One of the popular Japanese dishes that many international tourists want to try in Japan is ramen noodles. Although ramen restaurants can be commonly found in the country, vegan ramen is hard to come by. But the situation has changed since T’s Tantan (T’Sたんたん) from Tokyo‘s Jiyūgaoka (自由が丘) had started expanding their presence.
Table of Contents
- T’s Tantan’s History
- T’s Tantan and Its Menu
- What to Expect at T’s Tantan
- How to Order at T’s Tantan
- How to Get to a T’s Tantan Restaurant
T’s Tantan’s History
The owner of T’s Tantan is Shimokawa-san (下川さん). The ‘fat’ was what she liked most when it came to the sirloin steak. However, her preference changed after one of her friends became ill. That was when she started thinking about how to make healthy food for her family.
She wanted people to experience delicious food, even if they are vegan or vegetarian. So, as a full-time housewife, she spent a lot of time creating mouthwatering plant-based dishes. This led to the opening of T’s Restaurant (Ｔ’ｓレストラン) in Jiyūgaoka, where T’s Tantan’s tantan noodle soup was developed.
Interestingly, although JR’s train station isn’t in Jiyūgaoka, T’s Restaurant receives many customers who work for the JR East Group. Because they knew how amazing T’s Restaurant is, JR East Group approached Shimokawa-san about opening a store in Tokyo Station’s Keiyō Street (京葉ストリートエリア). This was just six months after Shimokawa-san opened T’s Restaurant! T’s Tantan was then opened six months later in September 2011, after menu development was completed.
The restaurant later went viral on social media and was given the Traveler’s Choice Award in 2020. This means that T’s Tantan was in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide. So, if you haven’t tried T’s Tantan, ensure that it is on your itinerary the next time you visit Japan!
The T in T’s Tantan isn’t just taken from the Tantan noodles. It is also the T for sun, soil, eat, taste, dedication, connection, and much more. These words all started with T in Japanese.
T’s Tantan and Its Menu
As its name suggests, T’s Tantan’s signature dish is tantan noodles. Amazingly, the restaurant managed to come up with a recipe that tastes phenomenal without using any animal products. The noodle soup is rich and smooth, just like a normal meat-based tantan noodle. In fact, there are more ingredients inside the bowl than in a regular ramen restaurant!
Because the tantan noodle soup is plant-based, every meal at T’s Tantan will delight your mind and body. There is no need to feel guilty when you eat at T’s Tantan because their dishes are designed under the motto “Being healthy is the most important thing in life”. The restaurant hopes to convey this message through the food it serves.
You can also add vegan cheese or vegan chashu (roasted pork fillet) to your noodles. The vegan cheese is made by the renowned Gunma Prefecture‘s Tofu maker Sagami-ya (相模屋). Their vegan cheese is made using low-fat soy milk. You will be surprised to find that the vegan cheese tastes like real cheese!
The same applies to T’s Tantan’s vegan chashu. To the Japanese, chashu is a must when it comes to ramen. The restaurant spent 10 years to create the perfect soy chashu that will make you feel like you are eating a real roasted pork fillet!
Tips:
☛ Stir well to increase your noodle soup’s flavor.
☛ Order a small bowl of rice and pour the leftover soup into the bowl to create a risotto!
☛ Try their pan-fried dumplings.
☛ There are Allium-free options for oriental vegetarians.
The Golden Sesame Tantanmen (金胡麻担々麺) and the Black Sesame Tantanmen (黒胡麻担々麺)
The signatory dish is the Golden Sesame Tantan Noodle. Although the soup is spicy, you won’t have an issue swallowing it even if you can’t take spicy food. If you are the type who thinks that the spicier, the merrier, adjust the spice level by adding both the red pepper and spice sauce.
The richness of the soup actually comes from peanuts. Besides the soy mince, the fresh and crunchy greens also make the bowl more colorful.
Contrasting the Golden Sesame Tantanmen’s orange color, the Black Sesame Tantanen is black. This doesn’t mean that the soup is burnt. The color comes from numerous black sesame and the right amount of black pepper. But it does have a smokier taste on top of the sweetness.
T’s Tantan’s Seasonal Flavors
Besides a couple of regular noodle dishes, seasonal noodles are also available.
For example, the Lemon Cold Ramen is a must-try in Japan’s hot, humid summer.
