Mutekiya

Just like most people here, I tasted my first ramen in Tokyo here. God, how tasty and rich that was, I never thought I will be so full after just a single bowl (large one though, note that large and medium bowl are of the same price — awesome).
Staff is very (I mean it) helpful and organized, menu in English is also a nice thing (because it is rather rare over here, I guess).
Pork is just hilarious, so tasty that I couldn’t handle myself and ate it all before anything else in the soup. Eggs were also very nice, I’d say these were the best cooked eggs I ever tried noodles were nice too.
The only bad thing is the queue, I’ve waited for 1,5−2 hours to get in, and I came by 1 PM. So, my advice will be to visit this place either much earlier (say 6 – 7 AM) or much later (9 PM and so on will be nice) in the day.
Prices are 1050 yen per cup of Number 1 (in the list) ramen which may be rather expensive for budget travelers, but you will know you spent your money in the best possible way.
To sum up, I will be recommending this place and will visit again as soon as I can!

For our first meal in Tokyo, I have no regrets. Superior rich broth and thick cuts of fatty pork that simply melts in your mouth. We ordered the #1 on the menu which is their standard ramen from the line wrapped around the building. We arrived at 5pm on a Monday right before rush hour truly poured in and when a spot opened up, the food came out almost immediately as you stepped in. There is an assortment of sauces and spices with a pitcher of water and condensed jasmine tea which allows hungry and thirsty customers to have everything they need immediately.
Definitely would recommend a stopover here. Worth the hype!

Amazing! We had this ramen on our first day in Japan, and although we read the reviews that this was possibly the best ramen in all of Tokyo, it was hard to compare since it was our first bowl. But after eating our way through Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, I can definitely say this was our best bowl of ramen!
The broth is magically rich and tasty… almost creamy. It seriously is the perfect bowl of ramen.
We went to line up at 10am on a Monday morning, and there were already a few people in line. As the doors opened at 1030am, there were probably a good 20 – 30 people waiting. The place is very efficient. As you approach the front, an employee greets you and asks you how many people and gives you a menu. Then, he took our order, so that the minute we sat down, they knew to bring out our order.
We also got gyoza too, because it’s the perfect pairing for ramen… even at 1030am! And they were also delicious. Within a few minutes of us sitting down, we were served with deliciousness!
This is definitely not a eat and linger type of place. Slurp up your ramen, get up and pay your bill at the door. Make room for the rest of the foodies in line!
My only regret is that we didn’t come here again, especially since our hotel was about 5 minutes away.

Worth the and the hype. The ramen is amazing. Had the nikatuma men. The noodles were perfect and the broth was rich and delicious. The thick cuts of chashu were perfectly tender and the medium boiled egg was done perfectly. Service was fast and friendly. They are trained well to handle the never ending rush.

After going to «the best» ramen place (according to Tabelog) in about 6 Japanese cities, Mutekiya is without a doubt the best.
The line on a Sunday night was about an hour but absolutely worth it for one of the most impressive synergies of flavour I’ve experienced:
simple excellence between al dente thin noodles (they hold on to sauce remarkably well),
a softboiled egg (super orange yolk and surprisingly savoury white),
great onion and shrooms,
cloves of peeled garlic available for you to squeeze on top yourself,
mindblowingly mouth-​melting slabs of pork with generous amount of fat and pepper and incredibly fragrant subtle notes (like the type of fancy, super clean fat you see in cuts of meat at a nice french restaurant),
and of course that magical thick thick broth with little dots of fat and none of the spiciness /​saltiness /​fattiness /​wateriness out of balance
– totally unified & perfect & unrushed & delicious.

Damn good noodles here and the pork was incredible. The wait is long, but worth it. The dipping sauce and the enormous amount of noodles makes it a good stop while shopping or stopping at ikebukuro station before continuing on.

There is no shortage of good ramen in Tokyo. You can’t go wrong with any of the popular ones like Ichiran or Ippudo, but Mutekiya is the best in my opinion. Men-​ya Musashi comes close in second. I have been to this place twice, and I would highly recommend the Nikutamamen. Everything from broth to the noodle itself was done perfectly. I have yet to find one close to this level in US.
Even though the roasted pork in Nikutamamen was very good, Negibutamen has even better pork. Since Negibutamen doesn come with any flavored egg, I recommend adding one because the egg was spot-​on. I ordered extra large, but regular portion should be sufficient.
The line wasn’t super long, but the wait time was about 40 minutes with about 20 people ahead of us. It was well worth the wait.

