Ramen Tatsunoya Shinjuku
- Ava Lyn
- Dec 29, 2025
- 3 min read
Ramen Tatsunoya Shinjuku
7 Chome−4−5 冨士野ビル 1F
Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku,
〒160-0023 Tokyo, Japan
Ramen Tatsunoya in Shinjuku is one of those places where the line outside tells you almost everything you need to know. This is going to be a serious bowl of tonkotsu and tsukemen. Tatsunoya actually started in Kurume, Fukuoka, the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen before expanding to Tokyo. Here, the space is compact, counter style, with just 2 tables of 4 and completely no frills. Like alot of ramen shops in Japan, it is built around speed and focus on the bowl in front of you rather than decor.
The Chinese characters on the signboard of Ramen Tatsunoya 龍の家 mean “Dragon’s House” in Japanese. The first character 龍 (ryū or tatsu) means “dragon,” and 家 (ya or ie) means “house” or “home”. Does their ramen live up to its name?
Tatsunoya almost always has a queue during meal times. Waits can be up to 1 hr + depending on where you are in line. However, the turnaround is rather quick and the line keeps moving. We have been here several times and our longest wait was around 45 mins.
What are the options here? The specialty here is Tsukemen Motsu, a dipping ramen with cold noodles and a hot intensely flavoured broth loaded with seared pork offals. There are small, medium and large size options, though it seems like it is mostly the noodle portion that increases. There are tonkotsu options as well but the few times we had been, we have always gravitated towards the Tsukemen Motsu. It is too difficult to say no to.
In front of you are several small vats of pickles and bean sprouts which are fantastic to be piled on top of the noodles for abit of crunch and a bit of heat. We enjoyed a few mouthfuls of rich broth and noodles and then reseting with some pickles. The Tsukemen Motsu dipping sauce is ultra roasted, nutty and has plenty of depth and flavour. After you finish off your noodles, the staff will dilute the remaining tsukemen broth with a lighter stock (soup-wari) to make it drinkable with a portion of rice, turning it into a savoury porridge. This practice issn't unique to Tatsunoya - with soup-wari and rice finishes existing in both tsukemen and nabe culture. A really hearty way to end your meal.
Because of the extra rice portion that is a must have and the shop being generous with serving sizes, the small sized tsukemen should already be substantial. Of course unless you are feeling incredibly peckish.
Booking
No booking systems - show up and line up. If the line gets too long and you don't feel up for the waiting game, there is also an option for takeaway as well. How it works? It starts by lining up, as you get closer to the front of the line, the staff will direct you to the vending machine by the door. We visited in 2025 and now, the vending machine supports credit cards and multilingual menus. After selecting your dish and paying for it, hand one part of the ticket to the staff and then return to your position in line until you are ready to be seated.
Accessibility
Located on the back streets of west Shinjuku, it is about a 5 min walk from the main Shinjuku station. Walk further and further away from the Shinjuku crowds and find that line.
The Damage
1100 JPY for small, 1150 JPY for medium and 1300 JPY for large.
Would We Recommend?
Absolutely yes! Ramen Tatsunoya in Shinjuku is a restaurant we have been to multiple times and for good reason. For those who are not familiar with Tsukemen, this is definitely a must try. The flavours are focused and definitely a house signature. For us, we would definitely visit again the next time with are in Tokyo.