Menya Iroha (CiC Store)

Menya Iroha's CiC store is a nationally ranked take on Toyama black ramen, located in the basement of the CiC commercial building three minutes from JR Toyama Station. Unlike the original 1947-style shops, Menya Iroha softens the classic formula with a slightly milder, faintly sweeter broth balance that has helped it place well in national ramen rankings and win over diners who find the historic version too aggressively salty. The signature bowl remains the Toyama black ramen, a soy-forward broth over firm noodles, but the kitchen's most popular add-on is the aji-tama, a seasoned soft-boiled egg with a jammy yolk, alongside an ajitama chashu-men that stacks the egg with extra pork belly slices for a heartier bowl. The dining room is a compact basement noodle shop with counter seating, functional lighting, and the brisk pace typical of station-area ramen spots; it is not a place for lingering conversation but rather quick, focused eating. Because of its reputation and proximity to the station, a short line is common at peak lunch hours, though turnover is fast enough that waits rarely exceed fifteen minutes. There is no reservation system, in keeping with ramen shop conventions across Japan, and none is expected; ordering is typically done via a ticket machine near the entrance. The shop's convenient basement location makes it a reliable rainy-day or luggage-in-hand option for travelers transiting through Toyama Station, and its milder broth makes it a gentler introduction to the black ramen genre than some of the city's more traditional shops for visitors trying the dish for the first time.