Keyaki

Keyaki Review

It's a mystery why some ramen restaurants are famous and millions are not. This ordinary-looking 10-stools-at-the-plastic-counter joint in Susukino has had lines of faithful outside since 2000 (a lifetime in ramen shop terms) and is still chopping, boiling, and serving its six-item menu: miso, cha-shu (pork slice), negi (leeks), butter corn, karai (spicy), and nin-niku (garlic). There's even a branch in the Ramen Museum in Yokohama. At the original shop you order while standing in line outside, pay when you claim a counter spot, and then wait for the cook to hand down the steaming bowl (topped generously with vegetables) from the raised and hidden kitchen. Ahhh. Maybe you'll deduce the secret of good ramen. It's open until 4 am.