Ginza & Shimbashi Ramen Guide: Must-Try Ramen and Top Picks All in One Place
January 16, 2026
Ginza and Shimbashi are must-visit areas for travelers visiting Tokyo. Ginza is known as an elegant district lined with luxury brand shops and sophisticated restaurants, while Shimbashi offers a local atmosphere as a drinking district where businessmen gather. The two areas are adjacent and can be easily accessed on foot, yet each offers its own distinct charm.
This Ginza-Shimbashi area is also gaining attention as a fiercely competitive "ramen district." From refined shops to traditional small stores, a variety of unique ramen shops line the streets, making it an irresistible area for ramen lovers. Many may associate ramen with being a humble food, but here both the taste and ambiance are first-class. Whether for lunch or dinner, it is a perfect choice for a bowl between sightseeing.
This article carefully selects and introduces ramen shops worth visiting in Ginza and Shimbashi. It focuses especially on popular styles such as "tori paitan," "tonkotsu," and "shoyu," elaborating on each style's characteristics and recommended shops. Even with a short stay, please enjoy an unforgettable ramen experience.
Menya Sugo - Tori no Toriko / 麺屋周郷 鶏のとりこ（Tokyo, Shimbashi）
Ginza Kagari Honten / 銀座 篝 本店（Tokyo, Ginza）
Menya Takeichi / 濃厚鶏そば 麺屋武一（Tokyo, Shimbashi）
Ippudo Ginza / 一風堂 銀座（Tokyo, Ginza）
Ichiran Shimbashi / 一蘭 新橋（Tokyo, Shimbashi）
Hakata Tenjin Shimbashi 1st Branch / 博多天神 新橋1号店（Tokyo, Shimbashi）
If you visit the Ginza-Shimbashi area seeking creamy tori paitan, there is a noteworthy shop. Located just a short walk from the station, this shop is popular for its rich soup that extracts the maximum umami of chicken. The soup, simmered at high temperature and pressure in a dedicated pressure cooker, condenses the chicken flavor tightly, combining the thickness like a potage with an elegant aftertaste. Adding seafood stock enhances the depth of flavor, making it irresistibly delicious.
The standard bowl is decorated with delicately composed toppings such as chicken breast chashu, seared pork chashu, ginger foam, and two types of menma. Additionally, there is a "red" version that carries spiciness and fragrance; the combination of spices and tori paitan brings a new surprise. The “spice meat,” a blend of ground pork and original spices, adds depth and accent to the soup, offering a perfect balance that does not rely solely on spiciness.
You should definitely try the "ae-dama" after finishing the noodles. This flat thick noodle dish with special black vinegar acts like a seasoned extra serving, letting you enjoy every last bite without boredom. From the heavy tori paitan to the aromatic ae-dama, this shop offers a ramen experience akin to a course meal all in one.
A ramen shop quietly located on a back street of Ginza offers visually beautiful tori paitan ramen. The bowl contains a clear, refined white cloudy soup. Its flavor is so smooth it reminds one of a Western potage, and many people feel at the first sip, "Ah, this is something special."
The star of this bowl is a rich tori paitan soup made by slowly boiling domestically sourced whole chickens. Though thick in texture, it is never heavy; the chicken umami spreads softly, and the gentle sweetness of aromatic vegetables lingers as an aftertaste. The spoon is bound to keep moving nonstop thanks to this captivating soup.
The toppings include low-temperature cooked chicken chashu and colorful seasonal vegetables, delivering comfort for eyes, palate, and soul. Additionally, yuzu and ginger jelly added as flavor accents bring changes to the taste towards the end, so you enjoy every last drop without boredom.
This shop's tori paitan is not just ramen. It combines the delicacy of Japanese cuisine with the smoothness of French cuisine, delivering an “experience” that transcends the ramen genre.
If you seek a rich bowl, try the tori paitan specialty shop attracting attention in the Ginza-Shimbashi area. What you get here is a dense soup packed with chicken umami. Fresh domestic chicken is boiled slowly over high heat, resulting in a viscous, collagen-rich finish that makes you want to say, "I'm drinking chicken" rather than soup.
