How to Eat Hitsumabushi Like a Local in Nagoya
How to eat hitsumabushi like a local: the four portions, the condiments and the dashi, plus three top-rated Nagoya eel houses with real wait times.
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Nagoya's ramen is Taiwan ramen: a spicy minced-pork and chive bowl invented at a Taiwanese restaurant in Imaike in the 1970s. The original is still open. The city's broader ramen scene around Nagoya Station and Sakae is solid, with several Tabelog Hyakumeiten shops.
The 15 highest-scoring ramen restaurants in Nagoya right now, by Tabelog score. Open the map to see where each one is, its hours and whether it takes cards.
Ranked by Tabelog score as of November 10, 2026, refreshed daily from Tabelog's ranking. Prices are Tabelog's per-person budget bands. Check hours and book with the restaurant before you go.
How to eat hitsumabushi like a local: the four portions, the condiments and the dashi, plus three top-rated Nagoya eel houses with real wait times.
The neighborhoods where Tabelog's highest-rated ramen in Nagoya clusters:
How to order ramen, reservations and etiquette are on the Ramen guide.
Nagoya reviewers are loyal to the originators: the historic hitsumabushi and miso katsu houses sit around 3.6 to 3.8. For kissaten, 3.4 is a notable one. Tebasaki chains rate low on Tabelog but are still worth a plate.
A ramen shop above 3.5 on Tabelog is genuinely excellent and will have a queue.
Imaike, Nagoya Station and Sakae are where Nagoya's top-rated ramen clusters on Tabelog. Nagoya's ramen is Taiwan ramen: a spicy minced-pork and chive bowl invented at a Taiwanese restaurant in Imaike in the 1970s. TabeDog shows every listing in those neighborhoods on one map, sorted by Tabelog score, distance or price.
Lunch: ¥900 to ¥1,300. Dinner: ¥1,000 to ¥1,800. TabeDog shows each restaurant's lunch and dinner price band before you go.
A ramen shop above 3.5 on Tabelog is genuinely excellent and will have a queue. Above 3.7 is a destination shop; above 3.9 is nationally famous. Anything above 3.3 is a safe, good bowl. Nagoya reviewers are loyal to the originators: the historic hitsumabushi and miso katsu houses sit around 3.6 to 3.8. For kissaten, 3.4 is a notable one. Tebasaki chains rate low on Tabelog but are still worth a plate.
Imaike. It is one of the main areas for ramen in Nagoya. Nagoya Station is the alternative.
Sakae is Nagoya's main late-night district, so start there. TabeDog shows opening hours for every listing and marks what is open right now, so you can filter to what is actually serving.
Many small ramen shops in Japan are cash only. TabeDog shows whether each restaurant accepts credit cards, IC cards or QR payment, pulled from its Tabelog listing, so you know before you sit down.
TabeDog shows all of Nagoya's ramen with Tabelog scores, hours, prices and payment methods in English. Filter to what's open now.
Open ramen in Nagoya