Sugari

The atmosphere when entering Sugari is definitely part of its charm, the entrance through the small door to the vending machine and then turning around to enter the kitchen/​restaurant is only the beginning.
The dipping ramen ranks top 3 of what we tried on our trip through Tokyo and Kyoto (we had the yuzu noodles based on the recommendations we read). Would definitely recommend a trip here if you like your ramen :)

The whole exerpience of entering this place felt like a dream. Walk thru a small door that leads into the alleyway of something that could be extremely sketch. But we’re in Japan so it turns out to be extremely incredible. This alleyway leads you to an electronic touch screen vending machine only for ordering. No english, no cash. Its okay, whatever you accidentally get will be amazing.
Once you order, you get to walk thru this oasis before entering what looks like someone’s house to sit at for dinner.
Go, its a must! The added bonus? This street has amazing resturants. It was definitely our favorite area in Kyoto.

No English menu. Cash only. Electronic touch screen vending machine only for ordering.
This is a more technical place to grab ramen if you can’t read Japanese. There is always a wait here that can range to about an hour long. We ate here twice it was so good. This is probably the best ramen I’ve ever had.
There’s a low wooden door that is mostly unmarked. Duck in there and walk through a narrow hallway to the touchscreen vending machine. The opening screen gives you 3 main options with pictures thank god. First option, on the far left, is regular ramen in soup form. Center is tsukemen (つけ麺) dipping sauce ramen, their specialty. Far right looks similar to the center picture, but it is for CURRY tsukemen (カレーつけ麺) ramen. My suggestion is go for the center (regular tsukemen) or far right (curry tsukemen).
The next menu is only Japanese and there are no pictures. In general, if the price goes up 100Yen, this is because it is adding egg or something. I was able to successfully guess at the one that had egg since it had two extra yellow Japanese characters and cost 100Yen more. Make sure you get their egg! The other options are what kind of noodles you want. They serve two kinds: their «regular» noodles, which look like soba noodles and are more wholewheat and dense than you are used to. The other noodles are their yuzu citrus noodles, which look yellow like regular ramen noodles. Definitely do the yuzu, though the wholewheat «regular» ones are still good. And no, they are not soba noodles.
You’ll see another option for each selection that is 1.5 or 2 玉 (balls). This is how much noodle you want. Definitely go 2 玉 because it is not much more expensive, like $ 1 more. And you’ll want more noodles, trust me.
If you couldn’t figure out the regular or yuzu noodle selection, you can tell them at the front as you are handing them your vending machine ticket that you want yuzu or regular noodles.
Once inside, it is small bar seating only around the open kitchen. They make their noodles from scratch and they are beautiful. For their tsukemen dipping sauce, they blowtorch pork belly chunks right in front of you to create some of the tastiest morsels I can imagine.
Bathroom, if you need it is in the back rock garden hidden away on the far end.
Overall, this is my favorite ramen I’ve ever experienced.

Very good. Best ramen I ever had. But if you don’t like pork belly for fat meat, this may not be your top option.

We found this place through a local clothing store associate. What a gem! It is pretty busy and well-​known among locals, so you’ll have to wait for a seat. It doesn’t take long, though, since the shop is such a well-​oiled machine. The soup is very thick and could be a meal in and of itself. The noodles are unlike any I’ve had before. You should check this place out if you’re looking for an authentic ramen experience. The ordering system is pretty tricky, but we managed to figure it out. Best ramen I’ve ever had!!!

I stumbled upon this place by asking some students about ramen. The place was full of locals who were focused on their ramen.
Everything was perfect: broth, noodles, (grilled) pork = yum! Everyone was eating the dipping noodles and it looks like there are some pork options.
I had a hard time figuring out the machine for my order and I just started hitting buttons until it spit out a ticket. Ask for help, I’m sure they will assist.
On my 2 week trip I had tons of ramen in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, this place stands out as one of the best. If you are in Kyoto it is a must.