The salt soup that changes its taste from pork to seafood and dried sardines is delicious! The char siu is also tender and exquisite! I visited during lunchtime. The location is about a 5-minute walk from JR Sobu Line Higashi-Nakano Station. On the way to the restaurant, there is a popular Chinese restaurant called "Daisakajiken" with long lines. Further ahead, there is the ramen shop "Kinari," which is listed as one of the top 100 ramen shops in Tokyo. The restaurant is located in a competitive area. When I arrived at the restaurant, there was only one person waiting inside. I waited for about 5 minutes to be seated. After me, there were about 5 more people waiting, so I was lucky to get a seat quickly. I ordered the Char Siu Ramen with salt for 1,030 yen and an extra flavored egg for 120 yen. The order was served in about 5 minutes. I sat at the counter where I could see the chef's careful arrangement of the dishes. The Char Siu was neatly arranged with 5 large slices, making a great impression. [Visual] The soup color is close to soy sauce. The large Char Siu slices create a strong impact. [Soup] First sip... delicious! Initially, you can taste the animal fat, followed by the flavors of seafood and dried sardines spreading in your mouth... It's a delicious soup. They asked about the soup's concentration when serving, so it seems they adjust it for you... very kind. [Noodles] Low hydration noodles. They have a good texture with a nice bite. They go well with the soup and are delicious noodles. [Char Siu] 5 large slices. The fat content is good, making the Char Siu delicious. Personally, I really liked it. [Menma] Small and easy to eat. [Flavored Egg] Lightly seasoned, it goes well with the ramen. A tasty flavored egg. After finishing the meal, I thought the richly flavored salt ramen was delicious. The soup was especially tasty, with a transition from animal fat to seafood and dried sardines in your mouth that I can't forget. The Char Siu was both voluminous and delicious. If I'm nearby again, I would definitely revisit this restaurant. I had an extremely delicious and enjoyable experience!

I arrived at the restaurant at 11:00 on Sunday when it opened. Since it was Sunday, there was no line to get in. I chose the salt ramen because it was morning. The menma had a different taste from usual and was delicious. The broth was a bit strong, but you could add extra noodles. I was conscious of the salt content, so I left some broth behind. I enjoyed it.

At noon on this day, when heading to Mendokoro Kinari in Higashi-Nakano, there were 5-6 people lined up. Not having the patience to wait in the scorching sun, I decided to give up and eat at a nearby restaurant instead. I had tried their tsukemen before and it was delicious, but this time I decided to try something different, so I ordered the shoyu ramen (780 yen) with an extra serving of noodles (100 yen). The shoyu ramen came with chashu pork, thinly sliced menma bamboo shoots, and green onions, with a simple composition. The soup was not the usual chicken-based clear soup, but a tonkotsu soup made by boiling pork bones and backbones, then adding ground chicken to remove any impurities or excess fat. The shoyu tare sauce was made by mixing Higeta Soy Sauce's honzen (naturally brewed soy sauce) with bonito flakes, mackerel flakes, dried sardines, and aged soy sauce, along with Fukui's fish sauce "ishiru". The broth appeared dark but wasn't as salty as it looked, with a rich soy sauce flavor. The noodles were medium-thin straight noodles with a good chewiness. The two slices of chashu pork (one lean and one fatty) were charcoal-grilled and quite tasty. The extra serving of noodles was generous for the price and left me feeling full. Overall, even though I prefer their tsukemen, this shoyu ramen was also delicious. I might try the salt ramen next time. Thank you for the meal.

I enjoyed a unique and delicious soup that combines pork base with seafood! The soup had a strong presence of seafood and the pepper added a nice accent, making it excellent! The low hydration noodles were a perfect match and very tasty! The charcoal-grilled chashu was also delicious! Truly a great taste!

On a normal day, two of us went around 12:30. There were 2 groups ahead of us, but we were able to be seated in about 10 minutes. They use a ticket system, so we were able to order quickly. The salt ramen had a simple appearance but a deep flavor in the soup. The taste is strong, so I recommend eating it with rice or beer! :)

