I'm a Hopeless Ramentic - Ichiran Ramen 一蘭 (Taipei, Taiwan)

21 January 2018

🍜Ichiran Ramen 一蘭🍜

Address 地址: No. 97, Songren Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City 110 台北市信義區松仁路97號
MRT 捷运: Taipei 101/World Trade Center exit 4 台北101/世貿站4號出口
Contact 電話: (02) 2758-3868
Hours 營業時間: Monday-Sunday 24 hours
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Ichiran Ramen, originally founded in Hakata Fukuoka, Japan as a ramen stall in 1960, is one of the best Tonkatsu Ramen shops in Japan. After being renamed from Futaba to Ichiran in 1966, the small ramen stall became a store in 1993 and expanded to different locations: USA, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. To learn more about their history, click here.

Ichiran logo

Japan's Ichiran Ramen made its way to Taiwan on June 15, 2017. Open 24 hours, this famous Tonkatsu Ramen shop ensures the best quality in taste and experience.

I went with my mom on a Sunday afternoon, around 3PM, and there was already a huge crowd waiting outside the restaurant. Even though we waited a total of 2.5 hours outside, we had to wait again inside. It was like queuing up for an amusement park ride. 🎡 They called 10 numbers at a time to start lining up by the entrance. We were guest numbers 672 and 673, so we got called to get in line with the other guest numbers 670-680. One of the workers gave us a menu each to fill out our order beforehand.

Number cards change once every 10 people called.

Inside the restaurant, there were digital boards that showed occupied and vacant seats.

Occupancy board 1

Occupancy board 2

There were two lines split in half, one for rows 1-3 and one for rows 4-6. My mom and I ended up sitting in the first row on seat numbers 1 and 2.

Row numbers on red lanterns

Each person sits in his or her own little cube space, so this place is perfect for introverts! Try to focus more on your food than the people around you. To learn more about their ordering system, click here.

Inside row 1

They also have instructions on ordering and eating in each cubby!

Even though it was a long wait outside, the service itself is pretty quick. When we sat down, the servers quickly apologized for the long wait saying in Chinese, "不好意思久等了!" After we gave the servers our order forms, they brought our ramen out within 5 minutes and closed the blinds in front of us. To me, the best part about eating at Ichiran is you can choose your own dashi (soup stock) strength, soup richness, amount of garlic and Hiden no Tare (spicy red sauce), and noodle texture. You can also choose to add scallions and chashu (sliced pork). Those who know me know I love ramen shops that provide garlic! I ordered the Tonkatsu Ramen with medium dashi, rich soup, 1 clove of garlic, medium Hiden no Tare, medium noodle texture, with scallions and chashu ($288NT, ~$9.82USD) and a half-boiled salted egg ($38NT, $1.30USD). I'm glad I ordered the way I did, because my bowl of ramen was perfect. My soup was not too salty but flavorful, and the texture of the noodles was neither too soft nor too firm. To learn more about their cooking technique, click here.

My bowl of ramen: simple presentation yet delicious!

Tip: If you want to avoid long queues, I advise you to go on weekdays around 11AM! While you wait, you can also shop nearby at Taipei 101, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi 新光三越, Forever 21, and more! Ichiran will definitely satisfy your ramen cravings!

It's almost Chinese New Year! Eating long noodles or longevity noodles during birthdays symbolizes long life in Chinese tradition. So why not eat some noodles to celebrate the new year? 祝大家新年快樂, 狗年大吉! What are some of your new year resolutions? Leave a comment below. Thanks for stopping by!

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