坂内食堂

The nice lady at the Kitakata station tourist information desk said that no visit to this part of Japan is complete without a visit to a local sake brewery. Fair, but I was on a motorcycle, so the sake sampling was out. I went to the brewery anyway.

And our sake talks soon turned to ramen talks. The sake master suggested Bannai. I bought a bottle of karakuchi for later and rode straight there straight away.

The longest line in town. Thirty minutes on a weekday afternoon.

Something I’ve never seen, the staff was handing out sun umbrellas. Kitakata is surprisingly hot, in the mid 30s, while the nearby mountains are about 10 degrees cooler.

I feel sorry for the neighbor shop. Living in a shadow all these years.

The line continued inside. At this point, I grabbed a pamphlet, and it all became clear. This is the same Bannai that has locations all over Japan.

I never went, as they are strictly a chain operation here in Tokyo. Not interested. I might have skipped Bannai in Kitakata if I had realized it before I was already inside the shop.

Yes, it is a mass-produced, money-making operation. But everything has a birthplace, and the honten here in Kitakata keeps it all original. Locals assured me that the two are very different.

If you have walked by one of their many operations, you have seen this image. Enough pork to cover everything. At 900 yen (both the chain price and the original shop price) it is a steal for that much pork.

Notice I didn’t say, “That much good pork.” This bowl was a complete let down. No depth, just a basic bowl. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, but left with a disappointing taste.

Looks like there is one a few minutes from my home in Tokyo. I won’t be going.

Official Site Here

Sort By

East Japan – The 百名店 Best 100 Ramen Shops in 2025 – Ramen Adventures
Log in to Reply

[…] 坂内食堂 (Bannai Shokudo in Kitakata, Fukushima) […]
8 months ago
The Best 100 Ramen Shops in Japan East According to Tabelog 2022 – Ramen Adventures
Log in to Reply

[…] 坂内食堂 (Bannai Shokudo in Kitakata, Fukushima) […]
3 years ago
The 100 Best Ramen Shops in East Japan 2023 – Ramen Adventures
Log in to Reply

[…] 坂内食堂 (Bannai Shokudo in Kitakata, Fukushima) […]
3 years ago
The Top 100 Ramen Shops in Japan East According to Tabelog 2022 (食べログラーメン EAST 百名店２０２２) – Ramen Adventures
Log in to Reply

[…] 坂内食堂 (Bannai Shokudo in Kitakata, Fukushima) […]
3 years ago

Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

坂内食堂 (Bannai Shokudo in Kitakata, Fukushima)

うまか軒 (Umakaken Airport Ramen in Kumamoto)

源来軒 (Genraiken in Kitakata)

TOMO in Oimachi

坂内食堂 (Bannai Shokudo in Kitakata, Fukushima)

Login

うまか軒 (Umakaken Airport Ramen in Kumamoto)

源来軒 (Genraiken in Kitakata)

TOMO in Oimachi