Marusho

For Japanese ramen’s less soupy cousin, check out this “Taiwan maze-soba” spot centrally located amidst the giant shopping complexes of the JR Osaka / Umeda Station area.

The entrance to Marusho, inside the EST Food Hall © Angelino Donnachaidh

For those nerds whose cross-section of preoccupations include both food and history – of which I am one – Taiwan maze-soba is one of those dishes whose nomenclature is either very amusing or incredibly frustrating, depending on how you look at it. But more on that below. Let’s talk about the food first.

Of course, as anyone with my particular combination of preoccupations also already knows: convoluted naming conventions really have no bearing on the quality or deliciousness of a dish. That which we call “Taiwan maze-soba” by any other name would indeed still taste as toothsome. And it’s hard to think of a better place to try this hearty, flavorful twist on ramen while in Osaka than at Menya Marusho in the EST Food Hall, centrally located in the JR Osaka & Umeda station-front area.

I don’t usually go in for ramen or maze-soba in general unless I’m in an extremely indulgent mood (and feel I’ve earned the indulgence by sustained exceptionally healthy eating and/or exercise), so if you catch me at Marusho, you’ll almost always catch me springing straight for the “DX” maze-soba, which throws loads more meat and a couple of gyoza right into the bowl of noodles alongside the usual seasoned stir-fried ground meat, chewy menma stewed bamboo shoots, fresh leeks and green onions, crisp nori dried seaweed, and egg yolk toppings. You can also get the same DX combination in less spicy “salt” or more aromatic “curry” versions as well.

Marusho’s maze-soba is served up on a large L-shaped countertop © Angelino Donnachaidh

Still, waistline-conscious as my metabolism unfortunately forces me to be, I don’t usually go for the delectable side order of fried rice. But it’s there if you want it, and boy does it make itself hard to regret. This is especially true of the spicy “Taiwan fried rice” variety, which is only served after 3:00pm. If you’re a fried chicken lover then you’d also be remiss to skip the side karaage here, as it’s also done just right.

So what was I saying about the name of Taiwan maze-soba being either frustrating or amusing? Well, it’s definitely the former if you’re the sort who would prefer for everything to be named in simple ways that make straightforward descriptive sense. It’s more likely the latter if you’re the sort who is familiar with the arbitrariness of food naming traditions and enjoys the wackiness that often results from them (the “quesadilla con queso” convention peculiar to Mexico City comes to mind, which – if you know, you know).

This is because most sane people encountering “Taiwan maze-soba” for the first time would logically conclude from its name that it is a dish from Taiwan. But it actually originates in Nagoya, Japan. The dish is just named for the “Taiwan-style” spicy ground meat served atop it.

Also because the “soba” part does not refer to Japanese buckwheat noodle “soba” (so no, if this has confused you, you’re not crazy), but to chuka-soba, which literally translates to “Chinese soba” and is more or less another word for ramen. So for the hyper-literal maze-soba means “mixed Chinese noodles,” with the “mixed” part referring to the fact that this is a dish of noodles served topped with all the fixings but dry (i.e. without soup), and scrambled together by the diner before eating.

So now you know. But go and try it, and see how long you can manage to care about any of this.

Ramen options (i.e. noodles with soup) are also available.

About Angelino Donnachaidh
Angelino Donnachaidh is a Mexican-American father, author, Japanese-English translator, and longtime resident of Osaka, Japan. His works include the middle grade (pre-)historical fiction novel Tamiu: A Cat’s Tale (Winner of the North Street Prize and CWA Muse Medallion), the YA post-cyberpunk heist adventure screenplay Brother (Winner of the HollywoodGenre 2025 Scifi Screenplay Competition), and the upcoming samurai scifi-fantasy action-thriller novel The Mayhem Protocols.

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Marusho Information

Name in English:
Menya Marusho EST

Name in Japanese:
麺や マルショウ 梅田EST店

English address:
〒530-0017 Osaka, Kita Ward, Kakudacho, 3−25 EST 1F

Japanese address:
〒530-0017 大阪府大阪市北区角田町3-25 EST 1F

Opening hours:
11:00am-9:45pm every day

Non-smoking area: Yes

Price:
¥1000-¥2000 per person

Nearest transport:
3-minute walk from Osaka-Umeda Station on the Hankyu Kyoto, Kobe, and Takarazuka Main Lines
5-minute walk from Umeda Station on the Osaka Metro (Subway) Midosujii Line
5-minute walk from Osaka Umeda Station on the Hanshin Line
6-minute walk from Osaka Station on the JR Loop, Tokaido-Sanyo, and Osaka East Lines

Website: Official website (Japanese)

Near To Here:
Marusho is located in Osaka’s Kita and Umeda district. See our complete list of things to do in the Kita and Umeda district, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

Best Osaka Restaurants
See our list of the best Osaka restaurants for even more ideas about great places to eat in Osaka and our other recommended ramen in Osaka.

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