本格博多豚骨ラーメン豚野郎

I’ve struggled to find an amazing tonkotsu ramen shop near my home. Sure, Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red light district is full of cheap spots, but I’m not looking for cheap.

Enter Butayaro. About halfway between Nakano and Higashi-Nakano Stations, right next to the big home supply store (if you live in the neighborhood, you probably know it). It’s really not far from civilization, but it feels like it in the strictly residential neighborhood.

Go for the set. I’ll explain in a minute.

A bit more intense than expected, which is a great thing when searching for above average tonkotsu. I found it less smooth than those shops as well, which matches perfectly with the name; Yaro means dude, so this shop could be called dude pork.

Normally, with this style, you would order kaedama, an extra serving of noodles. Here, though, it’s all about zosui. A side of flavored rice gets dumped in. Dude pork for sure.