Chuka Soba Nishino is a shoyu (soy sauce) ramen specialist in a small basement space about two minutes from Hongo-sanchome Station. It opened in February 2018 as the second brand of Hiromitsu Mizuhara, the chef behind Raamen Koike (opened 2013) in Kamikitazawa, and is known for its Sansho Soba — a soy sauce ramen perfumed with Japanese sansho pepper. The shop held a Michelin Guide Tokyo Bib Gourmand listing for multiple years (including the 2023 and 2024 editions; not listed from the 2025 edition onward) and was selected for Tabelog's "Ramen Tokyo Hyakumeiten" top-100 list in 2022 and 2023.
About the shop
Owner Hiromitsu Mizuhara came to ramen after working in traditional Japanese cuisine. He ran Raamen Koike (opened 2013) in Setagaya before opening Nishino as his second brand; the group also runs King Seimen in Oji, and all of these shops have appeared in the Michelin Guide.
Nishino's bowl is a delicate, clear soup drawn from niboshi (dried sardines), chicken, pork and shellfish, seasoned with a light soy sauce tare. In 2020, Lawson and Nissin released an officially supervised instant cup version of its sansho ramen. The shop itself is tiny — just 10 counter seats in a building basement.
What to order
Start with the signature Sansho Soba, on the menu since opening day, where the aroma of Japanese sansho pepper meets the clear shoyu broth. The noodles are an original developed with the Murakami Asahi noodle factory in Niiza, Saitama. Reflecting the owner's Japanese-cuisine background, the chashu is made from pork shoulder marinated overnight and oven-roasted, and the spinach is dressed ohitashi-style with katsuo dashi and white soy sauce.
The two kinds of wontons — pork and shrimp — are a popular topping, and the standard order is "2 pork, 2 shrimp" to get both on one bowl. If sansho isn't your thing, the Chuka Soba serves the same broth without it.
Tips for visiting
The closest station is Hongo-sanchome on the Toei Oedo Line (about 2 minutes on foot); the Marunouchi Line station of the same name is about 5 minutes away. With only 10 counter seats, expect a possible wait at peak times and allow extra time.
Per media reports, hours are 11:00–15:00 for lunch and 18:00–21:00 for dinner, with irregular closing days (as of Oct 2025). Temporary closures and schedule changes are posted on the official X account (@nishino_hongo3), so check it before you go. As of July 2026 the official website lists no prices, so confirm current prices in store or via the official X account.