Introduction
Kabukicho in Shinjuku is one of Tokyo’s most famous nightlife districts, filled with restaurants that stay lively late into the night. Among them is Kitakata Ramen Bannai Kabukicho, a ramen shop known for its generous toppings and classic Kitakata-style ramen.
During a limited-time campaign called the “Chashu Festival,” a special ramen topped with an enormous amount of pork became available. Curious about just how much pork it really contained, we visited the restaurant to try the Mega Chashu Ramen ourselves.
Kitakata Ramen Bannai Kabukicho – 1 Minute Walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station
Kitakata Ramen Bannai Kabukicho is a sister restaurant of Bannai Shokudo, a long-established ramen shop in Kitakata City, Fukushima, that has been operating for more than half a century.
Within Shinjuku Ward, the chain currently has four locations:
Kabukicho, Shinjuku West Exit Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku Park Tower, and Yotsuya.
The Kabukicho branch is located just a one-minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station, on a small street off Seibu-Shinjuku Ekimae Street.
We visited the shop for the first time at around 8:00 PM on a weekday evening.
Inside the Restaurant and Menu
The interior of Kitakata Ramen Bannai Kabukicho has 24 seats in total.
The first floor has 8 counter seats, while the second floor offers 16 table seats.
The second floor felt more spacious and comfortable for groups.
Below is a selection from the menu:
Menu highlights (partial list)
Half Fried Rice Set – 1,260 yen
Grilled Chashu Rice Set – 1,230 yen
Kitakata Ramen with Mini Rice – 1,080 yen
Chashu Ramen – 1,190 yen
Kitakata Wonton Ramen – 1,080 yen
Kitakata Ramen – 850 yen
Green Onion Chashu Ramen – 1,290 yen
Gyoza (5 pieces) – 380 yen
Edamame – 190 yen
Green Onion Plate – 280 yen
Fried Rice – 670 yen
Grilled Chashu Rice – 330 yen
In addition to ramen, the restaurant offers a wide range of side dishes. With items like gyoza, edamame, and chashu plates, the menu feels suitable not only for a quick meal but also for casual ramen and drinks.
Mega Chashu Ramen – Perfect for Ramen and Drinks
Here are the items we ordered during our visit.
First, we started with a bottle of beer (590 yen).
A small dish of green onion chashu was served as an appetizer.
Next, we ordered Gyoza (5 pieces, 380 yen).
You can choose either 3 or 5 pieces, and we selected the larger portion.
The filling is vegetable-rich and slightly sweet, pairing well with soy-based dipping sauce.
We also ordered Half Fried Rice (390 yen).
This fried rice has a moist texture and contains egg, chashu pork, and green onions.
The flavor is savory with a solid saltiness, making it easy to understand why it has many fans.
The Mega Chashu Ramen with 25 Slices of Pork
The main reason for our visit was the Mega Chashu Ramen.
Mega Chashu Ramen – 1,690 yen
1,490 yen with a mobile coupon
The bowl arrives completely covered with chashu pork, so much that the noodles are barely visible.
According to prior information, the ramen supposedly contained 23 slices of pork, but we decided to count them ourselves.
The result was surprising.
There were 25 slices of chashu pork in total.
Some of the slices were thickly cut, making the bowl extremely filling.
The chashu at Kitakata Ramen Bannai has an excellent balance of tender meat and gentle fat, with seasoning that is flavorful but not overpowering. It is the kind of pork you could keep eating endlessly.
For the noodles, you can choose between thick or thin noodles.
This time, we ordered the standard thick noodles.
The curly thick noodles are slightly soft and pair well with the soup.
With 25 slices of pork dominating the bowl, the noodles almost feel like the supporting actor rather than the main feature. However, the combination works well even as a snack while drinking, and we enjoyed the entire bowl until the last bite.
Final Thoughts
This time we introduced Kitakata Ramen Bannai Kabukicho, a ramen shop located in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho area.
The restaurant offers a wide range of menu items that work well as drinking snacks, such as gyoza, menma, seasoned eggs, and chashu plates. With half-size rice bowls also available, it can easily function as a casual ramen bar.
The Mega Chashu Ramen, topped with 25 slices of pork, is especially satisfying and pairs surprisingly well with drinks.
If you happen to be in the Kabukicho area, it is definitely worth stopping by.
Shop Information
Kitakata Ramen Bannai Kabukicho
Address: 1-24-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0021
Access: 1 minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station
4 minutes walk from Shinjuku-Nishiguchi Station (170 m)
Hours: 11:00 – 23:00
Closed: None
Seats: 24
Power outlets: No
Wi-Fi: No
Smoking: No
Payment: Cash only
Credit cards: Not accepted
Electronic money: Not accepted
QR payments: Not accepted
Tabelog rating: 3.19 (as of September 2024)
Looking for the original article in Japanese?
Click here to view the Japanese version on Daily Shinjuku.
https://daily-shinjuku.tokyo/2024/09/08/kabukicho-bannai-yakibuta/
