Celebrated table

Ichi-Go Ichi

Name: Ichi-Go Ichi
Address: 31 Rue Fouré, 44000 Nantes, France, Nantes, FR
Telephone: +33 2 40 35 34 30

Ichi-Go Ichi serves focused Japanese ramen in Nantes, recognized by Le Fooding for its eight-hour Tonkotsu broth and dedicated open kitchen.

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The story

Ichi-Go Ichi in Nantes | Precision Japanese Ramen & Le Fooding Recognition

Origins and Craft

Ichi-Go Ichi brings authentic Japanese cooking to the center of Nantes through a partnership born in Niigata. Nantes native Maël Hemmer met chef Toru Hirae at a local inn, where a few glasses of sake sparked a commitment to serve precise noodle soups. Hemmer spent two years traveling across Japan to study regional broths and techniques before opening this street-level spot. Their collaboration keeps the focus squarely on ingredient quality and traditional ramen preparation.

Broth and Bowl

The house Tonkotsu anchors the menu, featuring thin wheat noodles resting in a deeply creamy pork stock. The kitchen simmers the base for eight hours before finishing it with soy sauce and roasted garlic oil. Each bowl arrives topped with sliced chashu, a marinated soft egg, shiitake mushrooms, and fresh chives. Guests can also order a chicken-based Shoyu version or conclude with sweet matcha or black sesame desserts.

Space and Sentiment

A bright blue storefront and a crimson paper banner mark the entrance along Rue Fouré. Inside, a narrow corridor guides diners toward an open kitchen where staff communicate entirely in Japanese. Le Fooding included the spot in its 2026 guide, noting how the compact layout and disciplined technique satisfy regular queues. The name itself reflects a Japanese philosophy that treats every visit as a singular occasion worth remembering.

Recognition

Awards & accolades

2026

Le Fooding

Listed

Ambience

A glimpse inside

Details

At a glance

Le Fooding 2026 — Listed

Cuisines Asian, Japanese

Services Takeaway

History

On the record

2026

Le Fooding — Listed

A firecracker red kakemono bearing hiragana characters is planted out on the sidewalk of Rue Fouré, in front of the blue facade: Ichi go Ichi e (literally “a moment, an encounter” in Japanese, that of Nantes native Maël Hemmer and Japanese chef Toru Hirae from Niigata). In this new temple for ramen slurpers, get in line as you wind your way down the narrow hallway in front of the open kitchen filled with spellbinding aromas, where the kitchen team cries out orders in Japanese to the chef. Then, simply wolf down one of the eight well-made ramens. The day we went for lunch, we opted for a traditional choice, with the Tonkotsu ramen, the house’s specialty – thin noodles, slices of chashu (roasted pork) in an extremely creamy pork broth cooked for eight hours with Shoyu soy sauce and a Mayu garlic oil, plus an ajitama half-egg, black mushrooms and chives. Other options include: Shoyu ramen with chicken broth, Veggie ramen, addictive karaage chicken and gyozas; and for dessert, there’s sweet matcha crème brûlée or black sesame ice cream. // Kate Bouche

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Established

Location

Find us

31 Rue Fouré, 44000 Nantes, France
Nantes, France
+33 2 40 35 34 30
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