Gunjou

Gunjou in the Kita district is a tricky to find, but a little searching reaps great rewards - a bowl of ramen you’ll remember for the rest of your trip. If you don’t like ultra-rich pork bone and fish broths, however, you might want to give this a miss.

[Gunjou - image © Florentyna Leow] Ramen isn’t a uniform experience. There’s an entire range of styles out there for the noodle aficionado to try. If you’re a fan of ultra-thick and flavourful pork bone tonkotsu broths, you should make it a point to visit Gunjo. This tiny 7-seater ramen shop in the Tenma area of Osaka serves up a highly-rated and sought-after bowl of gyokai tonkotsu - fish and pork bone ramen.

[Gunjou - image © Florentyna Leow]

The ramen chef at Gunjo is obsessive about his ramen and it shows. Gunjo is only open for two and a half hours a day at lunchtime, and closed on Sundays and holidays. He also closes the shop without warning if the soup isn’t up to his usual standards. Making a visit can be a slight gamble for some. But that attention to detail pays off, as evidenced by the lunchtime queues.

What of the ramen? Imagine a gorgeously sweet and rich surf n’ turf broth, with plenty of dried seafood infusing a creamy pork-bone soup. A hint of citrus lifts the flavour and keeps it from becoming too heavy. The soup is so thick it’s almost like a sauce, and coats the chewy, glossy curly noodles perfectly.

[Gunjou - image © Florentyna Leow]

Gunjo is located down a narrow street called Renga Street a short walk east of Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street. Even if you’re navigating with Google Maps, it’s easy to walk right past the entrance to the street, so you’ll need to keep your eyes out. Look for a red and white sign that says レンガ通り RENGA STREET and reddish-brown tiles. Make sure you go early to beat the queues - he’ll close the shop when he runs out of broth.

[Gunjou - image © Florentyna Leow]

For more Osaka ramen choices, see our Best Ramen In Osaka page.

English name:
Gunjou

Japanese name:
群青

English address:
6-3-26 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, 530-0041

Japanese address:
〒530-0041 大阪市北区天神橋6-3-26

Opening hours:
Thursday-Monday: 11am-3pm, 6pm-9pm
Wednesday: 6pm-9pm
Closed Tuesday and 3rd Wednesday

Price:

Non-smoking section:
Completely Non-Smoking

Reservations:
No Reservations

Nearest Transport:
Subway and Train: 1-minute walk from exit 1 of Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome Station on the Osaka Metro Tanimachi and Sakaisuji Lines, and Hankyu Senri Line.

Telephone:
not disclosed

Website:
none

Customer Reviews:
Read customer reviews of Gunjou on TripAdvisor.

Near To Here:
Gunjou is located in Osaka’s Kita and Umeda district. See our complete list of things to do in the Kita and Umeda district, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

Best Osaka Restaurants
See our list of the best Osaka restaurants for even more ideas about great places to eat in Osaka.

Where Are These Places Located?

• Open the Osaka map
• You will see the list of places on the left hand side. (Click the 3-line icon in the top left corner if not). Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want.
• Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
• Map pins are color coded - BLUE: Hotels / Ryokan / Guesthouses | VIOLET: Ryokan | PINK: Places to Eat | GREEN: Shops | YELLOW: Things to See and Do
• If you’re using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.

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