The set lunch at the Delicatessen at the Park Hyatt Tokyo is worth the short walk from Shinjuku station. I was surprised to see how reasonably priced it is. For 1,000 JPY diners can select from a large selection of sandwiches, including croque monsieur, croissants with ham, and pita overflowing with vegetables. With the sandwich…
Category: bargain eats
La Boutique de Joel Robuchon
J’adore Joel Robuchon. For special occasions we love L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi. The food is exquisite, service is professional yet friendly, and it has a great wine list. But, at the moment we don’t have the luxury of dining out for long meals. So La Boutique de Joel Robuchon offers a taste of…
Harajuku Afuri
“Regular or extra fat?” asked the guy behind the counter when I handed over my ticket from the vending machine for Afuri’s yuzu shio (yuzu and salt) ramen. No brainer. Extra fat (ōi instead of futsū for regular). A few minutes later I could smell the yuzu as he placed the bowl in front of me. You can…
Nihonbashi Sapporoya – Hiyashi Chuka Goma Dare
Tokyo has been unseasonably hot this week. My favorite bowl of cold ramen noodles in the whole city is a great little dive called Sapporoya.The ramen shop happens to be across the street from one of my favorite kaiseki/kappō restaurants, Nihonbashi Yukari. I love that on this narrow street you can find two contrasting meals,…
Spoon Curry
Japanese curry, one of the country’s comfort food dishes, is something we make at home all of the time. Often using packages of curry roux that now come in a wide variety of flavors and levels of heat. I am a firm believer in not going out to eat food that can be easily made…
Le Pain Quotidien
For one year I lived in Brussels. Just down the street from my apartment was a Le Pain Quotidien. I went about two to three times a week. Some nights for a baguette to have with wine and cheese. Mornings I could pop in and pick up a croissant. There was a small garden in…
Pizzeria GG
Anyone who knows the Tokyo food scene is aware of the many wood-burning ovens and great pizzerias in the city. Some of my favorites, like Seirinkan in Naka-Meguro, are a trip for me to get to. I’ve been looking for something closer to where we live on the Chuo line. Sadly, most of it is disappointing….
Japanese Baseball
We’ve been to a few baseball games this summer. One thing that I find amazing is that you can bring in your own food and beverages, even alcohol. However, the stadiums are very strict about not allowing glass or cans. So, as long as you can find your saké (or wine) in soft packaging, you…
Suito Pozu Gyoza
Gyōza is to me the perfect dumpling. Pork and cabbage stuffed into a wrapper then cooked until the crust is crispy while the filling remains juicy. I’ve started many mornings with gyōza for breakfast. While many restaurants serve gyōza as a side dish, it’s nice to know there are some places where it’s the main…
Park Brewery at Park Hyatt Tokyo
Now that the rainy season has ended summer is officially here. Temperatures are soaring and while many are cooling down at beer gardens on department store rooftops, a great all-you-can-drink craft beer offer is at the Deli in the Park Hyatt Tokyo. The Deli has been doing this summer only special for five…
Nana Udon in Kokubunji 七うどん
A recent issue of Dancyu magazine featured the hot noodle of the moment, udon. Udon noodles are thick flour noodles. Restaurants are popping up around Tokyo and it’s not unusual to see long lines forming at lunchtime. Many of these shops have been around for a long time are seeing a new appreciation for these hearty noodles. In…
Kokubunji Menya Rikyu 国分寺 麺屋利休
Menya Rikyū is a ramen shop in our neighborhood. It has been on television as a recommended ramen shop. There is sometimes a line, but not always. A few friends in the area also recommended it. The ramen is very good here. While it’s known for its tsuke-men we tried the shio (salt) ramen. The noodles are…
Tamahide in Ningyocho
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…
Nihonbashi Yukari Summer Lunch
Nihonbashi Yukari is one of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo for a kaiseki meal. Chef Kimio Nonaga is the 2002 Iron Chef champion from the original series. I’ve included many Yukari Gozen lunches on this blog and it’s a beautiful way to taste seasonal ingredients exquisitely presented. This lunch in early June starts with a chilled chawanmushi topped with…
Martiniburger in Kagurazaka
Once while private cheffing for a Japanese executive, my client asked me to make him a “hamba-gu”. I heard “hamba-ga-” an American-style hamburger. I went to Whole Foods and picked up some ground beef and buns. Later that evening when I presented the hamburger he laughed, in a good way. He said (in Japanese), “Yukari-san,…
Gotta Get – Haagen Dazs
While visiting Tokyo be sure to make a visit to the amazingly well-stocked convenience stores. If I am out and about in the city I am sure to stop by a convenience store at least one, if not several times during the day. Usually for something to drink. The selection can be dizzying; coffee…
Nihonbashi Yukari Spring Bento
Chawanmushi Nihonbashi Yukari is one of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo. Chef Kimio Nonaga is the 2002 Iron Chef Champion, from the original series. He is the third-generation chef of a kaiseki restaurant that is located in the historic district on Nihonbashi. His restaurant is about a three minute walk from Tokyo Station’s Yaesu exit….
