Toyoharu

There’s a slightly unusual standing-style soba shop in Kanda Ogawamachi, Tokyo. The shop, Toyoharu, opened in January of 2023 and is relatively new, but it seems to have already become an incredibly popular spot that has captivated the local business community. The reason for its popularity is a meat soba dish called “Ganso Paika.” Eager to try this Ganso Paika for myself, I headed to Toyoharu on a certain day off, timing my visit for right when they opened. But when I actually got there, I was surprised to find that…

Just as rumored, it’s been incredibly popular since early this morning… How long is the line at Toyoharu, and what’s the wait like?

I arrived at Toyoharu around 6:25 a.m., five minutes before opening time, and there were already four people ahead of me in a short line outside the store. In the five minutes leading up to opening, more than 10 people gathered—isn’t it amazing that so many people show up at 6:30 in the morning? This is a standing-style soba shop right in the heart of the business district—and it’s 6:30 a.m. on a weekend, mind you, not even a weekday. Seeing it this popular just makes me even more excited to try the “Ganso Paika” I’m about to eat.

Now, while Toyoharu is a standing-style soba shop, the atmosphere inside is actually quite stylish. The natural wood standing counter is numbered, with space for a total of 19 people, and there’s plenty of room between each spot to ensure you won’t bump into the person next to you. The aisles between the seats are also generously wide, creating an interior that feels surprisingly spacious for a standing soba shop. It’s spotlessly clean, too—slurping down some soba here before heading to work… well, to put it mildly, I’m sure it would put you in the best possible mood.

Four slices of pork belly cartilage for this price… How did Toyoharu’s signature dish—Ganso Paika—actually turn out when I tried it?

Well then, let’s move on to introducing the dish I ordered at Toyoharu that day—Ganso Paika (price: 600 yen, tax included)—which was the focus of this visit. The noodles come in three varieties—soba, udon, and kishimen—but this time I ordered the soba…

About seven minutes after placing my order, the “Ganso Paika” (with soba) was brought to my table, and this is what it looked like. The chunk of pork topped at the back of the bowl looked absolutely divine, really getting me excited before I even took my first bite. By the way, “Paika” refers to pork belly cartilage, and it seems to be a local dish from Misawa City in Aomori Prefecture. Apparently, the name comes from the Chinese word “pai gu” (排骨).

Well, putting that bit of trivia aside, let’s get down to eating… For us Kansai folks, the dark Kanto-style broth can be a bit of an acquired taste, but contrary to its appearance, it was lighter in flavor than I expected. However, the seafood broth comes through strongly, and as the fat from the pika and the red ginger—which comes as a standard topping—melt into it, they add a mellow sweetness and a slight spicy kick.

As for the soba, it was cooked to a standard consistency. The distinct aroma of buckwheat flour comes through clearly, and together with the broth, its high-quality fragrance gently awakens my still-sleepy brain first thing in the morning. Plus, the portion is quite substantial. I find myself worrying—in the opposite sense—that eating this much first thing in the morning might be a bit much for some people…

And then there’s the main topping: the pika. It’s so tender that it falls apart the moment it touches my lips—no chewing required—so it’s easy on the jaw even first thing in the morning. The cartilage is meltingly soft, and rich, sweet fat oozes out… well, you can imagine the rest. With four slices of this exquisite pika for just 600 yen… I thought to myself, “No wonder everyone becomes a regular at Toyoharu’s Ganso Paika.”

A wide variety of other meat soba dishes are also available… Toyoharu is a 3-minute walk from Ogawamachi Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line, the nearest station.

In addition to Ganso Paika, Toyoharu offers a wide variety of other meat soba dishes. For example…

•    Premium Beef Tongue: 1,350 yen

•    Iberico Pork Soba: 950 yen

•    Chashu: 950 yen

•    Tecchan: 950 yen

•    Beef Brisket: 850 yen

•    Thick-Cut Meat: 800 yen

•    Meat: 600 yen

Just like the Ganso Paika, you can customize any dish with a choice of three noodle types: soba, udon, or kishimen. With a selection like this, you could almost call it the “Mecca of Meat Soba.” If you’re a fan of meat soba, there’s really no reason not to stop by this shop in Tokyo, right?

Now, here are the shop details…