A note on the words: miso ramen is ramen whose broth is seasoned with fermented soybean paste, and hanamichi-kei is the Tokyo lineage of thick, rich miso ramen descended from a shop called Hanamichi. Chashu is the braised pork slice, ajitama the soy-marinated soft-boiled egg, and tonkotsu the white broth simmered from pork bones. Akaboshi is a beer brand. Meal tickets are bought from a machine before you sit down. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Miso Mendokoro Tasakaya on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
I want to eat something good today too. This is Hangover Meshi. I had come to Ikebukuro to shop, so for lunch I decided on the miso ramen place on the west side that I had wanted to go to for ages and never managed: Miso Mendokoro Tasakaya. I had time, so I came right after opening, prepared to line up. It was not madly crowded, though. There were about five people in front of the shop, and I suppose it was fifteen minutes or so before I got in. Hanamichi-style miso ramen, and it has been a while. Looking forward to it.
When you reach the front they show you in and you buy a meal ticket.
This must be a shop that is normally very busy, because everything from being seated to being served runs very smoothly.
Miso ramen with seasoned egg and chashu, 1,350 yen
Spicy miso ramen with seasoned egg and chashu, 1,380 yen
Sauce-tossed noodles with seasoned egg and chashu, 1,380 yen
IWGP extra-hot ramen with seasoned egg and chashu, 1,430 yen
There are versions without the egg and chashu too, but these four had the big buttons and were clearly the featured ones, so I chose from among them. The spicy miso ramen, I think. This IWGP extra-hot ramen — is IWGP Ikebukuro West Gate Park? I was curious, but since I had come to a famous shop I wanted to start with the ordinary spicy miso ramen. And of course I asked for a beer as well.
First, the beer.
The beer here is Akaboshi. They even give you a snack with it, which is a nice touch.
Lately I have got rather hooked on having a drink alongside my ramen.
(I do order less noodles to compensate ^^)
And this chashu snack is very good as well.
Generally when I drink beer at a ramen shop I drink it with the broth or with the toppings, but this snack was good enough that the beer went down fast before the ramen even arrived. And then, after a while, the ramen came.
That looks extremely good.
The noodle portion is small, but with a heap of bean sprouts, the seasoned egg and the chashu, it looks substantial.
First a mouthful of the broth. Well now — rich. A solid tonkotsu flavor with heat as an accent. I do not know about the IWGP, but this spicy miso ramen only carries enough heat to work as an accent, so you can still make out the layered aromas that give the miso and the broth their complexity.
Hanamichi-style ramen is known for a rich, deep broth, but this one is well balanced and not heavy. An easy miso ramen to eat through. Good.
And on the table, chopped garlic. There is no way I am leaving that out.
In it goes, and once it is stirred into the broth the scent of garlic swells the flavor several times over. The final form of the punchy spicy miso ramen. Adding the garlic is what completes it. Delicious.
The noodles are medium-thick, wavy, and firm. Substantial enough to be eaten in great mouthfuls without being beaten by the rich miso broth.
I had asked for less noodles and I am still perfectly full. If you are drinking beer with it, less is the right call. The noodles are thick enough, though perhaps a little thinner than at other shops. Heat, savor and miso all sit on the noodles nicely.
Full. Thoroughly satisfied.
Hanamichi-style ramen really is good. For the first time in a while I drank a fair amount of the broth as well. It goes so well with garlic that it is almost a problem. If coming right after opening means a line only this long, I may be able to make a habit of it. Hanamichi-style is comparatively clean and easy to eat, so if you want to try a rich miso ramen this may be a very good first bowl. Recommended.
Miso Mendokoro Tasakaya (Ramen / Ikebukuro Station, Kanamecho Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★★☆ 4.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
