Ippudo Daimyo Head Shop

As far as I can remember, the first Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen I had was the “Shiromaru Motoaji” from Ippudo. and The “Shiromaru Motoaji” was so delicious when my colleague took me there that I often went to Ippudo’s nearby restaurants.

For me, eating “Shiromaru Motoaji” at the headquarter of Ippudo is one of the most important events in my life that I cannot avoid. I went to Ippudo Daimyo head shop the other day when I was in Fukuoka on an errand…

Ippudo is a huge ramen chain with 132 branches nationwide, but its main branch is surprisingly small… Ippudo Daimyo Head Shop is like this…

I visited Ippudo Daimyo Head Shop around 5:30 p.m. one weekend evening. The restaurant was located in a quiet alley off a busy street in Tenjin, and because it was still a little early for dinner, there was no line at the front. Ippudo has become a huge ramen chain on a national level, but its main branch is a small ramen shop, and it seems that it has been operating in the same place in the same way for almost 40 years since its establishment in 1985. I thought, “It would be nice if the main store had a big presence like Ichiran,” but I love this kind of business style.

On the other hand, the interior of the restaurant was renovated in 2010, and the space has a modern pop and clean feel that does not show its age. Although the frontage is narrow, the space extends to the back, with 16 counter seats and two tables seating four people. In the kitchen, a young ramen craftsman is energetically boiling noodles. Although the restaurant has a long history as a ramen shop, almost long enough to be called “long-established,” there is not the slightest hint of old-fashioned atmosphere. From old fans to young people and people with small children, this is a restaurant that anyone can use without hesitation.

In fact, the ramen was renovated in October 2023! How does Ippudo Daimyo Head Shop’s signature dish, “Kiwami Shiromaru Motoaji” taste?

Let me introduce the signature dish I ordered at Ippudo Daimyo Head Shop this time: Kiwami Shiromaru Motoaji (price: 1,290 yen including tax). Image here…

The surface of the ramen is covered with gorgeous toppings such as two kinds of chashu pork, cloud ear mushroom, seasoned egg, and nori (seaweed). This order is a big upgrade from the normal Shiromaru Motoaji that I used to eat a lot in the past, but I feel like “I’ve grown up…” to be able to order something like this on a regular basis.

Let’s start with the soup… The slightly oily soup has a mild pork flavor with a hint of garlic. I was surprised. Actually, Ippudo’s Shiromaru Motoaji was renewed in 2015 and 2023, so strictly speaking, this is not the flavor I had back then, but compared to my past memories of the soup’s flavor, it has not changed at all. There is no pork bone smell that bothers me…not only that, but the garlic flavor seems to elevate the flavor of the soup to a higher level. It seems like an innovative tonkotsu ramen that is a bit of a departure from the typical Hakata tonkotsu ramen.

The noodles are straight and thin, as is typical of Hakata tonkotsu ramen. I set the boiling level to normal this time, but unlike the noodles at other restaurants, I enjoyed the soft and sticky texture of the noodles.

Among the luxurious toppings, the chashu pork was the most eye-catching! The pork belly was thick and thick. This time, the pork belly was folded in two, and its thickness was probably comparable to that of the thickly sliced pork at the famous Osaka restaurant, Jinrui Mina Menrui. With such thick chashu plus four slices of loin chashu, plus ajitama and yakinori, isn’t it too cheap at 1,290 yen per bowl, tax included?

This one bowl of soup seems complete already, but if you ask the waiter for more free toppings such as spicy bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage, red ginger, and garlic, he will give you them toppings to your liking. How could I not be satisfied? After visiting Ippudo Daimyo Head Shop this time, I felt like going back to Ippudo again. But if I do so, I won’t be able to go to other restaurants…

Other examples of Ippudo Daimyo Head Shop’s ramen menu (prices include tax)

• Barimori Shiromaru: 1,490 yen
• Shiromaru Motoaji: 850 yen
• Shiromaru Simple 790 yen
• Barimori Akamaru 1620 yen
• Kiwami Akamaru Shin-aji 1,420 yen
• Chashu pork Akamaru: 1,380 yen
• Tamago Akamaru 1120 yen

Souvenir ramen noodles are also sold… To get to Ippudo Daimyo Honten, a 10-minute walk from the nearest station, Tenjin Station on the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line.

I noticed that Ippudo Daimyo Honten sells ramen for souvenirs when I was paying the bill…

Perhaps due to the new Corona virus pandemic, more and more ramen shops are developing take-out products. As far as I know, Ippudo used to not sell such products. I prefer to eat ramen at restaurants whenever possible, but I think it’s great that there are now various options such as mail order. By the way, you can purchase a “souvenir ramen 3-kinds set” that includes Ippudo’s three main menu items “Shiromaru Motoaji”, “Akamaru Shin-aji”, and “Karaka-men” at a reasonable price. I’ll post links to the Amazon and Rakuten product purchase pages below.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…