When planning our visit to Japan I did a small amount of research into where the best ramen was near Tokyo since that is where we would be staying. I read an article stating that the best ramen would be found in Ikebukuro. After a bit more research I narrowed down the ramen spots to a couple of places. I remember reading somewhere that 無敵 (muteki) means invincible in Japanese, so this spot is pretty much claiming to be the best. Being that the Japanese are a very humble people I thought this boast was best to experience in person. Mutekiya wasn’t too far from the Ikebukuro station which was good since it was raining the morning we went. PERFECT weather for ramen. We arrived a little before 11am on a Thursday and luckily there were only a couple more parties before us in line. We were presented with a menu and politely asked for the English version. Decisions… decisions. The photos in the menu all looked very good so we narrowed our choices and they took our order while still in line. Once we were seated the food came out rather quickly. Very efficient! There are condiments you may add at the table like fresh garlic you crush yourself. There was also highly concentrated pitcher of green tea that you may add to your cold water, or just water alone if you prefer. The ramen was excellent and did not disappoint. The broth was, in a word, intoxicating – the best I’ve ever had, rich with a silky mouth-​feel. The noodles were firm and chewy while the chasu was flavorful and melt-​in-​your-​mouth scrumptious. If you find yourself in Tokyo near Ikebukuro, definitely try and make your way to Mutekiya, but be prepared to be ruined for all other ramen, especially if you don’t reside in Japan. Also don’t forget the «itadakimasu» before digging in.

Visiting Japan for the first and staying at the Ikebukuro area hotel. Saw the place last night with a long line outside. Curiousiy went there the following day for lunch and asked for the English menu. I’m glad I stick to my mental note! This place is absolutely right on the spot ! I had the best Ramen ever. Get their house special. The pork will just melt in your mouth. Probably will return for another bowl of ramen before I go back to New York City.

Hands down the best Tonkotsu ramen I have ever tasted! The soup was oozing with flavor, the noodles were perfect, and the Chashu pork was just melt in your mouth goodness! I thought I had tasted great ramen before… Boy was I wrong!
If you’re ever in Tokyo for a visit, this place must be put on your list. The place is open until 4am, but be prepared to wait in line outside. If you’re visiting other than the summer months, make sure bring something to keep you warm because you will be waiting in the cold! Once inside, you will be greeted with one of the best ramen you have ever tasted!
The Nikutama Men is what I ordered and it was definitely the best. Hubby ordered the Tokumaru Men and it was too rich for my taste. He, however, enjoyed the rich soup base… Great thing he has good cholesterol! One can definitely taste the lard in it.
So bummed we only came here on our last night because I would have definitely eaten here nightly.

The BEST ramen I ever had in Japan! my mouth is watering just thinking about the tender chashu (pork), delectable broth, amazing boiled egg, crunchy bamboo shoots, and the most perfectly made noodles created…
This place is a must in Tokyo so get yourself to Ikebukero quick because you WILL want to go back before you leave. There will most likely be a line because its pretty well known (it’s on the main street) and supposedly many natives go there as well. The wait is worth it however, the table turn over is quick because the ramen is so delicious you want to smash your face in the bowl.
There are two sizes, medium and large. I got the medium and was so full I could hardly walk to the station 5 mins away. One of the biggest things I miss about living in Tokyo is the food and especially this ramen.

I don’t claim to be an expert on ramen but this place deserves all the stars it can get. I got it by googling «best ramen tokyo» and I wasn’t disappointed.
You do have to stand in line for a good 40min but it’s totally worth it. The food came quickly after we were seated and it was excellent. Definitely would recommend it 100%

We stood in line for awhile to get a seat and have some ramen. The two weeks we were in Japan we ate ramen most of the time and at 15 yen a bowl, it better be great ramen! My girlfriend who lives in Japan took us here and we stood in this long line with narrow stair cases before we got seated. I felt like we earned our ramen since we were standing out in the chilly air for awhile.
Once we got seated, having hot tea served to us while we wait for our ramen was definitely a nice touch!
I ordered the larger bowl of ramen and honestly didn’t think I’d finish it, but I did! The ramen noodles are made in house, apparently and very fresh and delicious! We ate ramen maybe 2 out of the 4 meals we had a day in Japan and I can tell you that this is one of the best ramens I’ve ever had in my life, if not the best.
I’ve been ruined, ramen in the states are not the same now. Maybe this calls for another trip to Japan!

