Great hidden miso ramen restaurant on the basement floor hidden in an alley. Reasonably priced, rich and thick. As of this post, they don't accept cards only cash.

Miso-ga-Ichiban is a fantastic ramen shop tucked a little bit away from the main Nakano Broadway. It's down a small alleyway off of the main Broadway and down some stairs (don't worry, there are signs and the alleyway dead ends so you can't get lost). At the end of the stairs is a machine to place food orders. The machine has images, but no English. There is a separate, physical menu in English to the side of the machine (staff kindly retrieved and handed it to us after we were a bit flustered at the machine). After ordering food and paying at the machine, it spit out meal tickets and the receipt. We were then shown to our seats and, once seated, the staff took our tickets to get our orders going. We had lunch here on 3/24 (Monday) around 1pm. While it was busy, it wasn't loud or super crowded like the other restaurants we had passed. (We both got seated immediately and there was at least one table open throughout our visit.) We both had Miso Ramen with everything and no additional add-ons. It was piping hot, lots of food (not just the noodles), and very delicious!! As we were waiting for our ramen, the staff brought out complimentary rice balls and let us know they were free (in English). The rice balls were fluffy, freshly made, and neutral-tasting with a bit of salt; they were also pretty tasty! The interior was nicely decorated and seemed traditional. The chopsticks were in cute little wooden drawers on the tables, and there were napkins available as well. There was an electric fans going, but also hand fans at the tables for use. (We were comfortable without needing to use them.) We highly recommend this ramen shop and would definitely go again!!

+3

We wanted an authentic ramen restaurant, and this restaurant came strongly recommended by our friend who lives in Nakano. It is less than a 5 minute walk from Nakano train station. The restaurant is in the basement just off the main shopping street. It sits about 20 people and is quite cramped but has a charming feel to it. The noodles were al dente, and the miso broth was very delicious and flavourful. The waiter was very helpful in assisting us in ordering our food from the vending machine. The side order of fresh bamboo shoots(¥160) was some of the best we have eaten. It was a very affordable dinner and quite an experience. The menu was in Japanese, and all the diners who were there when we had dinner were also Japanese.

+3

Thick and flavorful miso ramen with big portions. This place is super tucked away, first in an alley and then in a basement. Super hard to miss. They focus on miso ramen, and theirs has a nice thick and bold soup. They give you a TON of noodles! Theres a generous portion of green onions, bean sprouts, and peppers to keep the bowl fresh tasting. Their egg is perfect consistency and the yolk basically melted out after I cut the egg open.

The signature meso noodle comes with two type of roasted slice pork. Noodle was home made and was really great match with their signature thick and strong meso soup. The hot and spicy meso soup noodle was great in giving complexed and layered taste. Highly recommended.

+2