When someone asks, “What’s your favorite ramen in Kurashiki City?” have you ever heard the answer, “Betokon ramen”?
Betokon ramen is a hearty, energy-boosting ramen packed with vegetables such as bean sprouts, whole fried garlic cloves, and a pleasantly spicy flavor.
One restaurant serving this Betokon ramen is Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo (Shinkyo), located in Obitaka, Kurashiki City.
It is a popular restaurant that draws large numbers of people of all ages from both inside and outside the prefecture.
However, a fire broke out in 2020, leaving the restaurant unable to operate.
It was very shocking news, but after overcoming adversity, Betokon ramen made a comeback under new management in 2022!
Let’s explore the appeal of Betokon ramen, which continues to captivate so many people, and the road to rebuilding the restaurant.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in June 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo
Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo is a long-established restaurant founded in 1983, located in the Obitaka district in southeastern Kurashiki City.
Its namesake “Betokon ramen” and other ramen dishes such as “Kokushi Muso” are popular.
Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo is so popular that it draws many customers from across the city and from both inside and outside the prefecture.
Betokon ramen and Kokushi Muso, which have so many people hooked, are hearty, energy-boosting ramen topped with a mountain of vegetables such as bean sprouts, featuring fluffy-soft garlic and a slightly spicy flavor.
The fried chicken, with pieces larger than an adult man’s fist, also has many people hooked.
In May 2020, shocking news reached fans of the popular, long-established Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo.
A fire broke out, completely destroying the restaurant.
It could no longer operate.
Amid these hardships, local company OU System Co., Ltd. took over the business and decided to rebuild Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo.
After launching a crowdfunding campaign and receiving support from many people, the new Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo reopened in February 2022 with the cooperation of the former owner.
About a year and eight months after the fire, it made a remarkable comeback.
Then, in November 2022, it opened a second branch along National Route 2 in Kamogata, Asakuchi City.
The main branch in Obitaka has only counter seating, while the Kamogata branch mainly has tables and also has a raised tatami seating area, making it easy for families to visit.
Menu
Information as of May 2023. Prices include tax.
At Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo, customers purchase meal tickets from the vending machine at the entrance before ordering.
The main menu item is “Betokon ramen,” which shares the restaurant’s name.
“Kokushi Muso” is an extra-large version of Betokon ramen.
The name of the dish gives it an air of “ultimate strength.”
For both dishes, you can choose options such as “no garlic” or “no spice,” as well as mini sizes (small Betokon ramen and half-size Kokushi Muso).
In addition to garlic and spice, you can request that specific ingredients be left out (the price remains the same).
Both Betokon ramen and Kokushi Muso are available in the standard soy sauce flavor as well as miso flavor.
You can also order an extra serving of noodles with either dish.
The main side dishes include “fried chicken” and “fried squid tentacles,” as well as “mini chicken-mayo rice bowl” and “rice.”
Fried chicken is also available in a smaller “mini fried chicken” size, with a choice of one to three pieces.
Major menu items, including Betokon ramen, Kokushi Muso, and various fried dishes, are available for takeout.
Frozen Betokon ramen is also on sale.
You can buy it in-store or at the online shop.
Recommended and Popular Menu Items
Here are some of the recommended and popular menu items at Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo.
Betokon ramen
The most popular item at Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo is the “Betokon Ramen,” which is also featured in the restaurant’s name.
The standard Betokon Ramen comes with soy sauce broth (¥930), but miso broth (¥930) is also available.
When we visited, we chose the classic soy sauce version.
The classic soy sauce broth is by far the most popular!
Of course, we recommend the miso version too.
Betokon Ramen is distinguished by its generous mound of stir-fried bean sprouts and garlic chives.
And, of course, the striking presence of garlic.
It also contains pork belly and ichimi chili pepper, giving it a pleasant kick.
When you eat the fried garlic, its flavor spreads along with a toasty aroma.
It has a fluffy, potato-like texture and a slightly creamy mouthfeel, making it incredibly addictive.
