MARUTAYA JIROMARU-TEN
Introducing Marutaya Jiromaru Branch, a popular Wakayama ramen restaurant located in Jiromaru, Wakayama City. Marutaya is a Wakayama ramen (Chinese soba) specialty store that opened its main store (first store) in Iwade City in 2002. This Jiromaru store opened in 2007 as the second store, and was further renovated in 2021.
It’s a popular restaurant, so I arrived just after 11:00 a.m. when it opened on a Sunday, and the restaurant was full and there was already a line of people waiting. There were about 5 people in line in front of us, but the staff came out to the outside and took our orders while handing us menus.
This is just a guess, but it seemed like there was a camera in front of the store, and the system was such that when customers lined up, the staff would come out. Maybe he thought so because he was very skillful.
About MARUTAYA
Marutaya is a popular Wakayama ramen chain with four stores in addition to the Iwade main store: Jiromaru store, Burakuricho store in Wakayama city, and Shirahama store in Shirahama town. There are many famous Wakayama ramen shops, but Marutaya is one of the most famous in Wakayama Prefecture.
The representative, Mr. Maruta, has loved Wakayama’s Chinese noodles since he was a child and dreamed of becoming a ramen shop. As time passed, he spent three years training at Ide Shoten, a super famous restaurant that sparked Wakayama ramen and where ramen connoisseurs from all over the country gather.
In 2002, he opened “Marutaya” with the aim of creating a new style of ramen restaurant that combines taste, customer service, and atmosphere while still valuing the taste of Wakayama ramen.
Michelin Guide listed restaurants
Marutaya’s Iwade main branch is featured in the Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka + Wakayama 2022. Rather than stars or Bib Gourmand, restaurants are listed as Michelin-selected restaurants.
Inside the store
I was able to enter the store after waiting for about 10 minutes. There were about 26 tables and 6 counter seats, but the place was completely full. The staff seemed to be working efficiently. Guidance to our seats was also smooth.
Ramen restaurants can be a bit of a hurdle if you’re traveling with children, but Marutaya didn’t have any of those problems and was perfectly accommodating to children.
They took our orders while we were lining up, so the service was extremely quick, and all the ordered menu items were served within 2-3 minutes of being seated.
Chuka-soba（Wakayama Ramen）
Large bowl of Chukasoba…880 yen (excluding tax)
As most people from Wakayama Prefecture know, when you order Wakayama ramen (Chinese noodles) in the “regular size”, the portion is often not enough. Therefore, I think it is common for men to order a large portion.
noodles
They use homemade medium-thin straight noodles made with a combination of strong flour and medium-strength flour that goes well with the rich pork bone soy sauce soup. It has high water absorption and contains a lot of soup in the noodles, so you can enjoy the flavor of the soup.
soup
Since he was trained at Ide Shoten, the soup is Ide style, but it has less odor than Ide Shoten, and although it looks thick at first glance, it has a light taste.
The pork bones and chicken bones are carefully prepared to avoid any unpleasant taste (smell). This tonkotsu soy sauce soup is made by blending a special soup that has been slowly cooked over high heat for over 8 hours to bring out the maximum flavor, flavor, and richness, and a secret soy sauce sauce made by simmering chashu pork.
roasted pork fillet
Marutaya’s char siu comes in 3 pieces. We use Sangen pork belly, which has a well-balanced meat quality. The pork is seasoned with a secret soy sauce sauce and slowly cooked, then left to rest overnight. Then, it is sliced thinly using a special slicer. By slicing it into thin slices, you can eat it easily.
boiled egg
Boiled eggs are a staple at Wakayama ramen shops. You can eat it as is while waiting for your ramen, or you can add it to your ramen. There is no need to specifically check with the staff when eating, and the style is to declare how many pieces you have eaten when paying the bill.
Haya Sushi
This is “Hayazushi”. This is also placed on the table to eat while waiting for the ramen to arrive. Mackerel sushi made with vinegar is called “Hayazushi.” This is also the same style as boiled eggs.
Haya Sushi…160 yen (excluding tax)
The origin of Haya-zushi is that it can be eaten faster than Nare-zushi, which takes time to ferment, so it came to be called Haya-zushi. It is now a standard item at Wakayama ramen shops, and has a strong fan base, especially among locals, who say it goes well with ramen (Chinese noodles).
Ramen Menu
The photo below is the Marutaya menu. The menu is simple, typical of a Wakayama ramen restaurant, with no side menus such as gyoza or fried rice.
Chuka soba, large Chuka soba, special Chuka soba (with extra char siu), special large Chuka soba, egg rice, whitebait rice, boiled egg, early sushi, rice, that’s it. Kaedama is 120 yen, and toppings are 120 yen and 180 yen. Drinks include alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and soft drinks.
The cash register was self-checkout. These things are well done. Cashless payment was only supported by PayPay.
Parking and Access
As for the parking lot, 6 cars could be parked next to the store. There are only a few seats here, so please be careful as they are often full.
To get to Marutaya Jiromaru store, it is easy to find as it is along Prefectural Route 7 (Konakawa-Kada Line), but Route 7 is a two-lane road with a median strip on each side, so it is located on the west side of Marutaya. The recommended route is to come eastbound from the Enji intersection on Prefectural Route 752.
2nd parking
The second parking lot is located opposite the store and can accommodate 8 cars. However, since you have to cross the road, you have to cross the traffic light in front of MEGA Don Quijote Wakayama Jiromaru store on the east side.
Crossing in front of the store is a two-lane road with no traffic lights, so it is very dangerous.
summary
Marutaya’s Chinese noodles have a well-controlled odor characteristic of pork bones, making it a recommended ramen for those who don’t like that kind of odor. In addition, the chashu is sliced thinly to make it easier to eat, making it easier for children, women, and seniors to eat.
In addition, the stores are very clean and the distance between seats is well maintained, and all stores except the Burakuri-cho store are designed to be barrier-free. Children’s chairs are also available. The staff also seemed efficient. The delivery time was also quite fast. In terms of facilities, the chairs had backrests and the toilets were clean.
This is a popular restaurant that is easy to enter even for foreigners.
Store details
| Name | Marutaya Jiromaru Store 丸田屋 次郎丸店（まるたや じろうまるてん） |
|---|---|
| Address | 76-3 Jiromaru, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, 640-8444, Japan |
| Telephone number | 073-480-1245 |
| Regular holiday | Monday ※In the case of holidays/holidays, the following Tuesday |
| Business hours | lunch 11：00 〜 15：00（Lo.14：30） dinner 17：00 〜 22：00（Lo.21：30） |
| Number of seats | table seat：26seat counter seat：6seat |
| Home page | Official homepage |
| Online shop | Official online shop |
| Official Facebook | |
| Official Instagram | |
| X（twitter） | Official x |
| Parking | free（about14units） （Next to the store6units / others 8units） |
| Traffic access | ■Access by car Hanwa Expressway WakayamaIC Approximately 25 minutes by car from |
| Method of payment | cash、PayPay |
| Reservation | Not possible |
| Remarks |
※The above information is information at the time of visit. Please note that the dates may have changed, so please check by phone or website.
