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Tokyo Station: Rich and Fatty Ramen at Ikaruga (東京駅 斑鳩)

Tokyo

I had some business at Tokyo Station, so I decided to have lunch at Ikaruga (斑鳩), located along Tokyo Ramen Street inside the station. Due to the pandemic, about half the seats were vacant at lunchtime—even though, before, nearly all ramen shops used to have long lines. The only exception was Rokurinsha (六厘舎), which still had a long queue with around 30 people waiting :p

Ikaruga is situated within Tokyo Ramen Street, past the ticket gate at Tokyo Station. If you’re coming from outside the station, there’s an entrance downstairs near Gran Roof. This is the closest access point to Tokyo Ramen Street.

Their ramen features a broth based on both fish and pork. They offer several options: Regular Ramen (らー麺), Thick Ramen (濃厚らー麺), and Extremely Thick Ramen (超濃厚らー麺). Additionally, they serve Niboshi Ramen (煮干しらー麺), Shio Ramen (塩らー麺), and Spicy Ramen (旨辛らー麺). Although they didn’t serve it that day, they also have wide noodles and tsukemen, as well as side dishes like roast pork with mayonnaise rice.

Ticket vending machine

This was my first time trying their ramen, so I took a moment to decide. In the end, I ordered their most popular dish: Thick Ramen with Boiled Egg. It came with a generous slice of roast pork, and the egg was soft-boiled—though the yolk wasn’t too runny, making it easy to enjoy. The bowl also included fried onions, fresh onions, nori, and naruto.

Thick Ramen (魚介とんこつ濃厚らー麺, 850 yen) with Boiled Egg (煮玉子入り, 100yen)

One funny note: the menma (bamboo shoot) was unusually long! :p

The soup was rich, fatty, and oily with a strong dried bonito flavor. The layer of fat on top helped keep the soup piping hot. The noodles, coated in this thick, flavorful broth, were very satisfying.

Although the ramen was delicious, it was also quite greasy, and after finishing about two-thirds of the noodles, I began to feel a bit overwhelmed. I might have preferred the regular version instead. By the way, what exactly is the “extremely thick” version? I can’t really imagine!

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Name Ikaruga Tokyo station (斑鳩 東京駅)
Open Morning through night
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