Japanese Food Best ramen in Japan: Hyakumeiten lists the top 100 restaurants

[thomas]

The Hyakumeiten restaurant-ranking system, part of the Tabelog user review website, lists Japan's 100 best ramen restaurants in order of popularity. Everyone has their favourite style of ramen, and Post Magazine searches for the best bowls of noodle soup.

食べログ 百名店

うまいもの、いま食べるなら、このお店。ジャンル別ランキングTOP100

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Tabelog, a popular food ranking site in Japan, relies on the public's reviews and curates a prestigious Hyakumeiten list. This list features the top 100 restaurants across various genres. Being part of the Hyakumeiten is a significant honour for Japanese food enthusiasts. Tabelog adds a gamified twist by awarding special stamps to those who complete all 100 shops on the list.

Masayuki Terada, the overall top reviewer on Tabelog since 2020, has impressively reviewed over 11,000 restaurants throughout Japan. The Hyakumeiten designation is a boon for chefs, and winning establishments proudly display a Hyakumeiten sticker on their window or ticket machine. Additionally, they showcase the winner's poster on their walls and exhibit the winner's trophy each year they make the list. Remarkably, some of Japan's finest dining establishments have consistently appeared on the Hyakumeiten list every year since 2017.

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Before last year, the West Japan Hyakumeiten list was heavily dominated by Osaka, leaving other deserving regions like Kyushu and Shikoku underrepresented. However, the addition of the Osaka list brought a refreshing change. Here are some highlights:

• Jinruiminamenrui: This restaurant is a top pick on the Osaka list and is beloved by Japanese locals and international visitors. Its signature dish is fish-heavy shoyu (soy sauce) ramen.
• Kadoya Shokudo: Known for its old-school style of chukasoba, Kadoya sources premium ingredients from all over Japan.
• Menya Jikon: Their menu offers a variety of choices, from deep shoyu styles to lighter shio (salt) ramen.
• With separate 100-restaurant lists for Tokyo and Osaka, lesser-explored eastern and western Japan regions can showcase their unique culinary styles through the Hyakumeiten. For instance, Tonjinchi in Toyama prefecture has consistently featured its elegant shoyu ramen.
• Kyushu, which previously had only two or three spots, now boasts 18 restaurants. Notably, Anzen Shokudo, known for its homestyle tonkatsu ramen in Fukuoka, secured a spot. Even Shikoku, an island south of Kobe that isn't typically associated with ramen (given its udon-centric reputation), earned three spots. Additionally, prefectures like Kyoto and Nara expanded their ramen influence by adding more spots to the list.

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Ramen chef Paweł Dobierski travels from Poland to Japan a few times a year to try famous restaurants and visited more than 200 in 2023. "The list helped me a lot when I was looking for good shops," he says. "The Google star system doesn't really work for ramen in Japan. I've been to great places, but almost all of them had fewer than four stars." For fans of old-school eateries, the list leaves them guessing. Most places opened only in the past decade, with just a few standing the test of time. Takano, in Tokyo, opened its doors in 1996. Tantantei, also in the capital, has been serving classic shinasoba with wontons since 1977. The head shop of Ramen Jiro, in Mita, Tokyo, has been operating since 1968. Despite these minor gripes, the Hyakumeiten continues to be at the top of the ramen rankings in Japan. Hardcore ramen lovers strive to visit all 400 while casual fans of the dish are fine chipping away at the Tokyo 100.

Japan’s best ramen? Gourmet guide ranks nation’s top 100 ramen restaurants

Japan’s Hyakumeiten restaurant-ranking system means no one has to go without an excellent serving of their favourite dish. Post Magazine goes in search of the ramen to top all ramen.

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