Slurp Lake City: Ramen Ichizu Delivers Authentic Japanese Flavors

Ramen Ichizu
915 S Washington St, Ste #1A, Salt Lake City
Instagram: @Ramen_Ichizu
Mon: 5–8 P.M., Wed–Sun: 11 A.M.–2:30 P.M., 5–8 P.M.

As someone who went to Japan (brag) for a little over two weeks this summer, spending time in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo, I have been… hesitant? Trepidatious? Somewhat scared to try new Japanese cuisine in the states? No, I’ve been LOYAL to my culinary experience in Japan. As pretentious as that may sound, please allow the indulgence of remembering those flavors fondly, and allow the exceptional quality of Ramen Ichizu to bless your life.

I walked into the restaurant with an open mind, though, and seeing the layout of Ramen Ichizu helped with some of my consternation because it felt like a Tokyo ramen house. Now, hindsight is always clearer, as I found out after my visit that the owner of Ichizu trained in Tokyo. With that information, it’s hard to imagine that said layout isn’t done on purpose, you know? You know.

While the mains of the menu — the types of ramen you can order — are in rotation throughout the year, it appears that the sides remain fairly consistent. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if some of those rotate in and out of the menu as well. From there I ordered the Edamame ($5), Shoyu Cucumbers ($6), Karaage ($9) and Pork Gyoza ($9). The only reason I didn’t try the Shishito Peppers ($8) and the Potato Salad ($5) was because they were crossed of from the menu — out of order, if you will. Whatever sides are available to you when you go to Ichizu, order them. Do it. Do it. All of them. Full stop.

There was a freshness to all of the sides that made me realize that when Ichizu claims to make their food from scratch, they are 100% telling the truth. Lightly salted edamame, the soy-vinegar marinade of the Shoyu Cucumbers and the fresh batter on the Karaage are my personal holy trinity of Japanese side dishes. SO DELECTABLE. And yes, the Pork Gyoza are fresh and tasty too, though it was the side that I enjoyed the least. But again, I cannot stress enough that I still enjoyed them immensely. Crazy, right? Pork Gyoza would be on the bench of the Japanese side dishes’ starting lineup, but I stand by my call as the coach of my Ramen Ichizu meal.

I love me some spicy food, ok? When I saw the Tan Tan Noodles ($17) option on the menu at first glance, I knew I was cooked. It was a done deal. Game over. Did I read the rest of the menu to kill another minute or two of time to pretend like the Tan Tan Noodles didn’t have my heart already immersed in its spicy broth? Yes, yes I did. I tried to play it cool, like pretending to accidentally bump into your crush at a party, even though you’ve known the ENTIRE TIME that said crush is also there, and being like, “Oh my God, you’re here? That’s SO crazy!” So yeah, I ordered the Tan Tan Noodles.

The base of the bouncy noodles — fresh green onion and spinach leaf and flavorful ground pork, immersed in that homemade spicy broth that had hints of ginger and garlic — was enough to open a portal in my mind. It’s as if I were back in Shibuya, pointing to the menu and trying to use broken Japanese to order ramen, with the kind server smiling at me while taking the menu from my hands and saying “hai.” Again, the FRESHNESS at Ichizu is evident and abundant. To me, it’s completely worth your while, worth your time and worth your dollars to put this establishment into your ramen rotation.

I’d like to give a quick shout out to the couple I watched walk into the restaurant, ask to see a menu and then, after a brief moment or two, walk out. I have to believe they’re not familiar with a ramen place? Because what you get is in the name of the restaurant: RAMEN Ichizu. Like, you should know you’re in the mood for ramen, right? And with winter in full force, a bowl of ramen from Ichizu will hit the spot just right.

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