Tokyo Breakfast Ramen - 4 Delicious Places
- Feb 25, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 5
Ramen isn’t just a late-night meal in Tokyo. A surprising number of shops open early, catering to shift workers, early risers, and travelers waking up with jet lag. If you’re craving something warm and satisfying in the morning, Tokyo breakfast ramen is an option.
Tokyo Breakfast Ramen - 4 Places to Start the Day
From rich, piping-hot miso ramen to lighter, colorful vegan bowls, Tokyo’s morning ramen scene covers a wide range of styles. Below are four ramen shops where you can start your day with a proper bowl - no toast or pastries required.
Ramen Nagi in Shinjuku
We’re starting off with Ramen Nagi in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai district. Much like the tiny bars that define the area, Ramen Nagi has only a handful of seats, creating an intimate, post-drinks atmosphere.
Outside of Japan, Ramen Nagi is best known for its tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen. Within Japan, however, it’s the shop’s niboshi (dried fish) ramen that takes center stage.
Even if you’re not usually drawn to fish-forward bowls, Nagi is likely to win you over. The rich, soy sauce–based broth is paired with two types of thick noodles, making this a deeply satisfying - and highly effective - hangover cure.
Open 24 Hours
Tsunagi in Ebisu
Tsunagi is located in Ebisu, a Tokyo neighborhood packed with restaurants and bars that stay open late. The shop’s signature bowl is a rich, fatty miso ramen, built on a bold miso base and finished with a generous layer of seabura (pork back fat).
While this style of miso ramen makes for a heavier breakfast, the seabura gives the soup a surprisingly sweet, smooth quality rather than weighing it down.
Minced pork and sweet corn stand out among the toppings, adding both texture and balance. For those who want a bit more heat, Tsunagi also offers a spicy miso ramen.
Open from 7 am
Soranoiro Nippon
Located beneath Tokyo Station, Tokyo Ramen Street is home to eight different ramen shops. Among them, Soranoiro Nippon opens the earliest, starting at 9:00 a.m. Ramen before hopping on the bullet train? Why not.
The shop’s top-selling shoyu (soy sauce) ramen delivers exactly what you’d hope for, but its vegan and gluten-free options - still rare in Japan - are just as impressive.
The spicy vegan tantanmen in particular stands out, offering plenty of depth without feeling heavy first thing in the morning.
Open from 8 am
Kitakata Shokudo
Kitakata City, in northern Japan, is famous for having more ramen shops per capita than anywhere else in the country - and for its long-standing tradition of breakfast ramen. That tradition lives on in Tokyo at Kitakata Shokudo.
Kitakata-style ramen tends to be on the lighter side, typically seasoned with soy sauce or salt and built on a pork- and/or fish-based broth. Where it really stands apart, though, is the noodles.
Thick, bouncy, and high in water content, Kitakata-style noodles are the true showstopper. Kitakata Shokudo stays faithful to the original style, making sure the noodles closely match what you’d find in Kitakata itself.
Open from 7 am
If you’re jet-lagged and craving ramen in the morning, joining our Breakfast Ramen Tour is an easy way to experience Tokyo’s early-opening ramen scene without having to plan a thing. The tour includes three mini bowls of ramen, letting you sample multiple styles in one relaxed morning.
Prefer to explore on your own? All four ramen shops listed above serve full bowls and are great standalone options if you’re building your own itinerary.
Either way, breakfast ramen is very much a thing in Tokyo - and these are four great places to start the day.