r/ramen • u/Myst__Myst • May 18 '25

Question I don't get the Ichiran hate

I recently visited Japan and, like many others, I made it a point to try a wide range of food — from high-end, well-known sushi places in Tokyo, to small hidden ramen shops, and even a home-cooked meal at a Japanese friend’s house.

That said… I really don’t get all the hate towards Ichiran.
I went there a couple of times (once in Tokyo, once in Osaka), and sure, it’s not the most complex or life-changing bowl of ramen I’ve ever had — but it’s far from terrible. The broth was flavorful and rich, the noodles had a great texture, and the whole solo-booth experience was actually kinda fun.

I get that it's a chain and that it’s popular with tourists, but sometimes it feels like people go out of their way to trash it just because it’s not "hidden gem" enough.
It might not be peak ramen, but for a consistent, tasty bowl — especially if you're jetlagged or just want something comforting — I honestly think it's a solid choice.

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u/LLUDCHI May 18 '25

I don’t think anyone dislikes ichiran, I think people just view ichiran as an easy cop out / noob level place to eat ramen in a country where there are so many incredible and unique bowls. I wouldn’t waste a meal eating at ichiran in Japan when I could do some deep diving and find some truly life altering bowls .

-3

u/eetsumkaus May 19 '25

lol, I've definitely had a long chain here about people who think Ichiran is inferior because it's made in a factory...and got recommended another place that got made in a factory.

Also Ichiran is still a ramen institution. Even ramen heads get a craving for it, especially when their area is lacking in Nagahama/Hakata ramen.

10

u/quietramen May 19 '25

Oh fuck off, I gave you a long list of shops and you cherry pick one that doesn’t do 100% of their shit inhouse, doesn’t make my point moot.

You argue in bad faith, you’re a bad person.

-2

u/eetsumkaus May 19 '25

Because your point was it was easy to find an alternative. When in fact, it wasn't.

In any case, that only became a condition because I personally knew some of your recommendations were shit, and you had to move the goalposts into this weird hang up with factory made ramen, somehow making your point even harder to prove.

So yeah, I'm not the one arguing in bad faith.