Ramen Oyaji

In the west of Kyoto City, in an area located between JR Enmachi Station and JR Hanazono Station, is the popular ramen restaurant Ramen Oyaji, which has been in business for more than 40 years. The former owner, who was originally a cab driver, taught himself how to make ramen and opened the restaurant in 1977. Today, the second generation has taken over the flavor of the ramen and it is a community-based ramen shop that is highly regarded by old fans.

How good is the ramen available at the store? I had been curious about it for a while, and one afternoon I made up my mind and walked from JR Hanazono Station to Ramen Oyaji. It was a little past 4:00 p.m., a delicate time that could be called neither lunch nor dinner, but the place was quite busy…

A retro store that has remained unchanged since its establishment… Ramen Oyaji is a ramen shop like this.

Ramen Oyaji is located in a quiet residential area a little north of Marutamachi Dori. The exterior of the store is quite old, and the tent signboard, which was probably bright red, has already lost its color and turned grayish.

The inside of the restaurant also has a retro feel, with a layout that is reminiscent of a Showa-era diner. The space is quite spacious, with 10 L-shaped counter seats along the kitchen and two tables seating four to six people. At this time of the day, high school students, mostly on their way home from school, would come here to sip their ramen.

The second generation couple is currently running the restaurant. There was no one who seemed to be the founder of the restaurant. I guess they have completely taken over the flavor of the restaurant. Old fans will surely love the fact that they can enjoy the same nostalgic taste for a long time to come…

I ordered the Double Chashu-men soup at Ramen Oyaji to be covered in chashu pork! But what actually surprised me was…

What I ordered at Ramen Oyaji this time was Double Chashu-men (price: 1,300 yen including tax), which I decided to order immediately because of its name. After placing my order, I waited about 5 minutes for my bowl of Double Chashu-men to arrive in front of me, and it looked like this…

This black ramen is reminiscent of the Chinese noodle soup at the legendary Shinpuku Saikan Head Shop in Kyoto. At first glance, the double chashu pork does not make much of an impact, but the default arrangement of chopped green onions is a delight for green onion lovers.

Now, let’s start with the soup… The soy sauce flavor is mild, but the animal flavor is very rich. The umami had such an impact on me that I drank two, three, and more mouthfuls of the soup without thinking. The strength of the animal flavor probably surpasses that of Shinpuku Saikan Head Shop. It is truly amazing that the first owner of the restaurant taught himself to create this flavor.

The noodles are medium-thick straight noodles made by Kondo Seimen, a well-known name in Kyoto ramen. The noodles are slightly hard-boiled and have a slightly chewy texture with a sticky feel.

The chashu pork was inconspicuous, hidden by the green onions, but when I counted it, there were 14 to 5 pieces in total. Although each piece was small, they were thick and quite meaty. If you finish the whole thing, you will feel like you have eaten enough meat.

I was surprised by the richness of the broth rather than the pork. This flavor is certainly addictive. It is a pity that it is a little inconvenient to get to the restaurant, but I would still like to visit Hanazono again! I can understand why there are so many old fans who love this restaurant.

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

• Ramen noodles 900 yen
• Ramen with fresh garlic 950 yen
• Large ramen 1050 yen
• Cha-shu ramen 1100 yen
• Large size Chashu-men 1,250 yen
• Large size Double Chashu-men 1,450 yen
• Roasted pork 950 yen

Ramen take-out available…Access to Ramen Oyaji is a 13-minute walk from Hanazono Station on the JR Sanin Honsen Line, the closest station to the restaurant.

Ramen Oyaji also offers ramen to-go. It seems that they give you a complete set of ingredients for the ramen that they really serve at the restaurant, not the commercialized version. If that’s the case, you can make the exact same quality ramen at home as at the restaurant. If you want to take your ramen home, it is recommended to make a reservation in advance so that you can pick it up smoothly.

Now, here are the details of the ramen shop…

From the neighboring JR Enmachi station, it is a 13-minute walk.

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