Explore selected ramen shops in the Shin-Osaka area with friendly local Japanese guides.We support your amazing ramen experience!!

Osaka, once known as “the nation’s kitchen” and now dubbed “the city where people eat until they drop,” is a renowned culinary destination among Japanese people, comparable to Tokyo in its gastronomic delights. In the Shin-Osaka area, amidst the bustling business district attracting large corporations and startups alike, and serving as a major terminal station for Shinkansen trains crisscrossing the country, one finds a vibrant metropolis drawing businesspeople and travelers from all over the world.

Activity restrictions due to the novel coronavirus have been lifted, and many travelers are visiting Osaka. However, away from the terminal stations where tourists gather, most eateries are predominantly in Japanese and not customized for foreigners, making it a challenge just to place an order. Many people, both travelers and locals, often find themselves confused by unfamiliar etiquettes. Furthermore, there are still many establishments with outdated attitudes that view foreign tourists with suspicion, and you may have had experiences where your mood was soured by a visit to such places.

If foreign tourists visit Japan, ramen, along with sushi and yakiniku, is always at the top of the list of must-try dishes. Here in the Shin-Osaka area, it is famously one of Osaka’s top “ramen battlegrounds,” boasting over 100 ramen shops. Just a short distance from the bustling JR Shin-Osaka Station, you can find exquisite ramen shops that rival those featured in Tokyo’s Michelin Guide.

When you come to Osaka, you’ll want to enjoy not just tourist-oriented ramen shops, but the kind of exceptional ramen that ramen enthusiasts frequent. However, knowing which shop to choose can be challenging. That’s where we come in. To ensure that foreign travelers have a truly satisfying ramen experience, local Japanese guides offer complete support—from guiding you to renowned shops to helping with ordering. How many bowls can you eat? Enjoy chatting with our friendly guides and taking photos as you explore the top ramen spots. For those traveling to Japan with a focus on gourmet experiences, this tour will surely meet your expectations.

 

(Selected Ramen Shops)

時屋- Tokiya (Available Time: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM / 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM)

A specialty shop for tsukemen (dipping noodles) that became a boom in Japan for a while. While many tsukemen specialty shops disappeared after the boom, the main branch of this ultra-famous shop still continues for over 10 years with only tsukemen. Their “pork tsukemen,” enjoyed with thick noodles and a thick, rich bonito-based seafood soup, is a unique taste that you absolutely must try here. Finish off your meal with a small bowl of rice soaked in the broth that comes out last, and you’ll be completely satisfied. It’s always crowded with a queue of over 30 minutes, despite being away from the station, due to its immense popularity.

 

ラーメン鱗- Ramen Uroko (Available Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM)

The salt ramen, featuring curly noodles in a slightly cloudy broth infused with bonito flavor and topped with pork back fat, offers a light yet intricate taste profile. This esteemed restaurant, with a history of multiple awards on Japan’s largest gourmet site (Tabelog Top 100), comes highly recommended for those with confident palates. If you prefer rich, fatty ramen, please consider other establishments. *The flavored boiled egg in the photo is a topping (+100 yen).

 

らーめんキング- Ramen King (Available Time: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM / 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Not available on weekends and holidays)

A “Taiwan Mazesoba” style dish featuring a rich broth made by simmering pork bones and chicken carcasses with plenty of fish powder in a sweet and spicy soy sauce. This aromatic broth is paired with whole wheat flat noodles, topped with cubed pork, Chinese chives, green onions, seaweed, and a raw egg yolk. To enjoy, mix everything from the bottom of the bowl thoroughly. It’s also fun to change the flavor by adding the provided kelp vinegar or spicy doubanjiang.

This restaurant has an entirely Japanese menu, and neither the chef nor the staff speak any English. Despite the old interior, the place is immaculately clean, and the staff’s service manners are exceptionally high. The heart behind ensuring customers leave feeling satisfied, not just with the taste but with the overall experience, is likely a key to its popularity. It is extremely popular with local university students and office workers, but almost unknown to foreign tourists.

