The Best Ten generation suddenly craves something they used to eat in the past, as if an old enka song is running through their head. For example, I had a strong desire to eat tsukemen at Dotonbori in Narimasu, not the current Kawagoe-dori location but the one before it. The place I had been visiting for years. When I peeked inside, the restaurant was packed. I had to wait outside, and a man who arrived after me went in first to buy his meal ticket at the vending machine, which made me quite anxious. I wondered if it was a rule to buy a meal ticket before lining up. Is this a common practice? Eventually, the lady behind me reassured me, saying, "Customers go first, right?" I felt relieved. Unlike the previous part-timer who always chatted with regulars, tonight's staff member also engaged in conversations with regulars. Communication with regulars is important, as long as it doesn't affect work, I think. But it may not be pleasant for first-time customers. I strongly felt that this time. It's not a ramen shop but more of an izakaya atmosphere, where regulars are actually called by their last names. About 90% of the seats were taken. Even my mother, who used to visit with me regularly before the relocation a few months ago, seemed to sense the change. If someone heard that certain people are not allowed to sit at certain counter seats, I wonder what they would think. I ordered my usual: tsukemen with egg and wakame topping. Although the price has gone up due to inflation, the wakame from Naruto in Dotonbori is still the best I've ever had. However, having been away from Dotonbori for a few years now, and having tasted rich seafood tsukemen recently, I feel like the light tsukemen soup at Dotonbori may not be satisfying enough. When I consider how people's taste buds adapt, it's a bit scary. The taste itself hasn't changed, as far as I could tell. It's also challenging to maintain the soup's condition throughout the day. The highlight was seeing the owner, Mr. Shoji's face. I'm sorry, I'm not in a position to comment on others, but seeing him age gracefully year by year... I hope he stays healthy for a long time. I wanted to have some gyoza, but they were already sold out close to 8 p.m. The marinated chashu appetizer was a perfect match for beer.

I visited a legendary restaurant in Narimasu, Chuka Men Dokonbori, which boasts a rating of 3.74 on Tabelog (currently a top-rated establishment). This place is highly respected, with a reputation that even surpasses the prestigious Ben Ten. The owner, Mr. Yamagishi of Higashi-Ikebukuro Daishoken, is known to have acknowledged this restaurant as better than his own when asked. Chuka Men Dokonbori is an old establishment founded in 1984 and has even been selected as one of the top ramen shops in the past. The soup, made from chicken, pork, dried sardines, and kelp, has a strong umami flavor from the dried sardines, creating a traditional Tokyo ramen base with a hint of chicken broth. The homemade medium-thick noodles, passed down by Mr. Yamagishi, resemble those of Daishoken, round and firm in texture. The char siu has a rare tenderness with a satisfying bite. As the soup cools down, the umami flavors of kelp and dried sardines become more pronounced, offering a subtle change in taste. Overall, the experience was delightful, and I forgot to take a picture of the freshly served ramen. It was a delicious meal. Thank you.

I had the Menma Ramen as my main dish. It was simple, but being a popular restaurant, the delicious soup was well-balanced. The Menma had varying textures which added a nice accent. With naruto on top, I believe it's basically a tasty Chinese-style ramen.

Ticket vending machine. 950 yen. The topping green onions had a significant deviation from what I had imagined... It had a strange fluffy texture... The dipping sauce was plentiful and quite salty... The noodles were quite voluminous, seems to be homemade medium-thin straight noodles. Thank you for the meal.

I arrived around 11:30 a.m. prepared to wait in line, knowing that the restaurant opens at 11 a.m. There were already 5 groups lined up, and we were able to enter around 12 p.m. It was my first time visiting, so I ordered the basic Chinese soba and salt ramen. Despite the high ratings on Tabelog, I have to say that it didn't meet my expectations. Perhaps it would have been different if I had tried other menu items or toppings.

Instagram @tokyorocks69 https://www.instagram.com/tokyorocks69/ It's amazing! I want to eat here every week if possible. If you live nearby, it's a must to have Benten for lunch and Dotombori for dinner. This ramen, which now falls into the classic category, is truly respected by the owner. A very important place for Tokyo Rocks. The Special Chuka Soba with extra noodles was fantastic! Thank you for the meal. Instagram @tokyorocks69 Instagram Tokyo Rocks https://www.instagram.com/tokyorocks69/

I visited the restaurant on Sunday at 12:20. There was a wait of 6 people, including a family of 4 and 2 solo customers. We progressed smoothly and entered after 10 minutes, purchased food tickets, and took our seats. I ordered the ramen with flavored egg for 1,000 yen. The ramen arrived in about 5 minutes, and it was a traditional type of ramen with a mild bonito flavor. The kids loved the taste. The noodles were slightly thick and straight, complementing the soup well. The toppings included naruto, bamboo shoots, seaweed, 2 slices of char siu, flavored egg, and green onions. It was a classic but delicious dish. Inside the restaurant, there were conversations between the staff and regular customers. They were greeting various customers with comments like "You've grown so much" and "It's been a while." The atmosphere of being well-loved for a long time added to the delicious experience. It was very tasty. Thank you for the meal.

