Tabelog ratingMen Sobo LEO (麺創房LEO) makes everything in-house without MSG. Its noodles are made from 100% domestic wheat and cut in a glass-fronted noodle room you can watch. The dish people drive here for is the mochi-wheat reikoumen. It is a cool bowl of very soft, stretchy flat noodles in kombu-and-bonito broth, topped with up to four kinds of chashu: duck, rare pork, chicken and seared beef.
Reviewers consistently praise the care that goes into each bowl, and several say the texture of the reikoumen is unlike anything they have had elsewhere. Two bowls draw steady praise for clean, layered broth and generous toppings: Kogane, a clear chicken salt ramen, and Akane, its soy counterpart. The konbu-sui tsukesoba is another favourite; its noodles sit in kombu water and are dipped in a hot sauce. Rotating specials keep regulars coming back weekly, such as curry mazesoba with fried summer vegetables or grilled-saury ramen. Staff are often described as warm.
The main complaint is pace. Bowls are cooked a few at a time, and waits of 25 to 50 minutes after sitting down are common. Some diners found the broth or chashu too salty, and two reviewers, in 2022 and 2026, heard the owner scolding staff harshly.
There is no dinner service, and lunch runs roughly ¥1,300–1,800 per person. In 2026 reviewers paid around ¥1,280 for Kogane or Akane and ¥1,500 for the fully loaded toku version. The reikoumen came to ¥1,450 and the konbu-sui tsukesoba to ¥1,500. Specials ran ¥1,600–1,650, a weekday mini rice bowl ¥280 and bottled beer ¥680. Prices have risen: in 2024 Kogane cost about ¥1,100. Most reviewers call it good value, since even standard bowls carry several premium chashu, wontons and a Nagoya Cochin egg. A minority find ¥1,500 or more steep for ramen.
- Getting there: 5 minutes by car from JR Yaizu Station, or about 40 minutes on foot according to reviewers. It is 12 minutes by car from the Tomei Yaizu Interchange and 2.4 km from Nishi-Yaizu Station. A car, or a bus plus a walk, is the practical option.
- Parking: 11 spaces.
- Booking: reservations are not accepted, so just turn up. Before opening, take a numbered ticket per person at the door. The whole group must be present to queue together. Allow an hour or more.
- Payment: cash only. Credit cards and electronic money are not accepted.
- Seats: 12, including counter seating. No private rooms or private hire.
- Smoking: no smoking on the premises.
- Children: welcome, including babies, and strollers are fine. Guide dogs are allowed.
- Ordering: Japanese ticket machine, with no English menu reported. No second bowl on weekends and holidays.
- Updates: opening sometimes shifts to 9:30, and specials are announced on X.
