Five Select Local Ramen Restaurants in Hiroshima

This is one of the restaurants that created the trend of "if in Hiroshima, soupless dan dan noodles". Soupless dan dan noodles are a type of ramen with noodles, negi scallions, ground meat, etc. placed on top of a spicy rayu chili oil based sauce and eaten mixed together. This restaurant's most popular menu item is this Shirunashi Tantanmen (580 JPY). The sauce that is a sublime mixture of the spiciness of the rayu chili oil, the sweetness of the dan dan (a meat sauce made by frying ground pork, finely chopped bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, etc. together with miso), and the zestiness of sansho Japanese peppers mixes well with the chewy homemade noodles, creating a fabulous flavor that one could have every day. Enjoy this spicy and tasty dish that is sure to make you sweat.

Hiroshima ramen is characterized by a pork bone and soy sauce based soup that is rich but surprisingly light. The Chuka Soba (650 JPY) at this restaurant is a quintessential Hiroshima ramen. The combination of the substantial noodles that are on the thick side, the slightly sweet and rich soup with no unpleasant odor, and the homemade chashu pork is said to be sublime! As a bonus, all of its ramen dishes are quite voluminous.

This is a restaurant in a business district that serves just Shirunashi Tantanmen (580 JPY incl. tax)). The soupless dan dan noodles that the restaurant owner created based on research in Szechuan Province in China, where dan dan noodles originate, is a fabulous combination of medium-thin straight noodles, sansho Japanese peppers ground differently according to the season, and a mild sauce. Clients can choose the spiciness on a scale of 0 to 4, so everyone from children to spice lovers can enjoy it. It is also nice they they have sansho Japanese peppers, red chili peppers, a soy sauce-based sauce, and vinegar on the table so you can adjust the taste to your preference. Be sure to order a half portion of rice (50 JPY (incl. tax)) at the end to mix with the remaining sauce!