Hakata Ikkousha

Of the 3 ramen places we visited on my short trip to Japan, this place was my favorite. My friends and I found this place while we were exploring the mall adjacent to Kyoto Station and, based on reviews, decided to try it out. The line for the shop was somewhat long — there were probably about 10 people in line when we got there, but it moved pretty quickly. To speed things along, the host took our tickets while we were in line and gave our orders to the chefs. We were seated in about 10 minutes, and got our food about 5 minutes later. I got a traditional ramen with pork, and it was delicious. The broth was exactly the way I like it. I would definitely go back if I had the chance.

Very good tonkotsu and decent karaage — the line that forms outside can be a bit intimidating, but I managed to find a time when the line was short. Vending machine tickets up front, and serving inside. The karaage was a little dry, but the tonkotsu was perfect. On the 10^th floor of Kyoto station, and easy to overlook unless told about all the ramen shops up by the sky garden.

Japan is a curious place. Most restaurants specialise in only one item. At Hakata Ikkousha or Ramen Kouji in general, this item is ramen. I always applaud their dedication and that’s why even though I cannot honestly say I am a big ramen fan, I find myself keep trying the different ramen shops.
What makes Ikkousha stands out in my opinion is their BBQ pork (char siu). It’s literally larger than the bowl! The fried chicken is also excellent here. I could just eat the chicken with beer :)

No. 2 is my fav! :)
How to order:
1. Insert yen into vending machine
2. Select item (s)
3. Pull ticket and give to host
4. Sit inside and wait for your food to arrive
This ramen shop was introduced to me by my bf. We could eat here every day! :D I love all the condiments at the tables! I love adding lots of pickled ginger and sesame seeds onto my ramen! For 1050yen, you get quite a decent size bowl of ramen! It’s absolutely delicious and not too fatty and greasy!
Whenever we are here, we always buy a few boxes of their ramen to take home with us! Best souvenir ever! :)
TIPS:
— CA$H ONLY!
— ramen boxes for purchase

Out of the 8 ramen shops at the Kyoto Ramen Koji (ramen street), Hakata Ikkousha is the busiest. There is always a line there. If you go at chow time, expect to wait in line for 30 to 45 min. Like other ramen shops, you get your ramen ticket at the dispenser outside the shop. There is no English words on the dispenser. The girl that directs traffic outside knows a little English, so she can always help you to select your bowl of ramen from the dispenser. This place specializes in Hakata style ramen with rich milky pork-​bone tonkotsu broth. I ordered their signature bowl which came with a marinated soft boiled egg. The tamago was very flavourful and the broth was good. The charshu didn’t melt in my mouth but they were soft enough. The ramen itself was thin, non-​curly and springy. The shop is pretty generous on the charshu. There were many pieces of charshu on top of my bowl. I couldn’t even see the ramen at all.
Getting there is pretty easy. Kyoto Ramen Koji is located on the 10^th floor of the Kyoto Isetan Department Store inside the JR Kyoto Station. All the shops there close at 10 pm daily, last call is 9:30 pm.