Food: 5.0÷5.0 Service: 2.0÷5.0 Value: 3.0÷5.0 Décor: 3.0÷5.0 Overall: 4.5÷5.0 Belated review from several years ago. Amazing noodles and amazing salty broth. The best tsukemen and second best* bowl of ramen I’ve ever had [so far] was at this Rokurinsha. I liked all three(four?) places that I tried on Ramen Street in Tokyo Station, but this is far and away the best among them and also has far and away the longest(any?) line. Worth waiting on line for 30 minutes v. not waiting at all for one of the others in my opinion. *Número uno is I***r*n, but they’re so different it’s hard to be definitive.
Joanna Y.
Classificação do local: 5 Honolulu, HI
Simply amazing broth and noodles. There’s a reason why so many patrons wait an hour or more for delicious tsukemen! Located at Tokyo Station basement in Ramen Street. You’ll see it; its the only ramen shop with a line lol. The line usually wraps around the corner and you can see foot paths that indicate how long the wait line is from that spot. My bf and I waited an hour to eat at Rokurinsha but it was worth it. In line, the staff passes a menu to look at while you wait so when you get to the front you can order right away from the vending machine. I always loved the concept of vending machine ordering in Japan — it’s so fast and efficient!
Jenny F.
Classificação do local: 5 Daly City, CA
Delicious tsukemen I ever had! Lines for Rokurinsha can wrap around the corner. Once you get near the front of the line, you order on the vending machine, pay, receive tickets and wait for the next available seats(My party of 4 was split to 2×2). Service is quick once you hand over the ramen tickets. The bowl of ramen noodles are thick, wavy, and chewy. Somehow in room temperature, the noodles are able to absorb the room temperature broth easily. Broth is savory with a hint of sweetness and a mouthful of umami flavor. If you convinced yourself tsukemen is not for you, try Rokurinsha. Tip: Its under the tokyo station in the basement near character street. If you see three red hexagon shapes that remind you of beehives, that’s Rokurinsha. Note: Restaurant appeared on The Mind of A Chef with David Chang Click«useful» button if you found this helpful!
Leslie S.
Classificação do local: 5 Singapore, Singapore
There’s a reason David Chang says the broth«tastes like crack» in the TV series«The Mind of a Chef». It is. I was wondering how good can noodles taste? As good as it could be! Went in the evening around 5pm and the queue was not too long at about half an hour. Lucky me! Before we started, we got to meet a French guy whom we asked how was the noodles, and he just said«its the best!» Thats testament enough of this famous affordable Tsukemen. If you are at nearby Ginza or Tokyo station, you have to go to the basement and join the queue here. Located pretty near the toilet side of the basement, this place was easy to find. If you come in the morning or afternoon, the queue could stretch way way behind. The cold noodles dipped in the hot broth just had a neutralising effect to the heat of the noodles and what ensued was a tantalising, taste-bud fest of noodle slurping. We had the special and the shrimp broth. Both were amazing but the Special had more ingredients and seaweed which probably makes it more worth it for the queue. Tsukemen is like a new kind of ramen, where they improved upon Chinese noodles which has a very slight sweetness to it and a thick broth that is served separately. The thick broth helps to coat the noodles as you dip it in, and its served separately so that the temperature of the noodles is not affected and so its texture. There is a kick to it when eating tsukemen as the noodles ain’t that hot, you get to slurp very happily and the huge bowl of noodles could be gone in no time! Top it up with a bottle of Asahi beer if you have a company of more than two, and it will be your perfect noodle dream.
Lena Q.
Classificação do local: 5 Garland, TX
This place is delicious. After a 20 minute queue, I ordered the special. The broth had just the right amount of flavor. The noodles had a perfect chewy texture. This is a definite must stop. And I think that there’s always a queue, no matter what time of day!
Nina H.
Classificação do local: 5 Seattle, WA
Tsukemen!!! This famous spot is worth the wait… the line doesn’t take that long anyway. I snagged a bar seat and ordered the smaller portion of noodles since I wasn’t that hungry. It’s the same price, but I didn’t want to stuff myself. The broth comes out hot and a bit salty, but that’s why you dip the noodles. The noodles were really chewy and al dente — probably the best part of the meal. You’ll see a variety of folks eating here, from local students to tourists, everyone loves a good bowl of ramen. The prices are probably around $ 10USD and you order from a vending machine to get your ticket, and then the server will seat you.
