Tucked down a staircase into the basement of an apartment building in a quiet residential pocket near Shinjuku Gyoen, RAMEN MATSUI is a small counter-only shop. It opened on 10 May 2023 and is run by Sou Matsui, who trained at Shibasaki-tei in Chofu, together with his wife Ayumi, a certified sommelier. The shop is listed as a Bib Gourmand (good quality, good value cooking) in the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo. Since 1 July 2025 it has operated on a fully reservation-only basis, so you cannot simply turn up.
What kind of shop it is
Sou Matsui grew up in Kitami, Hokkaido, and worked in design, telecoms and food service before spending two years from 2020 training at Shibasaki-tei in Chofu, completing his apprenticeship in March 2022. Ayumi, whom he met during those years, joined him, and the couple opened their own shop in 2023. It is an independent business, not a branch of Shibasaki-tei.
The kitchen builds three separate broths — shoyu (soy), shio (salt) and niboshi (dried sardine) — each from its own set of ingredients. The shoyu combines a clear chicken consommé of Tamba kurodori, a free-range jidori breed raised in Kyoto, and mature hens with a Japanese dashi of Rausu kombu, Lake Shinji freshwater clams and junmai sake. Noodles come from the Kyoto maker Menya Teigaku. Ayumi's wine selections, chosen to drink alongside a bowl, are an unusual touch for a ramen shop.
What to order
The three core bowls are shoyu, shio and niboshi. Toppings, wontons and the rice dishes are all made in house. A "tokusei" (special) version is the loaded bowl, adding duck and pork chashu, a wonton and a marinated egg.
Press reports put the Special Shoyu Ramen at ¥1,400 as of September 2023. Several years have passed and no current official price list could be confirmed in July 2026, so check the shop's X or Instagram — or the Japanese and English menu PDFs linked from the official booking page — for the menu and prices before you go.
A chilled bowl appears in summer. As of July 2026 the official booking page lists a cold shio soba with freshwater clams and scallops, limited to 40 servings per day.
Planning your visit
The shop serves lunch only, 11:00–15:00 on weekdays, and closes Wednesdays and Thursdays. Days, hours and unscheduled closures change, so always confirm on the official X (@RAMEN_MATSUI) or Instagram before heading over.
- Reservation-only. Book via TableCheck from 12:00 three days before your visit (Saturday slots open Wednesday at 12:00; Sunday slots open Thursday at 12:00).
- A non-refundable booking fee of ¥500 per person applies. Arrive at least 10 minutes before your reservation time.
- Cancelling within 24 hours of your reservation time incurs a fee of ¥2,000 per person.
- Walk-ins are not accepted.
- Children under 12 are not admitted.
- Seating is limited to 30 minutes. Each guest must order one bowl of ramen; rice or side-only orders are declined.
- Payment is cash only via a ticket machine (a vending machine where you buy a meal ticket before sitting down). Bring ¥1,000 notes to keep things moving.