Tanaka Shimoyanagicho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto https://tabelog.com/kyoto/A2601/A260302/26032922/

Located just a minute's walk from Demachiyanagi Station on the Keihan Main Line, this restaurant is in an amazing spot. It was during the cherry blossom season in Kyoto that a construction site happened to pop up. While looking for a lunch spot, I noticed a red lantern that read "Tantanmen." Following the sign on the wall, I entered to find what looked like a grandpa's house in the countryside. The interior featured an L-shaped counter with 6 seats, and two 4-person tables. Inside the counter were two staff members speaking Japanese with a bit of a foreign accent. This place definitely has a strong personality. It turned out to be a specialty Tantanmen restaurant. I ordered the Tomato Tantanmen. The orange-colored soup looked like it would be really spicy, but it was actually not spicy at all. Instead, it had a good balance of acidity and a mild spiciness. The minced meat added a nice richness to the dish. I had the option of choosing thick or thin noodles, and I went with the thick noodles. They were not too thick, just the right size, and they had a nice chewy texture that worked well with the soup. The staff recommended sprinkling some powdered cheese on top, which gave it an Italian twist. The portion size was a bit small, so they offer set menus as well. I couldn't help but wonder where the staff members were from. Overall, it was a delicious meal.

This year's Golden Week, in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, there has been a nationwide call for refraining from going out. However, I couldn't resist the urge to at least go and eat my favorite ramen, so I drove to a specialty shop for tantanmen located in front of Demachiyanagi Station on the Eizan Electric Railway. The shop opened last summer (2019), and I happened to find it online. When I visited the shop on May 6, 2020, it had a rating of 3.15 on Tabelog. I parked my car at a coin parking lot and looked for the shop, which seemed to have its own parking lot as well (unconfirmed). The location was a bit hard to find, even with Google Maps. When I entered the shop, there was a terrace-like space where they served ramen. The ventilation was good, so you could enjoy your meal while avoiding the three Cs (closed spaces, crowded places, close-contact settings). I visited the shop at noon on the last day of Golden Week, but there were no other customers before or after me. This might be due to the call for refraining from going out. Looking at the menu, they offered three types of tantanmen: regular tantanmen, tomato tantanmen, and curry tantanmen. The back of the menu listed a variety of side dishes, making it suitable for casual outdoor drinking in the evening. This time, I had the regular tantanmen for 840 yen (tax included). The soup had a rich flavor of white sesame, which was thoroughly blended, resulting in excellent umami. This taste could only be achieved with a high-quality base broth. As a specialty shop, the tantanmen soup was quite authentic and of a high standard. It was finished with a drizzle of chili oil, which added a fragrant flavor without being too spicy. For seasoning, they provided fried garlic, sesame, sansho pepper, ichimi, and chili oil on the table. If you want more spiciness, adding sansho pepper would be a good choice. However, even as someone who likes spicy food, I felt that the default level of spiciness in this tantanmen soup was perfect, showcasing the high level of umami in the soup. I added fried garlic and ground sesame for seasoning. The fried garlic enhanced the umami of the soup even further, making my appetite soar. The crispy fried garlic, along with its umami, added a delightful fragrance. I later regretted not ordering a side of rice, as the garlic seasoning was irresistible for garlic lovers like me. You could choose between thin or thick noodles when ordering, and I chose thin noodles. Despite being a high-hydration type of noodle, it had a firm texture that didn't break apart even when coated with the rich soup. You could easily slurp up the noodles while savoring the umami of the soup. The toppings included minced meat, green onions, pickled mustard greens, and daikon radish sprouts. The minced meat was large, about 1cm square, allowing you to enjoy the texture of the meat. There was a generous amount of toppings, giving a sense of weightiness to the dish. The finely chopped green onions and pickled mustard greens seemed to blend into the soup. The refreshing taste of the green onions and the compatibility with the pickled mustard greens impressed me with the careful consideration put into the dish. There was a perforated ladle available, typical of a tantanmen specialty shop, but the soup and toppings were so delicious that I finished every last drop without using it. It has been a long time since I encountered tantanmen that tasted this delicious. It wouldn't be surprising if this shop became more popular, but this might also be due to the impact of refraining from going out because of the new coronavirus. Additionally, the shop kindly provided one non-woven mask to each customer, a wonderful gesture and consideration in these challenging times. A fantastic tantanmen and thoughtful service. Thank you for the meal. Thank you once again.

