Motenashi Kuroki is a ramen shop about a two-minute walk from the East Exit of Asakusabashi Station. It opened in 2011 in Kanda-Izumicho, Chiyoda City, and after twelve years there it moved to its current spot in front of Asakusabashi Station on October 29, 2023. The menu centers on shio (salt) and shoyu (soy sauce) soba built on a clear broth.
What kind of shop it is
The shop's official online store describes its concept as "quality and authenticity," applied to a single bowl of ramen. According to an owner interview in the local outlet Asakusabashi wo Aruku, owner Naoto Kuroki grew up in a fishmonger's family, graduated from Hattori Nutrition College, spent five years at a Japanese restaurant, then worked at an Italian restaurant and foreign-owned chains before going independent in 2011. He opened without a ramen apprenticeship, and in that interview he describes his aim as "expressing a course meal in a single bowl."
The shop page on the official site of the TRY Ramen Award (published by Kodansha BC) lists a run of placements: 2nd overall in 2020, 3rd in 2021, 5th in 2022, 4th in 2023, and 4th in 2024. For 2024 (the 25th edition, 2024–2025) it is also listed 9th in the shio soba category and 10th in the shoyu soba category. The same owner interview states that the shop was selected for the Michelin Guide Tokyo Bib Gourmand in 2017 and 2018, and that it now declines the listing.
What to order
The shop doesn't publish a price list, so every price we could confirm comes from a past point in time. A media article that photographed the ticket machine in November 2023 showed shio soba at ¥1,150, shoyu soba at ¥1,250, and kosho (pepper) soba at ¥1,300, with the "tokusei" (deluxe) upgrade — extra chashu and a seasoned egg — as a ¥500 add-on. Prices have risen since — an April 2025 article describes the tokusei shoyu soba as "now over ¥2,000" — so check the ticket machine for current prices when you visit.
On the side there is the meibutsu shumai (the shop's signature steamed pork dumplings), sold at ¥350 for two on the November 2023 ticket machine; one media article lists ¥180 for a single. There are also rice dishes such as jidori-meshi, and ae-dama — an extra portion of noodles tossed in sauce, ordered as a second helping after your bowl (¥300 with Kujo negi, ¥350 with duck, again as of November 2023). Media articles note you can choose between thin noodles and hand-kneaded (temomi) noodles. One caveat: the TRY page lists a jidori abura soba at ¥1,300, but it does not appear on the November 2023 ticket machine, whose tabs were takeout / shio soba / shoyu soba / kosho soba / tsuke soba / rice dishes / toppings — so we could not confirm it is on the menu since the move.
Tips for visiting
You order at the ticket vending machine by the entrance — you buy a meal ticket first and hand it over at the counter — and payment is cash only, per the travel outlet MATCHA (August 2024). Large bills may not be accepted, so bring ¥1,000 notes and coins. There are 13 counter seats (per the official TRY Ramen Award shop page), so allow extra time.
Listed hours differ from source to source. On some days numbered tickets (seiriken) are handed out to manage the queue, and the shop's official X account (@motenasikuroki) posts notices such as "today we are operating on a numbered-ticket basis." Checking the official accounts before you go is the reliable way to confirm the day's hours and whether tickets are in use.
The shop handles mail order and takeout (per the official TRY Ramen Award shop page, and the ticket machine has a takeout tab), and its official online store sells products as well — an option if you can't make it to the counter.