Ramen & Noodles · Mita

Ramen Jiro Mita Honten ラーメン二郎 三田本店

The mothership of Jiro-style ramen. Takumi Yamada started Ramen Jiro in 1968 and moved to this Mita shop near Keio University in 1996; its towering bowls of garlic, vegetables, pork and fat spawned a nationwide cult.

About

Ramen Jiro began in 1968 near the old Tokyo Metropolitan University campus and settled at Mita, opposite Keio University, in 1996. Founder Takumi Yamada's bowl defined an entire genre, 'Jiro-kei': very thick, chewy wheat noodles in a pork-heavy shoyu broth slick with back fat, topped with a mound of boiled bean sprouts and cabbage, slabs of fatty pork and optional raw chopped garlic. Dozens of licensed branches and countless imitators (Jirolian is a word) followed. The honten is a cramped counter shop with its own rules: buy a ticket, wait in the queue along the pavement, and when asked, call your free toppings ('ninniku yasai abura karame' for garlic, extra veg, extra fat, stronger sauce). Portions are enormous even in 'small'. It is loud, fast and unapologetic, and for many Tokyoites a rite of passage.

Highlights

• The original Jiro, founded 1968 and at Mita since 1996
• Thick, chewy noodles and a pork, fat and shoyu broth
• Mountains of bean sprouts and cabbage plus raw garlic on request
• Free topping 'call' ritual at the counter
• Early 8:30 opening, popular with students

Tips

• Order 'sho' (small); it is already larger than most ramen
• Learn the call: ninniku (garlic), yasai (veg), abura (fat), karame (stronger sauce)
• Do not linger or chat; finish and return your bowl to the counter top
• Queues are long around noon; go at 8:30 or mid-afternoon
• Closed Sundays and holidays; cash only

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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