Ramen Break Beats Reservation Guide

About Ramen Break Beats

Ramen Break Beats was founded in Yutenji、 Meguro-ward、 in 2022, after chef and owner Takuro Yanase returned to Tokyo with his wife. Ramen Break Beats has been awarded by the Michelin guide in the 2024, 25 and now 2026 editions. Travelers from far and wide venture to its sleepy neighborhood to try ramen that has even blown away skeptics and impressed 3-star chefs.

The Ramen

Ramen Break Beats’ serves two signature bowls of ramen – shio and shoyu. The noodles used for each are slightly different, both prepared al-dente but adjustable by request. For a slight upcharge, (just 10 yen) Chef Yanase will prepare your bowl with te-momi noodles which have an especially delicious texture thanks to being hand-massaged.

The soup base is made from a stock of Kyushuu-bred chickens from Kumamoto. These chickens, the Amakusa Daio from Kumamoto, actually went extinct during the Showa period and were brought back by dedicated farmers.

The soy sauce tare used includes five different varieties of soy sauce and is praised for its tang. Even the toppings, which include marinated eggs, fried enoki mushrooms in place of menma bamboo shoots, and wontons, are specially prepared for Break Beats’ original ramen.

The meat-based soup compliments slices of sous-vide chashu, which have at times been made with Seseri pork and others with Iwanaka buta, smoked in-house for ultimate control. Seasonal toppings include foams that recall chef Yanase’s time in French kitchens, seafood like scallops, and more. The chicken chashu is also highly praised. 

Due to the use of premium ingredients and hands-on method of making everything from scratch without additives, a bowl at Ramen Break Beats easily surpasses the 1000-yen wall of ramen. Instead, 2000 yen bowls with add ons of mini, specialty donburi are to be expected.

The Chef

Born and raised in Fukuoka prefecture, chef Takuro Yanase first started working in dining during college, when he was moved by a documentary about famed 3-star restaurant Quintessance. His passion for hip-hop continued from a young age, spurred on by an interest in basketball. He later moved to Canada on a working holiday visa, where he spent 8 years working as a chef and DJ before meeting his wife and ultimately returning to Japan. In fact, Chef Yanase says that the reason he established Ramen Break Beats in Meguro is because it was his wife’s home town.

While living in Canada, Chef Yanase worked part time in a Japanese izakaya while developing a growing career as a club DJ. As he gained more recognition, Chef Yanase admits that there was a time it was difficult to choose what path to pursue, and was very close to achieving permanent residency in Canada – even passing the English proficiency test – before making the choice to move back to Japan in the wake of the corona virus. 

Ramen Break Beats, in name and substance, is a testament to Chef Yanase’s experiences. The plates and bowls used in the restaurant are custom made Koishihwara ware, the traditional pottery from his birthplace in Fukuoka prefecture. Even the use of Kumamoto chickens and incredible chicken soup stock recalls the mizutaki chicken hot pot of Kyushuu.

The name “Break Beats” is directly inspired by Chef Yanase’s career as a DJ. Although there have been times in life where he took breaks from DJ-ing to focus on improving himself as a chef, his love for music pervades the soundtrack of each of his ramen restaurants.

The Future

According to Chef Yanase, he originally hoped that Ramen Break Beats would operate as a ramen counter for part of the day and a fine Japanese restaurant at night. However, with the pace that the “Beats” brand is growing, the chef has chosen to shelve the concept and focus on ramen. Even so, he still aims to become a washoku chef in the future.

Until then, the brand will continue to expand, as it has to two sister restaurants, and capitalize on one of the aspects that constantly draws crowds: a line of limited edition ramen. Some of the most exciting bowls of ramen in the Beats’ repertoire include those perfumed with truffles or making use of seafood bouillabaisse instead of the traditional broth. By constantly pushing towards new kinds of ramen and reinventing his technique, Chef Yanase says that he can keep the work both interesting for himself and his customers. 

『Ramen Break Beats』Reservations

Reservations from the home page

Ramen Break Beats does not accept reservations from its homepage. 

Instead, diners are instructed to follow the link on the store’s official Instagram page to tablecheck, where reservations can be made as far as a week in advance. 

Online Reservations

Reservations are accepted through tablecheck. Diners are instructed to follow the link on Ramen Break Beat’s official Instagram page. Reservations open at 9pm for dates in the following week, with the latest reservations available 7 days in advance.

Reservation Details

The store is open from 11am to 3:30pm by reservation only. As the shop is a significant distance from the nearest station, guests are advised to plan their route carefully. Expect to take a cab, bus, or wear comfortable shoes for walking. Guests are requested to arrive 5 minutes before their reservation time.

A ¥2,000/person cancellation fee will be charged from the day before the reservation, and no changes can be made to the number of guests or arrival time after a reservation is made. Orders are limited to one bowl of noodles per person, no more or less. Children are welcome. Cashless payment only.

Ramen Break Beats Branches and Sister Stores

Ramen Afro Beats

Located near Shinjuku Gyoenmae station, Ramen Afro Beats doubles down on the Tengusa Daio chicken broth with a creamy tori paitan ramen. The signature “tokujo” features crispy fried garlic, both soy-sauce marinated and smoked pork chashu, and a seasonal foam.

The vibrant red-orange egg yolks contrast the milky white soup to create a bowl that is equally stunning and delicious. Unlike Break Beats, Afro Beats is open for both lunch and dinner with walk-in service only. Seasonal and limited edition ramen options such as truffle porcini and soupless carbonara keep fans coming back.

Ramen Jazzy Beats

Opened in 2024, Ramen Jazzy Beats introduces the seafood richness of niboshi broth to the Tengusa Daio chicken recipe. Jazzy Beats is located close to Nakameguro station, where it serves its signature tori nibo alongside a tori nibo mazemen, shio, and shoyu options. 

The toppings on the tokujo include two kinds of onions and seaweed that further highlights the flavor of dried sardines that makes niboshi broth a modern classic. The house-made chashu and ajitama are also fan favorites at this location.

Other Restaurants, Inspiration

Although there are no other related restaurants at this time, Chef Yanase cites Quintessence as his inspiration for entering the world of food, so it has been listed here.

Quintessence

According to Chef Yanase, it was a documentary about Quintessence chef Shuzo Kishida that sparked his passion for the culinary arts. Quintessence has long been recognized as a 3-Michelin star restaurant in Tokyo for its world class French cuisine. 

Chef Kishida pursues the three principles of French cuisine, cuisson (using heat to cook), produit (the quality of products themselves) and assaisonné (seasoning), to provide each guest with the best meal possible on any given day. For this reason, Quintessence employs exclusively a carte blanche menu, effectively a French omakase, to the delight of generations of guests.