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$ | Shibuya-ku |
Ramen is the quintessential Japanese fast food: thick Chinese noodles in a bowl of savory broth topped with sliced grilled chashu (pork loin). Each neighborhood in Tokyo has its favorite, and in Ebisu the hands-down favorite is Afuri. Using the picture menu, choose your ramen by inserting coins into a ticket machine, find a seat, and hand over your ticket to the cooks, who prepare your ramen then and there. There's limited seating, and at lunch and dinner, a line of customers extends down the street, but as expected, the ramen is worth it. The signature ramen here is yuzu shio (citron and salt), but there are other options, including a vegan ramen.
1–1–7 Ebisu, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 150-0013, Japan
Known For
- Quick, affordable meals
- Refreshing shio ramen with yuzu
- Vegan ramen
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$ | Shinjuku-ku |
Just south of the Shinjuku station, this chain ramen house serves up ramen with hints of citrus in the broth, turning this often heavy dish into something more refreshing. It's located on a basement food level of Shinjuku's Lumine I department store, so you can have the nearby Thai food instead should you peek in and change your mind.
1–1–2 Nishishinjuku, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan
Known For
- Lively atmosphere
- Very unusual citrusy broth
- A light version of the sometimes heavy ramen
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$ | Koto-ku |
This small, friendly roastery and café in a repurposed warehouse across from Ando Gallery serves excellent espresso, flat whites, and cappuccinos, plus simple snacks like cookies and toasted sandwiches. There are some seats inside, but if the weather is nice get a drink to go and walk a few minutes east to Kiba Park; a lovely green spot to while away an hour.
3-7-2 Hirano, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 135-0023, Japan
Known For
- Great espresso shots
- Close to Kiba Park for outdoor coffee
- Friendly, laidback staff
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$ | |
Ameya is a traditional sweet and snack store on Monzen-machi best known for a riff on the local soba theme. You don’t get soba noodles here, but rather "soba bread." Basically, it’s a steamed bun made with buckwheat (soba) flour, sugar, and rice flour, in which you can have one of four fillings: sweet red bean paste (anko), mustard greens (takana), daikon radish, and the very non-traditional keema curry.
5-15-10 Jindaiji-motomachi, Chofu, Tokyo-to, 182-0017, Japan
Known For
- Soba bread (steamed buns)
- Traditional setting
- Take-out only
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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$ | Setagaya-ku |
This is possibly the best coffee in the neighborhood since that is essentially all they sell (save some branded merchandise). Sit on old wooden benches in this tiny establishment that feels as if it's both in the now, and from long ago. Look for the cute neon bear they have as their sign.
2-36-12 Kitazawa, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan
Known For
- Quality coffee
- Unique atmosphere
- Cute merchandise
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$ | Shibuya-ku |
Many long lines in Shibuya are more about trendiness than quality, but Beard Papa makes some genuinely good cream puffs in all kinds of flavors. Pick up a single or a six-pack of freshly made pastries. Located in the underground shopping arcade known as Shibuchika. The location is roughly under the main crossing. Head down some stairs and follow your nose to the vanilla and butter smells.
2–2–1 Dogenzaka, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan
Known For
- Fresh pastries
- Buttery smells
- Cream puffs in seasonal flavors
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$ | Chuo-ku |
In business since 1948, Cafe de l'ambre is a legendary haunt for Tokyo's coffee aficionados. The retro decor provides a snapshot of an older Tokyo, while the caffeine fix options include a dozen or so single-origin beans, including some that have been aged for years.
8-10-15 Ginza, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 104-0061, Japan
Known For
- Aged coffee beans
- Retro vibe
- Doesn't open until noon
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$ | Minato-ku |
Associated with the funky clothing shop that is just around the corner, this cafe is bright and open, and serves quality coffee, cakes, snacks, and gelato. They also have some Kitsuné-branded goods on hand.
3-15-9 Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan
Known For
- Lively and airy atmosphere
- Kitsuné-branded small gifts
- Quality coffee
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
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$ | Odaiba |
Shopping and entertainment are two attractive points for Odaiba, but the chance for a short escape from Tokyo's madness is another. To enhance that, stop in at Canteen, a café operated by Transit General Office. The terrace seating is a fine choice for enjoying a cup of coffee and an ice-cream cake.
2–7–4 Aomi, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 135-0064, Japan
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$ | Setagaya-ku |
Stop by and watch some specialty donuts being fried before your eyes. The giant cone outside reminds you that you can also get ice cream (soft-serve only), and there's coffee, too. Sit outside and watch the world go by as you get your sugar fix.
