The broth at Taoyuan Ramen House Arashiyama is simmered fresh daily — only 100–110 bowls available per day

Text & Photos by Viviyu

In the past, I’d only have ramen when I was in Taipei on business because there were so few good ramen shops in Taoyuan. It wasn’t until Hai-Ba told me he had struck out three times coming from Taipei that I found out about this legendary ramen shop in Taoyuan — Taoyuan Ramen House Arashiyama. Of course, as someone quick to act, I dashed right over~

When you get here, don’t hesitate and head straight to the indoor ticket machine. Doesn’t it feel like you’ve been transported to Japan? Just like in Japan, you order by pressing buttons — the only difference is the text is in Chinese, which I can read, haha！

Actually, I just ordered randomly since it was my first time and I hadn’t tried anything yet. I got three different types of ramen and added an extra portion of chicken nuggets. At checkout, they wouldn’t accept thousand-yuan bills but offered to exchange them. Then I handed my order slip to the staff to get a queue number and was led to my seat.

Located near Baoshan Street, to be honest, this isn’t a bustling area, but the fact that it has a daily queue definitely says something special about it. Actually, I came to this Lilac Community to look at houses when I was buying one before — if I had bought one, we could’ve been neighbors！

We placed our order around 11:30 AM. At that time, the dine-in number was 11, and we were number 25, so we had to wait about 40 minutes. If you don’t want to wait, you can also opt for takeout.

Taoyuan Ramen House Arashiyama is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so don’t make a wasted trip. Lunch service starts at 11:00 AM — it’s best to come right when they open to avoid missing out. Because the ramen is limited daily, no joke, by 12:00 PM, it’s usually all sold out~

The broth at Taoyuan Ramen House Arashiyama is made daily using pork bones, vegetables, and chicken bones. Only about 100–110 servings are available each day, and they’re gone once they run out. That means only 50 portions are available for lunch and 50 for dinner. Come late, and you’ll miss your chance！

The number cards at the entrance are called out regularly. Basically, solo diners who sit at the counter get served more quickly. Since we were a larger group taking up four seats, we had to wait a bit longer.

I only started looking into the types of ramen after placing my order — talk about putting the cart before the horse. No worries, I’ll come again next time！ Besides ramen, they also sell N<饭系列，但我没看到有人点耶，只有在拉面卖完之后才有人开始点，但没看到餐点；其他像是可乐饼、炸猪排…点菜率比较高。

The outdoor waiting area thoughtfully provides free iced water to help everyone cool down — it’s really refreshing and takes the edge off the heat.

They also have fans available for customers to use freely (though you have to return them afterward). A little breeze feels nice anyway.

Taoyuan Ramen House Arashiyama even has its own banner — doesn’t it have a very Japanese vibe? Heisei 25 is actually 2014, meaning it was put up just this year.

We happened to be seated at the counter, where you can see the chef making each bowl of ramen by hand. It was around 11:50 AM when we heard that the lunchtime ramen had sold out — if you want to eat here, you really have to come early.

Special Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen – NT$120

I think this is probably the shop’s signature dish — the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. It comes with slices of char siu, ajitsuke tamago (marinated soft-boiled egg), green onions, wood ear mushrooms, and is topped with bonito flakes just before serving. The flakes dance slightly when they hit the heat, which the kids found hilarious~

Extra-Large Tonkotsu Ramen – NT$160

The “Extra-Large” version comes with more char siu and ajitsuke tamago. This bowl suited Mr. A well, as he prefers his ramen meatier. You can also order extra noodles at the vending machine. Following the Hakata style, thin noodles are used. Apparently, thicker noodles were an option in the past, but due to preservation issues, the shop now only serves thin noodles. I personally prefer the thin ones too — just my style.

This mega combo is quite the challenge to finish. I think it’s a decent portion for guys, but with two hungry kids at home, we ended up ordering three in total.

The char siu is also homemade by the shop. The fat is evenly distributed and literally melts in your mouth. The kids absolutely love the char siu here. Paired with the broth — you can really tell when a broth is good. After drinking it, you don’t feel thirsty at all; it has a rich yet refreshing taste, thick but not greasy.

Miso Tonkotsu Ramen – NT$130

The broth here is noticeably richer than the Hakata style. This is a bowl of ramen that suits Taiwanese tastes, as the broth isn’t overly salty — you can drink it straight. The miso flavor is smooth and pleasant.

Hakata Fried Chicken Nuggets – NT$60

This is another popular side dish at the shop. Like the ramen, it sells out fast. The portion we got that day was apparently one of the last three — business is really booming！

The chicken pieces are marinated beforehand, so they look a bit darker in color, but that doesn’t affect the taste at all. They’re tender, and the kids loved them too.

YA！ We even finished all the soup. We really cleaned our plates. The family of four — two adults and two kids — left super satisfied. The two food-savvy kids immediately said they wanted to come back after eating such delicious ramen. Vincent even said he wanted to eat at the same ramen shop for dinner. Well, that’s some serious love～ Taoyuan Ramen House Arashiyama is probably the most satisfying ramen I’ve had in Taoyuan. No wonder there’s always a long queue. The shop is also tucked away in an unassuming corner of the city — truly a legendary eatery.
 

Taoyuan Ramen House Arashiyama
Address: No. 30, Lane 210, Baoshan Street, Taoyuan City, Taoyuan County (Intersection with Shuangfeng Road)
Phone: 03 355 9912

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