Ramen Taniseya: A Gargantuan Cauldron of Iekei Ramen in Shinbashi, Tokyo

There aren’t many ramen joints in Japan that made me feel as if I was a true Japanese salaryman 9-5’er more than Ramen Taniseya in Shinbashi, Tokyo. The biggest difference between me and them at the time was that I was dead sober while most patrons were 10 Chuhis/draft Suntory Premiums deep. It was also the first night I met an ex-partner of mine for what was meant to be 10 days of rekindling requited love. 

Come to find out in less than 48 hours that the requited love we both hoped for was deeply offset by annoyance, resentment, and incompatibility to the nth degree (I’m still glad we gave it a go). We parted ways shortly after. However, I would not have consumed one of the best bowls of tonkotsu-based ramen (Iekei-style) during my self-imposed exile to Japan if it weren’t for taking the Friday morning Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo to meet her. 

Here’s why Ramen Taniseya’s gargantuan cauldron of Iekei ramen is a late-night ramen haunt that I will be sure to return to next time in Tokyo.

The Nuts & Bolts of Getting to & Ordering at Ramen Taniseya

• Address: Japan, 〒105-0004 Tokyo, Minato City, Shinbashi, 3 Chome−11−1 イーグル烏森ビル １Ｆ 
• Hours: 7 Days a Week, 11 AM – 2 AM
• Social Media: https://twitter.com/taniseyaaa0522 (Ramen Taniseya has a very active Twitter presence)

Now when I say this is a hoppin’, happenin’ place, I mean it. I showed up to Taniseya Ramen around 10 PM on a Friday night, ready for a quick bowl of ramen before bed. Both my ex-partner and I had hefty days of travel (granted, I sat on the Shinkansen and ate katsu sandos while watching Seinfeld reruns on my laptop while she was coming from Melbourne, Australia). 

I almost missed the red sign with white Japanese lettering at first due to a line out the door and 20 meters down the street of boisterous, black suit-clad, rosy-cheeked salarymen. This may be the ultimate late-night ramen joint for those looking to refuel (or fuel up) before a long, grueling day of meetings (or as the first of many stops on a righteous Tokyo bender). Don’t worry though, turnover is extremely quick at Taniseya so you don’t need to prepare for a DMV-esque wait.

Ordering is done before even stepping foot in line via their outdoor ramen vending machine. I would recommend acquainting yourself with the menu before you arrive, as it can get a bit hectic. And if you are like me, you may feel the pressure of trying to navigate a Japanese ramen vending machine with minimal Japanese skills while a ravenous line of Shinbashi’s finest eagerly awaits their turn. When in doubt, select the shop’s specialty Iekei ramen in red lettering on the machine (clocking in at 850 yen or USD 5.75). 

After placing your order, a staff member will make his way through the line to collect your ticket, ensuring that your piping hot bowl of shoyu and pork bone broth and char siu topping is promptly delivered after plunking down on one of the counter stools.

Big Body Line Observation: One point of note is that my ex-partner was the only female I noticed in line during our hour-plus-long trip there, which probably saw a turnover of roughly 50 patrons during that time. When people say Shinbashi is the ultimate ‘salaryman district’, they mean it. However, don’t let this dissuade you from skipping this delicious ramen haunt on your Tokyo trip – patrons of all sexes, creeds, races, sizes, and shapes are welcome.   

Iekei Ramen: a Hakata & Shoyu Hybrid

Invented in Yokohama (a 20-minute train ride from Tokyo Station), Iekei ramen boasts a storied history. It’s an amalgamation of Hakata-style tonkotsu broth – a creamy, rich, milky pork bone broth that has been broken down and boiled over hours/days – and chicken shoyu (soy sauce), filled to the brim with medium-thick, straight noodles (unlike thin noodles traditionally associated with Hakata-style). Since its introduction into the ramen world in the early 70s, it quickly became a go-to staple on Japan’s main island (Honshu). 

Because of Iekei ramen’s ubiquity across Japan, it sometimes catches flack for its inconsistency, simple broth base (as opposed to seafood broths which are seen as more complex), and high levels of customization required to suit one’s palette. Iekei-style ramen is typically one of the ramen broths that is a safe, first choice for those just arriving in Japan and often overlooked once their ramen acuity refines after trying subsequent styles. 

In my book, all ramen is good ramen. So while I can understand where criticisms of this style of ramen come from, I can’t say that I feel similar. Like an innocuous, oddly shaped puzzle piece in a thousand-piece Mona Lisa jigsaw, Iekei ramen is necessary for painting the entire ramen picture.