Kitazawa 2-7-5, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan
Known For
- Fresh donuts
- Donuts made with soybean fiber leftover from tofu-making
- Great soft-serve ice cream
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$ | Nakano-ku |
This basement-level ice cream store has become a Nakano Broadway institution for its soft-serve ice cream, which comes in flavors that vary from simple vanilla to matcha (green tea), horse chestnut, and ramune (a popular citrus soda flavor). The signature is the eight-layered, 20-cm Tokudai (extra large) soft serve, though small cups and cones are also on the menu.
5-52-15 Nakano, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 164-0001, Japan
Known For
- Eight-layered soft-serve ice cream
- Flavors like matcha
- Served in cups or cones
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$ | Minato-ku |
The classic bowl of ramen is topped with slices of pork, but Darumaya, in the fashion district of Omotesando, has a slightly different take, topping its noodles with grilled vegetables. In the summertime be sure to order the hiyashi soba, a bowl of chilled noodles topped with vegetables and ham in a sesame dressing. Another shop specialty is the tsukemen, where the noodles and broth are served in separate bowls. Dip (don't drop) the ramen into the broth. Despite the focus on veggies, vegetarians should note, the soups and sauces are not meat-free.
5–9–5 Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 107-0062, Japan
Known For
- Refreshing take on ramen
- A quick, affordable lunch in a high-end area
- One of few noodle shops in the neighborhood
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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$ | Roppongi |
No surprise that eggs are the thing at this convenient diner on the first basement floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. Eggs are organic and available every which way, including in egg tarts, eggs benedict, pancakes, and a fried breakfast.
6–10–1 Roppongi, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 106–0032, Japan
Known For
- Portuguese-style egg tarts
- Pancakes
- Good breakfast sets
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$ | Taito-ku |
At the northern end of the izakaya-lined Hoppy Street, this hip Scandinavian-style café serves up sweet and savory Norwegian waffles along with coffee made using single-origin beans. In the evenings, there's craft beer and cocktails on the menu too.
2-6-16 Asakusa, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 111-0032, Japan
Known For
- Craft beer and cocktails at night
- Norwegian waffles
- Coffee made with single-origin beans
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$ | Koto-ku |
Kamasho serves the signature dish of the old Fukagawa area, Fukagawa-meshi: short-neck clams and green onion cooked in a miso broth and poured over a bowl of rice. You can order just a bowl of Fukagawa-meshi or opt for a set with a side serving of pickles and miso soup. If you are really hungry, the largest set also comes with some sushi. There’s beer and sake on the menu if you want something to wash it all down with.
2-1-13 Shirakawa, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 135-0021, Japan
Known For
- Fukagawa-meshi (clams on rice)
- Lively atmosphere
- Rustic interiors
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$ | Akihabara |
Located in the historic former Manseibashi Train Station, Fukumori features light meals from Yamagata Prefecture in the north of Japan. The brick and wood interior, with large windows overlooking the Kanda River, offers a relaxing change from the bustle of Akihabara.
1–25–4 Kanda Sudacho, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 101-0041, Japan
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$ | Suginami-ku |
Having started as a street stall in Ogikubo in the late 1940s, Harukiya is now a ramen restaurant that often has patrons lining up down the street. The noodles here come in a soy- and dried sardine-based stock and are served with a topping of chashu (roast pork) with the noodles being handmade every morning.
1-4-6 Kamiogi, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 167-0043, Japan
Known For
- Long lines
- Excellent ramen
- Quick turnover of diners
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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$ | Chiyoda-ku |
After strolling through the flower gardens of Hibiya Park on a hot day, stop off for a cold pint of beer here; Hibiya Saroh is proud of the varieties on tap. There is no indoor seating, but with its view of Hibiya Park, you wouldn't want to be inside.
1–1 Hibiya Park, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 100-0012, Japan
Known For
- Auto rickshaw on the terrace
- All-you-can-drink menu
- Simple, well-priced food
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$ | Ueno |
At Ueno Station is a branch of an amusing ramen chain. Ichiran serves tonkotsu (pork broth) noodles. Rather than sitting at a table and ordering off the menu, you'll choose and pay for your meal and your seat at a machine. You then use the order sheet at your table (it has English on it) and choose how you'd like it served. You'll hand that and your order tickets through a window. Like magic—presto!—the curtain rises and made-to-order steaming bowls appear.
7–1–1 Ueno, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 110-005, Japan
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$ | |
Soba noodles, which are made with buckwheat, are a signature of the restaurants near Jindai-ji. That's apparently because buckwheat was traditionally easier to grow here than rice. This place along the temple’s Monzen-machi approach serves handmade soba in a variety of ways, including in warm broths and cold with a dipping sauce.
5-11-2 Jindaiji-motomachi, Chofu, Tokyo-to, 182-0017, Japan
Known For
- Soba noodles
- Rustic vibe
- Close to the main sights
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner
