The 10 Best Ramen Shops You Must Eat in Otaru, Hokkaido

When you think of Otaru in Hokkaido, Japan, things related to sea and seafood come to your mind first. However, seafood is not the only delicious food you can have in Otaru. Hokkaido is also famous for ramen which has different flavor by the area, and Otaru is one of the places where delicious ramen shops are located. Here are 10 ramen shops that you should try when visiting Otaru.

1. Ramen Shodai

At “Ramen Shodai”, soy sauce ramen using fish stocks for its base is very popular among the locals and tourists.
The soup is rich in flavor yet not too oily, and sliced roast pork melt in your mouth. It’s one of the best ramen in Otaru.

Other popular menus include shiro shoyu ramen (white soy sauce base) which is offered only 30 meals a day, salt ramen and miso ramen (soybean paste base). Its ramen can be purchased online, so you can buy them for souvenirs. Visit Ramen Shodai and enjoy its tasty ramen!

2. Ramen Tokaiya

Like the taste of French cuisine depends on bouillon, the taste of ramen depends on the soup. Here at “Ramen Tokaiya”, the chief who has a background in French cuisine cooks with selected ingredients and provides the sensitive and rich flavored soup.

The menus include soy sauce ramen that the color of soup is as clear as salt ramen and garlic miso ramen with sliced roast pork. The restaurant prepares foods without any lard, chemical condiments, or preservatives. It’s nice to have a place where you can truly enjoy tasty ramen!

 

3. Ramen Nishiya Otaru-ekimae-ten

Located conveniently in front of Otaru station, “Ramen Nishiya” is one of the most popular ramen shops in Otaru. Ramen Nishiya is famous for its miso ramen which is rich in flavor but not too strong. You can enjoy different favor by changing the amount of garlic you add as a topping.

The recommendation of the restaurant is light flavored salt ramen. The soup is made from combined broths that include chicken, pork and aromatic vegetables. Ramen Nishiya has a main shop in Monbetsu, and you can taste delicious Monbetsu ramen in Otaru. Make sure you’ll stop by Ramen Nishiya when you’re in Otaru!

4. Shizen-ha ramen-dokoro, Mahoro

“Shizen-ha ramen-dokoro, Mahoro” serves ramen prepared with natural ingredients.

There is no use of chemical condiments, and the soup featuring the taste of original ingredients matches perfectly with home-made noodles. The menus include light flavored ramen using combined broths of kelp, chicken, and dried fish, and rich flavored ramen using broths of pork, aromatic vegetable, kelp, and dried fish.

Mahoro also serves ramen in the morning in a stand-up eating style at the kitchen area. Ramen in the morning is a home-made style ramen and costs 350yen. How about ramen for breakfast?

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5. Mikan

“Mikan” is famous for miso ramen in a thick oily soup with a flavor of ginger and garlic. Everything except noodles is home-made in this shop. The soup is rich and thick yet flavorful, so you can drink up the soup easily.

The shop is so popular and famous that there is a line of people waiting sometimes, but it’s worth the wait. You should eat at Mikan for its famous ramen when visiting Otaru for sightseeing.

 
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6. Katano

Located off the main street, “Katano” is a famous hideaway restaurant. The shop is in a small prefab house by the coast. A variety of ramen is served here, and the menus include gomoku ramen (noodle soup topped with various vegetables, seafood, and meat) with plenty of toppings and spicy Dandan noodles.

This small long-established shop is popular among locals and also serves other Chinese dishes, like chow mein noodles with thick sauce and fried rice. If you come all the way to Otaru, you must eat at Kantaro!

 

7. Appare-tei Temiya-ten

“Appare-tei” is famous for its tonkotsu (pork base) ramen. Its soup is made of a mixed soup of thick Kyushu style flavor and Sapporo flavor. The pork base broth brings out the flavor, and ramen has mild taste.

You can choose miso flavors from red, white (light-brown), blended, and spicy miso. If you like miso ramen, this is the best place to go. Enjoy its delicious ramen and find your favorite miso flavor.

8. Ramen-dokoro Otaruzaka

“Otaruzaka” is located inside Wing Bay, a shopping center by the sea. The brick made shop gives you a comfortable atmosphere inside.

Its soy sauce ramen is light flavored by blending pork base broth. You can enjoy different flavors by adding different toppings, such as capsicum pepper for miso ramen and either black or white pepper for salt ramen.

Conveniently located inside a shopping mall, you can casually eat there with small children between shopping.

 

9. Otaru unga shokudo

“Otaru unga shokudo” is located inside warehouse buildings by Otaru Canal. In this area, a variety of meals including seafood bowl, soup and curry, and buffet, is available.

One of the shops in Otaru unga shokudo is “Umizo” that serves ramen using sumptuous ingredients like shrimps and crabs. The other shop is “Akari” that provides simple and flavorful ramen with seafood broth.

After sightseeing the canal outside in cold, you can appreciate hot tasty ramen at Otaru unga shokudo to warm you up. Please come to eat ramen here.

10. Daimaru ramen

“Daimaru” is open late in the red-light district of Otaru and is a good place to go after a drink.

A wide variety of menus includes ramen, wantan noodles, miso ramen, roast pork ramen, ramen topped with mapo, Tianjin-style ramen, Canton-style ramen, Dandan noodles, etc.

Opened in 1949, the inside of the shop gives an ambience of good-old times. Daimaru has kept the flavor since its opening. Why don’t you enjoy Daimaru’s ramen after having a drink.

Let’s Enjoy Delicious Ramen in Otaru!

We’ve introduced 10 best ramen shops you should visit when you travel to Otaru, Hokkaido. Have you found a shop you may be interested in trying? One of the fun things during the trip is to enjoy the local food. Why don’t you add Otaru ramen on the list when visiting Otaru? We look forward to welcoming you in Otaru!