The thick soup delivers a strong flavor but surprisingly clean aftertaste. The perfect balance between saltiness and chicken sweetness increases satisfaction with each bite. Chicken oil aromas float on the ramen surface, allowing you to enjoy the chicken’s appeal from the first bite to the last.
Notably, chicken chashu prepared by vacuum low-temperature cooking stands out. Its moist texture and the rich flavor that spreads with each chew are exceptional. Other carefully selected ingredients like Okukuji eggs soft-boiled seasoned tamago, Kujo scallions from Kyoto, and original black hachimi blend make this bowl thoroughly well thought out, showing a calculated harmony of flavors.
This bowl is neither overly rich nor lacking, representing an evolved ramen and allowing you to experience the essence of tori paitan.
There is a shop where you can enjoy authentic tonkotsu ramen originating from Hakata right in the center of Ginza. This bowl perfectly blends a mild, rich white cloudy soup with extra-thin straight noodles for a refined yet classic taste. The soup base uses broth made by boiling pork bones for a long time to maximize umami. While creamy, it is surprisingly easy to drink, making it suitable even for beginners.
The menu offers several ramen varieties, such as the classic "white," which lets you fully enjoy the original tonkotsu flavor. The aroma of seasoned oils and special tare adds accents that deepen the taste as you eat. Variations also include "red" with spicy miso and “karaka men” with numbing spiciness, providing a wide range of flavors so you can choose depending on your mood.
On the table, you can find standard toppings like pickled ginger, spicy bean sprouts, and takana, allowing you to alter the taste as you eat. The shop also offers a kaedama system (noodle refill), letting you gradually enjoy customizing your bowl.
This bowl respects the origin of tonkotsu ramen while feeling modern and refined. Despite being in Ginza, the relaxed atmosphere invites casual visits, providing a rich but not heavy ramen experience you want to come back to again and again.
If you want to taste the ultimate in "tonkotsu soup" ramen, a certain shop in the Shimbashi area is indispensable. The menu focuses solely on tonkotsu ramen. Eliminating unnecessary options, the shop fascinates many through the completeness of its soup, noodles, and toppings.
The signature soup is a natural tonkotsu broth carefully boiled by skilled artisans. It is milky white and mellow, without any odor. Its silky texture and profound umami stand out. Unlike typical tonkotsu ramen, it has no heaviness, and the clear aftertaste makes you want to finish every drop.
Furthermore, the shop offers remarkable customization: you can adjust the flavor strength, noodle firmness, garlic amount, and secret spicy seasoning. Filling out the order sheet to create your own bowl is simple and adds a bit of fun, even for first-timers.
Once seated, you sit at the "flavor concentration counter," which lets you focus on the ramen without distractions. This partitioned space is designed to "face ramen." Without conversation, the only thing in front of you is the ordered bowl. In that silence, when you sip the soup, the essence of tonkotsu ramen fills your body.
There is no waste in this bowl. The simple composition allows you to feel the overwhelming commitment to ingredients and technique. In the heart of Shimbashi, a special time awaits, quietly and wholeheartedly enjoying ramen.
Near Shimbashi station, there is a shop where you can enjoy authentic Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen at a surprising affordable price. The signature item is the white cloudy tonkotsu ramen. It draws out the pork bone umami firmly while having almost no odor, resulting in a bowl that balances drinkability and satisfaction.
The noodles are an extra-thin straight type. They mix well with the soup and have a light throat sensation, letting you eat smoothly. The Hakata ramen specialty of “kaedama” (extra noodles) is also available, and the style of adding noodle refills little by little is popular.
On the table, free toppings such as pickled ginger, sesame seeds, and takana are lined up, allowing you to adjust the flavor to your preference. You can enjoy every last bite without boredom depending on your hunger and mood.
It’s also a plus that the shop stays open late at night. It has an atmosphere easy to stop by after drinking parties or when you get a little hungry. Although it has no unnecessary decorations, its simplicity feels clean and conveys well that the taste is the focus.