Jimmy V.
Classificação do local: 5 Boston, MA
Got the ramen with soft boiled egg, nori, and char siu, which is pretty standard with Japanese ramen shops but what really set it apart was the dipping broth, which had a thicker consistency than what you’d expect but it tasted unbelievably good! Definitely my favorite food spot on my trip to Tokyo and favorite ramen spot of all time!
Vanessa K.
Classificação do local: 4 Concord, CA
Such a unique ramen experience, and not because of the«dipping» part but the flavors! They are so complex, and so different from what we traditional think as ramen when coming from the states. The soup was so full of favor and so deep. Unlike anything I’ve ever had in the past. The noodles were perfectly cooked. My one complaint is that I wish the noodles were warmer/hotter, than they actually were. I think the noodles were room temperature, and each time I dipped my noodles into the broth, my broth cooled in temp. By the end of the meal, my broth was luke warm. I prefer hot food hot. The line moves fast so don’t be frightened!
Isabel L.
Classificação do local: 5 Los Angeles, CA
Hands down, the best ramen I have ever had in my LIFE. I’ve never tried tsukemen ramen until now, and I don’t think I will ever be able to find it again in california T. T Came here around 7pm on a thursday, and there was already a line. Line moves relatively quick since people eat their ramen & go, and we waited about 20 minutes. It’s a vending machine ramen place, which means you select your noodles using a vending machine & then sit down. I had no idea what we ordered, but it was the first button!!! Haha. The noodles are somewhat thicker noodles, and you dip them into this delicious, flavorful rich broth filled with tender, melts-in-your mouth pork. WOW. Every. Single. Bite. Was. HEAVEN. The BF& I literally did not talk the whole meal since we were too busy slurping and savoring every bite. It was so full of flavor, yet not too rich to make you sick of it. The noodles were cooked perfectly and absorbed the deep flavor of the broth so well. I was so full by the end yet I wanted more! The wait can be long, but I would wait any day no matter how long to eat this ramen again!!!
Marthie D.
Classificação do local: 5 Los Angeles, CA
Tsukemen– A MUST! I honestly think of this place and their thick noodles that grasp the yummy broth, so when it gets to your mouth, it’s this tantalizing favor dance of yummy, slurp, chomp, eat, yessss this is an amazing thing happening in my mouth. Yes, that was a long sentence that I hope made sense to you. This place is super comparable to one of my favorite tsukemen joints in LA(tsujita ramen). However, the noodles here are so much thicker. And the broth is ridiculously good. You’ll find this place on Ramen Street in the Tokyo Station. There is a wait, however when I went it wasn’t that bad. Maybe 20 minutes on a late afternoon on a weekday. Pay at a vending machine and hand your ticket to the waiter. I can’t wait to eat here again soon!!!
Wes M.
Classificação do local: 5 San Francisco, CA
I am a big fan of David Chang and found out about this place after seeing episode 1 of Mind of a Chef on Netflix. According to David Chang this is THE place for tsukemen noodles. It’s located on ramen street of the Tokyo Train Station. The line is almost always long, but – let me be the first to say – it is well worth any wait! We stood in line for 45 minutes. I would wait for hours to devour these noodles again. Noodles in Tokyo are know to have a thicker broth, which is one thing I really love. Rokurinsha’s broth is to-die-for. The noodle are excellent as well. I would not recommend ordering extra noodles, since there’s simply not enough broth to cover the amount of noodles. The only downside of this place was the temperature of the noodles – I would have preferred slightly hotter noodles, but that may be a personal preference. When in Tokyo, this is a must-do!
Jenn T.
