Ichiran, Tonkotsu Itten, and More: A Lazy Guide to the Ramen Battle in Taipei’s Xinyi District

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Taipei’s Xinyi District is home to numerous department stores and has recently become a hotspot for gourmet restaurants. When it comes to Japanese ramen, in addition to several ramen shops such as Ichiran, Menya Musashi Hodong, and Kagetsu Arashi, well-known Taiwanese favorites like Ichiran Ramen, another brand of Menya Itten called Tonkotsu Itten, and the soon-to-reopen Kōgan-tei have all chosen to open in Xinyi.


▲ Ichiran Ramen. (Photo / Huang Shiyuan)

Ichiran Ramen
Although Ichiran Ramen has not yet officially announced its opening date in Taiwan, the company has started recruiting staff under the name Hong Kong-based Ichiran Co., Ltd. Taiwan Branch on job portals. Training is scheduled for mid-February to early March, so the opening likely won’t have to wait until autumn. As for the location, it is expected to be at the former site of the OUTBACK Steakhouse Taipei Xinyi branch on Songren Road in Taipei’s Xinyi District, which is currently under construction. Ichiran Ramen is popular among Taiwanese for allowing customers to customize the richness of the broth, noodle firmness, and spice level—some even list it as a must-try ramen when visiting Japan.

Address: 1F, No. 97, Songren Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City

Tonkotsu Itten
Remember the long lines caused by the popular Japanese ramen shop Menya Itten when it opened last April? Its sister brand “Tonkotsu Itten” is set to open in March or April in Taipei’s Xinyi District. Since the Tonkotsu Itten brand isn’t limited to just one location, there’s a chance that people in central and southern Taiwan may also get to try the brand’s popular “Rich Seafood Tsukemen” in the future.

▲ Taiwanese-style stir-fried noodles. (Photo / from Kōgan-tei Facebook)

Kōgan-tei
The well-known Japanese ramen shop Kōgan-tei temporarily closed due to the expiration of its lease, but will reopen at 4F, ATT 4 FUN in Xinyi District on March 2. In addition to its signature Black Garlic Sesame Oil Ramen, the new location will offer Spicy Yanlong Ramen and Taiwan Stir-Fried Noodles—a popular Japanese dish named after Taiwan, specially developed by Kōgan-tei’s president, Mr. Furuya Ichirō.

Address: 4F, No. 12, Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-7736-0789


▲ The broth of Ichigen Ramen is simmered with sweet shrimp heads. (Photo / Huang Shiyuan)

Ichigen Ramen
The broth of Ichigen Ramen is simmered with sweet shrimp heads, resulting in a sweet and savory flavor that is quite different from typical pork bone broths. On average, 60 kilograms of shrimp heads (enough for about 600 bowls of ramen) are used per day. Why use shrimp heads for ramen broth? Lin Chikyu, the head chef at Ichigen Ramen with over 10 years of experience, explained that during his time at Okura-yama Ramen, the owner encouraged the team to innovate and create unique ramen flavors. Since seafood is a local specialty of Hokkaido, they tried using crab, scallops, and clams before discovering that shrimp heads produced an exceptionally unique taste—leading to the founding of Ichigen Ramen in 2009.

Address: 1F, No. 22, Songshou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City (Neo19)
Phone: 02-2723-5578


▲ Chicken Tamagane Ramen’s clear chicken broth ramen. (Photo / Provided by Xiao Hu)

Chicken Tamagane Ramen
The Akita-based Tamagane Ramen, famous for its chicken bone ramen, launched in Taiwan in December 2015. Its first store in Taiwan opened at Huatai Premium Outlets in Taoyuan, while the second store is located where Mei Guangxuan once was in Taipei 101. Established in 1994, Tamagane Ramen originally only had locations in northern Akita Prefecture before expanding into Akita City in 2008. In July 2014, it opened “Tamagane Ramen Rich Chicken White Soup” in Karuizawa. It now has a total of 18 directly operated and affiliated stores across Japan.

Address: B1, No. 45, Shifu Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8101-8321

Menya Musashi Hodong
Located at Breeze Songgao, Menya Musashi Hodong is the sixth branch of Menya Musashi. Its standard ramen style is more delicate, based on a double broth of fish and pork bones, simply paired with salt, soy sauce, and miso flavors. There are also Korean-style options such as Kimchi Pork Ramen and Silver Sprout Chicken with Korean chili sauce, plus Korean Pork Rice. The exclusive item at the Hodong location is Hodong Garlic Ramen, combining garlic flavor with the double broth base.

Address: B2, No. 18, Songgao Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City (Breeze Songgao)
Phone: 02-2722-5500


▲ The Akamaru flavor. (Photo / provided by Ippudo)

Ippudo
Ippudo’s pork bone broth is simmered for 14 hours and then aged for 24 hours. However, over the 30 years since its founding, the recipe has been upgraded more than 20 times. Taiwan’s Ippudo was also the first overseas branch outside Japan to implement the “pork broth upgrade.” In addition to incorporating secret ingredients, the simmering process and timing have been continuously refined to make the broth even smoother.

Address: No. 12, Songgao Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A8)
Phone: 02-2725-1222

Tonchin Ramen
Address: No. 12, Songgao Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A8
Phone: 02 2722 5883

Menya Sanshi
Address: No. 12, Songsou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-7737-5188

Kagetsu Arashi Ramen (Vieshow Branch)
Address: No. 20, Songsou Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2729-2128

Kagetsu Arashi Ramen (Uni-President Times Branch)
Address: B2, No. 8, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8789-3030

Mitani Somenjo (Uni-President Times Branch)
Address: B2, No. 8, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2773-3330

Kitamusou Ramen
Address: No. 17-1, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Rd., Taipei City
Phone: 02-2767-0650

Rose Garden Annex (Xinyi Branch)
Address: No. 1-10, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2769-1877