I was looking for some unique ramen in Tokyo, and I discovered Ramen Hosenka (らぁ麺 鳳仙花) in Shinjuku. Excited, I headed over right away. By the way, Shinjuku is packed with shops side by side, which feels a bit overwhelming for me… Hosenka is part of the renowned Hayashida group, which is incredibly popular for ramen these days. Their signature is a red sea bream broth soup!
They stay open continuously throughout their business hours, which is great! I visited around 3 p.m. on a Saturday, and there were a few open seats. Inside the shop, you’ll find a ticket vending machine on the left.
Getting there can be tricky if you’re not familiar with Shinjuku Station—it’s like a maze! So, I chose to go from Shinjuku Sanchome Station instead. Higashi Shinjuku Station is another good option.
Each table is equipped with a water server, which reminded me of sushi conveyor belt restaurants. If needed, they also provide paper aprons, but most customers didn’t use them since the soup is clear and doesn’t splatter much.
They serve both ramen and tsukemen, and of course, both feature their signature red sea bream broth. If you choose ramen, they highly recommend adding the chazuke (金目鯛茶漬け). for just 200 yen.
Naturally, I ordered the special ramen. You can spot my chazuke ticket above in the photo. I handed it to the staff after finishing the noodles. The golden soup looked stunning. It was rich with the flavor of red sea bream fat floating on the surface, but surprisingly, it wasn’t greasy. The broth had a bold saltiness and a deep sea bream flavor—delicious!
The whole wheat noodles had a great texture. The special ramen came with toppings like red onion, green onion, bamboo shoots (menma), roasted pork, and a soft-boiled egg. The egg wasn’t overly seasoned, which balanced the dish nicely.
By the way, the ramen I had was salt-flavored (shio ramen), but they also offer soy sauce-flavored (shoyu ramen). If you want the shoyu version, you’ll need to get a ticket to switch.
Next up was the chazuke. I was relieved ! The portion of rice was small—perfect for me after finishing the ramen. It came topped with green onions, pieces of grilled red sea bream, and a touch of wasabi.
I poured some leftover soup over the rice and even added some roasted pork. It felt luxurious! The flavors were refreshing, making it easy to finish. If you visit Hosenka, the chazuke is a must-try.
About
Name Ramen Hosenka (らぁ麺 鳳仙花)
Open Day through night
Reservation Unavailable
Credit card Unavailable
URL Instagram
Google Map
