Menya Kiyo

In Ichijōji—Kyoto’s most competitive ramen district—there’s a shop called Menya Kiyo that specializes in soy sauce ramen made with a shellfish broth. Established in 2018 as the second location of Menya Yūko—which had already established itself as a popular spot in Karasuma-Oike—this shop is a real godsend for ramen lovers, given that options for shellfish-based ramen in Ichijōji are extremely limited.

One afternoon, while wandering around the Ichijōji neighborhood, this shop happened to catch my eye. The thought, “I’d love to have some ramen…” popped into my head, so I went right in. So, how was the shellfish-based soy sauce ramen at Menya Kiyo, when I actually tried it…?

A Mr. Children-Themed Feast on Ichijoji Ramen Street… Here’s What Menya Kiyo Is Like…

But first, let me give you a quick introduction to Menya Kiyo. Menya Kiyo is located on the south side of Ichijoji Ramen Street, just past the Takano Intersection—where Higashioji-dori and Kitaoji-dori meet—and north of the Shirakawa Canal. It’s close to the Takano bus stop and easily accessible from Kyoto Station and Shijo Kawaramachi, so I’d say it’s one of the most conveniently located spots on Ichijoji Ramen Street. When I visited around 1:30 p.m. one day, I was lucky enough to find no line at the door and was able to walk right in without waiting. However, during peak lunch and dinner hours, there can be long lines, so it’s best to be prepared for a bit of a wait when you visit.

The interior of Menya Kiyo has a modern, stylish café-like design, with a total of 18 seats, including 8 at the counter. Since there’s a female staff member working in the kitchen, I think even solo female diners should feel comfortable coming in. Now, as for what makes this place unique—much like the first location, Menya Yuko, and going even further back, “Jinrui Mina Menrui” (one of Osaka’s most famous restaurants with long lines, where the owner of Menya Yuko trained)—Mr. Children’s music and videos are constantly playing in the background. For Mr. Children fans, this is a rare gem on the Ichijoji Ramen Street where you can immerse yourself in all things Mr. Children.

Free addition of up to 5 slices of rare chashu… How did Menya Kiyo’s “Hachiku” actually turn out when I tried it?

So, let me introduce “Hachiku”—one of the three types of clam-broth ramen I ordered that day at Menya Kiyo. About five minutes after placing my order, the Hachiku was brought to my table, and this is what it looked like…

The noodles, neatly folded in the clear broth, and the rare char siu arranged all around the rim of the bowl make for quite an impressive sight, don’t they? Actually, Menya Kiyo offers an amazing service where you can customize your order with 1 to 5 slices of rare char siu for free. Since I ordered 5 slices this time, the result was this gorgeous presentation.

Now, let’s dig in… The broth is clear and light, like this. It has a sweet soy sauce flavor and a robust shellfish broth base. Because the shellfish broth flavor is so pronounced, it’s perfectly satisfying even for a midday meal—no lack of impact here. After gulping down this broth, the aftertaste will definitely leave the whole body feeling like it’s soaked in shellfish.

The noodles are medium-thick noodles made with whole wheat flour, hand-crafted every morning at their in-house noodle shop. The surface is smooth, and when biting, it offers that distinctive, crisp bite unique to whole-wheat noodles.

Now, let’s talk about the rare chashu—I upgraded to five slices. I was super excited because up to five slices are free, but since each slice is ultra-thin, the overall volume wasn’t that impressive, which left me a little disappointed compared to what I’d expected. That said, it’s not that the rare chashu is poorly made. Rather than being thoroughly marinated in sauce to let the flavor soak in, this rare chashu lets the meat’s natural umami shine through. Since the slices are so thin, they heat up quickly in the soup, so if you want to enjoy them rare, I recommend polishing them off the moment the bowl arrives.

So, I finished Menya Kiyo’s “Hachiku” in about five minutes and left the shop. Aside from the ultra-thin rare chashu, it felt almost identical to Menya Yuko’s “Hachiku.” Well, I understand it’s a second location, but since they’ve gone to the trouble of changing the shop name, I personally think it would be nice if it had a slightly different vibe… Still, the quality of the clam-based ramen is high, so I can definitely recommend this place if you’re in Ichijoji and craving clam-based ramen!

Sample Menu at Menya Kiyo (Prices include tax)

• Hachiku: 950 yen
• Madake: 950 yen
• Kurochiku: 950 yen
• Maze Soba: 1,100 yen
• Dan Dan Noodles: 1,100 yen

There are even more great value set menus available at lunchtime… Menya Kiyo is a 5-minute walk from Ichijoji Station on the Eizan Electric Railway, the nearest station.

At Menya Kiyo, they offer several great value set menus during lunchtime…

There are four types of set menus: the White Rice Set, the Meat Gyoza Set, the Seared Rare Char Siu Rice Bowl Set, and the Sei Fried Chicken Set. They can be paired with any ramen you order, which is super convenient. On days when your appetite is in top form and five slices of rare char siu just aren’t enough to fill you up… why not try one of these sets?

Now, here are the restaurant details…

P.S. If you’re looking for delicious ramen in Kyoto, be sure to check out this article as well…