丸幸 Marukou: a fistful of dollars

In western countries, there are no options to eat under $5, save for unhealthy fast foods. But here in good old Japan, we can find lots of options for one 500 yen coin.

As soon as I entered Marukou, I caught sight of the price of their regular ramen - 390 yen. That translates to just under $4. Incredible! The other bowls were regularly priced around 7-800 yen, so this bowl must be for the locals. But cheap ramen is like the lottery: it's win or lose, there is no middle.

The appearance is of an old school bowl, which I usually love. What's interesting about Marukou is that they serve a "Hachioji" style ramen. Hachioji is as far west of Tokyo you can get while actually still technically being in Tokyo. The ramen shops in this area specialize in a shoyu ramen with diced raw white onions, unlike the usual green.

Ramen (390 yen)

So what does 390 yen taste like?

Let's just if you blindfolded me and force fed me Marukou's tasty ramen, there is no way I would guess the price was 390 yen. The bowl is full of really tender soy sauce flavor and is balanced by the sweetness of the onions. The texture of the noodles are also good.

This is far and away better than an oily, fatty cup of expensive instant noodles for sure (instant noodles can get pretty pricey here in Japan).

Good ramen for the belly and the purse.

Tokyo, Musashino City, Sakai 2-14-12
Closest stn: Musashi-sakai

Open from 1130am-3pm and 6-11pm

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