Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten

Hakata Ikkosha is one of the most popular of the many Hakata tonkotsu ramen restaurants, and its soup, cooked in two separate kettles using a method known as the “Jukusei Oidaki method,” is called the “original foam type soup” and has a unique taste that will make even the most picky local Hakata tonkotsu ramen lover swoon! It is said to have a one-of-a-kind flavor that makes even the most picky local Hakata ramen lovers swoon.

I was not uninterested in the “original foamy” pork bone broth, so I visited Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten in front of JR Hakata Station one night to finish off my meal. According to the conversation of passersby, it is usually very crowded and there is always a long queue, but perhaps because it was pouring that day, I was able to enter the restaurant with almost no waiting time…

Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten is a special place among all the restaurants in the chain…

Hakata Ikkosha was established in 2004, so this year marks the 20th anniversary of its establishment. Originally opened in Daimyo, a town of young people, the restaurant reopened on July 11, 2018 near the current Hakata Station as Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten and continues to this day. The restaurant seats 10 customers at an L-shaped counter and four tables for two, for a total of 18 seats. As a new store that has only been reopened for about five years, the store’s exterior and interior are spotless.

But the moment I entered the restaurant, a distinctive pork bone smell hit my nose. It’s a smell that is very appealing to those who like it, but is also the biggest cause of people who dislike tonkotsu ramen… At the very least, there seems to be no doubt that they use a considerable amount of pork bones to cook the soup in the restaurant.

To top it off, the main restaurant is the only one that uses three feather kettles to cook the broth using the “Jukusei Oidaki method”. Does the soup become thicker when there are three feather boiler pots instead of two? Or does it foam more finely and become fluffy? I don’t know, having never had Hakata Ikkosha’s tonkotsu ramen before, but I can at least tell you that this Sohonten is considered to be very special among all the restaurants in the chain.

Tokujo Awa-kei Tonkotsu Ramen: How was it to actually try the top-of-the-line “original Awa-kei” menu, which can only be had at Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten?

What I ordered at Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten this time was the Tokujo Awa-kei  tonkotsu ramen” recommended on the ticket machine (price: 1,450 yen including tax). As at Ichiran Nanokawa Branch, I also ordered one refill (priced at 150 yen including tax).

After handing the ticket to the waiter, it took about 5 minutes. The entire surface of the soup is foamy and fine. On the other hand, there is no spicy sauce like that of Ichiran Nanokawa Branch’s tonkotsu ramen. Is that how confident they are in the taste of their soup?

The soup is soft and fluffy, and has a gentle feel when you put it in your mouth, but the pork bone flavor is very strong. The bubbles floating in the soup are not artificially created, but are fat derived from pork bones called “Shiho (fat bubble)”. The smell of pork bone is not so strong, but it can be felt, giving the impression that it is a straight and true pork bone soy sauce soup. However, it is not at all cloying, and has a sharp, clean taste that leaves no aftertaste.

On the other hand, this noodle also seems to be an original noodle only available at the Sohonten. The noodles are slightly wide, flat and thin, and are boiled to “normal” in five levels: very hard, hard, normal, soft, and very soft. Even though the noodles are normally cooked, they are quite chewy, and the feeling of crispiness is very pleasant. It is rare to find a noodle that makes me enjoy the sensation of crunchiness so much. The noodle is not only smooth but also clings to the bubbly broth, so there are no complaints about the soup being absorbed.

And the main topping, chashu pork, included four pieces of rare type. This chashu also had a concentrated flavor of meat and was more like a ham than chashu.

The ajitama (seasoned egg) is soft and fluffy when you pick it up with chopsticks, and you can tell that the yolk inside is in a tender, semi-cooked state. The flavor of the salty sauce soaks into the inside of the egg, and it is definitely delicious when eaten by itself, but I felt that if the yolk dissolves into the soup, it would ruin the flavor of the soup, so I personally found it a little troubling.

Now, here is the refill you have been waiting for. This time, I ordered the “Bari-kata” (very hard boiled noodles), as is typical of Hakata tonkotsu ramen, but looking at the kitchen, the noodles were really only boiled for about 10 seconds. However, when I actually tried it, I found that the texture of the noodles was more than enough even with the “normal” setting, so I felt that Hakata Ikkosha did not need to go out of its way to make the “Bari-kata” setting…. The restaurant seems to recommend softer boiled noodles, so next time I visit, I may order softer noodles.

I left the restaurant after finishing all the dishes, even the refill. I don’t think this is the type of ramen that will appeal to everyone because of the pork bone smell, but if you take that out of the equation, the noodles and soup are of very high quality, and I recommend it. If you are worried about the thick ramen, there are four other Hakata Ikkosha brand restaurants offering different types of tonkotsu ramen, so you may want to start with that. In any case, if you go all the way to Hakata, you are definitely missing out if you do not try authentic Hakata tonkotsu ramen!

Hakata Ikkosha’s five brands of tonkotsu ramen

• Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten
• Hakata Ikkosha
• Hakata Yatai Ramen Ikkosha
• Drive-in Ikkosha
• Nidaime Ikkosha

Souvenir tonkotsu ramen is also available! Access to Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten is a 5-minute walk from the nearest station, JR Hakata Station.

Hakata Ikkosha Sohonten also sells tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen for souvenirs…

Four servings of fresh noodle-type tonkotsu ramen are priced at 1,500 yen (tax included) (Note: as of November 2023). This product is available through Amazon and Furusato Tax, but it is much cheaper to buy directly from the store as it is sold for 2,400 yen per box on Amazon (or perhaps Amazon is a more reasonable price…). It will probably never be reproduced to the fatty foam of the soup, but it has a good reputation by word of mouth. Why not give it as a souvenir of your trip to Hakata, or as a gift to your ramen-loving friends and acquaintances?

【博多一幸舎】豚骨ラーメン 1箱4食入 元祖泡系ラーメン 行列の絶えない博多の名店 濃厚とんこつ お取り寄せ

Amazon参考価格：2400円

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