I visited around 11:30 on Saturday, and the restaurant was about 80% full. According to the staff, "Today is unusually empty." I had the tsukemen (900 yen). It was like a soy sauce-based ramen with fish powder and the depth of kombu, with various toppings, and it was delicious. The two men in the kitchen had shaved heads, and the interior, though somewhat old, felt clean. It had an atmosphere of a sincere ramen shop.

I've been curious about this place because there's always a line, and today I finally visited. I had the Chinese soba. As you can see in the picture, it's similar in taste to Higashi-Ikebukuro Daikoku-ken, with a strong dried fish flavor. Both the noodles and soup are excellent. The chashu is the type that you have to chew quite a bit before it cuts, so it would be even better if it were softer. But it was delicious, so I would like to go again.

When it comes to Narimasu, there are two legendary restaurants, "Benten" and "Chuka Men Dokoro Dotonbori". Both started as Chinese soba shops that respected Mr. Yamagishi and pursued their own unique flavors. I visited Dotonbori, a long-standing challenge shop. It's about a 2-minute walk from Tobu Tojo Line Narimasu Station, located along Kawagoe Kaido. There was no line, so I purchased a meal ticket from the ticket machine. It was full, so I waited on a bench outside for a while. After about 5 minutes, I was called in. The special dipping noodles cost 1300 yen (there was a notice of price revision on the ticket machine). The noodle plate comes with two types of chashu (rare chashu made from pork thigh meat, pork belly), seasoned egg, seaweed, and fresh wakame. The estimated noodle amount is about 300g of homemade medium-thin noodles with a refreshing texture. The dipping sauce is a light soy sauce dipping sauce with a fragrant seafood and dried fish stock. The finishing oil covering the surface is fragrant. The toppings include menma, naruto, and green onions. The saltiness is solid, so there is no lack of flavor, and it can be slurped smoothly. It is a nostalgic dipping soba, but the chashu is made with current techniques. The moist texture of the pork thigh meat and the melting pork belly are excellently prepared. It's a Chinese soba in a different direction from Benten. It was delicious and felt like a unique landing point for the East Ikebukuro Taishoken respect series.

Ticket vending machine. 900 yen. By default, it comes with two types of chashu, plenty of menma, seaweed, naruto, and a little green onion... The soup is quite rich, so I enjoyed the taste multiple times. Personally, I wish there were more green onions in this soup... The green onions are very delicious. There are also other tempting toppings like wakame, but the green onions cost 200 yen... I hesitated a bit, but I thought they went really well. The noodles are plentiful and satisfying in volume. The lingering taste after finishing the meal is excellent. The soup has a perfect balance of saltiness and a strong dashi flavor, making it very flavorful! It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I visited a new store specializing in Chinese ramen for 1,250 yen, but it was temporarily closed. I decided to visit this place after a long time. It was almost full at around 6 p.m. on Saturday. Luckily, I managed to secure the last seat. I chose the special Chinese ramen at the ticket machine by the entrance. It took about 10 minutes until the ramen was served. The bowl was filled with ingredients - two types of char siu, naruto, wakame, menma, half-boiled egg, and seaweed. The soup was a light soy sauce flavor with a rich dashi taste. The thin noodles had a good texture, slightly on the softer side. I'm not a fan of wakame, but the char siu was outstanding. The lean char siu had a firm texture and a great meaty flavor. The melt-in-your-mouth char siu had a nostalgic, rich flavor. This is a long-established famous store. Next time, I want to try the spicy char siu noodles.

