Tabelog ratingYokohama Chuka Soba Ishin Shoten Honten (横浜中華そば 維新商店 本店) is the sister shop of Menya Ishin and opened in 2013 on that shop's original site. It has been selected for the Tabelog Ramen 100 every year since 2019. The signature is a ginger shoyu soba built on a dark, intense house soy tare with a little back fat. It comes with wide, wavy, hand-massaged noodles that several reviewers describe as silky on the outside and chewy like udon inside. The other draw is the teru-teru bōzu wontons, twisted pork dumplings that reviewers compare to soup dumplings for their juiciness.
Almost every review praises the noodles and the wontons. Most guests order the tokusei (deluxe) ginger shoyu soba. It comes with three slices of smoky pork-shoulder chashu, three wontons, a soft-yolk marinated egg and long, tender bamboo shoots. Many reviewers say they drank the soup to the last drop. The yuzu shio soba has its own following, and some prefer the kombu-water tsukemen. Staff are often described as warm.
The criticisms are consistent. The soy base is strong and some find it salty. The ginger is milder than the name suggests, though grated ginger on the counter lets you add more. Some find the regular noodle portion small, and the side rice dishes sell out. One Chinese-speaking visitor disliked the porky aroma and the sour bamboo shoots.
Reviewers in 2024–2026 paid around ¥890–930 for the basic ginger shoyu soba and ¥1,250–1,350 for the deluxe bowl, with a large portion costing about ¥100 more. They also paid about ¥950 for the yuzu shio soba, ¥1,200 for the tsukemen, ¥200 for three extra wontons, ¥400–420 for butameshi (pork rice) and ¥200 for negi rice. Expect to spend roughly ¥1,000–1,400 at lunch or dinner. Reviewers call the deluxe bowl generous for the price and the wontons a bargain. Hungry diners should order the large size.
- Getting there: about 10 minutes on foot from JR Yokohama Station (west exit), on a narrow side street near the river; 648 m from Hiranuma-bashi Station.
- Booking: no reservations. Walk in and join the queue.
- Queues: 20–35 minutes at lunch on weekdays and weekends. Around opening time, mid-afternoon or in the evening you are often seated almost at once. Staff hand out barley tea to people waiting.
- Ordering: buy a ticket at the touch-panel machine, then rejoin the queue if staff ask you to. You do not need to speak Japanese.
- Payment: cash or transit IC cards such as Suica. Credit cards and QR payments are not accepted.
- Seating: 15 counter seats, no private rooms. Non-smoking.
- Children: welcome.
- Parking: none.
- Hours: some reviewers report that Thursday is lunch only, so check before visiting.
