Nagoya’s famous Shinkansen platform noodle shop has other, better branches nearby

Travelers love Sumiyoshi’s kishimen, but there’s a way to skip the long line and get a better deal on your meal .

Nagoya an outstanding destination for traveling foodies, thanks to the city’s numerous tasty claims to fame, including tempura shrimp rice balls, a special kind of local miso , and a unique breakfast culture .

Then there’s Nagoya’s representative type of noodles, kishimen , broad udon noodles with a soy sauce-based broth.

Kishimen is so strongly associated with Nagoya that you can even find great places to try it inside Nagoya Station .

Travelers regularly form a long line outside Sumiyoshi , a stand-and-eat kishimen joint on the Shinkansen platform. ▼ The Shinkansen platform Sumiyoshi However, while passing through Nagoya Station the other day we found out that Sumiyoshi also has kishimen stands on three non-Shinkansen platforms, and these are the better ones to go to, for two reasons .

First, they’re less crowded, or at least they were when we stopped by on a weekday afternoon.

At that time, the Shinkansen platform branch, as usual, had a line to get in, but we could walk right into the Sumiyoshi on the non-Shinkansen Line 5/6 platform Sumiyoshi with no waiting . ▼ The Line 5/6 platform Sumiyoshi The other reason to visit one of the non-Shinkansen Sumiyoshi branches? The One-coin Kishimen, which is exclusive to the regular-line branches . ▼ ワンコインきしめん = One-coin Kishimen The “one coin” here refers to the price of just 500 yen (US$3.15), which is also the largest-denomination yen coin.

Suiyoshi already charges 450 yen for a bowl of just plain kishimen noodles, and most topping options beyond some simple seaweed will cost you 700 yen or more.

The One-coin Kishimen, though, is a thoroughly satisfying bargain.

Along with the noodles, you get a nicely sized tempura shrimp, some aburaage (fried tofu), katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and sliced green onion .

This isn’t a mini portion of kishimen to make up for the toppings, either.

It’s a full-sized serving of noodles, with barely any additional charge for all the extras that are in the bowl with them.

And the low price isn’t the result of the non-Shinkansen Sumiyoshi branches using lower-quality ingredients or skimping on seasonings either.

We asked the staff if there was any difference between how the regular and Shinkansen-line locations prepare their noodles, and were informed that they all make their kishimen the exact same way .