Ramen Street

What we love…

• There are plenty of authentic ramen restaurants in Tokyo, so many that you'd probably never have time to try them all. If you're looking for top notch ramen, we've got good news, you don't have to trek all over the city to find it! The best ramen shops in Tokyo were convinced to open a second location in the First Avenue Retail Center, connected directly to Tokyo station.
• Although it's called ramen street it refers to the strip of restaurants located in the underground mall attached to the metro. Ramen is a popular lunch dish with office workers and businessmen, and since Tokyo station close to a lot of offices it makes sense to locate the best the city has to offer all under one convenient roof.
• Ramen is probably the most popular food item in Tokyo and considered a comfort food for most Japanese. Thick chewy noodles soaked in a salty, fatty, savory broth, topped with crunchy sprouts and a little hot sauce is like heaven in a bowl. Ramen, much like sushi, is a dish that should not be missed when visiting Tokyo. 
• One of the best and most popular on ramen street is Rokurinsha for their tsukemen style ramen—noodles with dipping sauce. You know Rokurinsha is good because there's ALWAYS a lineup, but don't worry it moves pretty fast. If you only have time to try one this is probably your safest bet. If you're in town for a while, this is a lunch item you could literally eat every single day, so do yourself a favor and try them all. 
• A little note on the ordering process. You'll notice that each restaurant has a ticket machine outside the restaurant near the door, this is where you place your order. The machines have pictures of each dish, but if you're unsure there is usually a staff member managing the line up so feel free to ask them about the menu. Most menu items are in Japanese so to score the most popular bowl on the menu you can ask ‘which dish is good?’ by saying “Dore ga ichiban oishii desu ka?”
• Typically ramen bowls run between 550-1200 yen, so this is a great budget option for under $10 USD. Cheap and delicious—it's easy to see why Tokyoites love their ramen so much.

GETTING THERE

• Take the metro to Tokyo station and take Exit B1F Yaesu South and walk through the mall.

TIP

• If you want to avoid the super long lines go after 1:30 when the office workers are back in their cubicles. 
• If you only eat fish try the Keisuke Gaiden which has lobster based ramen on the menu.