Sugoi Niboshi Ramen Nagi

I was skeptical about this place after reading several reviews from Unilocal.
First, yes, it’s salty but what do you expect from a sardine based ramen. It’s one of the base characteristics of ramen for goodness sake.
Second, the place is small and of course they’re not going to let you sit there unless you order a bowl. The chubby guy washing dishes has trouble maneuvering around so obviously space is precious. Dude has to suck in his gut just to move to the back.
Overall, the ramen is different and taste like sardines obviously. I got the special which came with the regular ramen, an egg, extra meat and four seaweed square flakes.

Everyone who visits Tokyo needs to stop by this little (literally) joint on Golden Gai in Shinjuku! It’s what you imagine Tokyo ramen joints to be — narrow and intimate yet welcoming! Their broth was very flavorful and noodles were the perfect chewiness! I would come here just to experience the ambiance and food and unique ordering scheme and friendly staff! Do come early though, lines can get long! :)
Traveling solo? Dine here!

Five stars for being what they want to be — bold, in your face, 24 hour ramen.
After midnight there was a line up, but the wait wasn’t too bad. The chef’s speaking tube was not in use and a wastrel waiter kept customers informed of their progress.
A vending machine at the top of the stairs took my choice, unsure and without any other advice I settled in the ‘original’ recipe.
The soup arrived quickly, and was in my face with flavour. Strong, strong sardine stock with a hint of warm spice. Texturally satisfying noodles and a couple of slices of sexy, silky pork. The contrast between the pork and the stock was huge, but it worked.
A perfect supper to soak up alcohol, or start a heart.

How do you nourish the body after so much alcohol? Fish based ramen with an incredible poached egg, amazing thick ramen noodles, seaweed, and 4 fat slices for pork belly.
After about a 45 minute wait in the alley, we were called up to order immediately at the vending machine. Seated and served almost immediately. During a really late hour, most conversations you hear are the orders being shouted. The rest of the sounds are of loud slurping and sniffles from such a nourishing bowl of ramen.
It’s definitely an acquired taste as the ramen broth is thick, salty, and uh… DANK. Fish broth isn’t always my go to but this works pretty damn well.
Open 24/​7, smack dab in Golden Gai. This is worth the wait.

I was absolutely CRAVING ramen after my 5 star experience in Ichiran Shinjuku. We walked past somewhere with a queue of quite literally about 150 people in it, and skirted along here. The minute we got in, a queue formed behind us, so we thought ourselves pretty lucky! To be really honest, it wasn’t great. The vending machine thing lost it’s sheen when there was a big queue behind me and I couldn’t understand anything so I just picked the most expensive thing thinking that would be good obvs (Life lesson!). It wasn’t great. Very salty, not much veg or flavour. It was a giant portion though, and the noodles were quite fresh. The staff were nice as well and it’s cosy down there! BUT if you have an option, I’d prob go elsewhere to be perfectly honest.

Had some pretty good ramen here while in Tokyo on the recommendation of a friend. The place is a little difficult to find but pretty cool once you find it after climbing up some narrow and steep stairs. The noodles were chewy and a great consistency that matched perfectly with the unique strong fish-​based soup. Recommended!

My brother showed my parents and I this place during our stay in Japan. It is in a small area that has rows of bars that houses only 5 – 9 patrons per bar. It is an older style neighborhood and is full of history. I forgot what this area was called, but it was really close to our hotel in Shibuya. It only took us about 10 minutes to walk from our hotel. The restaurant is tucked away and is camouflaged with the rest of the shops in the streets. The door is small but once you duck your head inside, there is a steep and tiny staircase leading up. You are greeted with a vending machine once you reach the top. The restaurant consists of only the kitchen, ~ 10 seats on the bar, and a bathroom. All you have to do is order your ramen and wait to be seated. You will give the ticket you received from the vending machine to the chef and he will make your ramen accordingly. We were very lucky since we were a family of 4 and there was no line yet. The chef seated us within 3 – 5 minutes. I got the original ramen with an addition of an egg while my family got the special ramen. The special ramen consisted of meat, egg, & 3 seaweed paper on the side. I believe the noodles and soup are same as the original ramen. The ramen here is very different compared to the other ramens I have tried in Japan. The noodles look hand cut and it also comes with a flat wide noodle as well. The pork is thicker cut and more savory than other ramen shops. It is quite different from your usual ramen but delicious none the less. Overall, I definitely recommend anyone who is in the area to give it a try.
P. S. Since there is no waiting room upstairs, you will have to wait outside the restaurant. They have a tube that connects upstairs to outside downstairs. The chef will talk into it and let you know when a seat opens up upstairs.