The generous amount of bean sprouts and garlic chives has a crisp texture, and its toasty aroma, sweet-and-savory flavor, sweetness from the pork, garlic flavor, and subtle spiciness make it easy to keep eating.
There are two kinds of garlic: whole cloves, fried, and sliced garlic, stir-fried.
Some customers even say, “I want to make the fried garlic at home!”
The bean sprouts, garlic chives, and garlic are stir-fried with our homemade soy sauce tare and chili pepper.
The vegetables are stir-fried just right to retain their crispness and juiciness, while also bringing out their toasty aroma!
The broth has a sweet-and-savory soy sauce flavor.
It also has a light, clean finish.
The sweetness of the vegetables, their toasty aroma from stir-frying, the garlic flavor, and the chili pepper’s heat all blend together nicely, creating an addictive taste.
The broth is based on chicken bones, with pork bones, vegetables, garlic, and other ingredients.
The noodles are medium-thin with a gentle curl.
The broth clings well to the noodles, and their chewy texture contrasts perfectly with the crisp vegetables!
The noodles are made by Kurata Foods in Fukuyama City.
Apparently, after trying noodles from various makers, the previous owner settled on Kurata Foods’ noodles.
By the way, both the soy sauce tare used to stir-fry the vegetables and the one used in the broth are made in-house!
We make separate tare specifically for stir-frying the vegetables and for the broth.
The soy sauce tare is made with locally produced soy sauce!
By the way, Betokon is short for “best condition.”
Betokon Ramen is packed with bean sprouts, garlic chives, garlic, and chili pepper.
That’s why it has this name: it’s a hearty ramen that gives you a boost of energy.
Options include versions without garlic (¥930), without spice (¥930), or without garlic and spice (¥930), as well as a small size (¥690).
If you ask, we can also leave out other ingredients or reduce the portion size (at no change in price), so please let us know what you’d like!
The small size is recommended for light eaters, people on a diet, and children.
Betokon Ramen is loaded with toppings, but its main ingredient is vegetables, and its toasty flavor makes it easy to eat. The broth is also light, so I finished it in no time.
After eating, my body felt warm, and I felt as though I had gotten a boost of energy.
Kokushi Muso
“Kokushi Muso” is the restaurant’s second most popular item after Betokon Ramen.
Like Betokon Ramen, it is available with standard soy sauce broth (¥1,100) or miso broth (¥1,100).
When we visited, we chose the soy sauce version.
The soy sauce version of Kokushi Muso is also by far the most popular!
The broth is the same as the one used for Betokon Ramen.
Kokushi Muso is distinguished by its larger quantity of toppings than Betokon Ramen.
Betokon Ramen already comes with a mountain of toppings, but Kokushi Muso is piled so high it looks like a mountain range!
The first time I ordered it, I was stunned when it arrived.
The vegetables and garlic are stir-fried and seasoned just like those in Betokon Ramen.
Compared with Betokon Ramen,there are more vegetables, and it also contains a greater variety of vegetables.
Betokon Ramen’s toppings are whole fried garlic cloves, sliced garlic, ichimi chili pepper, pork belly, bean sprouts, and garlic chives.
Kokushi Muso, on the other hand, comes with the following toppings:
- Whole fried garlic cloves
- Sliced garlic
- Ichimi chili pepper
- Pork belly
- Bean sprouts
- Garlic chives
- Japanese leek
- Cabbage
- Chinese cabbage
- Bamboo shoots
- Red chili peppers
It has a wonderful variety of vegetables, making it a healthy choice!
As with Betokon Ramen, these toppings are stir-fried until fragrant with homemade soy sauce tare.
Its toasty aroma, sweet-and-savory flavor, garlic notes, and mild spiciness make it easy to keep eating.
Perhaps because it contains more vegetables, including cabbage and Chinese cabbage, it has a sweeter vegetable flavor than Betokon Ramen, which makes it taste even better.
