This recent addition to the very cosmopolitan Grand Cube dining street in Otemachi offers a mound of real, down-home Malaysian-style Indian curries and rice to discerning local office workers. Just choose your rice and curry, and the friendly staff will load you up a heaping plate of spicy enjoyment! The…
A few musty bookstores away from Jimbocho crossing, R Sri Lanka is an oasis of calm. Enter through the tinted glass doors and you’re struck by the high ceilings, the palm fronds, and the giant elephants painted on the walls. The only Tokyo branch of a restaurant launched a few…
This lively backstreet cafe serves dozens of varieties of buckwheat galettes and dessert crepes in addition to French hard ciders. You can supplement your galette “complete” (ham, egg and cheese) with add-on ingredients like mushrooms, onions, potatoes and seasonal vegetables, or opt for “specialty” galette varieties like smoked salmon, smoked…
Decorated with lanterns and neon signage, this basement Vietnamese restaurant offers up very tasty dishes in an unpretentious izakaya-style setting. Named for the famous Vietnamese beer, 333 (“Bababa”) is crowded at lunch and dinner with local young Japanese office workers and Vietnamese students. Along with the usual Pho soup-noodle dishes,…
Plump, globular donuts bursting with creamy filling are the specialty at Osaka-based BPC Donuts, produced in flavors like chocolate, lemon-cheese and yogurt. Most customers get their donuts to go, but you can also drop in for a quick coffee and donut in the tiny seating area next to the take-out…
If you want to, you can think of Le Petit Tonneau as a wine bar. They serve more than twenty different wines by the glass and a few dozen more by the bottle, with Cotes du Rhone, Languedoc, Bordeaux and Bourgogne all well represented. The menu includes fairly detailed descriptions…
If you’re in Harajuku and looking for a dining spot with a pleasant atmosphere, good food and spacious outdoor seating, Eataly checks all the boxes. The attractive third-floor terrace is probably the main selling point, with a verdant view overlooking Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine (and the intermittently audible Yoyogi…
Run by the Que Bom churrasco restaurant, this cozy shop serves Brazilian sandwiches in nine or ten different varieties. Some favorites include the excellent Ceviche-style Shrimp-Avocado as well as the Grilled Cheese and Short Rib (think of it as a Brazilian version of Philly cheesesteak). Argentine-style choripan – a plump…
Nishi-Kasai is famous for its plentiful Indian restaurants, both North and South Indian styles, catering to a large local Indian community. Tokyo Mithai Wala is probably the city’s only specialist Indian sweets shop. From outside the front window, it looks like a high-class French patisserie or chocolaterie, with rows of…
Kokage Beer Stand: Omotesando Kokage Beer Stand Omotesando: Beer bar Parked in one corner of the trendy B-Flat Commune market area hidden in the back streets of Omotesando, the Kokage beer truck is perfectly set up for seasonal outdoor beer drinking. They serve five beers from Karuizawa…
Well-assembled tacos and Mexican regional dishes are the draw at this lively after-work taqueria, with the added bonus of comfortable outdoor seating when Tokyo weather cooperates. You can choose from nine varieties of taco, from traditional al pastor (marinated pork, pickled red onions and pineapple) and achiote (marinated chicken, guacamole…
If you’re looking for the best reindeer steak in Tokyo, your search is over. Allt Gott in Kichijoji serves up high-level Swedish cuisine, made from traditional ingredients but prepared with a light, modern cooking style. And thanks to its off-the-beaten-track location, the prices here are much lower than you might…
This popular standing bar in Tokyo Midtown Yaesu’s second-floor dining complex offers a few unusual craft beers on tap as well as various light snacks. A recent taplist featured an imperial stout from La Debauche Nevermore (France) and Burnt Mill Five Acre NE Pale Ale (UK) as well as more…
Innovative, thoughtfully designed original cocktails are the hallmark of the Mixology group of bars, and this tiny branch in the stylish Hibiya Okuroji corridor is no exception. The folks at Folklore are dedicated to exploring the characteristics of various types of sake and shochu, combining them with selected liquors, liqueurs…
The popular Belgian chain imports its own beers and also runs a Tokyo- and Brussels-based brewery. You can usually find a half dozen or more beers on tap, with dozens more by the bottle. The cozy interior is long and narrow, reminiscent of a railway car, with side doors that…
As promised by the name, this intimate dining spot specializes in smoked foods, ranging from smoked cheeses and sausages to skirt steak and spare ribs. The smoked salmon, served in generous portions, is especially recommended. Drinks include smoke-themed cocktails as well as wines by the glass. Budget around Y3,500-4,500 for…
L’Habitude is a classic French neighborhood restaurant, with good, meaty fare and casual bistro-style seating at small but well-spaced tables. The wine list is extensive and quite reasonable, with bottles mainly from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Languedoc-Roussillon. A good number of bottles are priced in the Y4,000-5,000 range, with 500ml decanters…
Although Bills is most famous for their Australian breakfast platters, it’s worth checking out their dinnertime menu as well. They offer creative, modern International Cuisine that draws on European, Asian and Middle Eastern influences, with entertaining combinations of ingredients and flavors. The dining room is comfortable and attractively laid out,…
