The flaming Negi Ramen, which uses plenty of Kyoto-grown Kujo green onions, is very popular among foreign tourists! This ramen specialty shop is operated by Japan Food Entertainment Co., Ltd., led by Mr. Kazunari Miyazawa. The shop has 4 directly managed stores (Men Baka Ichidai, Men Baka Ichidai Singapore Store, Ramen Factory, KAMOGAWA BAKERY) and also expands overseas. Men Baka Ichidai was founded by Kazumichi Miyazawa and is currently managed by him. The shop is located about 60m southeast of the Marutamachi Chieko-in intersection along Marutamachi Street. The nearest station is a 13-minute walk from Nijo Castle-mae Station (or a 15-minute walk from Nijo Station). Business hours are weekdays 11:00-14:00, 17:00-21:00, weekends and holidays 11:00-15:00, 17:00-21:00, closed on Tuesdays. There are 26 seats available, all at the counter. Reservations are not accepted, so you may need to wait if the shop is full. I visited around 5:00 pm on a weekday and it was crowded with foreign customers, with several groups waiting in line. The popular menu item is the flaming Negi Ramen, so I naturally ordered the Negi Ramen. It uses plenty of fresh and sweet Kujo green onions from Kyoto, with various efforts made to ensure the ramen stays hot even when topped with lots of green onions. Inspired by French cuisine's flambé, they came up with the idea of sprinkling "charred green onions" just before eating, using hot Negi oil (ramen's flavored oil) to bring out the sweetness of the onions and create a fragrant aroma, resulting in the Flaming Negi Ramen. The sight of flames rising in front of you is also a well-known feature of the shop, and the taste is also delicious. Foreign visitors should definitely give it a try.【Order】◇Negi Ramen 1,350 yen

The restaurant was filled with foreign tourists, and the staff were surprised to see a Japanese customer. I ordered the A set (Negi ramen and mini cha-han) for 1640 yen, which was priced higher for tourists. I had to wait quite a bit for the flaming performance. This might not be a place for the general public to visit.

I was surprised by the impressive performance with more flames than I expected, and it was fun to watch. There was a setup to fix the smartphone for recording videos, and they recorded it for me! The ramen had a lot of Kujo negi (green onions) on top, and it was delicious without being spicy at all! There were many tourists, and the owner talked to me, so I was able to ask various questions for sightseeing later.

Today, I decided to visit a ramen restaurant near Nijo Castle that is popular among foreign tourists. The restaurant is known for its unique cooking method where flames rise up, earning it the nickname "Fire Ramen" in the media. Due to the impact of the coronavirus, the restaurant had been closed, but it reopened on March 2nd, so I decided to check it out today. The menu is simple, offering only one type of ramen called "Negi Ramen". Side dishes like gyoza and karaage are also available, and the set menu with fried rice seemed like a good deal. I ordered the A set, which came with Negi Ramen and fried rice. The cooking process was entertaining as they poured hot Negi oil, causing flames to shoot up. The Negi Ramen was delicious with plenty of Kyoto leeks and flavorful broth. The fried rice was also tasty with generous toppings of diced chashu and egg. Overall, it was a unique and entertaining dining experience that I highly recommend!

I went to Performance Ramen in Nijo, where the performance is just as important as the food! It's probably been since Jojo Ramen that I've come for a performance like this. The place was closed for a while due to Covid, but finally reopened on 3/2! Some rules to follow: 1. Let them know if you're taking a video with your phone, so they can adjust. 2. No photos or videos when the flames are high, for safety. 3. Don't put anything on the table and don't leave your seat. 4. Cross your arms behind your back and keep your legs inside during the performance. 5. Absolutely do not touch the bowl. The ramen tasted like soy sauce with lots of green onions. It was a fun experience! Thank you! (´▽`)/

After the Soiree at Kyoto Travel 8, we went to see the illuminated "Nijo Castle". Nijo Castle is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a World Heritage Site, and they are holding "flowers by naked 2019 - Kyoto Nijo Castle -" with projection mapping, which was very beautiful. After that, we went to "Menbakai Dai" nearby to eat ramen. I ordered the FIRE ramen, also known as "Negi Ramen". The manager placed a bowl on the counter and poured oil into it, creating a huge pillar of fire. The ramen then had a crispy and fragrant taste. Honestly, it's more of an attraction-focused ramen than a taste-focused one. Everyone except me was a foreign tourist, and they applauded this attraction. If you give your smartphone to the manager, they will take a picture of the attraction for you.

I thought it might be greasy, but surprisingly it was refreshing and delicious. The performance with the flames was not bad either, but I have doubts if the green onions were burnt (lol). I would like to visit again when I go to Kyoto.

The Negi Ramen has become completely geared towards tourists (foreigners). The performance of drizzling negi oil and setting it on fire is still the same, but there is inconsistency in the fragrance of the negi oil and the soup leaves a slightly blurred aftertaste. It is tasty as usual, but the cost performance is quite poor. It may be difficult to find a restaurant where you can enjoy both the old performance and the taste.

I visited an entertainment ramen shop that has been in Kyoto for 30 years. The Negi Ramen costs 1300 yen, which is quite expensive. The ramen menu only has this one option. All the customers, except for myself, were foreigners, so the menu and instructions were available in English and Chinese. When the bowl was served, I waited without touching it. Later, a staff member approached with a flaming pan, shouted "Fire," and added oil, creating a pillar of flames right before my eyes. The effect of the flames on the taste was interesting. The soup had a sweet and slightly burnt flavor, similar to soba noodle broth. The noodles were medium-thin straight noodles, and the toppings included a large amount of leeks and two thin slices of char siu. To be honest, it wasn't very delicious. Without the flame performance, I would have considered it worth about 500 yen. However, I think it's worth visiting once. Kyoto is known for having many exclusive restaurants, but this one is quite unique in that it welcomes first-time visitors.

