Part of: Where to Eat in Akihabara: 11 Shops Compared
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I ate here on 2 October 2026 and photographed the ticket machine and the counter cards. Every price below is what the machine showed that day.
Yes, if you want a brothless noodle bowl with some heat. Yuzu Labo (麺処ゆずラボ。) serves dry tantanmen and zhajiang noodles with yuzu juice on the side, you choose how spicy and how numbing it is, and the shop is right by Exit A1 of Iwamotocho Station. Bowls start at ¥1,100. It is cash only.
What is Yuzu Labo?
A small noodle shop built around one idea: yuzu. The banner outside describes the main bowl as yuzu sourness, Sichuan pepper numbness, chilli-oil heat and minced-meat miso. There is no soup in it. The noodles sit in a sauce at the bottom of the bowl and you mix them yourself.
The shop name on the sign is 麺処ゆずラボ。 with "YUZU Lab." under it. The official site lists this one as its Akihabara main shop.
How much does it cost?
¥1,100 for any of the three standard bowls, ¥1,400 for the set version. Prices include tax. This is what was on the ticket machine.
| Button | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuzu-scented dry tantanmen (汁なし担々麺), extra yuzu juice included | ¥1,100 |
| 2 | Yuzu-scented hot zhajiang noodles (温製ジャージャー麺) | ¥1,100 |
| 3 | Yuzu-scented cold zhajiang noodles (冷製ジャージャー麺) | ¥1,100 |
| 5–7 | The same three bowls as a set (セット) | ¥1,400 each |
| 9 | Large noodles (麺大盛り) | +¥150 |
| 10 | Two-bite rice (2口ご飯) | ¥100 |
| 11 | Medium rice (中ライス) | ¥150 |
| 12 | Large rice (大ライス) | ¥200 |
| 13 | Soft-boiled egg | ¥150 |
| 14 | Coriander (パクチー) | ¥250 |
| 15 | Tomato and purple onion marinade | ¥250 |
| 16 | Pork belly chashu simmered in dashi | ¥300 |
| 17 | Extra yuzu juice | ¥50 |
Drinks on the machine: Asahi Super Dry small bottle ¥500, Asahi Dry Zero ¥450, Suntory oolong tea 350 ml ¥300, Coca-Cola ¥350.
Large noodles are not free here, unlike at IFU. The button carries an English note: You can't add it later. So decide before you buy the ticket.
How do you choose the spiciness and numbing level?
You tell the staff two numbers. Spiciness runs 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and numbing (the Sichuan pepper effect) runs 0, 1, 2, 3. Level 1 on each is the standard and is marked "Basic". Half steps can be requested. The card on the counter explains this in English.
| Levels | |
|---|---|
| Spiciness (辛さ) | 0.5 as mild as possible · 1 slightly spicy (basic) · 2 more spicy · 3 very spicy |
| Numbness (痺れ) | 0 without numbing · 1 a little numb (basic) · 2 numb more · 3 numb the most |
I had level 1 on both. It was mild for me, not much heat and not much numbness. Next time I will go higher on both, and I would suggest the same to anyone who eats Sichuan food regularly. If you do not, level 1 is a reasonable first try.
The same card has instructions for eating it. Mix from the bottom 15 to 20 times. The yuzu juice that comes in a small jug is very sour, so add it little by little and mix again, which softens the sourness. Pots of ground Sichuan pepper, chilli and other seasonings sit on the counter.
Can you pay by card?
No. Bring cash. The machine has a coin slot (500, 100, 50 and 10 yen) and a note slot marked ¥1,000 that says it accepts the new notes. I saw no card or IC card reader and no payment stickers on it. At ¥1,100 a bowl, carry at least a ¥1,000 note and some coins, because the slot is labelled for ¥1,000 only.
Does the ticket machine have English?
Only a little. The button labels are Japanese. The one English line I can confirm is on the large-noodles button. The counter cards, however, are fully bilingual, and the menu is short: three bowls, so you do not need to read much. Press button 1 and you are ordering the signature dish. I did not see a language switch on the machine; that is unconfirmed, so do not count on one.
Is there anything for vegetarians?
Probably not. The signature bowl is topped with minced-meat miso according to the shop's own banner, and the chashu is pork. I did not ask about a meat-free option and have no source for one, so treat this as unconfirmed and ask the staff or choose another shop for a vegetarian in your group.
When is it open?
On the official site, 11:00 to 22:00 on weekdays (last order 21:30) and 11:00 to 21:00 on weekends and holidays (last order 20:30). I read the closed days as Sunday in a search listing, but the official page I checked does not state them, so confirm before a Sunday trip.
Where exactly is it?
By Exit A1 of Iwamotocho Station, a minute or so on foot. It is also about four minutes from JR Akihabara, according to a ramen blog. The official site gives the address as 2-8 Kanda-Sudacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (CHA-CHA Building, 1F). Look for the large cream banner hanging beside a wooden-framed door with a 営業中 (open) sign.
How does it compare to IFU?
Different bowls. IFU is hot miso ramen in a thick broth, from ¥790, with large noodles free, open from 5am, and it takes IC cards. Yuzu Labo is a brothless bowl from ¥1,100, with adjustable heat and numbing, large noodles at ¥150, daytime and evening hours, and cash only. Go to IFU for cheap and filling. Go to Yuzu Labo if you want something you will not find at a standard ramen chain.
All the shops I have eaten at and photographed are side by side in one table on Where should you eat in Akihabara?
In one table
| Style | Brothless dry tantanmen and zhajiang noodles with yuzu |
| Budget | ¥1,100 a bowl, ¥1,400 as a set |
| First-timer order | Button 1, dry tantanmen, levels 1 and 1 |
| Large noodles | +¥150, choose before you buy the ticket |
| Hours | 11:00–22:00 weekdays, 11:00–21:00 weekends and holidays (official site) |
| Address | 2-8 Kanda-Sudacho, Chiyoda-ku, CHA-CHA Building 1F (official site) |
| Nearest exit | Iwamotocho Station Exit A1, about 1 min |
| Payment | Cash only |
| Vegetarian | Unconfirmed, probably not |
| English | Bilingual counter cards; machine labels in Japanese |
Frequently asked questions
Is level 1 spicy enough? For me it was mild on both scales. If you like Sichuan food, start at 2.
Can I get it less numbing? Yes. Numbness goes down to 0, and the shop will adjust in 0.5 steps.
What do I do with the little jug of yuzu juice? Add it a little at a time and mix again. The card says it is strongly sour.
Can I bring a group on an Akihabara tour? Yes for people who eat meat and can handle some spice. It is a small counter shop, so a large group may need to split up. Tell me in advance about any vegetarian or allergy and I will pick somewhere else.
Sources and honesty note
Prices, button labels, the spice and numbing levels and the payment slots are transcribed from photographs I took on 2 October 2026. The hours and address are from the shop's official site, yuzulab.jp, checked on 4 November 2026. The one-minute walk from Iwamotocho and four minutes from JR Akihabara come from a ramen blog review of January 2024. I have not confirmed the closed days, the contents of the ¥1,400 set, a language switch on the machine, or any vegetarian option, and the text says so where it matters.
No affiliate links. I wrote this because I liked the shop and will go back for a stronger bowl.
About the author. I am Yuuki, an anime tour guide based in Akihabara. I run private anime tours in English most weeks, and I have watched over 1,500 anime series, which is either a qualification or a warning depending on your point of view.
See the Akihabara anime tour →
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