It’s very difficult to stick out from the thousands of ramen places in Japan. This place manages to do it and is so far the best ramen I’ve tried in the approximately 6 weeks I’ve spent in Japan over the past few years. I had about a 10 minute wait in line outside on a Sunday afternoon before being summoned up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, you purchase your ticket from the vending machine. I purchased what looked to me to be their most popular offering which was ¥1000 or less. I didn’t get any extras or pick any special looking buttons or pictures. The ramen noodles seem to be different than most other places (possibly hand-​cut?) and there are also wide ribbon noodles in there as well. The separate bowl of pork, scallions and seaweed are served with the order to be added in at your leisure. Yummm.

We were recommended this ramen joint by two unrelated people so we kinda had high hopes for it.
Located within Golden Gai it’s easy to miss as there are so many doors and tiny restaurants in this area! It’s located right next to a tiny alley (sorry, doesn’t help much) where the hostess will make you form a line into if it’s busy. I’ve read that this ramen place does get pretty busy sometimes so it’d be interesting to see how deep this line gets!
The restaurant itself only seats around 8 – 10 people or so and only serve the one type of ramen both. Be prepared to split up if your group has more than two people! Upon entering, you will be walking up the steep and very narrow stairway. The vending machine is at the top of the stairs where you can add on your extra meat, seaweed, etc. My husband shared a bowl as we weren’t hungry but wanted to see for ourselves how good this was!
Alas, we were a bit disappointed. The fish broth must have been from the bottom of the pot as it was WAY too salty. I know it is supposed to be salty but this was too much. I did, however, really like the noodles and consistency and the flat-​sheet of noodle they give you too. The meat was pretty good too, but the soup base was way too off-​putting to really enjoy it all. My cousin and I were separated as she ate her bowl about 10 minutes before I did and said it was salty but not overly salty.
Cool little tiny authentic space, just not the ramen for me.

Best ramen I’ve ever had. Although be warned if you’re a 6′+ person like me… its tight quarters but worth it.

This ramen place was close to where I was staying in Shinjuku and I really wanted ramen, so I came here. It’s a bit hard to find — easy to miss. I found the street, but there’s no signage in English with the name of the place. There’s a bunch of red signage that says it’s open 24 hours. And look for the red sign with the big white lantern outside. Once you find it, open the door and you walk up a very narrow flight of stairs up. There’s a machine waiting at the top of the stairs. Put money into it and press the button (the first button is for their special ramen — when in doubt, get the special ramen), and you’ll get your ticket and any change. The place is really really small, maybe 10 seats around the counter. Luckily I didn’t have to wait. I handed my ticket to the lady. She gave me a small bowl with a hard boiled egg to peel myself (for my ramen). Maybe ten minutes later, I got my ramen. The broth is fish-​based, which is different. I thought it was delicious. And the noodles are really thick and chewy. They’re thicker than normal ramen noodles and they were really good. There were also like wide rice noodle (I think) pieces in it too. Generous portions of tender (pork) meat too. They don’t speak any English here and it’s cash only. Oh and it looks like Wayne Gretzky ate here too. There’s a paper he autographed hanging on the wall. Look for it when you wait for your ramen. Water pitchers and cups are on the counter, self-​service. Enjoy!

Authentic Ramen!
There was a 30 min wait to get into this place but it was worth the wait. The restaurant is tiny and you place your order through a vending machine.
It’s hard to explain but one of my coolest experiences visiting Tokyo.

