Anzen Ramen Itoshima

Anzen Ramen (“Anzen” means “Safety” in Japanese”)…Osaka is no different (like “Jinrui Mina Menrui“), but there is a ramen shop with an unusual name in Fukuoka as well. A little research on the Internet revealed that it is an affiliate of a ramen store in Fukuoka City’s Nishi Ward called Anzen Shokudo, but I was unable to obtain any solid information, including the year it was founded. This mystery only made me more curious, so during my recent stay in Hakata, I went to Kafuri Station in Itoshima City, where the restaurant is located. I wonder what kind of ramen they serve there? I am curious…

A family-style ramen shop run by local mothers… this is what Anzen Ramen Itoshima is like this…

I arrived at Anzen Ramen around 12:30 on a weekend, and was quite surprised when I looked at Google Maps from the station to the restaurant. I was quite surprised to see on Google Maps that Route 202, where Anzen Ramen is located, is a gourmet street.

Diagonally across from Anzen Ramen is the Itoshima branch of Drive-in Tori, which is said to be the soul food of Saga Prefecture residents, and within 1 km west of there is Maki no Udon Kaburi Head Shop (also called the soul food of Fukuoka Prefecture residents), followed by the Itoshima Shokudo Head Shop, a restaurant in line famous for its seafood bowls (and further west of that, the Tsukamoto Fresh Fish Store, which is also known for its seafood bowls. )… I don’t mean to be rude to the locals, but I never imagined that there would be such a concentration of popular restaurants here. I really envy them…

Now, back to the story of Anzen Ramen. The restaurant, with a red tent sign reading “Anzen Ramen,” looks like the first floor of a two-story house has been converted into a store. It looks like a store that has aged quite well. It is reminiscent of a Showa-era local Chinese restaurant (townhouse).

When I opened the sliding door and enter the restaurant, there were five counter seats in the front and a small tatami room in the back on both sides. The interior structure of the restaurant is like an old-fashioned mass diner. The people who run the restaurant are ordinary-looking mothers. I imagined from the appearance of the restaurant that the elderly male owner was hard at work boiling the noodles, which was a bit surprising. However, the restaurant has a very homey and homely atmosphere. I think you can feel at home here, whether you are alone or with small children.

What does the tonkotsu (pork) ramen made by local mothers taste like?

Let me introduce you to the signature dish, ramen (priced at 600 yen including tax). After about 10 minutes of waiting, a mother wearing a T-shirt with the words “Put safety in this bowl” on it brought me a bowl of ramen…

Can you tell by the comparison with the cup in the back? This bowl of ramen is quite small. It is about the size of a bowl used for half ramen at other restaurants. However, the soup is poured to the edge of the bowl, so it seems to be more voluminous than a half ramen. Men may feel a little short, so be prepared for an extra double portion.

Now, let’s try the soup…well, I was so surprised. It is a very gentle tasting pork bone soup. It doesn’t smell like pork bones at all, and although there is a little bit of fine back fat floating in the soup, it is not greasy and light. Even though it may seem so, but the pork bone broth is still present, and the umami taste comes through with a pleasant salty flavor. The pork bone broth is very strong, with a pleasant saltiness and umami flavor. The connection with the sensation of the pork bone broth hitting the body reminded me of the ramen I used to eat in Kyoto at Kyo Ramen Sadakazu. It makes me want to have not “kaedama” (double portion) but “kae-soup.

On the other hand, the noodles are very thin and straight with low water content. I asked for the noodles to be boiled to a normal level, but they were still relatively chewy. The noodles were crispy and had a good stickiness to them, and they passed down the throat without any resistance. The bowl was small, but I think it contained a normal amount of noodles.

The main topping, chashu pork. I thought it looked like a traditional ordinary chashu pork, but when I put it in my mouth, it was much more resilient and juicy than I expected, and exceeded my expectations. I really wanted to try the chashu ramen that day, but it was already sold out. So, I had to order a regular ramen, but I thought that I could have had it to my heart’s content if I had arrived in time for the chashu ramen… I regretted it so much that I wished I had come a little earlier….

I left the restaurant fully satisfied with the pork bone ramen from Anzen Ramen. I really wished there was a place nearby where I could eat this kind of ramen…” I thought. It takes an hour one way from Hakata to get to the restaurant, but if I ever go to Hakata again, I would be happy to repeat my visit. It is probably one of the best ramen with no peculiar taste around Hakata, so I would like people who don’t like the smell of pork bones to try it, especially those who don’t like it.

Examples of other menu items at Anzen Ramen Itoshima (prices include tax)

• Chashu-men 850 yen (large portion 950 yen)
• Gyoza (Chinese dumplings) 350 yen
• Yakimeshi (fried rice) 710 yen (large portion 810 yen)
• Noodle refills 150 yen
• Kikurage (topping) 60 yen
• Negi (topping) 60 yen
• Boiled egg 60 yen

The second store opened in June 2022 in Chikuzen-Maebaru! Access to Anzen Ramen Itoshima is an 8-minute walk from the nearest station, Kafuri Station on the JR Chikuhi Line.

In June 2022, Anzen Ramen opened its second store in Chikuzen-maebaru. According to the food log, this Anzen Ramen Maebaru branch is open until 1:00 am. This ramen is definitely a delicious way to end the day. If you live nearby, please visit this restaurant to finish off your day after drinking. Honestly, I am so jealous…

Now, here are the details of the restaurant. Restaurant data is here…