| Cuisine | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Price | $ (under 15) |
| Rating | 4/10 |
| Last Visit | June 3, 2025 |
| Location | Japan: Fukuoka |
Fukuoka (specifically, Hakata) is known for its tonkotsu ramen. It's served with a rich, milky bone broth and ultra thin noodles. ICHIRAN, a worldwide chain for tonkotsu ramen, has its headquarters in Fukuoka, which is not surprising considering that it embodies the Fukuoka-style ramen. It was conveniently a block away from where I was staying in Fukuoka, so I decided to give it a try; it helped that there was long line outside the store at all times which made me more curious. The food is decent, it doesn't really suit my taste but it's a cool experience and worth having once. They embody the "solo ramen dining" experience where you don't really need to talk to people or see anyone if you don't want to -- a neat gimmick.
For the ramen itself, I ordered their set menu, which comes with the basic ramen, with some additional sides / toppings: seaweed, additional chashu pork, a soft boiled egg, and kikurage mushrooms. Then you can customize features of the base ramen itself: saltiness, thickness of broth, firmness of noodles, spiciness level, etc. I'd recommend starting with mostly the base level to begin with and then experimenting with it if you decide to come back in the future. (Definitely don't get "extra dashi" like I did, thinking it would add more dashi flavor, it makes it unpleasantly salty).