Taihō Ramen – 大豊ラーメン

Edited by Melinda Antaramian

Taihō Ramen – 大豊ラーメン

I have lived 30 minutes from Kyoto city for 3 years now, and I still feel like I have barely scraped the surface when it comes to learning about the little hole in the wall restaurants that are hidden down the many narrow streets, but recently I came across a gem that is a MUST visit for any ramen lover.

Located on Kiyamachi Street (the nighttime hangout for so many bar-goers near Sanjo-Keihan), Taihō Ramen is easy to miss. In fact, we did miss it when we first tried to find it. If I had not been with a large group of ramen-loving Japanese co-workers, I definitely would have continued to walk right by it. Taihō Ramen is located down a tiny alleyway separating Haikara Yakitori and a building called Koriki Bill. Really, it’s a tiny alleyway—only one person can fit down it at a time.

The restaurant itself is fairly large, considering its location, and it can seat about 10 people at the counter. They have a fairly standard menu for a ramen shop, including ramen (of course), rice, gyoza, beer, etc., but their specialty is the House Chashū Ramen, or Tokusei Chashū Ramen (特性チャーシューラーメン) in Japanese.

To be honest, I usually hate chashū ramen because the pieces of pork are really thick, but Taihō Ramen slices their meat into thin strips and lays it out on the rim of the bowl. The meat practically melts in your mouth. It’s a delicious and quite filling meal for only 900 yen. Other ramen dishes cost around 600 yen while 6 gyoza cost only 280 yen.

They’re open every day. Monday-Thursday, Sundays, and holidays they are open from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM the next day. Friday, Saturday, and the day before a holiday, they are open from 5:00 PM to 6:00 AM the next day. It’s perfect for anyone who is out all night and looking for a hot meal while waiting for that first train.

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