喜多方ラーメン喜一

The staff at my favorite Kitakata-style shop in Tokyo, Shichisai, said I should try Kiichi. Thanks for the recommendation!

A beautiful, new shop. Everything is bleached wood and subtle Japanese touches. A bright red maple tree was in full autumn foliage outside the front door.

Plenty to choose from, but the most popular is by far the Shio. Sorry, the Sio.

Simple. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling this bowl as much as the others in Kitakata. Maybe it had to do with the fact that this was another 7am bowl, and the previous night had been fueled by Kitakata’s other claim to fame, Japanese sake. In addition, this was my fourth bowl, having crushed three the day before. While some raota (ramen otaku) love competing in a Pokemon-esque contest to slurp-em-all, I’m content with one or two bowls a day at max.

This is probably the shop I will return to to sample again. Presentation was beautiful, and the ingredients were all top notch.

The shop has some local history.

And plenty of gifts to take home. Almost all Kitakata shops have take home sets. In a pinch, you could bypass the lines and grab a box or two to prepare at home.