Tamahide in Nihonbashi Ningyocho has a perpetual line out its front door, regardless if it is a weekday or holiday. Its signature dish, oyakodon, literally mother and child, is bite-size pieces of chicken mixed with scrambled eggs and a sweet sauce. The chicken is cooked and then added to the eggs which is then just given some heat to start to set and this is poured over a hot bowl of rice.
When I worked at Takashimaya, Tamahide did promotions in our depachika and the lines were there too.
Tamahide has been in business since 1760. In speaking to fellow diners, they too were curious like me, it was their first time, and they too wanted to try Tamahide’s oyakodon once in their life. As this is where the now popular comfort food was created here.
It is hands down the best oyakodon that I have had. Surely it is the eggs, the chicken, the seasoning, but also, having tried to make this at home a few times, I am always challenged to get the eggs to set just like this. The eggs are still runny and the savory sauce is filled with umami. It does come at a price though, at 1,300 JPY. My neighbor had the soboro oyakodon with ground chicken at 800 JPY and it looked just as satisfying. And, it is a bit silly to stand in line for longer than it takes to order and eat your food. But, I had to do it once, just as, I assume, many of the other customers. It would be fun to come for the dinner full chicken sukiyaki course.
Ningyocho is a great neighborhood to walk around filled with wagashi shops, kanmidokoro (Japanese confectionary cafes), sembei (rice crackers), tea shops, and more.
Tamahide 玉ひで
Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi-Ningyocho 1-17-10
03-3668-7651
Closed Sunday and holidays
*This first appeared on my other blog in May, 2009, before Food Sake Tokyo was started.
Food Sake Tokyo 
I want to go! I want to go! I love oyakodon
This is where the dish originated. Usually a long line, but worth the wait.
I love this place, heard about it from you, and wrote about it in my book. Definitely worth putting on a must-list if you’re visiting Japan, because you’re certainly not going to get anything like it outside the country.