It might be a little bit selfish, but in this article I’m going to introduce you to my favorite Tokushima ramen restaurant.

This is Chuka Soba Tamura, the ramen restaurant I recommend. With its trendy cafe-like facade, it might not look like a typical ramen shop from the outside, but rest assured it’s a true ramen restaurant at heart. It is also very popular. So popular, in fact, that there’s usually a long line of people waiting during the lunch rush.

The Tokushima Ramen Experience

Tokushima ramen has a rich, thick pork broth that really packs a punch. For this reason, most people that eat Tokushima ramen tend to be men. However, thanks to its super-thick, rich soup, Tamura is hugely popular among women.

My biggest recommendation is this particular dish, which includes niboshi (small, dried and crunchy sardines) topped with fish meal.

The great taste of the rich soup and the niboshi is truly unparalleled. Also, despite the soup being so rich and thick, it doesn’t have that raw smell that many pork-based broths have. With its delicious taste, thick soup, non foul-smelling broth, and the pleasant exterior of the building to top it all off, no wonder the place is so popular among women!

Tokushima Ramen Hero

This is the owner and chef Mr. Yoshihisa Tamura. He wanted to make ramen that women also could love, so he quit his company job, started learning how to cook ramen, and opened this restaurant. He is a true hero in the Tokushima ramen world! Even after having found success, he still spends time trying to improve and make new kinds of ramen, and every now and then he puts new limited items on the menu.

The limited item in June last year was a creamy cheese ramen. In addition to the rich soup, this one also had a huge piece of mozzarella cheese, fresh cream, mashed onions, butter, and a raw egg. And in July he offered an asari clam dish.

Traditional Tokushima Pottery

Ramen is not the only great thing about Tamura. The bowls that the ramen is served in are all Otani, a traditional type of Tokushima pottery. Offering enjoyment for both palate and vision, the restaurant’s custom Otani pottery includes a pattern of the Naruto straights’ whirlpools!

Really lucky customers end up with one of these cool bowls with images of Naruto trunks and Naruto sea bream, respectively.

For dessert, Tamura offers a gelato that is completely free of charge.

The next time you come to Tokushima, be sure to drop by Chuka Soba Tamura and try its incredible ramen!

Chuka Soba Tamura
Address: 108-1 Onishi Tainohama, Kitajima, Itano District, Ehime Prefecture
Tel: 088-698-5343
Open: 11:00 – 21:00 (※closes when sold out)
Closed: Thursdays (open everyday during the Obon period)
Seating: for 22 customers
Parking: 12 spaces
http://tamura-men.com/

Setouchi Finder Photo-writer: Daisuke Chiba