Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi

A little south down Kiyamachi Dori from the Sanjo side is Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi, a tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen specialty restaurant with a long history, established in 1983. This is the ramen restaurant that musician GACKT has been frequenting since he was a student. Due to such circumstances, the restaurant has received a surprisingly large amount of media exposure and has been introduced on popular TV programs such as TBS’s “King’s Brunch” and “Lovin’ it”.

What kind of taste is the tonkotsu ramen available at such a popular restaurant? Especially in Kyoto, I don’t know any other restaurants where we can eat Nagahama ramen… Wouldn’t you be so happy to be able to eat authentic Nagahama ramen in Kyoto? Curious about that part of the story as well, I went to Kiyamachi Sanjo, where the restaurant is located, one weekday afternoon…

In Kyoto, Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi is famous as “the last meal of the day after a drinking session…” This is the kind of restaurant

I arrived at Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi at around 2:30 p.m. on a weekday afternoon. It was already past lunch time, so I was able to easily enter the restaurant without any wait.

When I took out my wallet, I noticed that all the buttons were marked with red X’s. I thought, “Well, let’s buy a meal ticket from the ticket machine and go inside”. I thought to myself, “What the heck? I was just about to think, when the lady in the kitchen said to me in Chinese-accented Japanese, “Cash inside! I took a seat at the vacant counter and placed my order in cash.

The restaurant, which has probably been in use for 40 years, is quite old and has a somewhat Asian atmosphere despite its location in Kyoto. The space in the restaurant is quite tight, so it is quite inconvenient if you are carrying a large baggage.

By the way, this ramen shop, Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi, is actually famous in Kyoto as a place to go for a “the last meal of the day after a night of drinking. After a few drinks in Kiyamachi or Ponto-cho, you may ask yourself, “Which ramen should I eat to close out the day, Taiho Ramen or Miyoshi’s? It is like that. I really appreciate the existence of ramen shops that are open late at night in the drinking area. I hope this kind of business style stores will continue to exist for a long time to come…

What did I think of the Chashu-men I ordered at Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi?

What I ordered at Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi this time was the Chashu-men (price: 800 yen including tax). In these days of price hikes, isn’t it great to be able to eat Chashu-men for less than 1,000 yen?

After placing my order, I waited about 5 minutes for my bowl of chashu-men to arrive in front of me. The toppings are simple: chopped green onions, chashu pork, and bamboo shoots, but I felt a little uncomfortable with the red seasoning on the bamboo shoots.

First of all, I took a sip of the soup…it is a sweet soup with a very rich pork bone flavor. From my experience of eating at several popular authentic Nagahama Ramen restaurants including the original Nagahamaya, I felt uncomfortable with this soup as well. My image of Nagahama Ramen is of “light tonkotsu” (pork bone), but this soup is as rich and thick as Ichiran‘s. There is no pork bone smell that bothers me, and the pork bone soup is well made, but if you ask me if this is Nagahama Ramen, I would honestly say that it is not quite right.

On the other hand, I was not asked about the degree of boiling of the noodles, but when I tried it, I found that the noodles were not hard at all but almost “nama” in texture. This is a personal preference, but I don’t like them soft, so I was a bit disappointed with the cooked texture of these noodles. If you like them soft, remember to specify the degree of boiling when you order.

There were five pieces of chashu pork as toppings in total, each piece was small and orthodox, and the impact of chashu pork was a bit lacking considering the current trend in the world. However, nowadays, Chashu-men is priced at 800 yen including tax. We should be thankful that they let us eat chashu men at this price.

By the way, there are many seasonings on the table, such as red ginger, white sesame seeds, and coarsely ground chili peppers, to change the taste. At first glance, it seems like a nice touch, but some of them, such as soy bean sauce, curry powder, and tenkasu, seem to miss the point. I can’t help but feel “How can this be called Nagahama ramen?”

However, as a tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen, it is usually well made. If you remove the title “Nagahama Ramen,” I think there is no doubt that GACKT has been going to this restaurant every year since he was a student.

Examples of other menu items from Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi (prices include tax)

• Ramen noodles 650 yen
• Menma ramen 800 yen
• Beef ramen 800 yen
• Kimchi ramen 800 yen
• Wakame ramen 800 yen
• Single serving of takana (Chinese cabbage) 150 yen
• Replacement noodles 150 yen

There is a Ginkakuji branch along Imadegawa Dori… Access to Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi is a 3-minute walk from the nearest station, Sanjo Station on the Keihan Electric Railway line.

Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi seems to have opened a branch along Imadegawa Dori (Ginkakuji branch). I also learned of the existence of the restaurant on the Internet for the first time while writing this article. It is located near Chinese noodle restaurant “Masutani” in Kita-Shirakawa, near Kyoto University, so it seems to be a place where students gather. Unfortunately, unlike the main ramen shop in Kiyamachi, it does not seem to be open late at night, but if you are in the mood for a rich tonkotsu ramen, it might be a good option.

Here are the details of the restaurant…

It is a 4-minute walk from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line, and an 8-minute walk from Kyoto Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line.

P.S. If you are looking for delicious ramen in Kyoto, please stop by this article below…