 

麺屋左衛門- Menya Saemon (Available Time: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM / 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM)

A bowl of Chinese soba with a rich, savory broth made from simmered whole Japanese chicken, perfectly harmonized with a slightly sweet soy-based sauce. It’s topped with rare char siu and bamboo shoots, and you can enjoy a change in the soup’s flavor with the accompanying dish of flying fish dashi jelly.

 

四川辣麺 西中島店- Shisen Ramen (Available Time: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM / 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM)

This popular restaurant serves a unique style of Tantanmen, featuring a rich and slightly spicy broth made from long-simmered pork bones, chicken bones, pork fat, and an abundance of vegetables. It is topped with sweet and spicy braised pork belly. We recommend generously sprinkling the roasted sesame seeds from the provided bottle for the best flavor. This dish is not only favored by men seeking a bold taste but also by women due to its blood circulation-boosting properties. Our company president’s favorite ramen is from this place. However, its recognition among foreigners is almost zero. By the way, Tantanmen originated in China’s Sichuan Province and is a type of ramen that includes minced meat and is flavored with chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns, making it one of the popular noodle dishes in Japan.

 

塩元帥　西中島店- Shiogensui (Available Time: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM / 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM on weekends and holidays)

A famous restaurant that gained instant popularity with its deep-flavored salt ramen, featuring a broth made from a variety of vegetables, topped with fried onions, and finished with a hint of yuzu aroma. Despite being located away from the station, this small establishment in Osaka’s salt ramen scene always has a line. Once you taste this exquisite salt ramen, you may never be satisfied with ordinary salt ramen again. Be careful not to take too much of the free kimchi—it’s quite spicy.

 

光龍益- Kouryuumasu (Available Time: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM / 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM)

A rich and hearty ramen shop located in a back alley just a 10-minute walk from Shin-Osaka Station. Their tonkotsu broth, made from pork skin and chicken, is thick and flavorful. Both the smoky aroma-infused roasted duck and the flavorful lean pork chashu pair excellently with the thin noodles. Despite winning awards on Japan’s largest gourmet site, “Tabelog,” in 2023, this place remains relatively unknown to foreigners, with mostly locals as customers. Due to its limited quantity, it sells out quickly, so those who get to taste it are considered lucky!

 

人類みな麺類- Jinruiminamenrui (Available Time: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM)

A massively popular restaurant in the ramen category on gourmet websites, which has repeatedly topped the charts in Osaka and even led to queues of up to six hours. It’s a top-notch establishment among renowned ramen shops, attracting ramen enthusiasts not only from Japan but also from South Korea and China. The clear soy-based soup, with a refreshing flavor based on seafood such as clams and shijimi, accompanied by thick slices of pork belly that sink into the soup, has led to numerous addicts. As there is always a long queue, please be prepared for potential guide overtime fees.

 

ラーメン　ぴ！- Ramen Pi (Available Time: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM / 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM, weekends and holidays require confirmation)

This beautiful bowl of ramen features a creamy, white chicken paitan soup, made by simmering carefully selected chicken and vegetables for an extended period and then blending the mixture to achieve a smooth, potage-like texture. It is topped with thinly sliced chashu and finely shredded white leeks. Known among ramen enthusiasts for its rich broth and perfect harmony with medium-thick noodles, this restaurant is popular in Japan but has not been customized for tourists, resulting in low recognition among foreign visitors. With its Instagram-worthy presentation and bold flavors, it is sure to appeal to foreign tourists who enjoy rich tastes.

 

ラーメンステーション西中島南方- Ramen Station (Available Time: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM, until 5:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays)

A unique format where nationally famous shops rotate every two months. It often results in long queues as only popular shops participate. Aimed at ramen connoisseurs who have already tried all the ramen shops in Osaka. The type of ramen available is a surprise until you visit.

 

(Selection Criteria for Ramen Shops)

The ramen shops featured on our website are selected by local guides who regularly frequent recommended shops based on their own judgment and biases. We do not receive any kickbacks or referral fees from the shops we introduce, ensuring fair evaluations. If you choose to leave the selection to the guide instead of deciding for yourself, the guide will inquire about your preferences and recommend the most suitable ramen shop for you.