Located in Golden Gai area this ramen spot is nearly impossible to find, but the small letters «Nagi» appeared right above it. We came on a nasty, wet, rainy day in Tokyo around 2pm so there wasn’t a line/​queue like other Unilocal reviews speak of. We walked up the narrow stairs into the ramen shop that’s about the size of a cruise ship bathroom.
First thing to do is order ramen from the vending ticket machine at the top of the stairs. Extra noodles, pork, egg, etc can be added to the ramen. Even though ordering the 820yen regular bowl already has everything included except egg. Then hand the ticket to the ramen chef.
About two minutes later he’ll hand the bowl of ramen over. I thought the ramen was a nice comfort food on a cold rainy day. Unfortunately my wife isn’t a big fan of ramen. She much prefers soba and udon. But overall I think Nagi is a good option in Golden Gai for ramen.

Hmm, it was okay. I guess I expected way too much. But it’s good to had dinner right before you head to the bar hopping in the area!!! I’m not sure if it’s worth to wait in the long line to get the ramen be honestly… I got there on Monday after work around 7pm. I got served right a way without waiting.

So after a tiny, overpriced meal at Tempura Tsunahachi, we found our way to this hole-​in-​the-​wall ramen spot. The shop is located in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai district (looks like pretty happening bar scene here). If you can’t find it, just look for the line in the alley. There is always a line and it gets pretty long. While you’re in line, one of the workers will ask how many people are in your party.
When you get to the front, they’ll call you up the stairs to the vending machine (cash only, obviously). The ramen is 1000 yen (+100yen for nori and egg). When you look up from the vending machine, you notice exactly how small the shop is. There are only counter seats, facing the very narrow kitchen (where you can see them making the ramen — dinner and a show!). There are maybe 8 – 10 seats?
Now to the ramen. This is hands down the best ramen I’ve ever had. It is so good and so innovative. What really allows it to stand apart is the broth. The broth is made with sardines and pork. It’s very much salty and heavy. (I couldn’t drink the broth because it was so salty.) But that broth pairs so well with the ramen and I devoured all of it — mm.

I was Unilocaling Ramen places to try in Japan and this was close to my hotel and had a decent amount of reviews. This Ramen was very different than ones I have had at other locations since this was a fish based broth as opposed to the pork broth, miso broth or chicken broth. There is only one Ramen and it comes with green onion and pork belly, seaweed and egg are optional additions. So you walk up this super, insanely narrow ass staircase, kinda like attic stairs, then you make payment at the vending machine at the top, you then sit at one of the eleven or so bar stools and hand them your receipt. This place is tiny, don’t expect to be doing a lot of moving. And it’s 24hrs yo
The food:
Ramen– I ordered the Ramen with the addition of egg. I thought this Ramen had the best texture noodle of any of the Ramen places I ever been to. If I was judging on noodle alone, it would get 5 stars. The wonton sheet, which made no sense to me at all, also had a wonderful texture, they both really had the perfect chew. Then the egg addition was great, it was a nicely seasoned egg with really nice flavor but the yolk was a tad more cooked than I would have liked. The part that took the biggest hit was the broth, I was not crazy about the broth. It was salty and fishy and not my cup of tea. #GiveMeThePork Then to make it worse, the pork was really dry and chewy. Overall, it was an OK bowl of Ramen with a bunch of potential. I would stick with pork based broths instead.

This is an awesome ramen spot hidden in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai district. I’m going to list a couple quick tips for foreign visitors:
1. The line can get long here; queue up in the alley to the right of the front door.
2. While waiting, one of the workers will come down and ask you a question in Japanese. I guarantee this question is, «How many people in your party?»
3. As you near the front of the line, listen for them to call you up. This is done via the accordion tube which runs from their kitchen on the 2^nd story down to the front door.
4. Careful going up the stairs, they are steep.
5. Get your ticket at vending machine at the top of the stairs. CASH ONLY. The machine accepts 1000 yen notes. Be sure to get a beer ticket too, if you like.
6. Help yourself to water and kleenex and all the accessories (garlic, pickles, etc) on the counter.
7. ENJOY!
BTW, if you’ve seen this posting, you’ve probably researched this restaurant and know what to expect as far as the quality and flavor of the broth. But just in case you stumbled on this, the broth is different than any other I’ve tasted, derived from a sardine base. It can be a little saltier than your standard ramen broth, but’s perfect for those who are out drinking late.

