Chukasoba Takano / 中華そば多賀野 - Ebara-Nakanobu
Chukasoba Takano has been a staple of the top ramen of Tokyo lists and “best ramen in Japan” lists for a quite a while. Opened in 1996, Takano serves an old school style of ramen that perfectly hits the nostalgic spot for some hot soup and noodles on a cold day, or any day really.
Vending machine with full menu at Chukasoba Takano - lots of options!
The menu at Chukasoba Takano is quite extensive, ranging from classic bowls of shoyu and shio ramen to dipping noodle bowls called tsukesoba (more commonly known as tsukemen). From what I’ve seen I would say that probably around 50% of the people actually go for the tsukesoba, so I’ll probably have to go back again to try those as well.
The shoyu ramen you see here consist of a broth chicken and niboshi dried fish (iwashi), which is well balanced between the chicken and fish elements, as well as an excellent shoyu seasoning. Floating around the bowl you will see bits of pork back fat, which also give off an old timey vibe. The toppings are quite classic, but well executed. Two different types of pork chashu are combined with some zingy green onion and crunchy menma. The egg is bright deep orange on the inside and still quite gooey when popped.
Excellent classic shoyu ramen with that familiar umami hit
Honestly, from the first slurp you get that familiar “oh yeah” sensation all ramen heads crave.
You need to get a food ticket and time ticket. Get updates on your waiting time via the QR code on the time ticket.
When going to Chukasoba Takano, be aware that they are only open for lunch and that you will have to expect quite some waiting time, somewhere around 1-2 hours, depending on the day you go. I personally had to wait 69 (nice) minutes. The good thing is that you don’t have to stand in line in front of the shop. They have a time ticket system, which is connected to a website, which automatically updates and informs you about your waiting time. You get access to it via the QR code on the time ticket. Once you get your time ticket (all in English if you like) you are also asked to buy your food ticket. Get that as well and then go explore the area around Ebara-Nakanobu station, which has quite a few interesting small stores around its nearby shopping street.
I had to wait 69 minutes for my bowl, which is apparently on the lower end for this shop.
You can easily get to Ebara-Nakanobu station with the Ikegami Line, which is accessible from Gotanda on the Yamanote Line, which every Tokyo traveler should be familiar with.
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