Where to Eat in Kyoto? | Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi

13th Feburary 2014

Kyoto, Japan.

I remembered it was a very cold morning while I was walking along Kiyamachi-dori. My studio’s assigned site was located at the junction between Kiyamachi-dori and Sanjo-dori. There was a pancake place opposite but I was drawn to the slurping noises and the aromas emitting from a street-side ramen stall named Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi which serves Hakata style-tonkotsu ramen.

Plucking up courage and lifted up the noren and got seated along the street. It was a small ramen stall. The seats are arranged around the kitchen where two guys were working away churning out bowls of ramen. I ordered the classic Ramen with Chashu (600 Yen) which came rather quickly. The broth was nothing short of amazing, it was robust, as expected from a tonkotsu ramen and not too oily and very fragrant. It was slightly heavier than Ippudo’s Shiromaru Ramen but a tad milder and more balanced than Ikkousha’s. The noodles were just right for me. The chashu slices were very tender with a good ratio of fat and lean meat.

Apparently, there is a huge range of toppings for the ramen (for free!) but call me conservative, I love the ramen the way it is and it was good even without anything additional toppings. 

To find Hakata Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi (博多長浜ラーメン みよし), walk southwards along the Takase-gawa from the junction between the Kiyamachi-dori and Sanjo-dori. The nearest station is Sanjo-Keihan Station across the Kamogawa, it is also very near the northern tip of Pontocho where the theatre is. For architecture fans, its opposite Tadao Ando’s TIMES building, across the Takase-gawa.