T’s Tantan’s Konjac Noodles
If you are on a diet or require gluten-free options, pay a little bit extra and substitute your noodles with konjac noodles. These jelly-like noodles are made from yams.
Make Your Noodle Soup a Meal
If you are hungry, we highly recommend making your noodle soup a meal. It is the most economical choice. With a few hundred yen more, you will also get a small bowl of rice and a dessert.
Although we weren’t particularly hungry on the day, we found the portion of the set to be just about right. The soy milk yogurt with brown sugar syrup and soybean powder was a nice finish.
T’s Tantan’s Cup Noodles
You can also purchase vegan cup noodles from T’s Tantan. This is a smart purchase if you plan to visit regional parts of Japan where vegan meals are hard to find.
The cup noodles are purchased through the ordering machine if the restaurant has one.
What to Expect at T’s Tantan
T’s Tantan’s restaurants all have a bright and welcoming atmosphere. The signs of No Meat, No Fish, No Egg, and No Milk are clearly written on the wall, giving you peace of mind that whatever you order from them is vegan.
There might be a queue during peak lunch and dinner hours, but the turnaround time is usually quick. There were around 8 group of customers in front of us when we got to T’s Tantan in Tokyo Station for dinner. But we were seated within 15 minutes. So, don’t give up and turn your back on it as soon as you see the line!
Efforts are also put into process improvement to reduce cooking time at T’s Tantan. So even if the restaurant is full of hungry customers, it actually won’t take long for you to be served.
How to Order at T’s Tantan
How to order at T’s Tantan will depend on which T’s Tantan you visit. Some have staff who will take your order at the table, while others require you to place your order via a machine with a touchscreen panel or at the register.
If you visit a T’s Tantan restaurant where an ordering machine is used, remember to take the ticket that the machine prints out at the end of the ordering process (3rd photo in the IG post). Then pay attention to the TV screen (4th photo in the IG post). Your number should show up in the Being Prepared section (調理中).
When your order is ready, your number will be shown on the screen in the Ready to Be Picked-up section (出来上り). Please give the ticket to the staff when picking up your meal at the counter.
And don’t worry about the language barrier. There is an English menu, and the machine is multilingual.
How to Get to a T’s Tantan Restaurant
T’s Tantan has five restaurants. Except for their restaurants in Narita Airport, T’s Tantan’s restaurants are located inside a JR train station. This means that if you didn’t take the JR train to a particular station, you will need to pay a small entrance fee to enjoy T’s Tantan. The restaurant isn’t hard to find except for the T’s Tantan in Tokyo Station.
- T’s Tantan Tokyo Station (T’sたんたん グランスタ東京) in Gransta Tokyo’s Keiyō Street Area (京葉ストリートエリア) on the station’s 1st floor
- T’s Tantan Ueno (T’sたんたん エキュート上野店) on the station’s 3rd floor
- T’s Tantan Ikebukuro (T’sたんたん 池袋店) closer to the south exit
- Narita Airport T2 – T’s Tantan (成田空港第2ターミナル店) on Terminal 2, 4th floor
- Narita Airport T1 – T’s Tantan (Tokyo Food Bar 成田空港店) on Terminal 1, 3rd floor in the boarding area
If you want to visit T’s Tantan inside Tokyo Station, head to the station’s first floor and follow the signs for the Keiyō Train Line (京葉線). Then look for the directory signs of the Keiyō Street Area (京葉ストリートエリア). It is a shopping street in Tokyo Station. T’s Tantan is located at the end of the Keiyo Street Area, near the escalators on the right-hand side.
MOS Burger: Where You Can Find a Vegan Burger Across Japan
As you might have realized already, T’s Tantan doesn’t have many branches, even in Tokyo. So, where can you find vegan meals in other parts of Japan? MOS Burger is a good option. The popular burger chain has at least a couple of branches in each prefecture. In addition to its plant-based green burger, it also has a few more vegetarian options.
Refer to our article on MOS Burger for more details!
Discover the Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Japan
While at a slow pace, veganism is becoming increasingly common in Japan, especially in the big cities. And keeping the good fame of heaven for foodies, the food offered in these restaurants is amazing!
So refer to our Vegetarian Dining category for more ideas about where to enjoy food in Japan without harming any animals!
