Iruca Tokyo (入鹿TOKYO 六本木): The Roppongi Revival; Roppongi, Tokyo

I’m very rarely in Roppongi and even during the off chance I happen to be in this ritzy, high end shopping district of Tokyo, ramen isn’t particularly on my radar. The area was known for having a pretty big clubbing scene back in the day which in turn brought a ton of ‘street food’ style, budget restaurants to feed the drunk crowds at 4-5 in the morning…ramen included. However, that scene began to ween with the influx of big companies taking up office spaces in the newly built Roppongi Hills and many of the beloved local establishments were soon replaced by high end restaurants and bars catering more to the upper class than the stumbling drunks. Over time the ramen selections plummeted and the options has become understandably limited to the occasional foreigner friendly chains like Ichiran, Ippudo, and Tenka Ippin, which all have the capital to afford the exorbitant rent in this area.

And while the area might not be the best for unestablished ramen masters to hone their craft, it has become a desirable destination for those looking to gain the attention of western media, particularly the Michelin Guide. One such shop is Iruka Tokyo which established itself as one of the best ramen shops in Japan from their outpost in far West Tokyo. Despite gaining the attention of domestic media and racking up countless awards, it remained under the radar to the bigger international audience. With how many Michelin Star restaurants are located in this area of Tokyo, I guess it was a no brainer where to put Iruka’s second shop, opening here in Roppongi October, 2021. Located just minutes from Tokyo Midtown shopping mall, Iruka spared no expense making their interior look like a full course Kaiseki restaurant than a ramen shop. The ramen is no slouch either, bringing in the bowls and staff expertise that made them so successful in their HQ shop in the first place. And look, I don’t want to say Iruca Tokyo is the only option in Roppongi, but I’ve been to many in the area and if I’m ever in Roppongi and craving ramen, this is probably the only shop I’m visiting again and I’m sure you’ll likely agree.

So again, the shop is located a short walk from Midtown and is accessible through the Tokyo Metro lines via Roppongi station. The shop is quite popular so you’ll likely see a queue forming when you arrive…just head to the back and a staff will come out shortly to let you know how long the wait will be. Order are placed via the ticket machine as you enter the shop. One of the benefits of being in Roppongi as a foreigner is that almost every shop cater to those who may not speak or read Japanese. So, as you see here at Iruka, most menus are already translated so no need to pull our your google lens or read through my painstaking translations to figure out your order. What I will say though is that Iruka offers two varieties of ramen in two slightly different options. The two offered are the Shoyu Ramen and Shio Ramen, but they come as is or with a specialty topping catered to the specific soup you choose: decadent Porcini mushrooms for the Shoyu and a refreshing Yuzu to pair with the Shio. The buttons on the top row are the ones the come with the Porcini and Yuzu toppings and the second row do not. I highly recommend grabbing the ramen on the top row for the full Iruka Tokyo experience and this review will be based on those elevated options.

First off is the Shio Ramen with Yuzu, but no add on toppings. As you’ll see later, I opted to get a side of pork chashu over rice alongside this ramen so I decided against any extra fixings (the shoyu ramen in this review was had on a different visit). Anyways, the regular bowl comes with the rosy pink, sous vide pork chashu as well as a sous vide chicken slice below it. A mound of beautiful Kujo negi top the bowl and the interesting spoon hanging on the rim holds a teaspoon of yuzu compote.

Soup for Iruka Tokyo’s bowls are made up of a four broth blend, combining four individually prepared stocks of chicken, pork, shrimp, and shellfish in to one, right before serving. For this Yuzu Ramen the four broths are then paired with an elegant shio tare seasoning that ties all the different flavors together in to a cohesive, balanced soup. It’s probably one of the most over the top, refined soups you’ll find in a ramen shop, but it is undeniable how ridiculously flavorful this is. With such a complicated soup you might think it would be overly complex, but it’s actually quite the opposite where the best parts of each ingredient shines through to create a simple, incredibly fragrant soup. Due to its use of shio tare, or salt seasoning, it might be a bit underwhelming if you’ve never had a light soup like this before, but it comes back around with the Yuzu punch to give it a second wave of flavor that is sure to blow you away. A splash of chiyu, chicken oil round out the bowl and it’s honestly one of the most heartwarming, comforting soups I’ve had.

