Sosakumenkobo Nakiryu - Tokyo

We arrived at 10:10 on a Saturday morning (2/4) and there are 17 people in front of me. Bear in mind that all the party has to be here by the time the chef comes out to ask you how many people you will be. This happened at 10:20, even before opening. By the time the restaurant opened, I counted a total line of 44 people (us being #18 #19). By the time we finally got in at 11:50, there were still 38 people waiting in line after us! The only good thing about the wait is that you can sit or lean against the fence while waiting. The line is also pretty organized. Once we were inside, we ordered through the typical machine that most ramen stores have. You then head to your assigned seat and give the tickets you got from the machine to the waiter. There were 6 bar seats and 3 small tables that seat 2 each. There's also a clean toilet. Food gets prepared fairly fast, and if you're sitting on the counter you can see how meticulously they set your bowl up. We ordered the spicy tantanmen and the sour spicy tantanmen, both signature dishes of the Michelin starred ramen. They're priced at 1,000Y, making it one of the cheapest Michelin meals you'll get. We also ordered steamed dumplings (3 for Y) and chili oil wonton (6-ish for Y). They were both good, but we enjoyed the wonton more.

I came around 120pm and managed to get in slightly past 3pm. There were still people joining the queue at 245pm and was allowed to do so. Once it hits 3pm, I believe that is when the queue is stopped but whoever is in it will still get to go in. You will place your order via a vending machine once inside and proceed to be seated shortly. There were a few options of ramen available and I went with the seemingly popular tantan ramen. I can’t put my finger to it as to what broth was being used, but I saw like a Szechuan spicy oil being added along with peanuts, so beware if you are allergic. The basic order itself doesn’t come with any egg, only some minced pork. I also added a side of pork slices which comes in 3. I guess come with an open mind, I’m still very accustomed to tonkatsu based ramen, and have ventured to shio and shoyu but this was very different, till the point it doesn’t feel like ramen, just ramen noodle in chilli oil broth. I guess what makes it Michelin star is the precision and consistency of their dish, very clean and neat. Even the 3 slices of pork was carefully folded individually and placed neatly onto the plate before being delivered to me and precise moments after my bowl of ramen was delivered. For the wait, it only gets 3 stars for me. Nonetheless if you’re in Tokyo and have the time and patience, give it a shot still.

The BEST ramen I've ever eaten. The creamy sesame on the top layer of the broth was so extremely delicious. If you need to eat one meal in your trip to Tokyo, be sure that it's this one!

Easy order, inexpensive options, fast service, great thin noodles and a unique broth. I didn't even have to wait too long at 14:00, so if you arrive for a late lunch, you shouldn't have to worry about a long queue in the sun. Overall, an excellent ramen restaurant!

One of the three ramen shops with a Michelin star in Tokyo. This place is so cheap and delicious, probably it is on some food documentaries. We visited this ramen restaurant on a Saturday evening. I have arrived 40 min earlier than the opening time. However, there were 4 people waiting on the line already. I have to state that it is quasi emergency state in Tokyo right now, and most places are empty. Also, it is cold! The restaurant accommodates 10 people at a time, so if you do not make it to first 10, you will continue waiting outside in cold. We ordered famous tantanmen, and pork with rice (it also has mayonnaise), something like マヨチャーシュー飯 in Japanese. Honestly, I am not someone who visits ramen shops. Probably I eat it once or twice in a year. However, this one is very delicious and light. So, do not think you will eat something heavy. You might also even want to order something next to it. Besides, I did not find the ramen spicy at all. I normally can not eat very spicy food. It was quite easy to eat and enjoy. I highly recommend this place to anyone! If I am not wrong, we spent around ~1500 yen per person. It was Covid-19 quasi emergency state time in Tokyo, therefore I was the only foreigner in the restaurant. Anyone else was a young Japanese guy. However, there was a crowded girl group waiting outside.