For the past few months, Jakarta’s Little Tokyo has been one of my favorite place to hang out with my friends. Why does people called it Little Tokyo? Because the streets is filled with tons of Japanese restaurants that bring the authenticity of Japan to their restaurants. Starting from the interior to the foods. I have seen so many Japanese people eat there, that should be some kind of approval from them right?

Echigoya Ramen is located in the same row with Boutique Hotel in Blok M Square area. Just walk down the road, look for their sign with a red lantern hanging in a front of Japanese sliding door. As soon as you get in, you’ll be greeted by an open kitchen with the chefs inside, busy making the noodle from scratch. To be honest, the first time I came here, I expect nothing since the restaurant did not have the Japanese ambiance that you usually find in the typical Japanese restaurants. But looking at how many Japanese people eating here, I cannot wait to try their food.

Tori Karaage (IDR 29.000) is one of must order food every time I hang out with my friends. We love how crunchy the outside yet the meat was fluffy and very tender. However since the Tori Karaage is served with mayonnaise, I didn’t really like the outcome of the taste. The mayonnaise is too thick for my liking and kinda ruined the crunchiness if you dip it too much.

We also ordered a plate of Chicken Gyoza for our appetizers. Now let me tell you something, this is literally the best gyoza I have ever tried in my life. I still remember how the juice from the filling oozing out the second I bite it. The skin was crispy and yet fluffy and definitely addicting because somehow it has this gooey texture. It was so damn good, we even order some more. For a plate of IDR 29.800, you’ll get 5 beautiful pieces of gyoza. Trust me, one is really really not enough.

Our main course was their signature dish the Echigoya Ramen (IDR 54.800) and Chicken Mabo Ramen (IDR 65.000). The Echigoya Ramen must be their signature dish (judging by the name, obviously, duh!). This ramen is filled with lots of veggies, which I really like. You can find corns, carrots, sliced mushrooms, wakame, beansprouts and leeks, completed with a few slices of chicken. I love how the noodle was thick and chewy in a good way. The soup was tasty without leaving you feeling bloated afterwards. The chicken was good too, even though it was just about 3 slices.

The Chicken Mabo Ramen was ramen in a whole different level. The ramen filled with tons of tofu, some leeks, sliced mushrooms and much more. I love how smooth and a little bit chewy the tofu was. The soup was very thick and really rich in flavor. I personally prefer this one than the Echigoya Ramen, because it was already full of taste and perfect goodness in every spoonful.

Oh by the way, at first we thought the ramen was expensive than the usual ramen on the market. But when it came out, we were surprised by how big the portion was. The bowl diameter is probably about 25cm, yeah it was huge! With a portion that big, I think the price is pretty decent.

Since I have never been to Japan before, I cannot say that Echigoya Ramen has the best authentic ramen in town. But I can tell that they do have a decent ramen and amazing gyoza. Overall, I will definitely come back to Echigoya Ramen soon. As I write this post, I imagine the goodness of their gyoza and ramen. And I can’t wait to have another round of it.

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Echigoya Ramen

Jl. Melawai VIII No 2A

Melawai, Jakarta Selatan

DKI Jakarta, Indonesia

(+62) 21 739 5962

Opening hours:

11.30 AM to 2 PM & 6 PM to 1 AM (Mon – Fri)

11.30 AM to 2.30 PM & 5 PM to 12 AM (Sat)

11.30 AM to 2.30 PM & 5 PM to 11 PM (Sun)

Food: 4/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Price: 4/5

Service: 3/5