Anime-themed Noryangjin ramen restaurant: pork belly chashu at Chome

Where is Chome in Noryangjin, and what are the hours?

Chome is a ramen restaurant at 10 Manyang-ro 14-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor, about 470m from Exit 3 of Noryangjin Station. It's open daily 11:00–21:00 with last order at 20:30, and reservations are possible. Walkable from Noryangjin Station.

If you want a proper bowl of ramen in Noryangjin, Chome is a must-visit. A lot of people search for Noryangjin ramen these days, and this place stood out to me not just for the food but for how much it felt like actually being in Japan. I tried the ramen, tsukemen, and futomaki, and overall I was very satisfied, so let me introduce it :)

The storefront on Manyang-ro 14-gil

Chome in Noryangjin is full of Japanese vibes, tucked in an alley among other Noryangjin restaurants. The exterior already gives strong Japanese ramen shop energy, and once inside, Japanese music was even playing😎

Inside Chome: anime posters and figures

There was no wait when I arrived, but the place was fairly full of customers. What was especially fun was all the Japanese anime posters and figures scattered around the store!

There's plenty of merchandise from famous anime like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man, so if you're into anime, browsing around is part of the fun. If you like Japanese vibes, this could also make for a fun Noryangjin date restaurant!😊

What's on the menu at Chome?

Chome has quite a variety of ramen. Besides the signature cho-ramen, there's karai-men, tsukemen, and mazesoba, plus sides like futomaki, gyoza, and karai chicken. Lunch also has a ramen + side set that's a good deal!

Every table came with kelp vinegar, minced garlic, black pepper and pickled radish, while water and aprons were self-service. There were instructions on how to eat each type of ramen, which made things easy😊

I ordered a cho-ramen set, a tsukemen set, salmon futomaki, and a mini draft beer, and added pork belly chashu to the cho-ramen.

Cho-ramen set with extra pork belly chashu

Cho-ramen is Chome's signature dish. It uses a broth long-simmered from a blend of pork and chicken bones, and comes standard with two slices of pork neck chashu, bean sprouts, bok choy, and a soft-boiled egg. A set where the rich broth ramen and crispy side dish come together perfectly!!

I added the pork belly chashu at ₩1,500 a slice. The subtle savory flavor of the pork belly was great, and being thick, the more I chewed the more the meat flavor came through. It had a different charm from the pork neck chashu, so it was fun comparing the two. The broth was rich and deep but not greasy at all! With the umami of the thick broth plus the chashu, one bowl was quite filling. If you like rich-broth ramen, you'll be satisfied :)

They could leave out the bean sprouts, adjust the salt level, add noodles (recommended after finishing), and provide extra cheongyang chili and chili flakes separately. The noodles were thin like typical ramen noodles, but wonderfully chewy and delicious!😍👍🏻

The chashu and soft-boiled egg were seasoned just right and tender, pairing very well with the noodles. Highly recommend this menu when you want a hearty meal!

Karai chicken with the set

A closer look at the karai chicken

Karai chicken — as the pepper icon on the menu suggests, it was a little spicy and salty. It had some fat, making it very tender, almost like a boneless version of Jamaican-style grilled thigh haha. It comes with a sour cream sauce!

How does the tsukemen set taste?

Chome's tsukemen is a dip-style ramen made with pork and chicken bone broth plus seafood sauce to maximize umami,

the broth and noodles are served separately😋 Toppings: two slices of pork neck chashu, bok choy, soft-boiled egg

The broth had scallions and onion in it, giving it a fragrant yet deep umami. It's a bit saltier than the cho-ramen broth, so rather than drinking it straight, dipping the noodles thoroughly in worked much better😋

If you want an even richer umami while eating, ask staff to add bonito flakes. It was fun changing up the flavor midway.

Overall it had a salty yet deep flavor reminiscent of Japanese tsuyu sauce, and unlike the cho-ramen, the noodles were flat and soft, similar to rice noodles. If you like rich, umami-heavy broth, you'll enjoy this!

Gyoza at Chome

The gyoza were still crispy on the outside even though I ate them a bit later, so the texture was really good. Biting in, the inside was moist with a light, clean filling, and paired with a sweet sauce, the sweet-and-salty combo worked well. Perfect as a side dish haha.

Salmon futomaki, one big bite

The salmon futomaki (rolled seaweed rice roll) caught my eye visually right away. It's Chome's take on gimbap, packed with aged salmon, fried shrimp, cucumber, burdock root, and pickled radish.

True to its name, one bite really fills your mouth! haha The aged salmon was especially soft. Even a friend of mine who's sensitive to fishy taste ate it happily, saying it wasn't fishy at all! The softness of the salmon and the texture of the fried shrimp came through together, making it a great pairing with the ramen too.

The 1,000-won mini draft beer

Ramen needs a mini draft beer! And this menu quietly won me over. A 1,000-won mini draft beer! The portion isn't overwhelming, so it's really nice to sip alongside ramen.

A bite of rich ramen followed by a sip of cold draft beer cleans your palate perfectly. Ramen and beer really is a combo that's hard to mess up. :)

Is Chome worth a trip to Noryangjin?

If you're looking for a ramen restaurant near Noryangjin Station, Chome is it — and if you love Japanese anime, browsing the store itself is part of the fun, making it a good Noryangjin date restaurant too.

If you're searching for a ramen restaurant near Noryangjin Station, I'd recommend Chome, where you can enjoy rich broth and Japanese vibes together😎👍🏻👍🏻