A note on the words: a teishoku is a set meal built around one main dish, with rice, soup and something on the side. Yakibuta and chashu both mean braised or roasted pork belly, the same cut that tops a bowl of ramen; here it is cut thick and laid over rice with fried eggs. Tare is the seasoning sauce a shop builds its flavor on. Chuka soba is the plain, old-fashioned soy ramen. Tsukemen serves the noodles and the broth in separate bowls, for dipping. Niboshi are dried sardines, simmered for a broth with a deep, slightly bitter edge.
Heart Restaurant Anzawaya, Kami-Itabashi on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hey, this is Hangover Meshi.
This time, a ramen shop called Heart Restaurant Anzawaya, out between Kami-Itabashi and Tobu-Nerima stations. I happened to see it written up somewhere: a ramen shop whose headline dish is not ramen but a set meal. I looked at the photo, wanted it, and my feet took me there. It is a fair walk from the station, mind.
It had only just opened for the day and every seat but the counter was already taken. Deservedly popular.
And here is the set meal that is more famous than the ramen.
The yakibuta tamago teishoku.
I had walked all the way here in the heat, after all.
So let us have a drink.
A little later, the yakibuta tamago teishoku arrived.
That looks unbelievable.
The sight of it is ridiculous.
A giant slab of chashu, cut thick from a block of pork belly. And it is very, very soft. The layers of fat collapse into something molten, the lean meat comes apart in moist fibers. The tenderness of the braise sits under the fragrance of the grill, and it is delicious.
A sweet-salty soy tare is poured over it, and the tare is good too. The sweetness has a clear edge to it and takes the fat of the pork head on. It is seasoned fairly strongly, but with rice in front of you that is about right. And there is highball here as well. It works just as well as something to drink over.
The soft yolks are best used to change the register. Break one with the tip of your chopsticks, drag a piece of the meat through it, and the corners come off the tare and the whole thing turns round and mellow.
The shredded cabbage underneath, and the mayonnaise at the edge, are for when the fat starts to weigh on you. The black and white pepper on the table suit it as well.
The quantity is, honestly, enormous.
Even with the rice portion reduced I was full. And the menu goes as far as a triple. How much do people eat?
Frankly, if it is this good I now want to try the ramen too. Looking around at the other customers, plenty were ordering ramen or curry. If you worked around here you could work your way through the whole menu, and I envy you. A chashu egg with real force behind it. Go and see for yourself.
May today bring you something good to eat!
Heart Restaurant Anzawaya, Kami-Itabashi (main shop) menu
Rice and set meals
The shop hangs out a ramen sign, but this is what made its name.
Known as the chashu egg set. Two soft-fried eggs, shredded cabbage and mayonnaise come with it.
Soup included.
Soup included.
Choose from curry, mayo tare, or yakibuta tamago poured over rice.
For 500 yen more, the soup that comes with a set meal can be swapped for a half ramen (chuka soba).
Noodles
Built on Nagaoka-style ginger soy from Niigata, and reaching as far as Tsubame-Sanjo style back-fat and niboshi.
Switching to spicy miso is 100 yen more.
Choose between thick noodles and flat noodles.
House sauce, with flat noodles.
Monday to Thursday it is 500 yen. Buy the “chuka soba 500 yen” ticket at the bottom right of the machine.
Ask-at-the-counter menu
There is no button on the ticket machine for this one; you ask for it out loud. For the chilled versions, buy a ticket of the same price and say you want it chilled.
Comes with a seasoned egg.
Offcuts of chashu. On the first of every month it is 100 yen.
Rice and toppings
Small 140g 250 yen / medium 240g 300 yen / large 400g 450 yen / extra large 550g 600 yen. Payment in cash.
Chashu, seasoned egg, wonton, nori.
Drinks
You can drink from lunchtime. Evening service is Wednesday, Friday and Saturday only.
Choose between Akaboshi (Sapporo Lager) and Heartland.
※ From the ticket machine and the notices in the shop at the time of the August 2026 visit. Prices include tax, payment is cash only, and the seasonal items change. Check at the shop for the current version.
Heart Restaurant Anzawaya Kami-Itabashi （Ramen / Kami-Itabashi Station, Tobu-Nerima Station）
Lunch score★★★☆☆ 3.8
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