Classificação do local: 3 Moorpark, CA
To find this place, just follow the long ass line that circles around the corner. It may not look long at first, but trust me, it is! So I first saw this place on my first trip to Tokyo, but I decided I didn’t want to wait in a long line. Who has time for that? Now, I’m on my second trip and I figured, I haven’t made any real plans so I shall wait in that long ass line! Hurray for smart life decisions! This place has the longest line. It even has markers on the floor that indicate how much longer you have to wait. When you reach the front, the waitress/waiter pulls you to order at the machine then you get back in line until there’s a seat ready for you. It’s fairly efficient, although if you’re indecisive, it can be a pain to get 1 minute to glance at the menu before you order. Let me just say, I hate tsukemen. I’ve tried it in LA and I’ve tried it in Narita. I hate the slimy texture, how cold the noodles are, how quickly the broth cools down, and the sourness of the broth. Yup, there’s a lot to hate, but I wanted to give it another try so I thought, why not try it at one of the top tsukemen places in Tokyo? Well, I tried it. I went through my stages of hate and in the end, I can see why people love this place. It’s good, pretty good despite my hatred for almost everything about tsukemen. The taste is flavorful, although sour. I like the thickness of the noodles, though I still think it’s slimy. I do have to say it is freaking filling! Oh my gosh, I was stuffed afterward! Man, I can’t imagine ordering more noodles. So while Rokurinsha will not convert me to a tsukemen fan, I can now say I actually ate tsukemen I relatively liked. So I guess, if you’re the tsukemen type, this may be pretty freaking amazing!
Kelly D.
Classificação do local: 4 Beaumont, CA
I would give this place a 3.5. There’s def a wait and when you look down the line it tells you approximately how long the wait would be where you’re standing. The line went faster than expected. It’s a really small place and you may have to share a table with someone. You order through a «vending» machine and pay there. You get the ticket and hand it to one of the girls to hand to the cook. The food comes out so fast you don’t even have time to blink. The reviews below are right… they give you SOOO much noodles! And if your soup is too salty or you run out of soup, don’t worry because they can refill it for you. :) It was good but personally it was a tad too salty and the noodles aren’t my favorite because it’s too big and chewy, but not bad at all. I’d still come back again if someone else wanted to try it. There’s also a little souvenir shop across the way while your friend is waiting and you want to buy a few things :)
Jhoana B.
Classificação do local: 4 東京都, Japan
The queue for this place is insane! That would definitely draw you to the end of the line and see WHAT’S UP? The space inside though, was small. While in line, we were given a menu for us to choose from. It even has instructions on how to use the machines. They only have tsukemen. The broth was flavorful but it didn’t give me the right kick. The noodles was a a different story. It was amazing! It was full, thick, heavy and brings the life in that whole experience. The serving was massive! 400g of noodles for the normal one, I believe. I went with a friend who had a bigger serving of noodles. It was 900g. Even I was shocked!
Doris K.
Classificação do local: 4 San Francisco, CA
I’m not a tsukemen fan from what I’ve tried in SF and LA, but I enjoyed Rokurinsha’s tsukemen. I wouldn’t eat it again, but I enjoyed it. The broth was very flavorful, but it was salty for me, so it was hard to eat a lot of it. You also get a TON of noodles with your order — I also may have upgraded from their regular size thinking it wouldn’t have been enough. Oops. I felt it was very monotonous to eat, because it was just noodles and sauce. Maybe it was my fault for not adding any toppings(I don’t even remember if you can do that or not…). Whether you’ve tried tsukemen or not, you should stop by Rokurinsha to see how it’s supposed to be done(:
Jennifer F.
Classificação do local: 5 Seattle, WA
If you like tsukemen(dipping noodles), you have to check out Rokurinsha! I tried visiting during an off-hour(3PM), or what I thought was an off-hour, but there was still a line! Luckily, it wasn’t too long of a wait. The place is small though(~20 seats), and I wouldn’t recommend going as a huge group(maybe 4 people max). Once it’s your turn, you order via the vending machine, and wait to give your ticket to the staff. They even offer you paper aprons/bibs! I couldn’t read anything on the vending machine, so I just ordered the 1st choice. Typically, the first option is their most recommended dish. I happened to order just the regular tsukemen(no egg, sadface). Regardless, it was delish! The noodles were PERFECT. Other reviewers have mentioned that the broth is fishy, and I do agree. However, I didn’t think it was too much, I actually thought it was rich, but tasted great and wasn’t overly salty. You can also ask for soup(basically hot water, with seasoning) at the end, to dilute your base, so you can drink the rest. I tried the tsukemen with egg on a second visit, and the egg was perfectly half-boiled as well. Definitely worth a visit!
