You know a noodle joint is good when it doesn’t even need a name to get business.

“No ramen no life” is a motto we at SoraNews24 like to live by, and the more obscure and unknown the ramen restaurant is, the better. So when we heard there was a ramen joint in Japan that had no name at all, we knew we had to try it, and our reporter Masami was on hand to hunt it down.

So how do you locate a restaurant with no name? Thankfully, Masami is well-connected so she was able to find the location with some help from her friends-in-the-know. The eatery is on the basement level of a building in Kyoto, underneath a sign that has a big blank space for the basement tenant.

▼ Tenants on all other floors have their names proudly displayed, but the basement tenant is left blank.

A blank sign like this usually means there’s nobody currently doing business on that level, so foodies who aren’t in-the-know would simply walk on by, unwittingly missing out on one of the best ramen experiences in the city.

▼ We love finding hidden ramen joints like this!

Walking inside, Masami was surprised to find that this was no dingy establishment. The space was sleek and stylish, with plenty of green plants adding some natural decor. In fact, it was such a nice place that it felt more like a hotel lobby than a noodle restaurant, and the ticket machine even came with a swanky digital display.

With ramen and tsukemen dipping noodles on the menu, Masami opted for a standard bowl of ramen with a light broth and char siu pork topping for 800 yen (US$7.39). She also couldn’t resist adding a soft-boiled egg marinated in soy and mirin for an extra 100 yen.

▼ This was a classy bowl of noodles.

Masami tried a spoonful of broth and found it contained a delicious blend of chicken and soy flavours.

For diners wanting more of a flavour hit, there are additional spices available, including garam masala, sansho Japanese pepper, ichimi chilli pepper, and kosho pepper.

The vegetables were fresh and tasty, the noodles perfectly springy, and the clear soup was so delicious, particularly with a pinch of pepper, that Masami ended up finishing the entire bowl.

This was a fantastic bowl of ramen, made even more tasty by its secret, hidden location. We highly recommend giving it a try if you’re looking for a place to eat in Kyoto, especially for those days when you don’t feel like singeing your eyebrows off at the nearby Fire Ramen restaurant.

Restaurant information

Namae no nai Ramenya / 名前のないラーメン屋

Address: Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku Ebisucho 534-31

京都府京都市中京区恵比須町５３４−３１

Open 11:30a.m.-3:00p.m. / 6:00p.m.-10:00p.m. (Mon-Fri) 11:30a.m.-3:00p.m. / 6:00p.m.-9:00p.m. (Sat, Sun and public holidays)

Photos: ©SoraNews24

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[ Read in Japanese ]