 

(Service Hours [Reservation Required])

– Guide support hours: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM

We do not accept same-day reservations. Please make your reservation via email by the day before your desired date of use. Please note that depending on the reservation status, we may not be able to accommodate your request on your desired date, or we may have to cancel due to sudden schedule changes. When making an inquiry, please fill in your name and contact information in the “Inquiry（お問い合わせ）” section at the top right of the page, and in the “Inquiry Details（お問い合わせ内容）” section, please provide the following information.If you are sending the email directly, please remove the “★” and send it to the following address: （resusguide★@gmail.com）.

1. Desired date and time
2. Number of participants
3. Number of ramen shops you would like to visit (how many bowls you can eat)
4. Preferred ramen shop (please indicate “omakase” if you leave it to us)
5. If you have a preferred guide, please provide their name.

※We will directly guide you through the reservation process via the assigned guide.

Notes:

• “JinruiMinaMenrui” and “Tokiya” usually have queues of over an hour, which may incur overtime fees. You can change the location after checking the queues on the day.
• Drinks and toppings are charged separately.

Standard Group Size: The standard guide fee is based on one person. The same fee will be added for each additional person up to a maximum of 5 people. For example, for 3 people visiting 3 locations, the total fee would be ¥42,000 (¥14,000 × 3).

 

(Inclusions in the Guide Fee and Other Fees)

The guide fee for this service includes guidance from the meeting point to the stores, assistance with ordering, and the cost of one bowl of ramen per store. However, additional charges apply for drinks other than water and ramen toppings. Since most ramen shops include toppings like chashu in their bowls, there’s usually no need for extra toppings. Additionally, Japanese ramen shops often provide delicious complimentary water, so be sure to try it out. Please note: Vegan and allergy accommodations are not available.

（Overtime Fees for Guides）

For any guide service that exceeds the standard time, an overtime fee of ¥5,000 per hour will be charged. Additionally, please note that our guides do not join customers for meals; they will wait outside the restaurant during your dining time.

While we do not offer services such as making reservations or accompanying you to dinner, we are happy to provide information on local dining options in Shin-Osaka. Whether you’re looking for affordable and delicious sushi, yakiniku-style steak, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, or Chinese cuisine, we can recommend nearby restaurants favored by local residents.

(Additional Fees during Peak Seasons)

During the year-end and New Year holidays (December 24 to January 6), Golden Week (late April to early May), and Obon (August 10 to 16), many eateries in Japan are closed, and securing guides becomes challenging. During these periods, many of the aforementioned shops may be closed, and guide fees may double or more.

(Meeting and Dismissal Points)

The meeting and dismissal points with the guide are at the central ticket gate of Shin-Osaka Station. It takes approximately 10 to 30 minutes on foot to reach each shop from the meeting point. Please be punctual, as tardiness without prior notice will incur overtime charges. Additionally, as ramen shops cannot be reserved in advance, even affluent individuals may need to wait in line if there is a queue.

(Payment Methods)

Please pay the guide in cash (Japanese yen only) upon arrival at the meeting point. *Receipts will be provided.

 

（Other Notices）

・During lunchtime (12:00-12:30), some of the restaurants may require waiting in line for up to 30 minutes as they are popular establishments. In case of congestion, we may ask you to wait in line or discuss alternative restaurant options with you.

・Enjoy choosing your preferred shop while waiting for the guide to arrive.

・While our guides are all friendly Japanese individuals, due to staffing constraints, some may not be proficient in English (but they are kind!).

・The guide will select the signature dish (most popular bowl) from each shop, so rest assured.

・Our guides do not receive referral fees from the shops they introduce. To ensure your satisfaction with your Japan trip, we will provide fair introductions to each shop, delivering the best bowl within the guide fee.

・Even for an average man, two bowls of ramen are usually enough to feel full, and not many people can finish three bowls. If you want to enjoy a taste test of more than three bowls and make the most of your trip without any regrets, it’s not considered disrespectful to leave half of each bowl at each restaurant.

・The guide will wait outside the shop until you finish your meal. If you wish to take photos during the meal, please inform the guide. (Photographing chefs is not allowed)

 

（Here’s how to eat RAMEN）

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