Afuri Ramen (Tokyo) – Unique Yuzu-Flavoured Ramen with Dashi Broth, Light and Refreshing Taste!

Late one night during my holiday in Tokyo, I went to Afuri Ramen in Ebisu to check out their yuzu ramen. I was really looking forward to it after reading all the good reviews online. Update 05 June 2019: Afuri Ramen will be opening its first Singapore outlet at Funan mall on 28 June!

Afuri Ramen

Afuri Ramen is a famous ramen shop in Japan that was founded in Ebisu, Tokyo in 2003.

The restaurant is known for its yuzu ramen which consists of ingredients like yuzu (a Japanese citrus), chicken broth, dashi (fish broth), and charcoal-grilled pork.

Today, the ramen shop has many branches across Tokyo, in areas such as Shinjuku, Harajuku and Roppongi. It also has branches in Hokkaido, Saitama, Yokohama, and Atsugi.

Outside of Japan, there is a branch in Lisbon (Portugal) and also Portland (USA)!

Afuri Ramen Menu

Click here to enlarge

Tanrei gives the broth a lighter taste while Maroaji creates a thicker and richer broth.

You can choose your type of chashu (pork) too

The menu consists of three main items: Ramen, Tsukemen, and Donburi.

Ramen
The signature ramens are the Yuzu Shio Ramen and Yuzu Shoyu Ramen. Both cost JPY 1,080.

For the soup base, I was asked to choose between Tanrei and Maroaji. Basically, these refer to the amount of “Chi-yu” (chicken oil blended with dashi) in the broth.

Tanrei means less Chi-yu which gives a lighter taste, while Maroaji means more Chi-yu which creates a thicker and more flavourful broth.

As I was pondering over which one to choose, the staff pointed to the Maroaji option on the menu and gave a thumbs-up along with an approving nod.

And so both the wife and I went with Maroaji.

The ramen noodles are made with a mixture of premium Hokkaido whole grain wheat and rye.

And according to the restaurant, the ramen is prepared with spring water from Mount Afuri in the Kanagawa prefecture.

Tsukemen
I saw three Tsukemen options, including one with yuzu. This was tempting but I decided to stick to ramen this time round.

Donburi
The menu also offers a variety of Japanese rice bowls, as you can see from the menu above.

Other Items
At the bottom of the menu, there were several types of toppings, as well as draft beer.

How to Order

Like all other ramen shops I visited in Tokyo, I had to order our ramens through a vending machine.

This was pretty simple. I inserted my cash into the machine and then pressed the buttons to order my food.

Once I was done, the machine printed out my “food tickets”. I handed the tickets to a staff, who asked me whether I wanted “Tanrei” or “Maroaji” for my ramen broths. The wife and I both went with Maroaji, which has a richer taste.

Note that the machine accepts cash only (both notes and coins). Change will be provided.

Good Ambience

quick photo before indulging in the yuzu ramen

I went to the original Ebisu branch on a Sunday at around 8pm and there was no queue at all.

I really liked the ambience here. The shop did not have any fancy furnishings and it exuded an authentic traditional Japanese restaurant vibe.

The wife and I were the only tourists in the shop. The rest of the customers were mainly Japanese students and office workers.

All the customers sat at counter seats around an open kitchen where the Afuri Ramen chefs prepared our food.

Yuzu Shoyu Ramen

My Yuzu Shoyu Ramen (JPY 1,080) was served in less than five minutes after ordering.

The sumptuous bowl of ramen came with yuzu peels, ajitsuke tamago (ramen egg), seaweed, bamboo shoots, charcoal-grilled pork slice, and mizuna leaves.

The ramen noodles were soaked in glistening chicken and dashi broth mixed with shoyu sauce.

The dish certainly looked good, and I am happy to report that it tasted really good too.

The noodles had a very smooth texture along with a firm bite.

But the highlight for me was definitely the broth, which had an interesting combination of delicious flavours. The most distinctive was the citrusy yuzu flavour, which gave the broth a light and refreshing touch. This was complimented by the savoury chicken and dashi broth, and the sweet-salty taste of shoyu.

I also really enjoyed eating the charcoal-grilled pork slice! It was very tender and juicy, and had a pleasant smoky flavour.

The crunchy yuzu peels provided a refreshing balance for the ramen.

Finally, the mizuna leaves, bamboo shoots and seaweed were delicious toppings and completed my wonderful ramen experience.

Yuzu Shio Ramen

The wife ordered the Yuzu Shio Ramen (JPY 1,080), because she is a fan of the shio flavour. I tried a bit of this ramen too.

It tasted very similar to my shoyu version, but I felt it wasn’t as rich and flavourful.  Personally, I prefer the Yuzu Shoyu Ramen, though the difference is not very significant.

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the yuzu ramen at Afuri Ramen tasted. It has a wonderful blend of yuzu and savoury flavours that sets it apart from other ramens in Japan. I must say the original Afuri chef who thought of adding yuzu to ramen has created a really delicious and innovative dish.

I visited the Ebisu branch, which is the original branch. It opens till 5am daily, so if you are looking for a late-night ramen fix this is the place to go. I have not tried the yuzu ramen at other Afuri branches, but based on online reviews they are very good too.

Afuri Ramen (Ebisu)
What to Order: Yuzu Shoyu Ramen (JPY 1080), Yuzu Shio Ramen (JPY 1080)
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 5am
Address: Japan, 〒150-0013 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Ebisu, 1 Chome−1−７ 117ビル1F
Directions: Three minute walk from Ebisu Station
Other branches: http://afuri.com/findus
Phone: +813 5795 0750

This article is part of our super awesome Ultimate Tokyo Travel Guide For First Timers. Everything you need to know about Tokyo is just a click away!