Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta is a light, clear shoyu ramen specialist that received a star in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2016 — the first ramen restaurant in the world to do so. Founded in Sugamo and relocated to Yoyogi-Uehara in December 2019, the shop now serves its black-truffle-scented Shoyu Soba from a basement space two minutes from the station, drawing diners from Japan and abroad. It was also selected for Tabelog's "Ramen Tokyo Hyakumeiten" (Top 100) in both 2023 and 2024.
The story
Tsuta opened on January 26, 2012 in Sugamo. Founder Yuki Onishi, son of the owner of the ramen shop "Nanae no Aji no Mise Mejiro," spent years in the apparel industry before returning to ramen. In 2014 he introduced a soy sauce ramen finished with black truffle, and in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2016 the shop became the first ramen restaurant in the world to earn a star — one it kept for four consecutive editions through 2019.
The shop moved to Yoyogi-Uehara in December 2019. Onishi passed away suddenly in September 2022 at age 43, but his longtime friend Yuka Asakura took over as company representative, and the shop reopened in February 2023 with chefs who had worked there since the Sugamo days. The founder's approach — no chemical seasonings, layering Japanese dashi umami with Western ingredients — lives on in today's bowls. A members-only evening operation, "Yoru Tsuta," also launched in 2023.
What to order
The signature is the Shoyu Soba, perfumed with black truffle. According to media coverage of the relaunch, the broth combines whole Aomori Shamorock and Amakusa Daio chickens with asari clams and honkarebushi (fully aged skipjack flakes), paired with a tare built on raw soy sauce aged two years in cedar barrels in Wakayama, then layered with porcini and a truffle-balsamic cream — a bowl that combines Japanese dashi and Western ingredients in line with the approach the founder established.
The other pillar is the Shio Soba (salt-based), and limited-edition bowls appear from time to time. Menus and prices change, so check the official menu page — an English version is available — for the latest.
Tips for visiting
Hours are 11:00–15:00, closing early once ingredients run out (as of July 2026, per the official website). The shop is closed on Tuesdays (since October 2025). The numbered-ticket system famous from the Sugamo era is no longer used, according to the official site — you simply join the queue.
Temporary closures and schedule changes are announced on the official X and Instagram accounts, so check before you go. The shop is on the basement floor of a building two minutes' walk from Yoyogi-Uehara Station.