Travel bites: Tachi-gui, Japan’s standing-room-only noodle bars

We thought it would be easy to eat okonomiyaki, takoyaki and pork ramen in Japan’s most famous street food destination. But the dirt-cheap flights from Auckland to Osaka we’d scored less than a week earlier dropped us right in the thick of peak tourist season – and it seemed every other visitor in town had the same idea for dinner.

We were in Dōtonbori, the humming entertainment district of the city, squashed like sardines gawking at gaudy neon displays, animatronic crustaceans and huge blowfish lanterns. There was little chance of grabbing a quick feed from one of the famous restaurants or vendors that line the strip.

Around one corner was an exception where a line of salarymen were standing over steaming bowls behind hanging rectangles of fabric. Their faces came within centimetres of the broth as they wolfed back noodles and then returned for air. In the space of five minutes, a fresh set of diners were hunching and slurping at the bar.

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The dish

Tachi-gui means ‘eating while standing’ in Japanese. The no frills eat-and-go style of dining came about during the Edo Period in an effort to save space and feed the working class quickly and cheaply as they rebuilt the city into modern Tokyo.

When it comes to tachi-gui, fast and nourishing noodle soup is the dish of choice.

Today, orders are placed via vending machine, allowing diners to choose the preferred style of broth and noodle – typically soba or udon – before handing over the ticket to the chef. From there, it’s a 30-second wait as hot silky broth is ladled over parboiled noodles and garnished with diced green onions.

Toppings like tofu and tempura vegetables can be added for an additional cost, but the quick and steamy experience will still only set you back a couple of hundred yen. Slurp and go – it is the epitome of fast food.

Try it overseas

The standing-only noodle bars are easy to find in Japan’s biggest cities; just look for locals standing in front of narrow leaners on street corners and train platforms – from morning through night. You can’t go wrong with the combination of buckwheat (soba) noodles in piping hot broth. Just adhere to local etiquette and leave as soon as you’re finished to make room for the next hungry customer.

Try it at home

The closest you’ll come to a tachi-gui experience in New Zealand is slurping down soba noodle soup without a chair at a traditional ramen restaurant. There are plenty of top-notch noodle bars to choose from across the country. Sit-down restaurants Ramen Do, Daikoku and Tanpopo are favourites for their deep bowls with all the trimmings, while Auckland’s intimate 10-seater Ichiban will really make you feel like you’re in the motherland.

Have you tried tachi-gui? Let us know in the comments.