A note on the words: tsukemen is ramen served as chilled noodles with a warm, concentrated dipping broth in a separate bowl. Here the thin noodles arrive immersed in katsuo-kombu water, a lightly thickened infusion of dried bonito and kelp seasoned with light soy sauce tare: slurp them plain first, add a pinch of moshio (seaweed salt), then dip them into the seafood broth holding the meat and shrimp wontons. Rare chashu is slow-cooked pork; ajitama is a marinated seasoned egg. Soup-wari is hot stock added to the leftover dipping broth to finish it as a soup. The menu also lists tsuke-tantan (dandan-style dipping noodles), shiro-dashi (a pale seafood broth) and kaedama (a noodle refill).
Table of Contents hide
Tsukemen Kinryu on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Ramen lovers, thank you for waiting! It is time for Hangover Meshi!
Just a few minutes’ walk from any of Ogawamachi, Awajicho, or Shin-Ochanomizu stations! On the ground floor of a building in Kanda-Tsukasamachi sits Tsukemen Kinryu, a shop with just seven counter seats. It is part of the Koike group, which traces back to Raamen Koike in Kamikitazawa. I have been relying on them a lot lately, ha.
Chuka Soba Nishino, Hongoen, and now this place, “Tsukemen Kinryu.”
It is a very popular shop where a line at lunch is the norm, and this time when I arrived around 19:00 there was only one customer ahead of me!
Evening really is the time to aim for.
It is thoughtful of them to post a guide outside the shop showing what is written on the ticket machine!
Once seated, let’s dig in!
Starting with a beer!!! So good.
As I waited and studied the guide on how to eat it, the tsukemen arrived.
Wait — isn’t this almost too beautiful?
The clear kombu water, the orange of the egg, and the hue of the rare chashu make a wonderful combination of colors!
First, let’s try just the noodles on their own. Bite into them and the aroma of wheat rises gently, and the firmly chilled thin noodles slip smoothly down the throat. The katsuo-kombu water clinging to the noodles has a slight thickness to it and is seasoned with a light soy sauce tare, so it completely stands on its own just like this, ha.
Saying it is already a complete dish even without the dipping broth is no exaggeration at all!
Next, a pinch of moshio (seaweed salt). It sharpens the outline of the sweetness, and the umami of the katsuo (bonito) steps half a pace forward. Hmm, we humans really do find things tastier when a touch of salt is added!
And now for the main event. The dipping broth has a crisp, distinct seafood dashi, and the moment it meets the mellowness of the kombu water, the flavor deepens a notch. Because the viscous kombu water coating the noodles helps them carry the broth, there is nothing lacking about them at all despite how thin they are!
The toppings have clearly divided roles: rare chashu and a seasoned egg (ajitama) on the noodle side, and wontons and greens in the dipping broth. The slow-cooked low-temperature chashu falls apart tenderly, giving you the flavor of the meat itself rather than the sweetness of fat. The yolk of the seasoned egg is rich, sweet, and delicious!
Order the Special and you get two meat wontons and two shrimp wontons. The meat ones have thin skins packed tightly with filling, while the shrimp ones pop with a springy bite. It is like a little wonton soup.
The ramen from this group really is delicious. Even though the noodles are thin for tsukemen, the sense of satisfaction is all there. You start with cold noodles and finish with a warm soup-wari. I think it has the range to be gentle on your stomach the day after drinking, or to serve as a bowl before heading out for drinks. With only seven seats you may have to wait a little, but I think the satisfaction waiting at the end of the line is well worth it.
Here’s hoping I run into more good food today!
Tsukemen Kinryu Menu
Tsukemen
The signature Katsuo-Kombu-Water Tsukemen and the other headliner, Tsuke-Tantan.
“Special” comes with 2 meat wontons, 2 shrimp wontons, and a seasoned egg. “A Little of Each” comes with 1 meat wonton, 1 shrimp wonton, and a seasoned egg. Larger noodle portions are available for tsukemen only.
Ramen
Two headliners: a seafood-broth shiro-dashi (white dashi) bowl and a bowl seasoned with sansho pepper.
4 meat wontons, 3 shrimp wontons
Seasonal Bowl
A bowl added to the ticket machine with a handwritten tag. A summer-only treat.
Wontons & Toppings
Larger Noodle Portions
Larger noodle portions are available only for tsukemen, not for ramen.
Drinks
*Based on the notice posted outside the shop (the ticket machine button layout) at the time of our visit in September 2026. Prices and items are subject to change; please check at the shop for the latest information.
Tsukemen Kinryu (Ramen / Ogawamachi Station, Awajicho Station, Shin-Ochanomizu Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★★☆ 4.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