Popular Egg Dishes in Japan
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper released results of a survey of popular egg dishes in Japan. Many of these are dishes we make at home. The one big difference of living in Japan and when we lived in New York City is that we only eat raw eggs in Japan. Also, our oven in Japan has…
Popular Donburi in Japan 日本の丼
Oyako-don from Tamahide in Ningyocho Donburi 丼 are simple and fast meal. It is a large bowl of hot rice with toppings. We often make it for lunch as it is not only easy to assemble, but also easy to clean up after the meal. Many restaurants often serve donburi at lunchtime as an affordable option,…
Rose Bakery
*** Note the Kichijoji Rose Bakery has closed. I am so heartbroken. Kichijoji is a great station to visit that is close to both Shinjuku and Shibuya. It can be reached by the Chuo line from Shinjuku or the Inokashira line from Shibuya. Inokashira Koen is a large park just minutes from the station. It…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats – Tenfusa Tempura
One of my indulgent breakfasts at Tsukiji Market is tempura anago at Tenfusa. Tenfusa is on the same block of restaurants as the popular Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi. While crowds of people queue for a rushed sushi breakfast I like to slide right by them, push aside the noren and slide open the door…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats – Toritoh Chicken
While many come to Tsukiji Market for sushi, I prefer to have warm dishes first thing in the morning. There is a wide variety of restaurants offering up more than just raw fish. Toritoh is both a restaurant and a retail shop. The retail shop in the outer market that sells both raw and cooked…
Tsukiji Cheap Eats – Orimine Bakers
Tokyo is filled with many wonderful bakeries. I have favorites throughout the city including Viron, Gontran Cherrier, and Maison Kayser. As the city is so big it’s a good to have a knowledge of where the great bakeries are as you never know when you’ll find yourself in an area with great bread. Orimine Bakers…
Tokyo Station’s Popular Ekiben 東京駅人気駅弁
Ekiben are literally bento from different eki or stations in Japan. Part of the pleasure of traveling by train in Japan is sampling a variety of local foods sold in bento boxes at major stations throughout the country. A bento from a coastal village most likely will showcase locally harvested seafood while a mountain village may feature vegetables harvested from the…
Cheap Eats – Taniya Udon in Ningyocho 人形町の谷や
Udon is a dish we often eat at home for lunch. Udon noodles are sold in the supermarket as dried noodles that need to be boiled and rehydrated or fresh (and also frozen) that just needs to be blanched in hot water. While both of these versions are fine for a simple meal at home,…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats – Indo Curry Nakaei 印度カレー中栄
Half and Half (Karakuchi and Tomato Fumi) For over 100 years Indo Curry Nakaei 印度カレー中栄 has been making it’s spicy curry for the market workers. The original shop, in Nihonbashi, opened in 1912. Nihonbashi is where the fish market was before it moved to its current location. The curries here are made from scratch and…
Tokyo Cheap Eats
Tokyo is a great city for eating well on a budget. The first thing to look for is restaurants that specialize in a dish, like ramen, tonkatsu, or soba. Also, remember the word “teishoku” which is like the daily special or set meal. It is often includes rice, miso soup, pickles, a main dish and…
Tokyo Soba Restaurants and Soba Menu
Here are some of my favorite Tokyo soba restaurants. This first appeared in Metropolis magazine. Soba is in the midst of a renaissance. The humble buckwheat noodle has been receiving an increasing amount of attention from local TV shows and lifestyle magazines, and a further boost has come from the Slow Food movement, which emphasizes…
Maguronald まぐろナルド
