Recommended bowl: Since 1947

Maruchō is a legendary ramen shop within the Tokyo scene, considered the birthplace of tsukemen. The shop was established in 1947, opened by a group of five soba masters who came from Nagano Prefecture. According to local legend, when the five original masters first opened the shop, during staff meals it was common for them to eat leftover ramen noodles in a similar way to Japanese soba, by 'dipping' the noodles in a soup, served separately. Within a few years of the shop opening, four of the five masters left to open their own shops, with original master Aoki-san staying to run Maruchō. One of the original masters who did this was Sakaguchi-san, who established Taishōken in Nakano with his cousin, Yamagishi-san. Eventually Yamagishi-san was the first chef to actually put tsukemen on the menu (in the form of 'Mori Soba') in 1955. Soon after other shops like Maruchō quickly followed suit, and tsukemen eventually became a phenomenon in the ramen world. It is now what Maruchō is most known for, although ramen is still the original dish on the menu. The bowls here are pure nostalgic Tokyo, containing a soup of chicken, pork and vegetables with a nice shoyu tare. Noodles are house-made, served just slightly softer than average. Shumai dumplings on the side also recommended. Only open for lunch a few hours per day, and always a line. Original master Aoki-san's son (who is now close to 80 years old) still runs the shop, with the help of his family. There are numerous other Maruchō shops around Tokyo as well, most of them directly connected or related to this shop. A historical site in the Japan ramen world. Less