Delighted to have an American breakfast spot on the JR Chuo line at Cafe Sadiiq. Pancakes, egg, bacon, and a carrot rape salad with tuna. 1,500 yen ($10) for the pancakes, with a latte on weekdays for 400 yen ($2.50). It is just a five minute walk south of Mitaka Station, and on the way…
Category: Kichijoji 吉祥寺
Tenka
Tenka Zushi is a kaitenzushi, conveyor-belt sushi, chain with a branch near Kichijoji Station. What makes this different from the other big chains is that the sushi is made by hand, not by a sushi robot machine. That means the rice is still warm. My girlfriend has been telling me for years how she loves…
Kugutsusō
Kugutsusō kissaten in Kichijōji is famous for its two year dry-aged coffee beans and spicy curry. The nel drip coffee is smooth. This is the morning set with thick toast, salad, and strawberry jam. I love the interior of the basement coffee shop. It feels like a cave. The wooden menu and salt and pepper…
Taiwan Dumplings in Kichijōji
Taiwanese food is trendy in Japan. In Kichijōji is an addictive roasted dumpling filled with beef and pepper (I think it was beef) at Roryu Koshi Mochi. The meat is highly seasoned with spices and pepper. The leeks are sweet and I think the dough was a little sweet. The dumplings are cooked like Indian…
Family-friendly Yakitoriya
Once in a while we adults want to have yakitori, grilled chicken skewers, but many yakitori-ya are smoky joints that are not kid-friendly. Iseya in Kichijōji near Inokashira Kōen Park is both family-friendly and a good value. It is also perfect for groups as it is a large space. The only challenge is that it is wildly popular. On…
Shinjuku Kaijin 海神
Kaijin literally means the God of the Seas, a perfect name for this ramen shop that does not use meat. The seafood soup at Shinjuku Kaijin changes daily based on what seafood is in season. The broth, while rich in flavor, is light and refreshing on the palate. The fish that goes into the broth is…
Kichijoji Light Up Coffee
At my local coffee shop, Cribe, in Kokubunji, I often meet coffee shop owners. The other day I met a very young Aihara-san whose shop, Light Up Coffee, is in Kichijoji. Light Up was on my my radar thanks to recommendations from Twitter friends. Arigato, Twitter! Light Up Coffee is about a seven-minute walk from…
Village Vanguard Burgers in Kichijoji
Walking into Village Voice in Kichijoji I felt like I was up North in Minnesota. The beer signs lining the wood-paneled walls, the beer on tap, and the smell of burgers and fries. It’s a popular spot and we came right after they opened for lunch. Within about fifteen minutes it was packed and then…
Kichijoji Satou
If you have been to Kichijoji’s famous shōtengai on the North side of the station, most likely you have walked past the long lines at Satou. The shop is famous for its menchi katsu, seasoned ground beef patties covered in panko and deep-fried. The line is infamously long. I have never seen Satou without a long line,…
Gotta Get – Croissant Taiyaki
Taiyaki is a traditional Japanese sweet that is usually a pancake like dough that is stuffed with azuki bean paste and grilled in a fish (tai is the Japanese word for sea bream) shape. I am usually not a big fan unless they are hot off the grill as the dough gets very soft and…
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….
Food Sake Tokyo 