Hakata Isso Hakata Station East Head Shop

Among the many ramen shops that serve Hakata’s famous tonkotsu ramen, Hakata Isso is one of the most popular tonkotsu ramen specialty shops in the downtown areas around Hakata Station and Nakasu. As of April 2024, there are a total of three Hakata Isso brand shops: the main restaurant east of Hakata Station, the Nakasu branch, and the Gion branch. Everywhere we go, there is always a huge line of people waiting to get a bowl of ramen, and it takes a certain amount of time, energy, and perseverance to get a bowl!

What is the reason for such popularity? I found out that the soup called “Tonkotsu Cappuccino” is famous among ramen lovers… “Well, let’s try that Tonkotsu Cappuccino! So, I walked from JR Hakata Station to Hakata Isso Hakata Station East Head Shop after 10 p.m. on a certain night…

As popular as the rumors say, but the operation is a bit clunky…Hakata Isso Hakata Eki-Higashi Head Shop is a ramen shop like this

When I arrived at Hakata Isso Hakata Eki-Higashi Head Shop, there were 15 to 6 people in line from the storefront. Half of the customers were locals, but there were also a few foreign tourists with carry-on bags. People were lined up one after another behind me, and even though it was late at night, the line showed no sign of getting any shorter. As expected, the line is as popular as the rumors say.

Once inside the restaurant, I purchased a meal ticket and got in line at the end of the line. The wait time from this point until I could enter the restaurant was about 20 minutes. Compared to other ramen shops, the turnover of customers is rather fast. The smell of pork bones wafting from inside the restaurant is amazing. While waiting in line, you will be exposed to the smell of pork bones, so you might not want to go there wearing expensive clothes.

There are a total of 21 seats in the restaurant, including 7 counter seats. There are four waitresses working in and out of the kitchen, but I felt that they were a little too busy for my liking. It may have been just a coincidence that this was the case at the time, but there were frequent order errors. I had to wait for more than 20 minutes from the time I handed over my meal ticket to the time I received my bowl of ramen…

I tried the top menu item at Hakata Isso Hakata Eki-Higashi Head Shop – Special Ramen – and tried the rumored Tonkotsu Cappuccino!

Let me introduce the special ramen I ordered at the Hakata Isso Hakata Station East Head Shop (price: 1,200 yen including tax). After waiting for 20 minutes like a dog that has been given a break, here is what the special ramen looked like…

The soup is bubbling all over. It looks like it is from the same lineage as Hakata Ikkosha. It seems that Hakata Isso’s bubbly soup can be compared to a coffee cappuccino. What exactly is a pork bone soup that can be compared to a cappuccino?

So, I scooped up some of the soup with a bamboo whisk and brought it to my mouth… I guessed that the foam was from the fat. The first mouthful gives the impression of being quite oily. And from the moment it enters my mouth, my nose is strongly stimulated by the smell of pork bones, which is irresistible to those who like it.

However, the flavor of the pork bone broth that I felt after finishing the stimulation was relatively light. No, it was not thin by any means, but it was lighter than Ichiran‘s pork bone broth, which has less tonkotsu smell, which was surprising given the impression I got from the appearance before eating it. Also, the bubbles were definitely there, but to be honest, they didn’t have that fluffy “cappuccino” feeling that people call “cappuccino. In terms of the cappuccino feeling, I personally feel that the soup at Hakata Daruma Sohonten is superior…

On the other hand, the noodles are a little thinner than other Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. I ordered it with normal hardness, but it came out reasonably hard boiled, and I enjoyed the crispiness of the noodles.

Toppings: 3 pieces of pork belly chashu with thick fatty meat…

One ajitama (seasoned egg) soaked in sauce to the center…

And a wonton, which is rare in tonkotsu ramen, and other toppings. At first, I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of wontons in Hakata tonkotsu ramen. However, when I tried it, I found the filling to be very filling and the flavor of the pickled sauce containing sake was as strong as the pork bone broth, so I felt that this would be a good match for Hakata tonkotsu ramen….

I was a bit surprised that the special ramen at Hakata Isso Hakata Ekigashi Head Shop was lighter than I had imagined it would be. However, the pork bone smell is still there, and it is not the kind of ramen that will appeal to everyone. Well, the restaurant’s Instagram says, “We don’t aim for everyone to like our ramen, but only for those who like it,” so I guess that’s fine. If you like the peculiar taste of pork bone, please give it a try when you visit Hakata.

Examples of other menu items at Hakata Isso Hakata Ekigashi Head Shop (prices include tax)

• Ramen 800 yen
• Ajitama ramen 900 yen
• Chashu ramen 1000 yen
• Wonton ramen 1000 yen
• Ajitama chashu men 1100 yen
• Makanai-don: 380 yen
• Fried egg 150 yen

Ramen can be ordered by mail order or by hometown tax payment! Access to Hakata Isso Hakata Ekigashi Honten is a 7-minute walk from the nearest station, JR Hakata Station.

Hakata Isso’s tonkotsu ramen can be ordered by mail order through Amazon and Rakuten, with a set of four servings of semi-sweet noodles and soup costing around 2,000 yen per box. Although you need to procure ingredients such as chashu pork by yourself, it looks quite cosmetically good, don’t you think? By the way, Rakuten can also handle hometown tax payments, so if the conditions are met, it is practically free! If you want to try “Tonkotsu Cappuccino” at home, you can order it from the link below.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…