Hakata Ramen ShinShin Tenjin Head Shop

Hakata Ramen ShinShin is a ramen shop that has become a “celebrity favorite” due to the frequent media appearances of comedian Hakata Hanamaru. The unique tonkotsu (pork bone) soup developed based on the concept of “an easy-to-eat, pure soup that anyone would drink up” was a big hit, and as of April 2024, the shop has become a popular restaurant with six branches in Fukuoka Prefecture, mainly in Hakata and Tenjin, including the Hakata Daytos branch and Fukuoka Parco branch.

What kind of taste is this “pork bone soup that is different from both Nagahama ramen and Hakata ramen”? Expecting a new type of tonkotsu ramen, I visited the Tenjin Head Shop, late at night one day. It was quite late in the evening, so I was sure there would not be a long line, but when I actually went there, I found out that reality was not so sweet…

A convenient place to enjoy not only ramen but also food stand menu…Hakata Ramen ShinShin Tenjin Head Shop is such a restaurant!

Hakata Ramen ShinShin Tenjin Head Shop is located in front of a temple called Angokuji Temple on the north side of Tenjin Station. I visited the restaurant around 11:30 p.m. when the date was about to change, and there was a long line of nearly 20 people in front of Ankoku-ji Temple, which is located across the alley from the restaurant. The wait from this point until I entered the restaurant was about 30 minutes. The turnover of customers is quite fast for a ramen restaurant, but even at this time of the day, customers were joining the line one after another, and I could see that this is a very popular restaurant even in Fukuoka, the home of tonkotsu ramen.

The restaurant seems to have seating for 30 people in total, including counter seats. The walls of the restaurant are covered with autographs of celebrities, showing that the rumor that the restaurant is “purveyor to celebrities” is not false at all. What was also surprising was that everyone was quite lively and boisterous. The atmosphere was more like an izakaya than a ramen shop.

The owner of the restaurant had trained at a food stand before establishing the restaurant, which is why the restaurant offers a wide variety of food stand-style izakaya menus and alcoholic beverages. In other words, this restaurant combines the features of both a ramen shop and an izakaya, killing two birds with one stone. Compared to the nearby Nagahama food stand Yamachan, which operates in a similar fashion, the layout of the restaurant is much closer to that of a ramen shop. So, it is probably a miracle that I could enter the restaurant in 30 minutes despite a line of 20 people…

Hakata ShinShin Ramen: What is Hakata Junjo Ramen, which is different from both Nagahama Ramen and Hakata Ramen? I tried it!

What I ordered at Hakata Ramen ShinShin Tenjin Head Shop this time was the restaurant’s signature dish, Hakata ShinShin Ramen (price: 820 yen including tax). As with other restaurants, we can specify the degree of noodle boiling when ordering, but since this was my first visit to the restaurant, I ordered it as normal.

After placing my order, I waited about 5 minutes for my ramen to be served in front of me. It was a pleasant surprise that two pieces of chashu pork came with the ramen, even though it was a standard ramen. However, the female waitress who brought it to me threw the bowl down, so I was quite impatient as the soup almost spilled out of the bowl…

Well, let’s start with the soup… It looks like there is a lot of oil floating on the surface, but when I put it in my mouth, I did not feel it was so oily. There is no pork bone smell at all. However, the flavor is very rich. It has a fine thickening like corn soup, and the animal-based umami is very heavy on the tongue. Nevertheless, the aftertaste is quite refreshing. The soup is made by simmering pork bones, chicken offal from “Arittadori,” a brand-name chicken from Saga, and some aromatic vegetables together. The soup is certainly different from the usual Hakata tonkotsu ramen.

The noodles are thinner and straighter than those at other tonkotsu ramen restaurants, and I think they are about the same as those at Hakata Isso. The noodles were ordered boiled to a normal level, but they are chewy in their own way and you can enjoy the texture when you bite through them.

The main topping, chashu pork, was a good value for money, as it was sliced quite thickly, even though I was only happy to have two pieces in the package. It was tender and tender, and when you bite into it, the juices blended with the pork bone broth overflowed, spreading a ferociously delicious flavor all over the mouth.

Hakata ShinShin Tenjin Head Shop’s signature dish, Hakata ShinShin Ramen, certainly tasted a little different from other pork bone ramen in Fukuoka. It is based on the traditional tonkotsu ramen, but with a little bit of an outside-the-box flavor. I can certainly see why it has become popular among celebrities and other people in Fukuoka…although I do wish they would stop leaving bowls of rice for people to throw away in the future, no matter how busy they are.

Examples of other menu items at Hakata Ramen ShinShin Tenjin Head Shop (prices include tax)

• Miso ton ramen 890 yen
• Takana Ramen 930 yen
• Negi ramen 930 yen
• Ramen with boiled egg: 970 yen
• Chashu ramen 1020 yen
• Ramen with all ingredients 1110 yen
• Noodle refill 150 yen

Hakata ShinShin Ramen can be ordered by mail order or tax payment… Access to Hakata Ramen ShinShin Tenjin Head Shop is a 6-minute walk from Tenjin Station on the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line, the nearest station.

Hakata Ramen ShinShin’s tonkotsu ramen can be ordered by mail order. Three servings of semi-raw noodle type souvenir ramen cost 1,490 yen including tax. Basic shipping is not included, but if you purchase four or more boxes, shipping is free, so you can save money by buying in bulk from the store’s online store. Furthermore, with Rakuten, you can also order them using your hometown tax payment. If you meet the conditions, you can get it practically for free, so please access the product page from the link below and try ShinShin’s Tonkotsu Ramen at home.

【ふるさと納税】博多らーめんShin-Shin 3食入り×3箱セット | 楽天ふるさと とんこつラーメン お取り寄せグルメ 博多ラーメン ご当地グルメ 常温 ギフト 九州 送料無料 福岡市 細麺 昼食 夕食 夜食 楽天 おすすめ 有名店 美味しい 豚骨 価格：11,000円（税込、送料無料) (2024/6/13時点) 楽天で購入

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…