Kyoto is a castle town under the shadow of Nijo Castle (laughs). The rumored ramen shop was located there. In front of the shop, there were many foreign customers waiting. It was a mysterious ramen shop where customers from various countries around the world visited. I have visited popular ramen shops a few times and experienced waiting for 30 minutes to 1 hour. However, the cost performance that exceeds that is hard to come by. But in this shop, the expectation and excitement were different from other popular shops... It felt like waiting for an attraction at Disneyland, a different kind of anticipation. We were seated after a few minutes of waiting. The interior of the shop had a counter where they cooked and served the food. We ordered ramen and fried rice. Around 90% of the people there were foreigners, and they were from various countries. As we were eating, the ramen arrived with flames rising up! The fire reached the ceiling! It was like a scene from a movie! The taste may be a bit light for ramen enthusiasts, but the overall review mostly focused on the performance! Therefore, it is great to have unique shops like this, especially in tourist destinations like Kyoto! If you make friends from overseas, I hope they get to experience this performance!

Ramen "attraction" ramen is a lightly soy sauce-based with a rich lard flavor that tastes good... but you're probably not going to this restaurant just for that. As the name suggests, the Fire Ramen comes with a performance where flames shoot up before you eat the ramen, and if you think of it as paying for that, the price is reasonable. The fried rice is... tasteless.

Visited on Saturday night at 8:00 PM on October 20, 2018. There were no customers waiting outside when I passed by. There were 8 customers inside (I think). It was my second time visiting this place in my life. The last time was over 15 years ago. Back then, they had regular ramen options and table seats, but now it seems they only have negi ramen. I tried it after a long time, and it had a slightly burnt taste, but it was just okay. It seems like the highlight of this place is the flaming fire rather than the taste. Most of the customers were foreigners, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, which I found great.

I came to eat ramen with flames burning. When I handed over my phone, they hung it from the ceiling and took a video. I watched the flames from a distance because it was dangerous to get close, but it was hot when they rose. When it was ready, they brought it in front of me. Then they told me to pose for a photo... and took a picture. I ordered the special green onion ramen, which came with fried rice, dumplings, and fried chicken, costing over 2000 yen. I'm stuffed.

I went to the popular restaurant "Menbaka Ichidai," which is popular on TV and overseas. This place is crazy because they perform a fire show in front of customers when serving ramen with oil. The restaurant is quite small, and I decided to try the "Negi Ramen" for 1,350 yen. When the ramen is ready, a bowl is placed in front of you, and then a flame shoots up as they pour the negi oil into the pot. The flame reaches over 30 cm high, and it really gets the whole place excited. It seems like everyone is here to see this performance! The fragrant Negi Ramen had a strong flavor of negi oil and was delicious. But more than the food, the performance was really impressive. Thank you for the meal!

On a certain day in April 2018, I went cycling near Nijo Castle in Kyoto during the day! For lunch, I visited a ramen shop. There was a long line of foreign tourists. I entered the number of people at the beginning and received a numbered ticket! The wait was about 45 minutes, but I was called almost on time. There used to be various types of ramen, but now there is only one type. I ordered the Negi Ramen for 1350 yen. This Negi Ramen had a special event. First, I covered my lower body and upper body with an apron. Then, the ramen bowl was brought out and the manager poured oil into it. This caused a pillar of fire to rise in front of me. There were also sparks flying, and it was quite hot. During this time, I couldn't take photos, so I stood with my hands behind my back and watched. The finished ramen had a slightly sweet and fragrant taste of green onions. It had a savory flavor with the aroma of soy sauce. The thin straight noodles paired well with it. It's more like an attraction than just ramen. It's no wonder it's popular among foreign tourists. Actually, if you leave your smartphone, they will record the pillar of fire scene for you in a video. You might be able to find it online if you search for it. It was a delicious meal!

◆Kyoto Ramen Tour⚫︎Menbaka Ichidai (Minami Iseya-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto) Negi Ramen: 1150 yen◾︎Foodie Maro

I went to "Men Bakka Ichidai" in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto. It is located along Marutamachi Street, north of Nijo Castle. The specialty of this restaurant is the flaming "Negi Ramen," but I felt a bit embarrassed to visit alone because the performance is too flashy. So, I decided to try the "Sujiniikomi Ramen" for 800 yen. The soup is light and watery, with soft noodles. At first, I was a bit disappointed, but the simmered suji (beef tendons) on top were very tender and well-seasoned. As the flavor of the suji blends into the soup, it becomes quite delicious. Thank you for the meal!

You can enjoy performances from another dimension here. The Flame Ramen, a pre-meal ritual that can only be experienced here, attracts customers from all over the world to try the Baka Ichidai Ramen. According to the owner, 90% of the customers are foreigners. As a Japanese man, I would like to challenge you to try it at least once, so you won't lose to You!

It was a wonderful performance. I admire the owner's kindness.

When you order the green onion ramen, you can see a flame performance at the counter as the finishing touch. The percentage of foreign tourists is high. Depending on the time of day, it seems that most of the customers are tourists. Thank you for the meal~