A note on the words: niboshi are small dried sardines, simmered to make a broth with a deep, slightly bitter savour, and a niboshi ramen is built on it; tsukemen serves the noodles and the broth separately, for dipping; dashi is the stock at the base of it all. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Matsuobushi 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 as well. This is Hangover Meshi. I had an errand in Naka-Itabashi.
Errand done, I walked about for a while thinking “so this is what the streets are like here”.
And while I was drifting, a ramen shop opened for the day right in front of me.
It was lunchtime, it had been a while since I last had ramen, and why not.
And so I dropped into Matsuobushi, met by destiny.
A small shop, counter only, seating about eight.
Being first through the door puts one in a good mood.
“The ticket machine is broken, so please look at the menu on it and pay us cash directly,” they said.
Ramen, regular, 850 yen
Tsukemen, regular, 850 yen
Niboshi ramen, regular, 850 yen
The good smell of dashi hangs in the room. Having smelled that, could anyone order something other than the niboshi ramen?
No. One could not.
Ramen duly ordered, I waited a while and watched the brisk preparation.
The portions here look to be 130 g for regular, 200 g for medium and 270 g for large.
Writing it in grams is a kindness. Clear.
I noticed afterwards that there is also a small at 80 g. The small would have done me.
And here is the ramen.
A fine smell drifts up. It looks good.
One sip of the broth…
This is extremely good.
From the first mouthful the fragrance and savour say “this is properly niboshi”. The scent rising from the bowl is powerful, and yet in the mouth there is no bitterness or harshness at all — the whole thing is beautifully balanced. An animal-based broth holds up the base firmly, so the flavour is round and the niboshi never pushes too far forward. That impressed me.
The noodles are medium-thin, with a clean bite, and they carry the broth up well, so savour spreads with every slurp.
It is dense and yet the finish is not heavy, and the spoon keeps moving of its own accord.
Well now, this is good. A niboshi ramen with something nostalgic about it.
The broth is so good I nearly drank the lot. I have not felt that in a long while.
That was good. A ramen shop I walked into on the strength of happening to be there as it opened, and it was extremely good. The peak of everyday ramen, in a sense. For a hangover, yes, but also — if a shop like this were near me I would eat here on the way home from drinking. Coming to Naka-Itabashi purely for this would be rather a trek, but if you find yourself nearby, why not remember it?
Matsuobushi (Ramen / Naka-Itabashi Station, Tokiwadai Station, Oyama Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.6
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
