A note on the words: machi-chuka refers to neighborhood Chinese diners in Japan serving everyday ramen and fried rice. Chashu is the classic sliced-pork ramen topping; here it is sliced fresh from the block and tossed in a sweet-savory sauce, served as a snack plate or on fried rice. Menma are seasoned bamboo shoots, used here as a crunchy palate cleanser. Negi-shio ramen is a light salt-broth ramen layered with chicken, seafood, and fresh scallions (negi). Zaru-chuka and zaru tantan are chilled ramen noodles served on a strainer with a dipping sauce (the tantan one is sesame-chili), and wonton are delicate dumplings served boiled, fried, or in soup.
Hongo En on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
To all you ramen lovers out there, thank you for waiting! It’s time for Hangover Meshi!
Now, after calling myself a ramen lover, the truth is I happened to see this shop’s chashu fried rice on social media! I just had to go try it, so off I went. A few minutes’ walk from Hongo-sanchome Station along Hongo-dori. From the same group as Chuka Soba Nishino (that was good too), which I visited before, this is a machi-chuka (neighborhood Chinese diner) style shop that opened in March 2024: “Hongo En”. Ramen and fried rice are the two pillars! The chashu fried rice looks so amazingly good!!
Apparently their negi-shio (scallion salt) ramen is famous. I kind of want to try the ramen too.
Standing in front of the ticket machine, I was torn. I want both, but no matter how you look at it, a ramen plus a chashu fried rice is just too much food for me to finish. As I was scanning down the menu…
A flash of inspiration struck!
This way I can have both!
So to start off, let’s have a beer.
Too good!
And to go with the beer…!
Pretty amazing for 500 yen, ha.
After you order, the chashu is sliced fresh from the block, quickly tossed in sauce, and served. It’s lean, and when you bite into it, the tender fibers gently come apart. The sweetness of the sauce coating the surface follows slowly behind, leaving an aftertaste that isn’t heavy at all. The menma is not as strongly flavored as its dark color suggests, offering a pliable, crunchy bite that serves as a nice palate cleanser. When you eat it together with the scallions, the fat instantly feels lighter. The ultimate snack!
A set pairing the negi-shio ramen with a half fried rice. The price is exactly the same as adding up the individual items at the ticket machine, so rather than a discount, it sits there looking as if to say, ‘Here, we prepared a combination for you,’ ha.
First, the ramen! The salt tare has its sharp edges rounded off, and the chicken and seafood layer together seamlessly. The first sip is surprisingly light, but after you swallow, the umami slowly wells back up. Then the aroma and sharp bite of the scallions rise up, distinctly tightening the whole profile. This soup is sooooo good.
The noodles are medium-thick and straight, slipping smoothly in and bouncing back with a springy chew. The chashu is lean and soft, and the menma is not as heavily seasoned as its color suggests, leaving behind just a pleasant, crunchy bite. As you eat your way through, the finely chopped scallions scattered in the broth begin clinging to the noodles, turning the second half into what feels like an entirely different bowl. That refreshing feel keeps softening the saltiness, so it never gets heavy all the way to the end. A refreshing shio ramen, the best!
And here is the half fried rice. Actually, it’s fried rice made by an automatic fried-rice machine? ha. Taking a bite, it’s so good you wouldn’t believe it came from an automated machine, ha. Wait, I want this machine so bad!!!
It’s a simple, egg-led style, and rather than completely loose and dry grains, it sits right midway between crisp and moist. Black pepper works nicely in the background, and the seasoning isn’t overly salty, so it doesn’t get in the way of the clear soup.
Yes, some of you may have noticed already?
Onto this, the snack chashu goes right ON top!
Half chashu fried rice complete!
At the ticket machine, the chashu fried rice is only available as a full portion (1,130 yen), with no half size on offer. So the answer is simply to make it yourself! I’m on fire today! Just moving the pork from the chashu and menma plate onto the half fried rice turns the simple, egg-led dish into a properly meaty one! The sweetness of the sauce drips into the rice and collides with the sharp punch of black pepper, which is fantastic. It ended up looking delicious too, and there is nothing but pure satisfaction here, oh man!
I ate a bit too much, but I’m completely satisfied! Looking back over the menu later, I saw there was also a mini negi-shio ramen, so in hindsight, getting that along with the chashu and menma plate and the half fried rice might have been just the right amount for my stomach. Hours are 11:00 to 15:00 and 17:30 to 20:45, and the ticket machine is cash only. Lunch apparently draws a fair queue, so going right at opening or during the evening session is the smart move! Definitely go and enjoy the delicious-looking chashu fried rice!!
May you meet something delicious today too!
Hongo En Menu and Prices
Noodles
The two main pillars are soy sauce and negi-shio (scallion salt). Wonton options are also available.
Large portion is 1,000 yen
Large portion is 1,300 yen
Ticket machine displays ‘Single-item orders welcome’
Ordering ramen comes with one free bowl of rice. Extra toppings: scallions 100 yen, menma 100 yen, chashu 300 yen, 3 extra wontons 300 yen.
Zaru (Chilled Dipping Noodles)
Tsukemen dipping style. It is helpful that the noodle weight is clearly stated.
Large portion (300g) is 1,050 yen
Large portion (300g) is 1,100 yen
Sets
Single-item order not available
Fried Rice
The other main pillar alongside ramen. Large portions available for all.
Large portion is 930 yen
Large portion is 1,090 yen / extra shrimp 160 yen
Large portion is 1,230 yen
Large portion is 1,230 yen / extra karaage 300 yen
Snacks
4 pieces are 400 yen
4 pieces are 400 yen
Chashu, scallions, menma
Drinks
* From the ticket machine display at the time of visit in September 2026. Payment is cash only; the ticket machine accepts high-denomination bills. Prices and menu details are subject to change, so please check at the shop for the latest information.
Hongo En (Ramen / Hongo-sanchome Station, Suidobashi Station, Ochanomizu Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★★☆ 4.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