Opened in 2017, the popular ramen shop "Kashiwagi" in Higashi-Nakano operates only until 4 pm (until 3 pm on Mondays), so be aware of the limited hours. Higashi-Nakano is an area with many popular shops such as "Kinari," "Kounichi," and "Hanaki." The name of the shop comes from the old place name of Higashi-Nakano, "Kashiwagi." The owner previously worked at "Kansho-ken" in Kanagawa, part of the "Menya Kouji Group," then opened his own shop "Mendokoro Imagawa," followed by helping at "Menya Shichisai" and "Raamen Sugi Moto" before opening this shop. Their soy sauce ramen with flavored egg is priced at 780 yen, with an additional 120 yen for the egg. While their salt ramen is famous, this time we tried the soy sauce ramen. The soup has a deep black color, made with three types of soy sauce including Chinese aged soy sauce and anchovy fish sauce, which stimulates the appetite. Despite the dark appearance, the soup is easy to drink with a moderate sweetness and umami from dashi. It reminded me of the image of "Shinfukusaien." Kashiwagi is known for its "tonkotsu shoyu" where they use a Chinese technique called "saotan" to make a clear pork-based soup. They boil pig's knuckles and head over high heat to create a milky white soup, then add pig's back bones and minced chicken to remove excess fat and impurities while keeping the strength of pork bones, resulting in a clear soup. They also use a separate pot to simmer dried fish soup, bonito, mackerel, kombu dashi, and a second dashi made from dried fish and seafood to add depth and complexity to the flavor. The noodles are thin and straight, mixed with wheat flour for a satisfying texture. The noodles cling well to the soup, allowing you to fully enjoy the soy sauce flavor. The charcoal-grilled chashu is firm and smoky, while the sweet flavored egg complements the soy sauce soup. It was delicious, and I might choose soy sauce again next time. Thank you for the meal!

I visited the restaurant around 3:00 pm on August 24th. The place was half full with customers and no waiting time. It was my first visit in a few years. I ordered soy sauce ramen with menma topping (half portion shown in the photo). The noodles were thin with a slight firmness, not too slippery, more on the chewy side. The soup was a dark soy sauce color, slightly intense in flavor. The menma was thinly sliced and a bit too strongly seasoned. The chashu was average, like a roast pork. Overall, if you're in the area around Higashi-Nakano Station, I personally recommend going to Kinari instead.

I visited the restaurant 5 minutes before it opened on a Sunday. There were three people lined up in front of me, and I was worried about waiting in the heat, but surprisingly, I was able to enter smoothly. I ordered Chashu Ramen Shoyu (¥1,030) and a side of seasoned egg on rice (¥150) at the ticket machine. I was seated at the counter closest to the entrance, but I preferred a seat further back because it was hot. The staff inside the counter were working silently. The seasoned egg on rice arrived quickly, but I wished it had come out at the same time as the ramen. The Chashu Ramen Shoyu was served after about 5 minutes. The soup was rich and oily, and it paired well with the noodles. It wasn't particularly impressive to me. I noticed that the restaurant seems to favor salt over soy sauce based on my previous visit and the layout of the ticket machine. The soy sauce flavor was strong and made me thirsty. On such a hot day, I thought it would have been nice to have tsukemen, and I later saw that it was actually a limited menu item on the ticket machine. It was a bit confusing, and I started sweating again. Another customer who came in after me was seated right next to me, even though there were plenty of other empty seats. I couldn't understand why the staff did that, especially on a hot day. Also, I was concerned about the cloth covering the self-service chopsticks on the counter. The soy sauce ramen was not bad, but honestly, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me this time. I'll try the salt ramen or tsukemen next time. Thank you for the meal.

East Nakano. Although I was born and raised along the Chuo Line, I have rarely gotten off at this station. East Nakano seems to be a hot spot for ramen, with two top 100 ramen shops and two in the top 5000. I decided to try ramen in East Nakano and went there for lunch on this day. First, I went to Mendokoro Kinari, one of the top 100 ramen shops in front of the station, but there was a small line under the scorching sun, so I decided to pass and walked further down the street. When I arrived at this top 100 ramen shop, there was no line and one seat was available inside the shop. Lucky me, I decided to eat here. I entered the shop and hesitated for a moment in front of the ticket machine. Since it was my first time, I thought ordering the regular menu would be safe, but following the rule in the top left of the ticket machine, I couldn't resist the appeal of the "summer limited tsukemen," so I ordered the tsukemen (regular, 300g, 900 yen). The noodles were medium-thin and straight, with a smooth texture. On top of the noodles, there was what seemed to be low-temperature cooked rare chashu. The tsukemen dipping sauce was a rich soy sauce base with acidity and spiciness. The perfect balance of acidity in the dipping sauce made it delicious. Inside the dipping sauce were finely sliced menma and green onions. The finely sliced menma paired well with the medium-thin noodles. The noodles and dipping sauce were so delicious that I quickly finished my meal. At this rate, I'm sure the regular menu ramen must be delicious too. I'll definitely go back if I have the chance. Thank you for the meal.