With an awesome name like Maguronald, which sounds an awful like lot McDonald’s when pronounced in Japanese, this is definitely worth checking out. Maguro, or of course, tuna, is the specialty of this small 20 seat restaurant in Ginza. It is open for lunch and dinner and closed on Sunday and holidays. And affordable, budget…
What and Where to Eat in Tokyo
Updated May, 2016 I often am asked for restaurant suggestions in Tokyo. Wow. Where does one begin? The food is amazing, from the high end kaiseki restaurants and sushi counters to the neighborhood ramen shop or izakaya. Even on a budget it is very easy to eat well in Tokyo. Let me put here just…
Grazing Tsukiji Market
Grazing is not really recommended in Japan. Walking while eating can be seen as impolite. But one place where there are lots of small bites for sale is Tsukiji Market. If you do want to graze here my only suggestion is that you step off to the side and eat before you move on. Tsukiji…
Monjayaki – Okame Hyottoko Ten
Tsukishima and Tsukuda are on an island in the Sumidagawa River just as it flows into Tokyo Bay. It is very close to Tsukiji Market and offers two local foods of Tokyo, monjayaki at Tsukishima and Tsukudani at Tsukuda. Monjayaki is just one of those foods that everyone should try once in their life if they…
Tsukiji Market Cheap Eats
There are so many great places to grab a cheap and delicious bite at Tsukiji Market. And don’t worry if you can’t stomach raw fish first thing in the morning. Most of these places open early in the morning and close after lunch. Here is a short list of some of my favorites: Tenfusa 天房…
Kintame Kyoto Pickles Restaurant 近為
One of the great delights of dining in Japan is the cornucopia of restaurants that specialize in one type of cuisine, as in the recent reviews of ramen at Ivan Ramen. Another unique dining experience is a meal based on pickles. Kintame, a store based in Kyoto, has two restaurants in Tokyo where diners can indulge in…
Ginza New Castle Curry ニューキャッスル – CLOSED
So sad to say that this is now closed. We will miss you New Castle. New Castle ニューキャッスル Chuo-ku, Ginza 2-3-1 03-3561-2929 11:00 – 21:00 (Saturdays until 17:00) Closed Sundays and holidays No website An old style curry shop, in an old building in a very modern part of town, catches your eye. The shop…
Orimine Bakers near Tsukiji Market 築地のパン屋「オリミネベーカーズ」
A great little bakery near Tsukiji has opened up and is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. The name of the shop is printed in gold on the windows, reminds me of Balthazar Bakery in Soho. You can’t miss its green and white awning and the green exterior. The breads range…
Kakigori Shaved Ice 氷
The heat and humidity of Tokyo summers can be overbearing. What better way to cool down than with kakigori (shaved ice sweets). As a child visiting my family in Japan in the summer that is one of my fondest memories. Kakigori topped with sweetened condensed milk (ask for miruku) and garnished with some sweet azuki…
Umezono in Asakusa 浅草の梅園
Umezono 梅園 Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-31-12 台東区浅草1-31-12 Phone: 03-3841-7580 10:00 – 20:00, closed Wednesdays and 2nd Tuesday http://www.asakusa-umezono.co.jp/ (Japanese) Just off of the Nakamise Dori the corner shop is easy to recognize from the red paper umbrella and benches in front of the shop. Umezono in Asakusa, opened in 1854, has a strong following for anmitsu,…
Magurobito Kaitenzushi in Asakusa 浅草のまぐろ人
**** Note, this shop has closed. Magurobito まぐろ人 Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-5-9 台東区浅草1-5-9 Phone: 03-3844-8736 Monday – Friday (11:00 – 15:00, 17:00 – 22:00) Saturday (11:00 – 22:00) Sunday and holidays (11:00 – 21:00) http://www.magurobito.com/ (Japanese) Magurobito is kaitenzushi (revolving sushi) with a good value and a selection of seasonal fresh fish. It is very…
Cheap Eats in Ginza – 2/2
