Tokyo is ramen. You can eat the best, most innovation ramen in this food metropolis. And recently, competition between halal ramen shops have been heating up- from delicate shrimp to spicy chicken ramen, I bring you 5 of Tokyo's absolutely delicious, halal-certified ramen.  

1. Ayam-Ya

“Spicy Tori Soba” with Egg : ¥990. Photo: Frank Striegl

Ayam-Ya specializes in tori paitan, a style of (relatively) rich chicken ramen. Their signature (top left on the vending machine) chicken ramen features a light soy sauce seasoning and a syrupy chili oil. In the broth, the spicy kick from the chili oil is perfectly accompanied by a rich chicken flavor. Diced onions and bright green scallion toppings also provide a certain sweetness to it. Lastly, Ayam-Ya’s slippery noodles are relatively thick and help you mop up this wonderful broth. In line with the chicken theme, all their ramen include beautiful slices of steamed chicken toppings. Besides light and spicy (soy sauce or salt seasoning), you can opt for a thicker and even richer chicken ramen (soy sauce or salt seasoning and only 20 bowls available per day). No matter what you order, Ayam-Ya serves soul-satisfying chicken ramen.

Location: Tokyo-To, Taito-Ku, Moto Asakusa 3-10-3

Hours: Everyday, 11.30am - 3.30pm / 5pm - 10pm

2. Mazilu Lanzhou Beef Noodles

Beef Noodles: ¥950. Photo: Frank Striegl

Beef noodle soup is closer to the Chinese roots of ramen - and it’s currently re-trending in Tokyo. Mazilu Lanzhou Beef Noodles serves some of the finest beef noodle soup in the city. They also happen to be halal-certified. Their clear broth is light and has a distinct beef and herbal flavor. The broth also has some fire to it, as a layer of chili oil sits at the very top. The staff will ask if you’re ok with adding coriander (pakuchi) and garlic (ninniku) as toppings. We of course recommend both. Other toppings include aromatic, thin slices of beef, cubed beef bits, and pieces of daikon radish. However, the star of the show might be the hand-pulled noodles. Mazilu Lanzhou lets you choose from 10 types of noodles from a handy diagram. Pictured is no. 5, which is a thicker, flat and straight type of noodle. You can visit 10 times and technically have a different ramen experience each time! In summary, Mazilu Lanzhou Beef Noodles is all about tasty, beef-focused ramen with superb noodles. In addition, they’ve opened up another shop near Tokyo station!  

Location: 1-3-18,Kandajimbocho,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 101-0051 Japan

Hours: Everyday, 11 am - 3 pm / 5 - 8:30 pm 

3. Menya Honolu 

Special Chicken Ramen (All Toppings): ¥1,180. Photo: Frank Striegl

Menya Honolu is conveniently located in Ebisu, which is just 1 stop away from Shibuya station on the Yamanote Line. Their ramen features high-grade chicken from Satsuma, Kagoshima. The chicken and vegetable broth is boiled for over 8 hours, creating a creamier and thicker consistency (than even others on this list). Choose regular or spicy - both are great! In addition, Menya Honolu serves tsukemen. For those not familiar, tsukemen is ramen, but with the broth and noodles separate. Simply put, you dip the noodles into the broth. Modern tsukemen broth is thicker, more concentrated and carries a fish undertone. This is also the case with Menya Honolu’s tsukemen. Take advantage if you haven’t tried this dish before. Menya Honolu has 2 floors. On the 1st floor are a few counter seats and on the 2nd floor, low Japanese style tables in a cozy arrangement.

Location: Japan, 〒150-0022 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Ebisuminami, 1 Chome−23−1 ＡＢＣ亜米利加橋 1F

Hours: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm / 5 pm - 10 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

4. Naritaya

Naritaya Ramen (All Toppings): ¥880. Photo: Frank Striegl

Naritaya is right next door to the bright red-colored Sensoji, Tokyo’s oldest temple. The whole surrounding neighborhood of Asakusa is a wonderful traditional backdrop. Naritaya’s menu includes classic soy sauce (Naritaya) ramen, miso or spicy miso ramen, and maze soba (soupless ramen). In historic Asakusa, classic soy sauce ramen might seem most appropriate. But if you haven’t tried maze soba before, why not try it at Naritaya? Maze soba requires everything to be thoroughly mixed and instead of soup, a flavorful oil clings to the noodles. Know that Naritaya gets crowded for dinner or on weekends. In short, it’s a popular place! Same as at Menya Honolu, there’s a 1st floor with counter seating and a 2nd floor with tables. Lastly, there’s also a prayer room on the 2nd floor. If you’d like to use this space, please let me know ahead of time. 

Location: 2 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan

Hours: Everyday, 11 am - 10 pm (9 pm on Sundays)

5. Ramen Ouka

Halal Ramen: ¥1,200. Photo: Frank Striegl

Rounding out our list is Ramen Ouka. They’re right around the corner from the stunning Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Ramen Ouka’s halal ramen is rather unique, right down to the funnel-like shape of the bowl. The broth is a combination of sea bream, chicken, ginger, kelp, and mushrooms. It harmoniously carries flavors of both land and sea. Whipped yuzu citrus is delicately placed on top of the noodles, which matches up well with the light soy sauce seasoning. Grilled chicken, baby corn, and flavored egg come on a separate dish as toppings. The grilled chicken will still maintain its crispiness even after you dip it in the ramen broth. At the very end, you can pour your leftover broth into a bowl of rice (ochazuke style). This is where the funnel-shape of the bowl comes in handy! Inventive and delicious, Ramen Ouka doesn’t disappoint.

Location: 1 Chome-11-7 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan

Hours: Mon - Thu: 3 pm - 10 pm / Weekends: 1 pm - 10 pm / Fri: 6 pm - 10 pm  

Frank is a Filipino American born in Tokyo and raised on ramen. He appropriately consumes over 300 bowls of ramen a year, and runs ramen tours which you can see at his blog, 5 Am Ramen. When he's not eating Asian food, he enjoys reading, exercising, and travel. He also is a huge Lord of the Rings fan. Connect with him online @5amramen