For tori paitan ramen in Ikebukuro, Tori no Ana (鶏の穴) is fantastic. Their creamy chicken ramen is rich but well-balanced. Their spicy chicken ramen will also leave you smiling.
Awesome Tori Paitan
The broth isn’t super thick. It is rich, but not overly so. Chicken bones, feet, wings, and even whole chickens are boiled for 6 hours to create the broth. The chickens are from Aomori Prefecture (way up North).
There’s a certain saltiness in the seasoning and this is how I prefer my tori paitan. It reminds me somewhat of Menya Sou in Naka-Meguro.
The noodles they use are medium thick and work well with the flavor-packed broth. The minced chicken topping reminds of Japanese soboro.
Turn up the Heat?
The spicy version is wonderful on colder days. Much like the salty seasoning, the chili oil does a good job of cutting through the richness.
Regular or spicy, order with all toppings. The slices of chashu chicken are perfectly cooked, as are the bits of ground chicken in the middle. But the chicken character branded-egg might be the star among toppings.
Tori no Ana is one of my favorites for tori paitan in Tokyo. They’re just a stone’s throw away from Ikebukuro station.