Is it the best ramen place in Tokyo? You can argue that considering how long people would queue to eat somewhere is not an indication of how good the place is, but in this very particular case, it is. Anyone who has ever queued more than 20 minutes to eat ramen at Mutekiya knows why they’re waiting.
With a very large choice of ramen, tsukemen and side dishes, Mutekiya offers the best noodles of Tokyo in regular and large portions, all for the same price. You might queue outside, but once you’re seated, you’re left with enjoying your generously delicious ramen.

Taste is comparable to Ichiran, but the soup is more oily here for those that care. We had ten people ahead of us in line, but the wait went by pretty fast. I had the Honmaru and it was good. You can add garlic but crushing the entire cloves with the tool they have on the table. There’s also bonito powder, or so I think, that you can add to your soup if you so choose to. You can also add the jasmine tea to your water. Add just a little.

It’s been nine years since I last visited Mutekiya, but I only just recently found out that Unilocal now lets me write reviews for Japanese establishments, so here’s my two cents. I went to Mutekiya one fateful July afternoon in 2005 after visiting the Sun City Aquarium in Ikebukuro. After looking at what were possibly the ugliest fish in the existence of man, my cousin suggested that we have lunch at «this awesome ramen place that her college friends told her about» so we decided to embark on a 45 minute journey to get inside this small dining space tucked into Minami Ikebukuru Icchoume 17 – 1’s Sakimoto BLDG.
There’s a huge plastic figurine dish of their Honmaru ramen outside and to get anything else from Mutekiya you’d be wasting your time — the Honmaru is a huge bowl of Tonkotsu-​shouyu broth with medium-​thick noodles, topped off with a piece of chashu, poached egg, menma, and sliced kyoto kujo leeks.
The only reason why I am still able to write this review is because since that fateful July day in 2005, I have yet to find a bowl of ramen that has satisfied me in the same way the Honmaru did anywhere on this planet. Extra kudos goes out to their homebrewed cold jasmine tea, which I have wrecked many-​a-​bags of jasmine tea trying to replicate in the comfort of my own room.

Wow, I can’t believe that I can finally write Unilocal Japan reviews. This will be my first Unilocal review for Tokyo and I can’t think of a more fitting ramen joint for my first review.

For all you ramen lovers, Mutekiya is a must. It does not matter what time you go there to eat, this place is always busy with a long line outside. Last month, I waited for an hour on a Saturday for lunch. Even at 9:30 pm, the line is still long, but well worth the wait. It is just a 3 minutes short walk south of the JR Ikebukuro station. While in line, the waitress gives you the menu and writes down your number in line and takes your order. So when you finally get to sit down inside, your bowl of ramen is served within 2 minutes. The restaurant is very small inside with only 16 seats and the washroom is so small that it is extremely difficult to turn around in there. If you are a big person, you won’t be able to turn around at all LOL. But this is typical of most places in Japan, small and compact. I order their special ramen. I was so hungry I even ordered extra ramen for 100 yen. The regular bowl comes with 150 g of ramen and the large bowl has 230 g of ramen and both bowls are the same price! The ajitsuke tamago on top was cooked to perfection and very tasty. The broth was very flavorful and the charsiu just melts in your mouth. I come here whenever I get a chance. It’s just the best ramen!!! This place closes at 4 am, but unfortunately the subway/​trains only run until 12:30 am, so can’t go there to eat in the middle of the night. But the long hours are good for locals and for those who have their own transportation.

First English review?
7 years ago, I studied abroad at Sophia University, and my classmate introduced me to Mutekiya. On a cold rainy day, this place transforms into Heaven on Earth! My highest recommendation goes to the Honmaru.
Since then, I’ve brought many friends to Mutekiya, and every time I visit Tokyo, I must make a stop here. No ramen in California can compare!