Gumi ramen bar: weekend date with tsukemen broth refill, Menya Tanuki

Menya Tanuki (멘야타누키)

I visited Menya Tanuki, a well-known spot on Geumnidan-gil in Gumi. I'd heard it was great for ages and wanted to try it, so my husband and I went on a weekend date. Let me tell you about this Gumi ramen shop with a great vibe and great food ☺️

Where is Menya Tanuki, and where do you park?

Menya Tanuki is just a short way down from across the back exit of Gumi Station. They offer 1 hour of free parking at the Wonnam Saemaul Geumgo lot and the Gumi Station rear plaza lot.

This is the outside of Menya Tanuki. It has a seriously "this place is good" look from the street 🤤

Bar seating and atmosphere inside Menya Tanuki

Inside, there's one 4-person table and the rest is bar seating. I think these bar seats are what give it that Japanese feel~ It honestly feels like eating ramen on a trip to Japan~~💗

We sat at the bar and got to watch the owner make the ramen live ✨ Seeing that made me look forward to the taste even more. Each spot has water, cups, chopsticks, yuzu pickled radish, pepper and kelp vinegar. There are also explanations of the menu and how to eat it best, which was handy 👍🏻

There are disposable aprons near the restroom entrance too. Good to know if you need one ☺️

Menya Tanuki menu and what we ordered

Each menu item at Menya Tanuki comes in regular or spicy, so if you like a kick, go for spicy. We ordered tsukemen (dipping noodles), Tanuki shoyu ramen (soy sauce ramen) in regular spice, whole-shrimp dim sum, and a bottle of Asahi beer.

I hear the mazesoba (brothless mixed noodles) here is great too, so I'm going to try it next time! They also give you rice for free, so finishing the mazesoba and mixing the rice in must be amazing~~

Tanuki shoyu ramen, regular spice: a clean chicken broth

The Tanuki shoyu ramen in regular spice came out first. It looked so good I was drooling~~ The first sip of broth was cool and savory, a really nice chicken broth, and the springy noodles and tender chashu (braised pork slices) worked great together. If you're craving a clean, light ramen, I recommend the Tanuki shoyu ramen ✨

Trying tsukemen for the first time at Menya Tanuki

This is the tsukemen I ordered. It was my first time having it: you dip plump, chewy noodles into a katsuobushi (bonito) broth soup. I tried the thick soup first and the savory depth hit right away, so I couldn't wait to dip the noodles. And the first bite was just as good as I'd hoped!!

It was so good that I just left the noodles soaking in the soup as I ate. The chewy noodles made it even better. The soft-boiled egg and chashu in the bowl were so good too... ✨ I want to eat it again just writing this~~

How does the tsukemen broth refill work?

With the tsukemen at Menya Tanuki, after you finish the noodles you can ask the owner for broth, and he adds more broth to your soup! That turns it into a whole different ramen. I deliberately left some noodles and ate them with it, and it felt like ordering a brand-new, super savory ramen. I finished every last drop ✨ The tsukemen broth refill is a must!!

Side dish: whole-shrimp dim sum

This is the whole-shrimp dim sum I ordered as a side. There's a plump whole shrimp inside the chewy wrapper, and the juices burst out when you bite in. So good.

The ramen at Menya Tanuki went really well with a cold Asahi. If you're in the mood for ramen, I recommend Menya Tanuki on Geumnidan-gil in Gumi.