Ramen Restaurant Awarded Michelin Star For The First Time

retrieved from restaurant’s Facebook

Japanese Soba Noodles, 蔦 (Tsuta), a restaurant specializing in Ramen, was awarded one star in Michelin’s Tokyo Guide 2016. This is the first time in the history of the Michelin guide that a ramen restaurant has received a star. Although Tsuta did not receive a star last year, Tsuta was listed as one of the 325 restaurants of Bib Gourmand which is a category of restaurants that serve excellent food for under 5000 yen.

Japanese Soba Noodles 蔦 is located near JR Sugamo station in Tokyo, and has only nine seats. The popular menu items are Shoyu Soba (850 yen) which is seasoned with black truffle and Shio Soba (850 yen) seasoned with white truffle.

The restaurant was quite popular even before it received the star. However, after the 2016 Michelin Tokyo Guide was published, its popularity has skyrocketed.

Although the restaurant opens at 11:00 am, people  begin to line up long before than that.

The restaurant staff gives out numbered tickets at 9:30 am, at which point there are so many people, all the available tickets are gone soon after they begin handing them out. It is like this even on weekdays. The restaurant closes at 4 pm.

(Source: Mainichi Shimbun)