The best Japanese ramen in Taiwan? A pilgrimage to Ichiran Ramen’s Fukuoka flagship store

Photos & Text /Xiaohu's Dream Food Blog

I’ve heard many friends say that “Ichiran” is the best ramen they’ve had in Japan, and it also seems to be one of the brands many wish would open a branch in Taiwan. With such an iconic shop, how could we possibly miss the chance to visit its flagship store in Fukuoka?

Our friend “Wang Wen” led us to the entrance of Ichiran, and first thing that amazed me was that this ramen shop had grown into a corporate building—that’s just outrageous, right?

When we went, the first floor seemed to be under renovation. It might later sell Ichiran dumplings—just looking at the flyer, they looked pretty tasty. But honestly, the only dumplings I’ve found tasty at ramen shops in Taiwan are from 【Ximen Station】nagiQ?.

To get to the ramen, you have to climb up a somewhat dim staircase to the second floor.

As soon as you reach the second floor, before entering, you’ll see a ticket vending machine for ordering. It might be rare in Taiwan, but in Japan, this is a common service... if you can call it a service =)

The operation is generally quite simple—even if you don’t understand Japanese, you should be fine. Of course, I mean for Taiwanese people. It’s just that there aren’t any staff around, so if you can’t even read Chinese characters, you might have to guess based on the pictures Up=)

Next to the ticket machine, there are many Ichiran Ramen-related merchandise. There are various types of broth—rich, light, hot soup, cold noodles—and you can buy them to cook at home. In Japan, it seems famous ramen shops all have their own takeout seasoning packs, or even instant ramen versions.

After buying the ticket, you walk through a somewhat narrow passageway, which feels a bit like the pressure of finding your way in a maze, or like a ninja sneaking into a Japanese castle...

Wang Wen led us into what I felt was an even more pressurized dining space. Each customer is separated by partitions. To be honest, I’m not a fan of such a dining setup—it’s totally inhumane.

Each tiny dining booth feels like you’re sitting in a prison cell being interrogated. But after chatting with a few friends who’ve been here, some actually love this kind of dining atmosphere. But I always feel this design lacks humanity and the interaction beyond food—it’s just not very comfortable.

Of course, I understand this setup helps them save on labor costs and can increase table turnover (because it’s so hard to chat, almost every customer eats quickly and leaves). But does the money saved reflect in the pricing? I haven’t eaten enough ramen in Japan to really judge.

Each tiny booth has an ordering form where you correctly fill in the ticket you bought earlier, then you can choose the richness of the broth and the firmness of the noodles. After that, you place the ticket along with the form near the window by the kitchen and press a service button. The staff will come to take the order and customize your ramen.

Each little compartment has utensils and even a dedicated water dispenser. Basically, you just sit there, don’t have to move, and don’t even have to talk—you get a steaming bowl of ramen. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, xd.

Also, there are some flyers and info about other branches nearby, which you can flip through while waiting for your ramen (lol).

If I remember correctly, the ramen came in less than ten minutes, so there must be quite a few chefs in there. Although I chose the richest broth, it didn’t actually look that rich—the pork back fat didn’t seem abundant.

I took a sip of the soup—it was richer and oilier than it looked. The texture wasn’t too greasy, nor was it overly salty. I think that’s the main reason why many Taiwanese people love it. For someone like me who enjoys richer flavors, it was quite good, but I kind of wished it could be a bit richer and oilier. Though, maybe then I’d find it too salty and greasy.

P.S.: I added a little spicy oil, and once mixed, it added a hint of douban-like aroma and spiciness, which enhanced my taste experience. But I’d suggest not mixing it right away—try the original flavor first, so you can appreciate the layers.

As for the noodles, they were my preferred thin, straight, yellow noodles. Xiaohu chose the hardest option, but they were actually harder with a slight softness (note: I have weak teeth), meaning they weren’t nearly as hard as the other hard noodles I’ve had. But I loved the aroma of the noodles, and their ability to absorb the broth was just right. Slurping them up was super satisfying.

The three or four slices of pork belly, which were a bit thinly sliced, were also delicious. The sweetness and melt-in-the-mouth texture were both good, though they lacked the charred oil aroma I prefer. That missing element also reduced the overall enjoyment a bit.

Overall, Ichiran Ramen is really tasty, but it didn’t quite reach the level of moving me. Maybe my expectations were too high... I felt a bit unsatisfied. That night, I originally wanted to try “Ichikatsu,” which 右上 said was the best, but it was too far from where we were staying, so I had to give up. I’ll just have to wait for another trip to Fukuoka to try it again Up.

【Ichiran Ramen Flagship Store】
Address: 5-3-2 Nakasu, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka (1-minute walk straight from Exit 2 of Nakasu-Kawabata Station)
Phone: 092-262-0433
Business Hours: 24 hours

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