Tucked away on a quiet street, the low key storefront of Menya Inoichi captures that IYKYK kind of vibe. Except everyone knows. This Michelin Bib ramen shop exhibits a reverence for the core ingredient of dashi. Each bowl of ramen is meticulously crafted with delicately layered umami flavors built from dashi and kombu, rather than bone broth. Like many of the best things in Japan, it looks deceivingly simple, yet holds layers of complexity in flavor. The menu is tightly curated to a few refined dishes. Inoichi specializes in two signature dashi-based broths: shiro (with lighter, white soy sauce) and kuro (with richer, dark soy sauce). Both are served with perfectly al dente noodles and topped with delicate slices of chashu pork and a pile of thinner-than-paper shaved bonito flakes (honkarebushi). For a more decadent choice, there’s the shabu shabu wagyu beef ramen, with lightly grilled slices of Kyoto black wagyu. And in the warmer seasons, they have cold ramen versions of both the pork dashi and wagyu noodles.

The space is understated, cozy, with that signature neutral Japanese minimalism keeping things clean and efficient, oriented around the kitchen. There’s a perpetual queue outside, but the pass is impeccably efficient, doling out bowl after bowl to satisfied customers. With three branches in Kyoto, Menya Inoichi continues to be an iconic, revered establishment beloved by locals and admired by visitors year after year.