Honke Daiichi-asahi

Honke Daiichi-asahi has been serving ramen in Kyoto since 1947 and is one of the city's best-known ramen shops. The main branch stands a few minutes' walk east of Kyoto Station, and its long opening hours, from early morning until after midnight, have made it a popular stop for travellers arriving or leaving by train, as well as for local workers. The company notes that it runs only six branches and warns diners to watch out for shops with similar names.

The style is Kyoto ramen: a soy-based broth made with pork, with thin straight noodles, generous slices of roast pork and a heap of Kujo negi, the green onion grown in Kyoto. The basic ramen is the place to start, and the tokusei version comes with more pork. There are also chashu-men, topped with even more roast pork, and a menma ramen with bamboo shoots, plus gyoza on the side. The shop sells a takeaway raw ramen kit for cooking at home.

The main branch is open from 6:00 to 1:00 the next morning and is closed on Thursdays. Queues often form outside, particularly at lunch and in the evening, but they move quickly because diners do not linger. Go early in the morning or mid-afternoon for the shortest wait. You can order extra green onion or adjust toppings. Prices are at the budget end, making it an easy and filling meal.

This is a no-frills, quick-service ramen shop with tightly packed seating, not a place for a long conversation. It suits solo travellers, budget travellers and anyone wanting a hot bowl of noodles before a train. Families with small children may find the space cramped at busy times, and large luggage is best left in a station locker.

From the central exit of Kyoto Station, walk east along Shiokoji-dori for about four minutes. The shop is close to Kyoto Tower and the shopping and dining areas around the station, and Sanjusangen-do and the Kyoto National Museum are a short bus or taxi ride to the east. Several other ramen shops cluster in the same block, so this corner is a good place to compare styles.