Menbaka Fire Ramen
Nijo, Kyoto
- Daily
- 11:00 to 22:00
Reservations are for set courses only, 11:00 to 15:30 and 17:00 to 21:00.
Source: fireramen.com, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Menbaka has served ramen on Marutamachi-dori since 1984, and a year after opening it hit on its trick, pouring flaming oil over the green onions on a bowl of shoyu ramen right at the counter. The broth is a light soy sauce one with Kyoto's Kujo onions, and there are vegan, gluten-free (rice noodles) and pork-free versions.
Insider tip
Book the set course on TableCheck if you can, since walk-ins can wait outside a long time. The regular menu is for walk-ins only. It's fully cashless, with cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and QR payments. Kids sit in safe seats during the fire, and there's a no-fire kids' meal.
What the guides say about Menbaka Fire Ramen
Tenka Ippin Sohonten is the first shop of the Tenka Ippin chain, serving kotteri, a soup of chicken bones and vegetables so thick the company calls it a soup you eat. It's open until 1:00. At Menbaka Fire Ramen on Marutamachi-dori, they pour flaming oil over the green onions on your bowl at the counter. Book the set course on TableCheck if you can, since walk-ins can wait outside a long time.
The tourism association calls the area round Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace relatively calm, with hotels and guesthouses that fit in with local life. Daniel lived for a while near Shijo-Omiya station, at the south end of this area, about ten minutes on foot from Mibu-dera. You won't get much of an evening, though. The castle and Mibu-dera shut by 17:00, which leaves Menbaka Fire Ramen, open until 22:00.
What's on near Menbaka Fire Ramen
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Menbaka Fire Ramen, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Nijo Castle Autumn Light-up (NAKED meets Nijo-jo 2026)
二条城まつり2026 NAKED meets 二条城 2026
Time 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00) Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk
For the 400th anniversary of the Kan'ei imperial visit, the castle's night light-up is an art show by NAKED built around Tokugawa Masako and Kan'ei-era design, with maples, ginkgo and cherry trees lit along the way. Tickets are ¥2,000 Monday to Thursday and ¥2,400 Friday to Sunday and on holidays (¥400 less if bought by 22 Oct), and children up to junior high school get in free.
Pom', CC BY-SA 2.0 Nijo-jo Matsuri and Autumn Light-up
二条城まつり
Time Light-up 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00) Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk
Nijo Castle's autumn festival, with a Kyoto specialty goods fair and other events by day, and an evening light-up and art show in the grounds. In 2026 the night ticket was ¥2,000 Monday to Thursday and ¥2,400 Friday to Sunday, separate from day entry, and free for junior high students and under.
Pom', CC BY-SA 2.0 Nijo Castle Cherry Blossom Festival
二条城桜まつり
Time 8:45 to 17:00 (last entry 16:00), light-up 18:00 to 22:00 Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), right outside the station
About 300 cherry trees of 50 kinds flower in turn through the festival. By day there's a stamp rally and a fair of Kyoto products, and the evening light-up runs on its own ticket.
Pom', CC BY-SA 2.0 Shinsen-en Dainenbutsu Kyogen
神泉苑大念佛狂言
Time 13:00 to about 17:30 Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk
The local kyogen society, performing since 1903, puts on five or six silent masked plays a day to gongs, drums and flutes on the stage by Shinsen-en's pond, and the programme is chosen on the day. Tsuchigumo, where the spider throws its threads over the audience, is the favourite. Entry is by donation, the seats are outdoors and you can't take photos during the plays.
Jason Riedy, CC BY 2.0 Nearby
Around Nijo
The shogun's castle, with the Shinsengumi's Mibu a walk south
Most people come for Nijo Castle, and it's worth its two hours. Tokugawa Ieyasu built it in 1603, and its Ninomaru Palace is the only palace complex still standing inside a Japanese castle. Then walk south, past a pond garden first laid out in 794 and an 800 m covered shopping street, to the temple in Mibu where the Shinsengumi trained.
Nijo has 17 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shrines and temples, 3 landmarks, 3 shops, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 cafe, 1 museum and 1 bathhouse. Read the Nijo guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Menbaka Fire Ramen?
- 757-2 Minami-Iseya-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区丸太町通日暮西入南伊勢屋町757-2).
- What are the opening hours of Menbaka Fire Ramen?
- Daily 11:00 to 22:00. Reservations are for set courses only, 11:00 to 15:30 and 17:00 to 21:00.
- How do I get to Menbaka Fire Ramen?
- The nearest station is Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line). Menbaka Fire Ramen is in Nijo, Kyoto.
- How much does Menbaka Fire Ramen cost?
- Menbaka Fire Ramen is mid-range, marked ¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Menbaka Fire Ramen?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Menbaka Fire Ramen?
- Early lunch.
Stay near Menbaka Fire Ramen
Browse live availability and compare prices around Nijo.
See hotels near Menbaka Fire Ramen on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 17 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Kyoto earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.