Christine S.
Classificação do local: 4 San Francisco, CA
Out of the eight ramen shops at Tokyo Ramen Street, Stephanie S. and I decided to eat at the most popular one, Rokurinsha.(Most popular also means 1 hour of waiting in line. Kill my feet.) It was Steph’s first time trying tsukemen, so that was exciting! The first time I had dipping ramen was in Los Angeles, and although delicious while I was eating it, I got a headache afterwards because it was too salty for my taste. But hey, when in Tokyo, eat all the ramen! The broth was rich and savory, and the noodles were thick and chewy. The portions were so big I wasn’t able to finish. This was definitely a better tsukemen experience than the one I had in Los Angeles. Good thing we were able to take a nice long walk around Tokyo Character Street after a fulfilling meal!
Eva C.
Classificação do local: 4 Mississauga, Canada
My visit to Rokurinsha was all thanks to The Mind of A Chef Season 1 Episode 1. I didn’t even know what ‘tsukemen’ was until David Chang discussed about it. Ramen Street at Tokyo Station was a bit tricky to find, but we had no issue locating it with the help of a few locals. We visited Rokurinsha at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon on a weekday and the wait was about 30 minutes. We placed our orders and paid at the vending machine(no English, but don’t worry, there are photos). In exchange, we received food tickets which we presented upon being seated. The servers were friendly, and were able to speak a bit of English. They were constantly on their feet, serving orders and clearing tables soon after they notice someone has finished their noodles. It was our first time trying tsukemen and I loved it. The broth was very rich in flavour, which tasted both meaty and fishy. «Umami» is what comes to mind. It was a little salty for me, but the thickness of the noodles made up for it. I loved the thick, chewy ramen noodles, and I also can’t forget about the soft-boiled egg. The portions were a good size as well. It was a very filling and satisfying meal for me. I have only tried one other tsukemen restaurant(in Kyoto), but I thought the tsukemen at Rokurinsha was far better… mostly because of the rich, savoury broth and the thick noodles. If I’m ever back in Tokyo, I would make a trip to Rokurinsha to have their tsukemen again, especially if I have the time to visit during off-peak hours.
Calvin H.
Classificação do local: 4 San Diego, CA
Rokurinsha is located in the lower level of Tokyo station in the area appropriately named Ramen Street. If you have trouble finding it just look for the longest line and you will have successfully located it. Like all the other ramen places, you don’t order from a waiter inside but through a vending machine located on the outside, then get in line for seating. As of November 2015, the machine wasn’t a touchscreen where you can change the language so be aware all the physical buttons are in Japanese. Tsukemen is what to order here. It’s a style of ramen where the noodles are in a separate bowl from the broth and meant to be dipped in and eaten because the broth is a lot more dense and concentrated than traditional ramen broth. The broth is unique but delicious. It’s a pork based broth with a slightly fishy taste. I mean this in a good way as the fishiness isn’t overpowering but subtle and gives it a nice contrast. The noodles are very good and the egg is perfectly cooked to a solid but jelly soft boiled state. If you need an extra fix of Rokurinsha, you’ll be happy to know that it’s also one of the few ramen places which is also open early for breakfast!
Daniel F.
Classificação do local: 4 Flushing, NY
Located in the lowest level of Tokyo station. You’ll find this in the ramen street part of the map. It took me a while to find it but if you find the staircase for B1 °F it’s right there when you go down. The wait was about 15 to 20 minutes, which isn’t bad at all(moves quickly). This was my first time trying dipping ramen, and I thought it was really good but I prefer the traditional style. Noodles texture was just perfect though and broth was really savory but also a bit too fishy. Pretty happy with the service, and they took our bags and put them aside so we didn’t have to take away space from our table. Overall satisfying meal. Ask for broth to your sauce so you can drink the rest after your meal. Once you exit, you might get tempted to make a left and get back on the line.