When I think of Hole-​in the wall ramen shops, Nagi at Golden Gai immediately comes to mind. Everything about it is cramped: The door, the stairs leading up to the restaurant, and the restaurant space, kitchen space for the workers. At most, the restaurant can fit 10 – 15 people max! Shucks…
This Nagi location is known for it’s fishy tasting Shoyu ramen. A previous Unilocal posting notes more specifically that it’s Tonkatsu broth with sardines. Not for everyone, I know… But my feeling as a tourist in Japan is try it, you may just like it. And you know what, I like it! The soup is pungent and the mixture of the pork and fishy sauce coupled with the texture of the noodles, make this ramen unlike I’ve ever tried in my life.
Unfortunately for those who no desire to try the fishy broth ramen, the options are limited. The varying pricing really has to do with how much noodles you want, 200g or 300g.
Overall, I give the restaurant four stars. The restaurant has the ambience and simply amazing ramen that you will not find any where in the world outside of Japan. My non-​perfect rating simply has to do with the fact that a fishy tasting ramen won’t be to everyone’s liking, foreigners and locals alike. For foreigners, however, I think this is a great place to take in the Japanese ramen experience!

I went here for the first time for an early breakfast since they’re open 24 hours and it’s hard to find good food open before 11 am. I got both the regular and flat noodles to try them both. The flat noodles are gay superior! They’re chewy but silky. The regular noodles are thick and remind me of chow mein noodles. The broth is very rich. You can see the layer of oil at the top. Don’t expect something light just because they use fish to deepen the flavor of the pork based broth. Next time I’d get the flat noodles along with extra pork (they only give you one slice), 2 eggs, and extra seaweed.
The place was empty on a Friday morning but I’ve seen lines for it in the evenings.
Worth having a bowl here after drinking in golden gai for sure!

We walked along the very narrow alleyways of Golden Gai in Shinjuku looking for Nagi Ramen until we recognize the signage. A young male employee stood at the entrance of the narrow stairs that lead to the ramen shop upstairs. I said to him «ramen?» and he asked if we spoke Japanese. My husband said «sukoshi.» He then told us to please head upstairs to buy our ramen tickets first and then gestured us to join the line of customers after purchasing the tickets. We looked in the direction of his hand gesture and saw what we did not even realize before: a line of customers (~8pm) standing in a very dim alleyway so narrow that it only had space for a single line. The existence of the alleyway is not intentional; it happens to be a tight space between two buildings.
We walked up the rickety and narrow stairs to the ramen shop, each step of the stairs is not wide enough to rest the entire foot on. We bought our ramen tickets from the vending machine and joined the line downstairs in the alleyway.
30 mins later, the young man coordinating the line gestured us upstairs. Ramen shops in Tokyo are generally tight spaced and Nagi Ramen is literally a hole in the wall. We have no complaints, it adds to better socializing atmosphere for us at this 10-​seater ramen shop. Once we were seated, we didn’t even think about moving about. We were there just to enjoy the ramen moment.
Nagi Ramen specializes in tonkotsu broth flavored with sardines. The broth is pungent and the sardines flavor is strong. The taste is unlike anything we’ve had before. We’ve had quite a lot of tonkotsu ramen but when pork bones and sardines come together in the Nagi way, it transforms the broth to a whole new flavor.
You can choose how much noodle you want (200g or 300g). For each batch, the noodles are placed on a weighing scale to get the right amount of noodles. Then, the noodles are placed in boiling water and the timer starts. Having the right amount of noodle with the right cooking time ensures consistency in reaching the ideal noodle texture. We get the special niboshi ramen and the tsukemen (dipping ramen). The noodle has an addictive chewy texture that shows that the noodle is freshly made. Each bowl has a few sheets of thin and slightly wide «noodle» that is very reminiscent of gyoza skin which I like very much. The pungent broth makes it the most memorable ramen we’ve had, and probably one of the best we’ve had.
Note: We came back for a 2^nd visit at 11am and there was no line. We went upstairs rightaway.