Sendai’s Ramen Culture
Japan is full of delicious ramen restaurants. Sendai City has the third-highest annual ramen expenditure in the nation (Family Budget Survey 2022 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), and is known for being a highly competitive area that has many unique ramen restaurants. This article introduces five popular ramen restaurants in Sendai that were mentioned in the Michelin Guide.
Ramen spot 1: Ramen Kaichi
Ramen Kaichi is a famous ramen restaurant known for using nothing but chicken to create a unique and pure chicken soup that can only be enjoyed here.
Many fans line up outside the restaurant every day at all hours to have a taste of their ramen.
Our recommended dish at Ramen Kaichi is their soy sauce-flavored Shoyu Ramen (830 yen).
The moment you taste the chicken soup with the simple toppings spring onions, bamboo shoots and braised pork belly slice, its flavor and rich aroma will burst inside your mouth.
Thoroughly hand-kneaded toothsome noodles combine with the soup to create the perfect bite.
Even though the restaurant is only open during lunch hours, it is located close to downtown Sendai, so why not go and give their ramen a taste when you are shopping or sightseeing in the area?
| Address | 3-8-12 Kokubuncho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken |
| Opening hours | 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Wednesdays, first and third Thursday of the month |
Ramen spot 2: Ramen Honkamado
Ramen Honkamado is a well-known, popular ramen restaurant that focuses on serving healthy, delicious dishes using natural ingredients.
The noodles made of flour produced in Hokkaido that are carefully selected for its aroma and flavor, a punchy soup prepared by the owner who is qualified as a dashi broth sommelier, beautiful plating that reminds you of fine French or Italian cuisine: all of these elements are condensed in a bowl of unique ramen.
At Ramen Honkamado, we recommend the Prawn Wonton Shio Ramen (1130 yen).
The golden soup is made from animal products such as chicken and pork, as well as dried fish shavings such as mackerel and bonito flakes. Additionally, their signature noodles are topped with bouncy prawn wontons and roasted pork (chashu) cooked at low temperatures. Nothing is more satisfying than this ultimate bowl of ramen.
| Address | 3-5-12 Iwakiribundai, Miyagino-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken |
| Opening hours | 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. / 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. |
| Closed | Irregular day |
Ramen spot 3: Dashiro
Dashiro (meaning “soup stock gallery”) is a popular ramen restaurant with the concept of an art gallery that showcases broths created by dashi sommeliers.
The exterior of the restaurant looks like a sophisticated cafe, making it hard to believe that they serve ramen. Here, you can enjoy various ramen dishes that cast a spotlight on Japanese broths created using a variety of extraction methods depending on the ingredient.
For Dashiro, the soup stock gallery, we recommend trying the Shellfish Broth Shio Noodles (1280 yen). This bowl is the pinnacle of dashi art, with the shellfish-derived broth giving it a tasty umami flavor that exceeds all expectation.
The convenient location is also attractive. – 10 minutes on foot from JR Sendai Station or 4 minutes from Aoba-dori Ichibancho Station on the Sendai Subway.
| Address | TK Bldg 1F, 2-2-11 Ichibancho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken |
| Opening hours | 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
| Closed | During the year end and New Year’s holiday |
Ramen spot 4: Aramachi Shoten Chuka Soba Fujiyama
Aramachi Shoten Chuka Soba Fujiyama is a ramen restaurant that blends several types of dried fish (niboshi) and is dedicated to exploring the potential of niboshi.
The broth is created using the same dashi extraction technique for Sanuki udon noodles, such as using soy sauce brewed in Kagawa, and creating a unique bowl full of the umami of dried fish.
The recommended bowl at Aramachi Shoten Chuka Soba Fujiyama is the Special Shirofuji Noodles (880 yen).
The fine, rich and flavorful niboshi soup coats the slightly hard thin noodles, and you won’t be able to put down your chopsticks until you finish the very last drop of broth.
Since the dried fish blend changes each day, you’ll be able to enjoy subtle variations in taste every time – another reason for repeated visits.
| Address | 171 Aramachi, Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken |
| Opening hours | Mon. – Wed. & Fri. 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. / 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Sat, Sun and public holidays 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Thursdays |
Ramen spot 5: Ramen Genryu
Ramen Genryu is one of the most popular ramen restaurants in Miyagi Prefecture, located in a shopping center directly connected to the Nagamachi-Minami Subway Station.
Committed to maximizing the deliciousness of ingredients, their ramen is so popular that a pot instant noodle version was released nationwide.
At Ramen Genryu, we recommend the Miso Ramen (930 yen).
Although this miso ramen, topped with bean sprouts, onions, carrots and pork, seems basic at first glance, it features an excellent soup made with a combination of broth using grilled flying fish and pork bones. Finished with an original miso blend, the soup perfectly complements the chewy medium-thick noodles.
You can add the chilly miso paste provided on the side to make the soup even spicier, but we recommend you to add it not at once but little by little.
| Address | LaLa Garden Nagamachi 3F, 7-20-5 Nagamachi, Taihaku-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken |
| Opening hours | 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Open year round |