It is very common to see video reviews about a chain ramen restaurant in Japan called "Ichiran", but when I went there I was greeted with a very long queue, it took me a couple of hours to get a seat and I couldn't help but notice there was all sorts of nationalities in there, BUT I couldn't see any japanese customers.
The ramen was awesome, as expected, but it was not that different from a less famous restaurant, and this makes me think perhaps this restaurant is overrated or just famous among tourists?
by taniferf
29 Comments
It’s great. By no means the best but very accessible and consistently nice.
Yes, or maybe just not my type of flavor.
It was a cool experience and it was affordable (at the time). If I were to go to Japan today though, I don’t think I would go back there. You can certainly do better.
I think Ichiran is better than 99% of ramen outside of Japan, but only better than maybe 25% of ramen within Japan. So for tourists it’s probably the best ramen they’ve had, but for locals, it’s an ok bowl of ramen.
I thought is is very decent for a big chain and loved the model.
The ramen itself, if it exists in a vacuum, is appropriately rated. It’s decently made. I don’t think anyone is singing appraises that they are gourmet. But it doesn’t exist in a vacuum, if in your town you have to get in line and wait for hours to eat it, then it IS overrated. It’s good, but it’s not wait-in-line good.
ichiran is to ramen what domino’s is to pizza. neither are the best in their category, pretty mediocre to be honest, they are consistent – but would you get domino’s on your Italy vacation?
No, as in it’s really delicious and great tonkotsu ramen. Yes, as in there are a lot of other smaller ramen shops with equal or better quality in Japan. But it is definitely worth it for the unique experience with the stalls. Place is always packed but you feel like you have it for yourself at the same time.
300% yes
I was outside ueno station in Tokyo last fall and wanted some ramen. I’ve had ichiran before, and it was fine, but I decided to give it another go. Ichiran had a lineup of 45 minutes so I pulled up the app Ramen map and two store fronts down was a Tsukemen shop that was rated about 10% higher than Ichiran, had a lineup of 2-3 Japanese salary men and was amazing.
Ichiran in Japan is fine, it’s very constant from store to store and you know exactly what you are going to get. If you were walking by one and there was no line, I’d suggest most people try it out. Once you have that out of your system, go and try ramen that the local search out.
In my opinion, Ichiran tastes decent for a ramen chain restaurant. I ate once at their Ikebukuro branch in 2017 and never returned.
I had better ramen at smaller shops and most I tried out are almost half the price cheaper.
1700jpy for 1 bowl of chain restaurant ramen is just unacceptable for me.
I really like it.
I like a simple bowl of Ramen I also like the privacy lol.
Yes
We found it good but found much tastier ramen elsewhere. Worth a visit, but sometimes the random ramen place down the road will exceed your expectations haha
When visiting Kyushu, especially Hakata, it is clearly overrated. You can easily find many higher-rated tonkotsu ramen shops in the area.
In other regions, however, Ichiran can be one of the better choices.
Kyushu is the home of tonkotsu ramen, and Japan has a wide variety of regional ramen styles to offer. Considering the effort required to hunt down a truly delicious tonkotsu ramen shop, sticking to Ichiran, which is conveniently located and easy to access, is not a bad choice at all.
The lines are long just because it’s popular online and has thus become a must-do thing for tourists. It tastes good and it’s definitely worth a visit, but after one time it’s better to just go to the smaller shops
In New York there are some pretty solid ramen spots. I had to drive to Brooklyn for Ichiran and it was good but I’m still not sold that it’s the best ramen outside of Japan.
Overrated but still good
id sell my left nut to get some ichiran
Ichiran, aside from the convenience factor, is a “try once to see the hype and never again” sort of place. The ramen itself is just ok…but no one should ever line up for it. If you have a sudden craving for ramen at like 3am and nothing around except Ichiran…sure. Many places to try, but this should not be a high priority.
Would you rather line up 1 hour for chain ramen or a “michelin bib/top 100” rated store? That’s as self-explanatory as it gets.
Like Wagamama in the UK, not the best but accessible
It is what it is. Decent ramen for a tourist trap
Ichiran has two things going for it. The ramen is decent – it’s not the best, but it’s no slouch either. And I really like their togarishi paste. As a chain, it’s consistent, which is also a plus.
The second thing is, for introverts like me, the individual booths where you can sit in relative privacy and don’t have to see or talk to other people and there are actual barriers to prevent that from happening.
But aside from that, there are better places. Famous chain wise I actually prefer Ippudo over Ichiran.
Yes, extremely. It’s perfectly fine, but the portion sizes are stingy meaning you need the kaedama to actually make it serviceable, and once you’ve added that and the toppings you’re paying a premium price for a very average bowl.
Tourists queueing up for it is baffling.
I don’t think it’s overrated. I go there once on every visit to Japan.
It’s famous amongst tourists.
Hot take but most ramen stores in Japan (that are not franchises) you visit, will serve you a delicious bowl of ramen.
I fucking love Ichiran. Been to Japan twice and this is always something I HAVE to have when I’m there.
There’s probably better ramen out there but this stuff is part of the Japan experience for me.
Overrated? Maybe. Delicious? Yes.
I’m not waiting a single hour let alone two for any meal ever. I’ll just eat a hotdog or whatever and be done with it. No food is worth that kind of hassle.