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you are headed to Tokyo in May and want to get a taste of the wild world of sumo, make sure to line up tickets to the annual ‘May Tournament’ located at the Ryogoku Kokugikan (right along the Sumida in the northeast of the city). While matches run all day, they can go quickly (some as short as just a few seconds), so I recommend getting there as early as possible to ensure you don’t miss out. 

Ramen Taniseya: a Creamy, Tonkotsu Familiarity With a Salty Punch

I think I need to start this section off with one of the best quotes I’ve ever read when it comes to describing ramen by a reviewer on Ramen Taniseya’s Google profile, “Iekei is not just a place where you can eat ramen. It’s a place where you can receive power, energy, and soul.” I should just stop writing as I’m not sure it can be put any better than this.

In furtherance of power, energy, and soul, Ramen Taniseya serves up a mammoth bowl of Iekei tonkotsu ramen. If you’ve read my guide on 21 days of ramen in Osaka, then you know that I am an ardent supporter of tonkotsu-based ramen (with Hakata-style ramen from the Kyushu Region being one of my all-time favorites). 

The Hakata-inspired base is the driving force behind this broth. It’s creamy, rich, and thick, colored and accented by a salty, soy sauce punch. However, for a broth so thick, it’s clean and smooth, with a finishing taste that doesn’t overstay its welcome. The five accompanying nori (seaweed) slices also help to cut through some of the richness of the broth, ensuring you don’t conjure up any thoughts of drinking a boiled-down version of Babe (Pig in the City) and his mother (RIP to Babe’s mother).

The char siu is tender and almost comparable to roast beef – meaty, medium-rare, and proportioned to generate bites of both muscle and fat. The egg, slightly runny and a formidable conduit for absorbing every last drop of broth. Half a handful of boiled, leafy spinach to kick up the power and energy so that you can find your Olive Oil, wherever she (or he) may be in the city of 808 villages (Tokyo).

Ramen Taniseya uses noodles from Sakai, a seaport located to the south of Osaka (in the Osaka prefecture) and the halfway point to Kansai International Airport. I can’t speak too authoritatively on noodles from Sakai, however, they are slightly thinner than the standard, thick noodles commonly used in Iekei ramen. This may be why Ramen Taniseya’s pork and chicken hybrid elixir leans heavier towards Hakata-style ramen for this Big Body (as Hakata-style ramen typically uses thin noodles).

Taniseya’s noodles did err on the softer side but I suspect this is done deliberately for such a filling bowl. Too thick and portion sizes would be reduced to a fraction of what they are, unable to serve their primary function of preparing you for a sober next day.

I was also eating for two as I accidentally placed an order for two of the largest bowls. When you are with a woman no bigger than 40kgs and three garden gnomes stacked on top of one another, it’s a possibility that you will need to help carry the boat so as to not generate waste and dishonor the turbulent, merciless ramen gods. So, it worked in my favor that the noodles were easily slurpable and imbued with a softer finish.

Pale Ale Travel Tip: One of the best hotels I stayed at during my three-month stint in Japan was the Shiba Park Hotel (to the direct south of Ramen Taniseya and a stone’s throw from Tokyo Tower). In addition to a gorgeous library, accessed via a Harry Potter-esque winding staircase, the Shiba Park Hotel’s four-star grounds boast clean, sophisticated rooms that economize space without compromising on comfort. Also, I may or may not have consumed about 7 espressos each day from the free Japanese espresso machine in the lobby. I cannot recommend this hotel enough for those passing through Tokyo looking to splurge a bit on accommodation and position themselves at a prime location between Ginza and Shibuya/Shinjuku.

Tokyo: A Ramen Simulation at Your Fingertips

Tokyo (and Japan as a whole) may arguably be the world’s gastronomical capital so whatever ramen shop you wander into will rarely disappoint. I was personally a bit overwhelmed with just how massive this mega-city is and how every district felt like the city’s primary financial district, so I would caveat this post with…unless you are in the Shinbashi area (or plan on passing through), I would not generally recommend making the arduous and lengthy journey across the city just for a single bowl of ramen. 

This is not a slight to Ramen Taniseya at all as it was one fantastic, nourishing bowl of Iekei ramen. Rather, the ramen world is at your fingertips in Japan. So explore your local hood for ramen joints, wander into whatever shop catches your eye, and don’t tether yourself to any idea or place that you absolutely have to go to (as I often found myself most disappointed by the restaurants I overhyped) – you won’t go home hungry. Iekei-style ramen is always a sound first launching point when beginning your ramen journey across Japan. 

If you have any favorite ramen shops in Tokyo, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Let me know what type of ramen broth they serve and what you love about the place. I’m planning to keep building out my Tokyo content as I return to Japan over the coming years, so I am definitely in need of inspiration and new shops to post up at, slug some nama beerus, and get “my ramen fix.” 

Eat well everyone,

Big Body