Recommended bowl: Historic Tokyo shop

Eifukucho Taishōken serves a classic Tokyo fish-based shoyu soup presented with thin, curly noodles, menma, chashu, and a small piece of yuzu for flavor – a deceptively simple bowl. There is also a thin layer of scalding hot lard on the surface, sealing in the heat. Bamboo shoots and a raw egg for dipping are the recommended toppings, but the standard bowl is already quite large in size by Tokyo standards. Family owned and operated since the beginning, the shop has been serving the same menu out of the same humble location since 1955. There are a number of Taishōken shops in the Kanto Region with direct relations or inspiration from this shop. A Tokyo Institution. (*No relation to Higashi-Ikebukuro Taishōken or Shinkawa Taishōken, two other Tokyo shops with rich histories).