Just as we were about to declare 2025 a wrap on the ramen front, Menya Sankai landed in Okubo and forced us to rip up our provisional ranking. Opened in late October, the shop is helmed by a tsukemen specialist who earned his stripes behind the counter at high-caliber joints including Menya Ittou and Menya Shichisai.
His signature gyokai-tonkotsu (seafood and pork broth) soup is as rich as they come, and the extra-thick, aromatic flat noodles it’s served with help bring out its powerful umami. The standard serving comes with two kinds of char siu – one a textbook pork belly cut, the other a smoked and flambéed beauty that really challenges you to work your jaw. This was easily the best tsukemen we had all year – and a bowl we look forward to revisiting frequently in 2026.