Eating good food is one of the joys of traveling to Japan. Some surveys rank Tokyo one of the world’s best foodie cities.
Of all the dishes that typify Japanese food among foreign visitors, ramen likely comes in a close second to sushi. The dish comes in countless variations – one of which involves huge slabs of roast beef. Here’s how roast beef ramen became trendy, plus a few places around Tokyo where you can enjoy it.
Ramen’s long history
Ramen, which originated from Chinese noodle dishes, took root in Japan in areas such as Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, and Hakodate during Japan’s Edo Era (1603-1868). The noodles, made from flour and brine, have a distinct shape and texture compared to noodles in Italian cooking – and even to noodles in other Japanese dishes such as soba and udon. It’s served in one of several soup bases: soy sauce, miso, or salt.
Ramen already exists in multiple regional variations, with Fukuoka’s Hakata ramen – made with a rich pork bone broth soup base – often ranking in first place. Various chains have also put their own stamp on the dish. One of the more famous is Ramen Jiro, whose shop in Tokyo’s Mita neighborhood in Minato City is still running today. Jiro made a name for itself with its rich broth, thick noodles, and gut-busting portions of toppings.
Ramen can also differ by which proteins you include in it. The traditional meat is char siu (ใใฃใผใทใฅใผ), or roasted pork belly, and many also love to eat their ramen with a soft-boiled egg. Chicken ramen is also a popular variation.
Why roast beef ramen?
Ramen is a quintessential Japanese comfort food. Unfortunately, in recent times, many ramen shops are struggling to stay afloat. Most are convinced that customers won’t pay more than 1,000 yen (USD $6.47) for a bowl – the so-called “thousand-yen wall.” As a result, a record number of ramen shops are going out of business.
Some businesses have responded by offering souped-up versions of ramen that use premium ingredients and look almost like works of art. Shops like Ramen Break Beats in Tokyo’s Meguro have found success charging up to 2,000 yen ($12.94) a bowl – still a steal by tourist standards but considered high by traditional standards.
Another recent-ish entry in the high-end ramen market is roast beef ramen. The dish first gained popularity back in 2016 and 2017 thanks to buzz on social media. The progenitor seems to be Ramen Matador in Kitasenju. The chain BEEFST, which has stores in popular tourist areas like Shinjuku and Akihabara, further popularized the concept with its roast beef abura soba (a soba noodle dish that uses an oil base as opposed to a soup or tsukemen dipping sauce).
What led to the craze? Toyo Keizai says you can thank the 2010s health boom. As people became more concerned about dietary fat, ramen makers began replacing fatty char siu with leaner meats. Roast beef, with its low relative fat content, became a popular choice.
Some roast beef ramen bowls start at just over the 1,000 yen mark. However, there are wagyu (specialty beef from Kuroge and select other cow breeds) roast beef shops with luxury options that can run up to 3,000 yen or more.
A few popular roast beef ramen places in Tokyo
Want to check out roast beef ramen for yourself? In my opinion, it’s well worth trying at least once. Or, hey, several times a week. (Yeah, it’s that good.)
Here are a couple of places around the greater Tokyo area with good word of mouth. I checked out the top two myself, both of which provided different – but, in both cases, tasty – experiences.
Dogen (้็)
Dogen, located just a one-minute walk from the Takadanobaba Station, is easily accessible on the popular JR Yamanote line. (Takadanobaba sits between Shinjuku and Ikebukuro on the Yamanote.)
Dogen’s ramen comes in three variations. The Standard contains strips of roast beef and an egg. The Special contains the strips plus chunks of beef roast. The Premium, which costs around 3,200 yen (USD $20), comes with an entire plate of medium-rare roast beef on the side you add to your bowl.
You can choose traditional or wide noodles for your ramen, as well as the type of soup. Beyond the roast beef, the bowls are sort of no-frills; they don’t contain any of the traditional toppings – naruto, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, etc. – you associate with the dish. However, both the roast beef and the soup are delectable. (I could’ve drank another bowl of just the chicken soy sauce broth by itself.)
Dogen is counter-seating only, with about a dozen or more seats. I went on a Saturday right at lunch and was the only person there, so time your visit right and you won’t have to wait. The menus are all in English, and the shop explicitly caters to foreign tourists, so don’t sweat the language barrier.
Location: Shinjuku City, Takadanobaba 4-10-14
Payment types: Credit cards, QR code apps, e-money (including Suica and PASMO), cash
Wagyu Ramen Yoshi (็น)
Yoshi is located in Ooimachi in Shinagawa. It’s a bit harder to get to. And you’re more liable to wait a few minutes (I waited about 15 minutes on a Sunday). However, it’s worth the trip.
Yoshi’s cheaper bowls, which go for around 1,100 yen, include smaller cuts of roast beef taken directly from a roast that looks like it was cooked in a pot for hours. You can also order their wagyu ramen for 1,600 yen, which contains large slices of roast beef a la Dogen. I also ordered the wagyu beef gyoza, which I’d recommend to anyone with an appetite.
After you’re done, you can shop in the two-building, seven-story Ooimachi Atre – one of the largest Atre I’ve seen at such a tiny station.
Location: Shinagawa City, Ooimachi 5-5-8 (two minutes from Ooimachi Station)
Payment types: Cash only (vending machine ticketing system)
Ramen Matador (ใใผ้บบใใฟใใผใซ)
About a seven-minute walk from Kitasenju Station, this ramen shop is all beef down to its broth. Prices here are also very reasonable, barely breaking the 1,000 yen-bowl mark. As a one-time winner of the Tokyo Ramen of the Year (TRY) award and one of the first roast beef ramen stores, Matador is worth checking out.
Location: Adachi City, Kitasenju 2-4-17, Nakamura Building 1st Floor
Payment options: Cash only
Ramen Nishikawa (ใฉใผใกใณ่ฅฟๅท)
Ramen Nishikawa is located in Sumiyoshi in Shinjuku City, a little past Shinjuku Gyoen Park on the Marunouchi Line. Unlike the other restaurants on this list, Nishikawa keeps their prices at or below the 1,000 yen mark, making this one of the most economical roast beef ramen joints you’re likely to find in Tokyo.
Location: Shinjuku City, Sumiyoshi 2-12 Yamazaki Building 1st Floor
Payment options: Credit cards, QR code apps, e-money, cash
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Sources
ใฉใผใกใณ. Wikipedia JP
ไบ้็ณปใฉใผใกใณใฎใใใใใฎ็นๅพดใฏ๏ผTorayu Taishiten
ๆฑไบฌใงใญใผในใใใผใใฉใผใกใณใๆต่กใ็็ฑ. Toyo Keizai