All these ingredients come together with the soy sauce broth to create an indescribably delicious balance!
Like the noodles in Betokon Ramen, these are medium-thin noodles with a gentle curl.
There are more toppings than in Betokon Ramen, but Kokushi Muso is also mainly vegetables, so I finished it surprisingly easily.
Kokushi Muso is also available without garlic (¥1,100), without chili (¥1,100), or without garlic and chili (¥1,100), as well as in a half-size portion with half the toppings (¥980).
You can also ask to have any toppings you prefer omitted or reduced (the price remains the same).
Fried Chicken
Alongside ramen dishes such as Betokon Ramen and Kokushi Muso, one of Kurashiki Shinkyo’s popular signature dishes is its “fried chicken” (¥950).
Like Betokon Ramen and Kokushi Muso, the fried chicken has a surprising appearance.
The plate is piled with three enormous pieces of fried chicken!
It certainly makes an impact!
The chicken is cut into thirds from the thigh.
The serving includes two bone-in pieces and one boneless piece.
Each piece of fried chicken is larger than an adult’s fist.
Even one piece looks filling enough.
They put a great deal of care into the coating!
One distinctive feature is that they use plenty of egg.
That gives the coating its light, fluffy, crispy texture and distinctive flavor.
When you bite into it, the coating is crisp and light, with a wonderfully savory aroma.
It tastes almost like fried rice crackers, and even the coating on its own is delicious.
It’s even tastier with the special seasoning.
The thigh meat inside is springy and pleasantly juicy.
If you can’t finish it, you can take the rest home!
We’ll provide a container and bag, so just let a staff member know.
Many customers order it intending to eat one or two pieces here and take the rest home.
The “Mini Kara,” added after the restaurant reopened, is a mini-sized version of the fried chicken, just as its name suggests.
You can choose one to three pieces (one for ¥100, two for ¥200, or three for ¥300).
Takeout is also available, and takeout orders are sold in portions of three to five pieces (three for ¥300, four for ¥400, or five for ¥500).
Some customers, such as those stopping by during work, told us that they wanted to order the fried chicken but avoided doing so because they couldn’t take it home and didn’t want to waste any leftovers.
We added Mini Kara to the menu in response to those customers’ requests.
Thankfully, Mini Kara has been very popular!
The chicken and coating are the same as those used for the regular fried chicken.
There’s also a new menu item made with the fried chicken: the “Mini Chicken Mayo Bowl” (¥550).
Fried Squid Tentacles
In addition to fried chicken, Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo also serves “fried squid tentacles” (¥850).
The fried squid tentacles are quite large, too.
The squid tentacles are cut into manageable pieces and deep-fried.
I’d always imagined fried squid tentacles as long, thin legs fried whole, but at Kurashiki Shinkyo they’re cut into pieces, making them easy to eat.
The coating is the same as for the fried chicken!
Like the fried chicken, the coating is crisp, light, and savory, with the delicious taste of fried rice crackers.
The squid tentacles have a springy, chewy texture.
Since they’re squid tentacles, they’re easier to eat than the fried chicken, and I finished them along with my ramen.
I also tried dipping the fried squid tentacles in the ramen broth, and they were delicious that way, too.
With Betokon Ramen, Kokushi Muso, and enormous fried chicken, Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo has many customers raving about its food.
We interviewed the manager, Fukuyama Takamasa.
Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo Information
| Name | Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo |
|---|---|
| Address | 507-2 Obitaka, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-454-7532 |
| Parking | Available |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m. (last order at 8:45 p.m.) |
| Closed | Open daily |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Not accepted |
| Seating | 16 seats (Counter seating only) |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Families with children | Strollers allowed Children’s tableware available |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair access available |
| Website | Betokon Ramen Kurashiki Shinkyo: Official Instagram |
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Mini fried chicken and the chicken-mayo rice bowl were added to the menu after the restaurant was rebuilt.
The fried chicken in the mini fried chicken and chicken-mayo rice bowl is the same as the regular fried chicken.