It’s no wonder that many people come through the curtain both day and night for this bowl. This shop offers a rare chance to experience tonkotsu ramen that is affordable, unpretentious, yet authentic.
A shop standing quietly on a tranquil street in Ginza offers shoyu ramen that overturns traditional concepts. What is served is not just a bowl. The clear, golden broth is made by carefully boiling duck, chicken, scallops, dried shiitake mushrooms, and others, layering umami without using any tare (soy sauce base). The final touch dissolves raw ham into the soup, producing a mild and deep-flavored taste.
The noodles are special thin noodles custom-made by a long-established noodle maker in Asakusa. They have a pasta-like firmness and good snap, achieving a perfect balance without losing harmony with the soup. By managing the noodles without rounding them during their making, the shop achieves a beautiful, unassuming finish.
This bowl compromises nothing in appearance, aroma, and texture, going beyond ramen to feel like a dish. In an atmosphere that respects Japanese elements with classical music playing, diners experience not just a meal but an “experience.”
This unpretentious bowl holds sincere dedication to ingredients and technique. For those looking to discover new value in ramen, this is a special bowl you should try.
In a shop blending into the calm streets of Ginza, you can encounter a refined bowl with a delicate broth aroma gently rising. The ramen offered features a soup that carefully draws out the umami of dried sardines combined with white soy sauce for a gentle flavor. By intentionally using a cold water extraction method for the dried sardines, the unique bitterness is suppressed, letting the broth’s original mellow and rich flavor fill your mouth.
The noodles are custom-made with domestically produced wheat, perfectly matching the soup. Though thin, they have good firmness and excellent throat sensation. While the ramen exudes refinement beyond its category, it does not feel pretentious and has a comforting flavor.
The shop’s commitment to completing the dishes is also impressive. Ingredients used in other menus such as clams, scallops, and lobster are all first-class. The mazemen and tsukemen are each seasoned and broths adjusted, conveying a design that gives a “story” to every bowl.
For those seeking a transparent ramen that overturns the image of "heavy and oily," this is the ideal bowl. Enjoying ramen in the spacious counter seats with classical music playing will offer a special experience that fits the Ginza district perfectly.
A small shop with only eight seats located just a short walk from Shimbashi Station. The ramen served here is simple but a gem packed with ingredient quality and technique.
The signature item is shoyu ramen based on a broth made from hirako dried sardines. The clear soup exudes a rich aroma of dried sardines, and one sip reveals deeply spreading umami. The broth shows almost no sardine sharpness or bitterness, reflecting careful preparation and broth-taking techniques.
The noodles are thin straight type with presence strong enough to stand up to the soup. They have a supple texture and great throat feel, blending perfectly with the broth. Toppings include vacuum-cooked chicken chashu and a soft-flavored seasoned egg, presenting an organized and beautiful appearance.
Uniquely, the shop also serves "ika-boshi tori paitan soba," which distinguishes itself from the dried sardine-based broth. This unexpected combination of squid broth and tori paitan soup has become popular as a distinctive offering not tasted elsewhere.
Long lines often form day and night, and it’s easy to understand why after one bite. Here, you can rediscover ramen as a “light yet profound” dish, making for a special experience.
When it comes to Ginza and Shimbashi, these areas are known for their sophisticated streets and gourmet food, and ramen is no exception. This area gathers esteemed shops loved across genres, including rich tori paitan, umami-condensed tonkotsu, and skillfully crafted shoyu ramen.
Tori Paitan Ramen: Mild and creamy, yet light on the aftertaste. A bowl that maximizes chicken umami.
Tonkotsu Ramen: White cloudy soup with extra-thin noodles. An authentic style that is balanced without being too heavy.
Shoyu Ramen: Attractive delicate flavors focusing on broth made from dried sardines, kelp, duck, and more.
All the shops introduced here show meticulous attention to detail from ingredient selection and cooking methods to atmosphere creation. During shopping or sightseeing in Ginza or Shimbashi, please take the opportunity to experience "ramen as a Japanese food culture." This satisfying and surprising bowl will surely remain a special memory in your heart.
