Ramen Horiuchi Shimbashi

Shoyu Ramen｜醤油ラーメン

Horiuchi’s ramen is mainly based on a classic soy sauce style.

The regular ramen has the nostalgic character of old-school Japanese chuka soba, with a light and clean soy sauce-based soup.

At the same time, the soup feels more refined and flavorful than a typical old-fashioned shoyu ramen, with a deeper savory taste while still remaining easy to drink.

The chashu is especially impressive — juicy, tender, and full of flavor.

Personally, I do not usually order chashu ramen very often, but at Horiuchi, I found myself choosing the chashu ramen almost every time.

Half Chashu Ramen | ハーフチャーシュー麺

Since the chashu at Horiuchi is so good, I went with the Half Chashu Ramen.

The regular Chashu Ramen comes with a very generous amount of pork, so personally, I think the half portion is just about right.

The best part is dipping the chashu into the soup before eating it — it is absolutely delicious.

Natto Ramen | 納豆らーめん

A mixture of natto and raw egg is thoroughly mixed and served on top of the ramen.

Many people love the sticky texture of natto, and it works surprisingly well with the soup.

However, after sitting in the hot soup for a while, the stickiness gradually disappears and the natto starts to feel more like ordinary beans.

If you enjoy the sticky texture, it is best to eat some of the natto early by scooping it up together with the soup before it loses that characteristic texture.

Half Chashu Tsukemen | ハーフチャーシューつけ麺

The tsukemen has a different flavor and experience from the regular ramen.

The noodles go down very smoothly, and the dipping soup is light but still fairly strong in flavor, making it easy to keep slurping the noodles.

One thing to note is the chashu.

With the regular tsukemen, the chashu is somehow served in thin strips.

This gives it a completely different texture from the usual chashu, and even the way you experience the flavor changes.

If you like the thin-cut chashu, that is perfectly fine. But if you prefer Horiuchi’s usual thick slices of chashu, choosing the Half Chashu Tsukemen gives you the regular style of chashu instead.

Of course, it really comes down to personal preference.

Personally, I recommend biting into Horiuchi’s thick, juicy slices of chashu.

Natto Tsukemen | 納豆つけ麺

Natto also works very well with tsukemen.

If you want to really enjoy the flavor of the natto, dip the noodles into the dipping soup while scooping up some natto together with them.