Ramen near Deungdae Beach in Sokcho: extra noodles, Ichiba Ramen

Today's post is about Ichiba Ramen, which I visited on the second day of my summer trip to Sokcho, looking for something to cure a bit of a hangover. I usually only eat ramen when traveling in Japan, but I found myself craving that rich yet clean broth~ It was great for a hearty Sokcho lunch, and since they had a baby chair, it was easy to visit with our little one too! Here's my honest review of a solid meal at this Sokcho ramen favorite!

Where is Ichiba Ramen, and is there parking?

Ichiba Ramen is located in Yeongnang-dong, Sokcho. It's close to Deungdae Beach too, so it's a convenient stop if you're looking for a Sokcho lunch or hangover-cure meal while traveling~ We drove there, and we were able to park right in front of the restaurant, which made things easy haha.

Here's the exterior of Ichiba Ramen~ From the outside alone, it gave off that cozy vibe of a small local ramen shop in Japan. Doesn't it feel like the kind of ramen place you'd stumble on by accident down some little Japanese alley? haha It felt like I'd briefly teleported to Japan in the middle of my Sokcho trip, so I was already excited before even going in!

Waiting area and how to join the queue

Ichiba Ramen is already a well-known Sokcho lunch spot that draws a lot of people, so there's a waiting area set up outside the restaurant.

Once inside, there was a kiosk for TableLing waitlist registration. It seemed really convenient for busy hours — you could register for the queue and then go look around nearby while you wait.

Is Ichiba Ramen okay with a baby?

Ichiba Ramen has baby chairs ready and the interior is spacious, so it was fine to eat with our baby. Since it's such a famous Sokcho ramen restaurant, I'd worried the space might be too small to comfortably visit with a baby. But the interior turned out to be bigger than expected, with generous space between tables, so it worked out well~

There was plenty of seating toward the back, so we were able to sit comfortably at a table for four. We went on a weekday, early in the morning, so luckily it wasn't too crowded, which let us enjoy our meal at a relaxed pace — these photos were taken once other customers had cleared out, to capture the vibe of the place!

Ichiba Ramen's menu and what we ordered

Ordering at Ichiba Ramen was easy through the kiosk too. The ramen lineup was quite varied — basic tonkotsu ramen, special tonkotsu ramen, hiyashi chuka (cold ramen), karai ramen (spicy), miso ramen, mania tonkotsu (extra salty), and red snow crab roe cream ramen. For sides, there was butadon, chashu don, and gara-age (Japanese-style fried chicken) — good options to pair with the ramen~ My husband went with the most basic option, tonkotsu ramen, and I picked karai ramen since I love spicy food. And since ramen alone felt like it wouldn't be enough, we also ordered butadon and gara-age as sides!

Each table came neatly set with water, pickled radish as a side dish, chopsticks, and paper cups. Everything we needed was already prepared, which made the meal easy to enjoy, and overall it gave off a well-managed impression. Ichiba Ramen really lived up to its reputation as a well-known Sokcho lunch spot — I liked the clean, tidy atmosphere haha~

Once everything we ordered was ready, they brought it all out together and set it up at once on the table in front of the kitchen. Since the dishes come out together rather than separately, it made for a great photo and let us dig in right away~ This is a Sokcho ramen restaurant that looks delicious from the visuals alone!

With the sides included too, doesn't it look really generous?

Tonkotsu ramen with extra noodles

First up is the signature dish, tonkotsu ramen. My husband ordered it with extra noodles, and the portion really was generous~

Since my order was the spicy one, I tried a bite of my husband's tonkotsu ramen. The milky bone-broth soup wasn't greasy at all despite how it looked — it was rich yet clean, and really good! It made me glad I'd picked ramen for our Sokcho lunch haha.

How spicy is the karai ramen?

And here's the spicy dish I ordered — karai ramen.

The milky bone-broth base gets a spicy kick added, which made it perfect as a hangover-cure meal while traveling~ It wasn't as spicy as I expected — just pleasantly, satisfyingly spicy, easy to eat without feeling overwhelmed!

After the broth, I tried the egg~ As always, no ramen is complete without a perfect soft-boiled egg, and this one was so good. The yolk was moist and creamy, pairing well with the rich broth — even just the egg alone made the ramen's flavor feel more complete~

The noodles were soft yet chewy, and went really well with the rich broth. The chashu in particular was so clean and delicious that I kept wishing I'd ordered extra. It really made me understand why people keep coming back to this Sokcho ramen restaurant — every dish felt like it had real care put into it!

The sides: butadon and gara-age

This is the butadon side dish we ordered alongside the ramen. It's a generous portion for the price and good value, so I'd wanted to order one chashu don and one butadon to compare — but unfortunately, the chashu don was sold out on our visit, so we only got to try the butadon ㅠㅠ

I didn't expect much since it's a side dish, but the butadon was really good~ The combination of the meat on top of the rice and the sweet sauce was excellent, and eating it alongside the ramen made the whole meal feel even more filling! The rich ramen broth paired well with the sweet butadon, making for a satisfying Sokcho lunch~

Disappointed that the chashu don was sold out, we also ordered the gara-age to try. It's a good pairing dish — crispy fried chicken that goes well as a side alongside the ramen~ True to its reputation as a great Sokcho ramen restaurant, the menu wasn't just about the ramen itself but had a well-rounded lineup of dishes to enjoy together, which made the meal even more satisfying haha.

The gara-age wasn't so much a standout dish as a light, easy side to pair with everything else. With that crispy, fried texture, it was the kind of thing that makes you think of beer the moment you take a bite haha.

The hidden kick: shio kombu

Eating alongside the sides, I found myself becoming more and more focused on the ramen itself, since it was just so good. In particular, the shio kombu (salted, pickled kelp) topping on the ramen was such a nice little kick haha. Adding its chewy texture and umami to the soft noodles gave a fun bite, and it seemed to bring out the flavor of the rich broth even more. Finishing off with the chashu I'd been saving for last, it turned into a really satisfying bowl! (Turns out I really do love ramen haha)

Who is Ichiba Ramen best for?

Overall, Ichiba Ramen is a place I'd recommend to anyone who loves a rich, deep broth. The bone-based soup wasn't greasy at all, with clean yet deep flavor, and the karai ramen I ordered had just the right amount of spice, which made it great as a hangover-cure meal while traveling. With baby chairs available and a spacious interior, it's also great to visit with kids — so if you're looking for a hearty Sokcho lunch during your trip, this is a place I'd recommend! It was a satisfying meal that made me understand exactly why so many people seek out Ichiba Ramen as a top Sokcho ramen restaurant haha. Another really satisfying meal — thanks for the food!