Noodles here are made at the original location out towards West Tokyo and is brought to this Roppongi location so it is theoretically house made and engineered specifically for their soups. Really enjoyed these strands as it had a very light profile that kept it from intruding too much on the gentle soup flavors. Cut straight and thin, soup cling was solid and it had a nice texture which kept firm throughout my meal.

And as they say, quality over quantity and Iruka sure do make some high quality toppings. Despite there not being a ton of extra fixings for their ramen, they execute each component perfectly in my opinion. The pork and chicken chashu are cooked sous vide and retain a decadent, succulent bite on both proteins. Chicken is moist and juicy, but has the sort of osmosis going where it soaks up the soup for a surprisingly flavorful bite. Pork is cut thin and has the gorgeous pink hue, but don’t let it sit too long as the residual heat of the soup will quickly cook it up and you’ll be left with a tough bite if you’re digging in too late. My favorite topping though was the Kujo Negi which is a style of green onions originating from the Kyoto region of Kansai, Japan. I love how crisp and refreshing these were and it provided a really nice earthy element to the bowl. Finally, can’t forget the Yuzu compote which had a great balance of sweet, sour, and savoriness. The citrus brilliantly cuts through the oiliness of the chiyu, chicken oil and it gives the soup a vibrant aroma that your taste buds crave mid way through the meal. Very well thought out in my opinion and nice touch albeit it did felt like they jumped on the yuzu band wagon a bit. Overall really solid bowl and this is probably the one I would recommend if it’s your first time here.

Next up is the Shoyu Ramen which comes with the same toppings as the Shio sans Yuzu which is replaced by a Porcini mushroom reduction. Base broth is the four stock blend described above and is combined with their smoky shoyu, soy sauce tare seasoning. I really love the stark difference between the two styles with this bowl coming in full force with as much impact as possible. It’s impossible to ignore the smoky oak aroma coming from the Shoyu and the Porcini mushrooms gives it a wonderful earthiness that contrasts the vibrant Yuzu like Ying & Yang. I think the reduction could have been a bit heavier on the portion size, but can’t complain too much at this price point and it did get the job done to provide an unforgettable mid meal flavor change. A bit of advice, there is a pepper mill provided at the table…I recommend giving your soup a few clicks of it when you’re finished with the noodles as it gives the soup a fantastic kick to close out your meal. I would say the Shoyu is top notch, but easily relatable…in the sense that guests may have some familiarity with this pretty common ramen style. If you’re not super adventurous and you’re looking for a can’t miss, conventionally delicious bowl, this will be the one for you.

Finally, I couldn’t leave without ordering one of their rice bowls and on this occasions I indulged myself with the Chashu and Kujo Negi over rice. A smoky layer of cubed chashu lay atop a mound of fluffy, white rice and is then covered with a generous handful of thinly sliced Kujo Negi. Topping the bowl is an egg yolk and a sprinkle of sesame seeds which gives the bowl a touch of creaminess and nutty crunch. I think these rice bowls may be seasonal so I’m not entirely sure if you’ll be able to have this exact one, but be sure to grab whatever rice bowl is on their menu regardless. You definitely won’t want to feel like you missed out and you’ll be kicking yourself for not grabbing when you see pictures of it online later (which happened to me when I decided to skip on the bowls when I came a second time for the Shoyu).

At the risk of sounding like a broken record…Roppongi is pretty terrible for ramen. If I were to make a recommendation for travelers asking what areas they should visit to hit multiple shops, Roppongi is pretty much near the bottom of that list. However, I know many foreigners end up here, either for a work trip or to stay at one of the gorgeous hotels in the area, and if you do, do yourself a favor and stop by Iruka Tokyo. I promise…you won’t regret it.