Taiwanese people love ramen too – in 2015, a total of 8 Japanese-brand ramen shops crossed the sea to Taiwan

Reported by reporter Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Before long, we’ll be welcoming the brand-new year of 2016. Over the past year, Taiwan’s food and beverage market has seen an influx of new energy, with new restaurants opening one after another, many of which are from Japan. Among them, no fewer than 8 Japanese ramen shops have expanded to Taiwan, including well-known names like Setagaya Ramen, Ichigen Ramen, and Kyougan-tei. This allows ramen-loving Taiwanese to enjoy delicious ramen without even having to leave the country.


▲ The fiery miso ramen from Sapporo Enjin Ramen. (Photo / Badouyao)

Sapporo Enjin Ramen
The Sapporo Enjin Ramen, which has risen to prominence in Japan in recent years, has secured its place in Sapporo’s competitive ramen scene not only by insisting on using locally sourced ingredients but also through its unique and eye-catching flame-cooking method. Enjin Ramen uses a 1,300-degree high-temperature torch to cook the noodles, with the flames instantly blending the fat and broth, creating a rich and aromatic flavor that becomes its biggest selling point.

Address: No. 49, Lane 280, Guangfu South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2775-2783


▲ The signature ramen from Setagaya (Photo / Reporter Huang Shiyuan)

Setagaya Setagaya-ya Ramen
The only Japanese food shop in Japan to receive the “Best Of New York” award, Setagaya Ramen opened its Zhongxiao branch in Taipei in March. Although Setagaya’s signature ramen is touted as having a double broth, James, the deputy manager of Setagaya Ramen in Taiwan, said the broth is actually made with fish stock, pork bone, and soy sauce. The pork slices are grilled again with an original machine imported from Japan just before serving. James mentioned that although all the ingredients are sourced locally in Taiwan, the Japanese head office has very strict requirements for taste, so all the seasonings are imported from Japan. Meanwhile, Setagaya Ramen’s second branch in Taiwan, the Taipei Station Front Store, also opened in May.

Zhongxiao Branch
Address: No. 15, Lane 27, Alley 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-27311958

Taipei Station Front Branch
Address: No. 36, Section 1, Zhongxiao West Road, Taipei City, HOYII North Station B1-02
Phone: 02-23883258


▲ A spicy and numbing miso ramen. (Photo / Badouyao)

Spicy & Numbing Miso Ramen Oni Kinnabou
In the Nanxi Shopping District, there’s a small ramen shop that’s not only unique in flavor but also in name and decor. This shop is called Spicy & Numbing Miso Ramen Oni Kinnabou, specializing in spicy and numbing miso ramen, and it’s a direct branch of a Tokyo ramen shop in Japan. Oni Kinnabou follows the same ticket machine system as ramen shops in Japan – customers first select their desired ramen item, press the button, and then insert cash. After placing the order, they hand the ticket to the staff and also inform them of their preferred spice and numbness levels. Spice levels include “None, Light, Regular, Extra, and Oni Extra,” and numbness levels follow the same scale. Choosing Oni Extra requires an additional purchase of spicy-Oni extra and numbness-Oni extra at NT$30 each.

Taipei Main Store: 1F, No. 92, Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, Taipei City
Zhongshan Branch: No. 35-1, Lane 2, No. 19, Chang’an West Road, Taipei City
Songjiang Nanjing Branch: No. 2-8, Lane 123, Songjiang Road, Taipei City

Mt. Fuji 55 Tsukemen
The legendary tsukemen from Nagoya, Japan, “Mt. Fuji 55 Tsukemen,” also set up shop in Taichung’s Zhongke commercial district in the first half of the year. Built to the specifications of the original Japanese flagship store, it insists on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients combined with meticulous and rigorous preparation methods to deliver the most authentic tsukemen flavors to Taiwanese gourmets. Even the dining space is thoughtfully designed to make diners feel as if they’re in Japan. The biggest highlight of this Taiwan launch is the time-intensive “two-day” broth. The “two-day” broth is first simmered for a day using a large amount of pork bone as the base, refined under intense heat to fully extract the essence of the ingredients. On the second day, the rich fat is separated out to ensure the broth is thick but not greasy. Then, fresh vegetables and fish stock are added to perfectly blend in, making the rich broth even sweeter and more flavorful.

First Branch
Address: No. 243, Section 3, Xitun Road, Xitun District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-2461-5955

Second Branch
Address: No. 533, Dadun Road, Nantun District, Taichung City (Front Floor 2, Dadun Food & Clothing Plaza, Carrefour)
Phone: 04-2325-2755

▲ Affordable ramen from Tetsu Men.

Tetsu Men
Really? In Taipei, it’s hard to find beef noodles for just NT$100, but can you really get ramen from Japan here? Yes, the Japanese directly operated “Tetsu Men” has been open for a while at the Eslite Bookstore 116 store in Ximending, Taipei. The menu is very simple, offering only pork bone ramen and stir-fried noodles (dry), both priced at NT$100. If you’re afraid of not being full, you can also choose the large-sized pork bone ramen for NT$120. The broth at Tetsu Men is made by simmering pork bones, resulting in a very rich fat flavor, though diners can adjust the richness by informing the staff when ordering. The shop is small, only able to accommodate around ten customers, but despite its size, the owner emphasizes that you can enjoy the same taste as at the flagship store in Japan.

Address: No. 116, Hanzhong Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2370-6377


▲ The shrimp powder (dark brown on the left) and noodle crisp (pink) are two standout features of Ichigen Ramen. (Photo by Huang Shiyuan)

Ichigen Ramen
Ichigen Ramen comes from Hokkaido and uses only shrimp heads to brew its broth. The soup is made by simmering the heads of sweet shrimp, resulting in a sweet and savory taste, which is quite different from typical pork bone broth. On average, 60 kilograms of shrimp heads (enough for about 600 bowls of ramen) are used each day. Why use shrimp heads for the ramen broth? Lin Naoki, the head chef at Ichigen Ramen with over 10 years of experience, explained that back when he was at the Okura-yama Ramen Shop, the owner encouraged everyone to be creative and develop unique ramen flavors. Since seafood is a local specialty of Hokkaido, they tried making broth with crab, scallops, and clams, but ultimately found that shrimp heads produced an exceptionally unique flavor. That’s how Ichigen Ramen was founded in 2009.


▲ Original black garlic sesame oil ramen.

Jokes Teahouse
Jokes Teahouse, which won first place in the Japanese TV show “Iron Chef,” has also opened a branch in Taiwan. Speaking of Jokes Teahouse, its most famous dish is the black garlic sesame oil ramen drizzled with seven-layered black garlic sesame oil. This oil is made by blending seven types of garlic fried to varying degrees in proportion, grinding them into powder, and then mixing it with sesame oil to create the black garlic sesame oil. Besides the signature original black garlic sesame oil ramen, you must also try the butter flavor ramen and the special pork belly rice.

Address: No. 10, Lane 8, Alley 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8771-3988


▲ Chicken-flavored clear broth.

Chicken Yuki Kin Ramen
The name of the ramen in Taiwan is “Chicken Yuki Kin Ramen” mainly because the name “Kin Ramen” was already registered. The broth at Kin Ramen is made from “chicken bones.” There are a total of 18 directly operated and affiliated stores in Japan, including one in the food court of the “Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza” in the summer retreat destination of Karuizawa, called “Kin Ramen – Rich Chicken White Soup.” The first Taiwan branch is located in the “Huatai Premium Outlets” at Taoyuan High-Speed Rail Station.

Address: Room 3103, No. 189, Chunde Road, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City
Phone: 03-273-8666


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