I visited the famous restaurant "Dotonbori-san" in Narimasu. It's definitely our family's favorite place, and I can only go when our family's schedule aligns because if I go alone, everyone gets mad at me. We went on a weekday evening before the Bon Festival, and around 6 p.m., we were able to get in without waiting. We greeted the famous lady and the owner, bought our meal tickets, and ordered 3 tsukemen with one large serving (mild), two regular servings, a snack set, beer, rice, green onions, seasoned egg, seaweed, and as usual, a lot of meal tickets. We got the beer and snack set first. I love Dotonbori-san's chashu and seaweed, so I enjoyed them with my beer. Most of it was taken by my daughter though. Dotonbori-san is slow with their service, so it's hard to go if you're in a hurry, but we were aware of that and waited patiently. Then the tsukemen arrived with a large amount of noodles. The large serving is really impressive. The noodles were great to slurp, with a wonderful texture even though they're medium-thick straight noodles like at Daikokuken. The wheat aroma isn't too strong, they're not too firm, and they're deliciously supple. The dipping sauce isn't as sweet, sour, or spicy as at Daikokuken, so it might seem light to some, but it had a strong umami that was just right for us. While eating the noodles, we had rice with green onions and seaweed, my daughter who ordered a regular serving didn't have enough noodles and took some from me, and we all finished the soup together, completely satisfied. Since it wasn't crowded today, we enjoyed a leisurely meal, chatting with the owner about his food adventures and delicious restaurants like Daikokuken. The famous lady's service may be a bit divisive, and newcomers might feel uncomfortable, but she seems well-intentioned. The owner, who's 60, seems to love eating so much that he can eat multiple meals in a row without any problem. I hope he stays healthy and keeps the restaurant going for a long time. It got long, but thank you for the meal.

A famous long-established ramen shop representing Itabashi Ward, Tokyo. Accessible via Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line/Fukutoshin Line, just a short walk from Subway Narimasu Station, or a 4-minute walk from Tobu Tojo Line Narimasu Station (South Exit). Located along Kawagoe Kaido. There is no parking lot, so please use nearby coin parking. Established in 1984. Even after nearly 40 years since opening, this shop continues to be loved by ramen enthusiasts in Tokyo. By the way, the famous shop "Chuka Soba Benten" is also located nearby. Two renowned shops in the Narimasu area, amazing, right...!! Now, the visit was around 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was almost full, with both counter and table seating available. The homely atmosphere was impressive, with families among the customers. [Impressions] It was delicious~!!!! The soup and noodles were all delicious, a bowl that pleases all palates. This Chuka Soba clearly shows why it has been loved for so long. Truly a top-notch shop! The soup surface had plenty of oil, possibly lard, floating on it, piping hot. The rich umami of chicken and pork as a base, combined with the vivid umami of seafood such as dried fish and bonito, was felt distinctly. The soup was quite rich in flavor, subtly bitter and acidic, yet not overpowering, appealing to all tastes. Light yet rich soup, delicious! Additionally, the soy sauce seasoning gently complemented the broth. The homemade medium-thick straight noodles were outstanding. They were springy, chewy, and had a delightful smoothness, with a good mouthfeel. The flavor of the wheat was also very pronounced! They paired well with the soup. These high-quality noodles set this ramen shop apart from the rest. The char siu topping was also delicious! The meat was firm yet tender, thick, and satisfying. **There were also appetizers and beer available (this Chuka Soba definitely goes well with beer, haha). Highly recommended to order!

▪️Restaurant Name: "Chinamen Dokonbori"▪️Tabelog Rating: 3.74 (as of July 2023)Opened in 1984! This is one of the two giants of the Narimasu ramen scene. I visited around 12:30 on a weekday and was able to get in right away!✂︎┈┈┈┈┈┈Ordered Items┈┈┈┈┈┈☑︎ Special Chinamen Ramen @ 1200 yen✂︎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈The interior exudes a nostalgic atmosphere, with 10 seats at the counter and another 10 at tables, making it a convenient spot for families. The Chinamen ramen arrived in about 10 minutes. The slightly oily, slightly cloudy amber-colored soup is topped with chashu, seasoned egg, seaweed, nori, bamboo shoots, narutomaki, and more. The soup has a moderate impact, combining bonito and dashi broth with a hint of animal broth for richness and depth. Various flavors intersect in your mouth, creating a nostalgic and delicious experience. The noodles are medium-thin and slightly flat straight noodles. Cooked perfectly, they are smooth on the surface, have a good bite, and pair well with the soup, providing a refreshing mouthfeel. The chashu is thickly sliced, offering different textures and flavors between the fatty and lean parts. Overall, the cooking is spot on, with no dryness. Seaweed is a relatively rare topping that you might only encounter when eating ramen at home, but it adds a stable and delicious taste when soaked in the broth. The seasoned egg was rich and creamy! I thoroughly enjoyed this legendary and popular restaurant's traditional bowl of ramen! I plan to try their tsukemen next time. Thank you for the meal!✂︎┈┈┈┈┈Restaurant Information┈┈┈┈┈▪️Location: 2-17-2 Narimasu, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo▪️Nearest Station: About 1 minute walk from Narimasu Subway Station▪️Business Hours: Around 11:00-14:00 / 17:30-20:00 (Closed once the soup runs out for both lunch and dinner)▪️Regular Holidays: Wednesdays and Thursdays, except for the 2nd and 4th Thursdays where they are open for lunch only✂︎┈┈┈┈┈

