Tucked in the west side of Tokyo, Nakano has been famously regarded as the second Akihabara. But despite the bustling shopping street and the huge array of anime goods, there are many treats hidden in the alleys of Nakano that will make the foodie inside of you say “Banzai!” So for those planning to visit Nakano, here is a quick guide to where to eat in Nakano.
Hoozuki
This small shop located just beside Nakano Broadway serves arguably one of the best bowl of tantanmen in Tokyo. If you’re wondering what a tantanmen is, it’s basically a spicy style of ramen inspired by Chinese DanDan noodles. What sets apart Hoozuki from the rest is the insane amount of spices that they use to make the soup unbelievably rich and fragrant. Getting the揚げパイコー (Age Paiko) or fried pork belly as topping is definitely the way to go if you want to complete the experience at Hoozuki.
担々麺ほおずき (Tantanmen Hoozuki)
東京都 中野区 中野 5-52-1
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 5-52-1
Opens Mon-Sat 11:30-23:00, Sun & public holiday 11:30-22:00
(they have a break from 15:00-17:00)
Yousuke
Thick, creamy, and rich tori paitan ramen with concentrated chicken broth by Yousuke has always been a local favorite here at Nakano. Using handmade noodles and saffron in their ramen made the soup incredibly fragrant and addictive. They also serve a tsukemen, dipping ramen version which uses flat noodles and it tastes just as amazing.
麺匠ようすけ (Mensho Yosuke)
東京都 中野区中野5-57-2 アミューズ中野ビル 1F
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 5-57-2 Amuse Nakano Bldg. 1F
Opens Thurs-Tues 11:30-26:30, Sun & public holiday 11:30-25:00
(They close on Wed and have a break from 16:00-18:00)
Aoba Honten
Just across Yousuke, there’s another Nakano favorite serving Chuka soba, a chinese inspired ramen. A traditional bowl served with slow roasted pork, Aoba have many branches spread throughtout Tokyo but the Nakano branch remains the original since 1996 and it still hasn’t lost its touch.
中華そば 青葉 (Chuuka Soba Aoba)
東京都 中野区 中野 5-58-1 なかのまるひる 1F
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 5-58-2 Nakano Maruhiru 1F
Opens Mon-Sun 10:30-21:00
Nidaime Enji
Having featured in numerous magazines, Enji has been THE place to go for tsukemen in Nakano. The tsukemen here is served with a tonkotsu gyokai soup, which means it is rich and creamy and is based from a combination of pork, chicken, fish, shrimp and a secret vegetable paste. Profound and full of umami, once you take a bite, you won’t stop slurping at Enji.
二代目えん寺 (Nidaime Enji)
東京都 中野区 中野 5-62-7
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 5-62-7
Opens Mon-Sun 11:30-23:00
(They have a break on Mon-Fri from 16:00-17:30)
Tarekatsu
While Nakano is loaded with ramen shops, there are also some good alternative for when you’re bored of ramen and confused to where to eat in Nakano. If you’ve eaten tonkatsu before, you might expect a thick slab of fried pork cutlet, but in Tarekatsu, they serve Niigata style tonkatsu which cuts their pork thin and fry them almost like a schnitzel and proceed to serve a few of them on top of steaming white rice drizzeled with their special “tare” or sauce that is just out of this world.
新潟カツ丼 タレカツ (Niigata Katsudon Tarekatsu)
東京都 中野区 中野 5-52-2 青葉ビル 2F
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 5-52-2 Aoba Bldg. 2F
Opens Mon-Sun 11:00-22:00
Trico
For those who love curry, you might want to travel a bit further beyond Nakano Broadway as Trico serves up sme of the finest homemade japanese curry in Tokyo. The store manager loves pop culture and the decor is full of posters and the funky atmosphere there is just great. During lunch time on weekend, this store in the residential district is usually packed and the food that they serve totally justify for it.
トリコカレー (Trico Curry)
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 4-20-
Opens Mon-Sun Lunch 11:45-16:00, Dinner 18:00-22:00
(The shop might close unexpectedly on some days, to see the shop holidays for the month, click here )
Garaku Hokkaido Soup Curry
Another curry shop that just opened recently that specialize in soup curry. For those not familiar with soup curry, it is a Hokkaido special that thins out the usually dense and thick Japanese curry. The system here is great; you can order your soup base then proceed to add your toppings and choose your level of spiciness. For first timers though, the chicken leg and vegetable curry is a store favorite.
スープカレーガラク (Soup Curry Garaku)
東京都 中野区 中野 5-50-3 KINGビル 1F
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 5-50-3 King Bldg. 1
Opens Mon-Sun 11:30-23:00
(they have a break from 15:30-17:00)
Oyaki Refutei
Located just in front of Nakano north exit, this small stall selling Oyaki, or Japanese Pancake, is one not to miss when in Nakano. The pancakes are made fresh and they have many fillings such as red bean paste, cream cheese, and even seasonal items like apple cream during winter. This is definitely a treat for those sweet tooth cravings.
おやき処 れふ亭 (Oyaki Dokoro Refutei)
Tokyo-to Nakano-ku Nakano 5-63-
Opens Mon-Sun 9:00-21:00
So when you’re visiting Nakano and looking for a solid place to get some great food, just pop into one of these shops and you definitely won’t be dissapointed. While these are just some of the abundant restaurants in Nakano, we might do a part two, so stay tuned.