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The best Chanko Nabe in Tokyo

Also spelt chankonabe, chanko, sumo hotpot and ちゃんこ鍋. A curated shortlist, shaped by your votes.

Editorial picks

Selected from published food guides and local reporting. How the list works

  1. Number 1.Chanko Kawasaki

    Ryogoku Tokyo Station, Nihonbashi and Kanda

    Open
    5pm to 9.30pm, shut Wed and Sun
    Where
    2-13-1 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0026 (3 min from Ryogoku Station west exit)

    Open since 1937 and still in the founder's family, this Ryogoku house simmers Kyushu free-range chicken in a plain broth. Take the standard chanko. Cash only, and the doors stay shut on Wednesdays and Sundays.

    What to orderThe plain chicken chanko, Kyushu free-range bird

    0 votes

  2. Number 2.Chanko Kirishima (Ryogoku Honten)

    Ryogoku Tokyo Station, Nihonbashi and Kanda

    Open
    11.30am-3pm, 5pm-10pm; weekends all day; shut Mon
    Where
    2-13-7 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0026 (1 min from Ryogoku Station west exit)

    Kirishima ran as an ozeki, and his white miso broth is the reason to come: order it with the chicken meatballs. Closed Mondays outside the January tournament, and the mid-afternoon break catches people out.

    What to orderWhite miso chanko with the chicken tsukune

    0 votes

  3. Number 3.Kappo Chanko Ouchi

    Ryogoku Tokyo Station, Nihonbashi and Kanda

    Open
    5pm to 10pm, shut Sun and holidays
    Where
    2-9-6 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0026 (4 min from Ryogoku Station)

    The Ouchiyama family have cooked here since 1984, and the thing to have is the tori soppu-daki, clear chicken broth sweetened by cabbage. Dinner only, and the doors stay closed on Sundays and holidays.

    What to orderTori soppu-daki, the clear chicken and cabbage pot

    0 votes

  4. Sumo Chaya Terao

    Ryogoku Asakusa and Ueno

    Open
    Lunch 11.30am-1.30pm, dinner 5pm-10pm, shut Mon
    Where
    VORT Ryogoku 1F, 2-16-5 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0026

    The eldest of the Izutsu wrestling brothers opened this one, and five broths run at once. Take the shio chanko with hand-mixed chicken balls; single portions are served, so one person can eat here. Shut Mondays.

    What to orderShio chanko with the house minced-chicken balls

    0 votes

  5. Chanko Tamakairiki (Ginza branch)

    Higashi-Ginza Ginza, Yurakucho and Shimbashi

    Open
    5pm, last entry 10pm; weekends from 4pm
    Where
    Duplex Ginza Tower 8F, 5-13-19 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061

    Eighth floor opposite the Kabuki-za, with a small ring by the door and long tables meant for groups. Order the shio chanko, heavy on sesame. Last entry is 10pm, and weekends start an hour earlier at four.

    What to orderShio chanko with chicken and pork meatballs

    0 votes

  6. Chanko Chiyonofuji

    Ishihara, near Kinshicho Asakusa and Ueno

    Open
    5pm to 10pm, shut Tue and Wed
    Where
    4-22-4 Ishihara, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (14 min walk from Kinshicho Station)

    The late yokozuna's family took over his old Kokonoe stable, so you eat beside the ring itself. The Ozeki course brings the chanko he taught his apprentices. Shut Tuesdays and Wednesdays; book by Instagram.

    What to orderThe chanko nabe on the Ozeki course

    0 votes

  7. Chanko Edosawa (Ryogoku Sohonten)

    Ryogoku Asakusa and Ueno

    Open
    11.30am-3pm, 5pm-11pm; Sun 11.30am-9.30pm
    Where
    3-24-11 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0026 (1 min from Ryogoku Station east exit)

    Sweet soy broth, big tatami rooms and parties of a hundred: order the standard Edosawa chanko and let them bring the noodles after. There are two outlets on the same street, so check which one you booked.

    What to orderThe soy-based Edosawa chanko

    0 votes

  8. Chanko Dojo (Ryogoku Ekimae branch)

    Yokoami, by Ryogoku Station Asakusa and Ueno

    Open
    11am-2.30pm and 5pm-11pm; no closing day listed
    Where
    1-3-12 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0015 (1 min from Ryogoku Station)

    Thirty years old, a minute from the west exit, and cheaper than the old houses. Soy is the only broth; the Miyazaki jidori tsukune version is the one. Tournament evenings fill the place quickly.

    What to orderSoy chanko with Miyazaki jidori tsukune

    0 votes

  9. Rikishi Ryori Kotogaume (Kinshicho)

    Kinshicho Asakusa and Ueno

    Open
    5pm to 11pm, shut Sun and holidays
    Where
    Sagara Building 1F, 3-4-4 Kinshi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (1 min from Kinshicho north exit)

    Run by a retired wrestler and now a stop short of Ryogoku, by Kinshicho's north exit. Order the chanko for the table. Every seat allows smoking, and Sundays and holidays are shut.

    What to orderThe chanko nabe, ordered for the table

    0 votes

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