本格柚子塩らぁ麺 IRUCA Tokyo

Yuzu ramen is a thing. Thanks to some well-managed branding from Afuri, I receive frequent requests from Americans for the 411 on my favorite yuzu ramen spot. In the past, I never really had an answer. Yuzu makes its way into all kinds of ramen, regardless if that ramen is labeled as yuzu ramen or not. That said, I now have an easy answer to one of my top picks for yuzu ramen. IRUCA Tokyo has you covered.

Unfortunately, IRUCA is a bit of a trek from central Tokyo. Expect an hour or so by train and about the same by car.

For a ramen hunter, the trip is worth it. Master Ogawa-san trained at some top shops in Japan, including Nagi, Afuri, and Itto.

He’s combined aspects from all of these shops, though the yuzu shio ramen (柚子塩らぁ麺) at IRUCA is most closely connected to the yuzu shio ramen from Afuri.

Quality chicken from Nagoya and Daisen as well as a blend of five different salts make the base of this bowl deep and flavorful.

The toppings make it something special.

Chicken meatballs, slow-cooked chicken breast, and roasted duck chashu.

Of course, the list of ingredients is much more detailed than that. Different noodles for the shio and shoyu come custom-made from Mikawa Seimen, one of Tokyo’s most famous noodle makers.

The soup contains common mussels called murugai (ムール貝) for added umami. Aromatic oils from the Nagoya Kochin chicken fat is infused with porcini mushroom for the shoyu ramen. Meats are all prepared using different homemade tare sauces.

Open since 2019.

Official blog here.

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

IRUCA Tokyo in Higashi-Kurume, Tokyo

魚と豚と黒三兵 (Kurosanbe in Shinjuku, Tokyo)

とんくる (Tonkuro in Sasazuka, Tokyo)

渡なべ (Watanabe in Takadanobaba)

IRUCA Tokyo in Higashi-Kurume, Tokyo

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魚と豚と黒三兵 (Kurosanbe in Shinjuku, Tokyo)

とんくる (Tonkuro in Sasazuka, Tokyo)

渡なべ (Watanabe in Takadanobaba)