Just a short walk from the subway Narimasu Station on the Yurakucho Line, or a 2-minute walk from the south exit of the Tobu Tojo Line Narimasu Station. Located along a main street, this popular spot is called "Chukamen Dokoro Dotombori." Arrived at 1:25 pm on a weekday and there were 3 people waiting outside. Waited about 5 minutes before being seated inside. The menu on the ticket machine is mostly handwritten, with additional menu above the machine. Directed to a counter seat. Inside the wooden-themed restaurant, a pleasant aroma of dried fish broth fills the air. The dipping noodles cost 900 yen, topped with seaweed in the center of the noodles. The noodles are slightly thin and flat, defaulting to firm texture. Smooth and satisfying, with a good bite. The dipping soup is lukewarm, with naruto, seaweed, and plenty of green onions. Not as strong as it looks, with a slight oily feel and a hint of dried fish broth bitterness. Crisp soy sauce flavor with a subtle acidity. Deep umami flavor, incredibly delicious! The hand holding the spoon just can't stop... Inside the dipping soup are wide strips of menma and 2 slices of chashu. Moist and tender pork, so delicious. After savoring each flavor, dip the noodles into the soup. Next time, I definitely want to try the "Chuka Soba." Also curious about the "Special Spicy Chili" topping.

Whenever I come to Narimasu, I always wanted to visit Dotonbori-san but hadn't been able to until now. I ordered the large serving of Chuka soba. The restaurant really focuses on Chuka soba, with no rice dishes on the menu and only pepper available at the counter. After a short wait, the large serving of Chuka soba was served! It's hard to tell from the photos, but the bowl was huge! I was worried if I could finish it all, but after tasting the soup, I was sure I could! The noodles were deliciously chewy, and it was the best Chuka soba I've had! Thank you for the meal~(^o^)

Located very close to Nariwadai Station, this ramen shop is a long-standing establishment that has been around for about 40 years. I visited once about 15 years ago, but don't remember much except for some unpleasant experience with the service. Since then, I hadn't returned. However, that's all water under the bridge now, and not remembering anything, I entered as if it were my first visit. The shop was quiet as it was close to closing time. Regular customers were leisurely enjoying sake. I decided to have a beer too. I purchased a bottle of beer and a bowl of Chuka soba from the ticket machine at the entrance. While sipping on a Heartland beer, my order arrived in about 10 minutes. Wow, the visual aesthetics here are so nostalgic and full of Showa era charm! It's really wonderful, something you don't see often these days. The aroma of dried sardines and bonito is very pleasant. When I tasted the soup, the flavor of dried sardines spread throughout. It's light yet rich, with a perfectly balanced dashi and saltiness. Delicious!! Normally, I might find it slightly salty, but on this scorching hot day, the saltiness was very much welcomed, making it even more delicious. The soup had a very pleasant aftertaste. The homemade thin straight noodles were slightly flat in shape. They slid down smoothly, had a slightly chewy texture, and were to my liking. Delicious! What was intriguing was that while eating, I couldn't shake the feeling of "nostalgia" in my mind. I have no idea what I was feeling nostalgic about, but for some reason, this ramen evoked a strong sense of nostalgia. It was a simple yet deeply flavorful bowl. It was delicious! I will definitely come back.

I stopped by after work. I prefer rich flavors, but I've been challenging myself not to avoid dishes that vary in taste depending on salt concentration. When I entered the restaurant, there was a ticket machine right in front of me. I ordered the special dipping noodles, which would likely have everything in it, even though there were no photos. While waiting, I observed the counter and noticed that there were no essential items like paper towels anywhere. There were no signs for things like extra soup, and various notices about COVID-19 prevention were posted on the walls. It's a bit disappointing that there are no indications about services like not using your phone while eating or what they can offer in this day and age. The special dipping noodles cost 1,250 yen, which is quite pricey. It included a full lineup, with the unusual addition of seaweed on the noodles, 4 slices of chashu, a flavored egg, and the classic toppings. The regular serving had quite a lot of noodles. The soup was rich and delicious, but not too thick, and it coated the smooth and chewy regular-sized noodles nicely. There was a lot of soup left, and it was a bit too strong to drink as it is, so it would have been nice to have some diluted soup on the side. It might have been available, but since no one ordered it, I'm not sure. However, the regular customers seemed to be enjoying beer with a snack set, so that might be the main attraction here. The taste was really delicious. The light and dry style was also tasty.