Secret staff cafeteria in Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building serves up an exclusive ramen

Is the Tocho ramen worth the elevator ride up to the 32nd floor?

Tokyo is filled with thousands upon thousands of eateries, but did you know some of the best are hidden high above street level in office buildings? Designed to feed employees who work within the building, these cafeterias are great value for money, and the good news is they’re open to the public as well…if you know how to find them.

We’re here today to guide you through the doors of the staff cafeteria inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, where high-ranking officials and civil servants eat lunch, to try and find an exclusive meal called Tokyo Metropolitan Government Ramen.

▼ The cafeteria is located on the 32nd floor of the First Main Building.

It’s around a 10-minute walk from the west exit of Shinjuku Station, and though most people come here for the expansive views from the observatory on the 45th floor, we’ll be heading up to the 32nd level for the food. 

Security is tight within the 243-metre (797-foot) tall building so cafeteria visitors are required to register their name and purpose of visit so they can receive a temporary pass to access the elevators.

Once you’ve checked “cafeteria” as the purpose for your visit, the machine will present you with a slip of paper containing a QR code.

Present the code to the security guard at the reception desk and you’ll be given a temporary pass, which you’ll then need to hold over the reader at the security gate to enter the elevator area.

▼ The elevators that go up to the cafeteria on the 32nd floor are marked in orange.

Employees here generally have lunch from 12-1 p.m. so it’s best to avoid these times as the place becomes very crowded. The cafeteria is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so we recommend visiting at around 11 in the morning or after 1 in the afternoon.

▼ Going up.

After stepping out of the elevator, you’ll need to place your order at the ticket machine in front of the cafeteria, and if you’re like us, you’ll want to find and select the “Tocho Ramen”

▼ “Tocho” is the nickname for the building as it uses the last two syllables from “Tokyo-to cho”, with “Tokyo-to” meaning “Tokyo Metropolitan Prefecture” and “cho” being “government building”.

The menu is quite extensive, covering Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes. Curry and pasta are some of the more popular options, but if you’re looking for a special meal you can only eat here, the Tocho Ramen is the way to go.

▼ At 630 yen (US$4.25), the Tocho Ramen (“都庁ラーメン”) is very reasonably priced.

As indicated on the ticket, this slip needs to be handed over to staff at counter 13, where they cook up the meal on the spot. Within moments, our Tocho ramen is served, complete with a square of nori seaweed emblazoned with the name of the dish.

The meal is so legendary it’s also marked as “元祖” (“ganso” [“original”]), making this the “Original Tocho Ramen”.

▼ While we haven’t heard of Tocho Ramen being served anywhere else, this cafeteria has certainly put its stamp on it.

The nori makes a fun statement that visitors from outside of Tokyo will love…but how does it taste?

This was a hearty meal, with around 50 percent more noodles than you’d normally get at a ramen restaurant, so we had no complaints with the serving size.

However, as for the taste, well, it didn’t really jump out as being anything special, but it had a good, solid flavour matching what you’d expect from soy sauce ramen served at a cafeteria.

The slightly wavy Chinese noodles were a good match for the broth, and although the meal didn’t seem to have a distinctive personality, it did deliver a satisfying level of familiarity and comfort that made it worth our time and money.

▼ The toppings offered a good level of flavour to complement the rest of the dish.

If we were working in the building and had this to fill us up at lunch, we’d be happy to have it in our weekly rotation.

▼ Although with all the daily specials vying for our attention, it would probably end up being a fortnightly rotation.

If you’re looking for a good ramen to fill you up at low cost in a cafeteria with views overlooking the city, the Tocho Ramen will happily fit the bill. And with the money you save by eating here — ramen is usually in the 1,000-yen range at most popular chains — you’ll have more to spend on other dishes here or at some of the city’s other hidden staff cafeterias!

Cafeteria information
Staff Cafeteria, 32nd floor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Main Office / 都庁第一本庁舎32階職員食堂
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Nishi-Shinjuku, 1st Main Building, 32F
東京都新宿区西新宿2-8-1 東京都庁 第1本庁舎32F
Time: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. / 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Closed: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays

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