Located about a 7-minute walk from Higashi-Nakano Station on the JR Chuo-Sobu Line. Arrived on a Sunday at 12:40 PM and got seated immediately. The weather was cloudy. The counter seats were all taken. Ordered the Chashu Ramen Shoyu (1,030 yen) just 3 minutes after being seated. The soup was slightly lukewarm, but overall delicious. Unfortunately, I couldn't order an extra serving today, but the option for an extra noodle refill for 100 yen is fantastic.

Originally, Higashi-Nakano Station is a convenient area just two stops away from Shinjuku Station, but it was not a very prominent station (although luxury condominiums are being built everywhere these days). However, I personally quite liked the area for its hidden gourmet atmosphere, with popular dining spots popping up from time to time. Since "Kashiwagi" opened in 2017, followed by Ningen Banzai, Kinari, Fukumen Hanagi, and other popular restaurants entering the scene, the pyramid built by the previous top two, Kounichi and Jyuban, collapsed, and it became a top five. This is just my personal opinion. This is my second visit to Kashiwagi since its opening. Last time, I tried the salt ramen with chashu and egg, which was delicious and popular, but honestly not quite to my taste. I heard that it has been renovated quite a bit since then, so this time I ordered the salt ramen (chashu noodles) for 1,030 yen. The dish was served quickly, arriving within about 3 minutes of seating. The appearance was very beautiful, with the noodles shimmering in the golden soup. The soup, with plenty of aromatic oil, had a strong aroma. It had a mild saltiness, with a slightly unique taste due to the strong dashi of dried fish and vegetable (mushroom?) flavors. The umami of the salt spread well thanks to the strong dashi, making it delicious. The noodles were slightly soft straight thin noodles, with a quite small portion. The noodles themselves didn't have much flavor, but they were a simple style that complemented the soup well. The quality was understandable for a popular restaurant, but perhaps because it has passed its peak, the service felt a bit casual. Thank you for the meal.

Excellent salt ramen. The price was very reasonable and it was very delicious. However, when I was waiting for an extra serving of noodles, I was mistakenly told by the staff, "If you're done eating, please leave." It was disappointing because the taste was good.

I found out about a new tsukemen place on Twitter and decided to check it out. The regular size is 900 yen for 300g. The base is a soy sauce broth with a tangy twist, similar to soy sauce ramen. When it comes to tsukemen, the noodles are usually thick, but these noodles are more like ramen noodles - not too thick, not too thin, almost like Inaniwa udon. The taste is classic and easy to eat, but it left me slightly unsatisfied. If I want this kind of taste, I might go to the nearby "Kounichi" instead.

I have always wanted to visit the famous restaurant Kashiwagi in Higashi-Nakano. Their soy sauce ramen costs 780 yen, 3 slices of chashu for 250 yen, and egg over rice for 150 yen. The soup has a dark color but is rich in flavor and quite delicious. The noodles are also tasty, soaking up the soup well. My friend was bothered by the smell of the restaurant, and I noticed that the water tasted a bit strange. It's not an outstanding bowl of ramen, but it definitely makes me want to go back again. Thank you for the meal!

I was late for lunch again, so I decided to try this place. I had the Char siu ramen with soy sauce for 1030 yen. Since it was Sunday, I chose flat noodles. Luckily, the last flat noodles were available when I ordered because the sign was taken down. I confirmed that I still prefer soy sauce flavor.

For first-timers, I recommend trying the salt ramen. The soup had a thick layer of oil on the surface, making it delicious. However, I personally think a rating of 3.7 is too high. Nevertheless, it's impressive that they offer this ramen for 700 yen in Tokyo.

It was already past 2:30 in the afternoon, so my lunch was quite late. However, this place serves until 4:00 pm, so I was relieved. What's more, I didn't have to wait in line at that time, which was great. Today, I had the salt ramen. I like to add a little habanero sauce when I get an extra serving of noodles. Oh, I thought it would have been nice to try the flat noodles on Sundays, but the regular noodles were delicious too.

I had the salt ramen for 780 yen and the egg over rice for 150 yen. This restaurant is often praised for its affordability, but I personally enjoy the taste of the salt ramen. The flavor is impressive and easy to understand, and I particularly like the menma with a strong pepper taste.

I arrived at the restaurant before 1 o'clock. There were customers already inside, but it wasn't full so I could sit down right away. I decided on soy sauce ramen today, so I quickly pressed the button on the ticket machine. The soup of the soy sauce ramen has a darker color compared to the clear soup of salt ramen, so I thought it might be salty, but it actually has a rich and mellow flavor. Thank you for the meal.