The slightly spicy curry served at this nostalgic mom-and-pop shop has long been a neighborhood favorite. The small wooden building looks out of place among Ginza’s designer boutiques and department stores, and the cooking is simple as well: one curry served in four sizes, each named after a station on the Keihin-Tohoku line. The handwritten…
Cheap Eats in Ginza – 1/2
This article first appeared in Metropolis magazine on May 13, 2010. Some of my favorite cheap eats in Ginza. With shops like Forever 21 and H&M recently opening on Ginza’s main drag, the neighborhood is beginning to shed its reputation as a jet-setter’s playground. Yet budget-conscious diners have long known that the area is home…
Tokyo Bargain Dining – Katsukura Tonkatsu in Shinjuku 新宿のかつくら
In Shinjuku Times Square Building are several restaurant floors. Katsukura for tonkatsu on the 14th floor. Not every tonkatsu restaurant serves the tonkatsu with a mortar and pestle and toasted sesame seeds. Grind the seeds, releasing the aroma of the sesame seeds, and add tonkatsu sauce and then dress your tonkatsu. And the pork, breaded…
Junko Nakahama – Tour Guide to Yanesen Area
My friend Junko Nakahama is a food and wine writer in Tokyo. She has recently started to conduct Saturday tours of the popular shoutengai area Yanesen (Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi). This article from Metropolis magazine (by my editor Steve Trautlein) interviews Junko on some of her favorite foodie spots in Tokyo. http://metropolis.co.jp/dining/table-talk/junko-nakahama/ (text follows) Some…
Tokyo Bargain Dining
Elaine Louie, who is a fellow author at The Little Bookroom, has penned this great article for the New York Times on cheap eats in Tokyo. Here is her book on Cheap Eats in London: http://www.littlebookroom.com/savoirfare.html
Tokyo Cheap Eats – Kanda Yabu Soba
UPDATE: Kanda Yabu Soba caught on fire on February 19, 2013. 40 customers and employees were in the restaurant during dinner service when the fire was noticed. Everyone was safely evacuated. A spokesperson for Kanda Yabu Soba has said on NHK news the following day that the restaurant hopes to reopen in six months. If…
Tokyo Bargain Dining – Maisen Tonkatsu in Omotesando まい泉とんかつ
If you have not had tonkatsu in Japan you probably have not experienced the juicy pork cutlet with the crispy panko breaded. This served up with a hot bowl of rice and a large haystack of julienned cabbage does not disappoint. Season the cabbage and pork with some tonkatsu dressing, a dark, sweet, thick sauce…
Tokyo Cheap Eats – Tsukiji Market’s Yoshinoya
Yoshinoya is a popular fast-food chain famous for its gyudon, thin slices of beef cooked with onions and a sweet soy sauce are ladled over a bowl of rice. A branch of Yoshinoya is in New York City on 42nd Street. The first shop in the chain dates back to 1899 and was located near…
Tokyo Cheap Eats – Oedo Kaitenzushi 大江戸回転寿し
As a fishmonger, Shinji is always craving sushi. There are many ranks of restaurants, even within the kaitenzushi (revolving sushi). Ooedo Kaitenzushi came highly recommended for its variety of fresh fish at a reasonable price. Ooedo has several locations throughout the city. This one is near Okachimashi, just south of Ueno station and near the…
Tokyo Bargain Dining – Nihonbashi Yukari
I am often queried for good but affordable restaurants in Tokyo. One of my favorites for lunch is Nihonbashi Yukari with 2002 Iron Chef winner Kimio Nonaga. The basic lunch starts at about 2,000 JPY (around $20 USD). If you want to splurge, the Yukari bento, an uspcale bento, is about 3,675 JPY (about $35…
Tempura in Tokyo
Seafood and vegetables covered in a thin, crispy batter is one food that is, I believe, best eaten outside than at home. It is hard to recreate this dish at home, even for a chef. This article from Metropolis magazine highlights some of my favorite shops in Tokyo for tempura including Kondo, Mikawa, Daikokuya, Tenya,…
Food Sake Tokyo 