Chuka Soba Chigonoki is a niboshi (dried sardine) ramen specialist in Kami-Ochiai, about a four-minute walk from Ochiai Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line. The owner, Kiuchi (木内克典), grew up with the ramen of Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata, taught himself to cook, and opened the shop at the age of 35. At the 25th TRY Ramen Awards 2024-2025, Chigonoki placed first in the niboshi category of the TRY Meiten (established shops) division.
What kind of shop it is
The shop is small — six counter seats and four table seats, ten in total — and is run by the owner together with his family. The name "Chigonoki" is said to come from the hometown of the owner's mother.
The broth is built around a blend of niboshi. Three to five varieties, including shirokuchi and seguro sardines, are combined, with horse mackerel and mackerel added for sweetness and body. Beyond that, the shop has described making two separate broths — one drawn for umami, one that pulls out the sharp, bitter edge characteristic of niboshi — and combining them in the finished bowl. The chashu is made from two cuts: low-temperature-cooked pork shoulder loin and chicken breast.
The other pillar is seabura (back fat), a thread that runs back to the Tsubame-Sanjo ramen the owner knew in Niigata. The seabura niboshi soba, which pairs that back fat with the sardine broth, is presented alongside the jun-niboshi soba as one of the shop's two signature bowls.
What to order
The bowl that won first place in the niboshi category is the jun-niboshi soba, listed at ¥1,000 on the official TRY Ramen Awards site at the time of the 25th edition (2024). Since then the shop has announced price rises on its official X account — 30–50 yen on some items in March 2024, and 100 yen on regular ramen from 2025 — so current prices are higher than that listing. The menu also carries the seabura niboshi soba, the brothless niboshi maze soba, and "tokusei" (deluxe) versions with extra toppings.
One thing that sets this shop apart is that it serves ae-dama rather than kae-dama: instead of a plain noodle refill, you order a separate portion of pre-seasoned noodles. According to the shop's official X account there are two standard versions — chicken oil and niboshi oil — and a half size is available. Seasonal and limited-run versions such as porcini and squid also appear through the year. Niku-meshi (a small bowl of rice topped with meat) is on the side menu.
- Jun-niboshi soba — the bowl that took first in the niboshi category at the 25th TRY Ramen Awards
- Seabura niboshi soba — the sardine broth paired with Tsubame-Sanjo-style back fat
- Niboshi maze soba — brothless
- Ae-dama (chicken oil / niboshi oil, half size available) — pre-seasoned extra noodles rather than a plain refill; seasonal and limited-run versions also appear
- Niku-meshi — side dish
Tips for visiting
The shop posts its hours for each business day on its official X account (@chigonokinoodle): 11:00–15:00 (last order) and 17:30–20:45 (last order). The evening last order was shortened from 21:00 to 20:45 around May 2025, and some listings — including the official TRY Ramen Awards site — still carry the older 21:00. For closing days, the shop's own X account refers to its "Monday and Friday closing days," and both the official Tabelog Ramen TOKYO Hyakumeiten 2025 announcement page and Time Out Tokyo list Mondays and Fridays (the TRY site lists Mondays only). The shop occasionally opens on a regular closing day for a public holiday, so check the official X account for current opening information before you go.
There is no parking. The official TRY Ramen Awards site notes that takeout is available. On payment, the shop announced on its official X account in March 2024 that it had switched to an all-cashless touch-panel ticket machine, while saying around the same time that it would continue to accommodate cash for the time being — so check the official X account or ask on site.