I couldn't find the right timing for so long, and now February is coming to an end. I walked towards the Eizan Electric Railway platform from Keihan Demachiyanagi. In the evening, in a somewhat hard-to-find alley, there was a shop with a vinyl tent. Their main dish is tantanmen, but they also have a wide range of izakaya menu items, so I started with some hot sake. The chef's choice assortment (crab-flavored salad, boiled vegetables, hijiki seaweed), chicken wing tempura, grilled guji fish, and shrimp and scallop skewers were all delicious. The lineup of appetizers really complemented the sake. It's been a while since I had guji or skewers like this. If you think the portions are small for the cheap price, then go to a chain restaurant! Tantanmen served to unsophisticated people is not worth it. After having quite a bit of sake, I looked at the final dish of tantanmen, and there was something called Tomato Tantanmen. Normally, I wouldn't order it, but with the power of sake, I decided to try it. Well, the taste of tomato was... I should have just stuck with the regular tantanmen. It's not that it was bad, but I just wanted to taste the regular base because it was delicious. The tomato didn't feel out of place at all! It's probably just a matter of personal preference. You can customize your dish with sesame seeds, vinegar, roasted garlic, chili pepper, and sansho pepper on the table. But I recommend trying the regular version first. This shop under the vinyl tent was a gem for those who love this kind of atmosphere.

This was my second visit, and unlike last time, it was starting to get cold. The shop, which used to be a warehouse, has a half-open stall style that doesn't make you feel the cold, and combined with the Kyoto atmosphere, it has a fantastic hidden gem feeling. I ordered a regular size this time, with the same toppings of meat miso, pickled vegetables, and onions. The creamy soup has a light and delicious taste that you can drink until the last drop. Last time I ordered a half size and added extra noodles, but this time I think it would be nice to add rice and make it into "tantan rice." In the evening, the menu expands with a variety of single dishes, allowing you to enjoy the atmosphere and the feeling of a street stall. Highly recommended!

For lunch, I wanted to have my favorite spicy soupless tantanmen at "Szechuan Tei," but they were closed on Sundays, so I decided to visit a new place that I remembered and walked to Keihan Demachiyanagi Station. The place I visited was "Kouimonoya Ro-ji," which opened in August 2019. It was located in a chaotic alleyway, so I decided to go in and explore. As I walked further in, I found myself in a slightly open courtyard-like area where the entrance to "Ro-ji Tantanmen" was located. I sat at the counter and ordered the set meal which included tantanmen, rice, a side dish, and pickles. The creamy and spicy tantan soup was delicious, and the noodles were similar to those at a famous Kyoto tantanmen shop. The minced meat, chopped green onions, and pickled vegetables added great flavor to the dish. I also enjoyed the side dish of crab sticks and seaweed salad. The nostalgic atmosphere and tasty tantanmen made the experience very satisfying.

Near Demachiyanagi Station, there is a hidden gem of a tantanmen restaurant. Upon entering and walking towards the back, you'll find a spacious and open atmosphere, almost like a food stall. I sat at the counter and ordered the karaage set (1100 yen), which came with tantanmen (regular size), karaage, rice, and pickles. After a short wait, the food was brought to me. The tantanmen was a bit spicy for my taste at first, but with each bite, it became more and more delicious! I enjoyed the three pieces of karaage with rice and pickles. It seems like they have a variety of dishes for drinking at night as well. Overall, the tantanmen was delicious!

Visited around 9 pm on October 7, 2019. About 8 people were already there, and it was surprisingly crowded. I ordered the tantanmen, which was delicious. They also had a good selection of drinks on the menu. The place seemed popular, maybe because of that? The noodles were made by Kushiro Seimen and the soup had a mild taste with white sesame. I highly recommend it! Being located near the station, it might become a popular spot.

I visited Ro-ji for the first time on Friday, September 6, 2019. As a local, I easily found this place. The interior felt like a campsite, very open and relaxing. I ordered the tantanmen set, which came with karaage, pickled vegetables, and white rice for 1,100 yen. The chu-hai was only 320 yen, a great deal. The cool breeze, night sky, and delicious food created the perfect atmosphere. Next time, I want to try their favorite tebasaki. Thank you for the meal. I will definitely go back. I will eat with gratitude for all the ingredients in this world. Delicious food is calling. The more you eat, the more power overflows.

On my first visit, I consulted with the owner and ordered a half portion of Dan Dan noodles with minced meat, pickled mustard greens, and onions. The soup had a sesame flavor with a hint of chili oil, not too spicy but very smooth. Mixing in the chili oil and minced meat created a rich and delicious taste. The noodles were slightly thicker than somen noodles, with a nice chewy texture. The half portion seemed to have more soup than noodles, so I added an extra serving of noodles. I thought adding rice would be a good idea too. I enjoyed the meal and look forward to trying it again in the future!