You’ll be thinking from the title that I’m stooping to double-posting about ramen shops. But you’ll be WRONG about that! Hoo-ahh! Gotcha! Woo! That’s because the Tsujita I went to a few weeks ago is across the street, and has a different name involving miso (plus th menu to match). When I went there, I was […]
recommended
- Other treats
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Bigakuya, Toyocho (美学屋)
There’s no question that Tabelog is the single greatest resource for Tokyo eaters. It’s a terrific example of crowdsourcing gone right, far from a regular occurence. There are only a few shortcomings that I’ve found over time. One is that popularity is self-perpetuating; the scores of the top places tend to get pushed up over […]
- coffee
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Bear Pond Espresso, Shimo Kitazawa
Never let it be said that Shimokita is not quirky and fun. There’s a whole store selling ‘rescue’-themed goods, like this silly shirt. Ever since seeing it on this blog, I’ve been regretting not trying the coffee at Bear Pond when I first went to Shimokita around this time last year. It looked like a […]
- izakaya
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Orenchi, Kawasaki (おれんち)
Long post ahead, watch out. OK? OK. Let’s begin. As begin so many of my best posts (or rather, my worst posts but best memories), The Woodsman was eager to take me to his ‘local’, i.e. the izakaya down the street from his wooded compound in the forests of Kawasaki. The whole family went along […]
- beer
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Baird Taproom, Harajuku
This could seem like a public service, posting something about a very American-style micro brewery and their central-Tokyo brewpub outlets (Harajuku and Nakameguro), but based on the traffic yesterday, when Swannie and I spent 6 hours perched on their stools (holy shit, 6 hours?!), every foreigner in Tokyo knows about this place already. I was […]
Echizenya, Kiyosumi Shirakawa
Heavens, how many times have I bemoaned the lack of availability of 720ml bottles of really excellent sake? Yes, far too many times (internally if not in writing or verbally). Well, look no further. It turns out the alley-like space squeezed in next to a Sankus a few blocks from my apartment has an astounding […]
- bistro
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Le Mont St Michel, Mejiro
Yves Ringler was a soldier in the Jimmy Cayne mob, running numbers out of Tokyo. They called him “The Wringer” even though that doesn’t really sound like his name if you pronounce it properly. He managed to give up the life a few years ago, showing a good deal of prescience. As you may know, I […]
- Other treats
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Tanakaya, Mejiro
Sure, I feel just a touch guilty posting a post that’s only about a liquor store. But I did buy something there, and I will consume it, so I hope you’ll agree it’s fare gayme (squire). Besides which, it must be the best liquor store in Tokyo. Or Japan. It’s a payle shadow of the […]
- izakaya
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Tsugaru, Kashiwa (つがる)
Well, Tsugaru looked great on the web. Maybe it’s the photos they used, but I expected a lot from this place. It turned out well in the end. But first, I was disappointed when I stopped by in the afternoon before opening – the exterior is tiny, plain, and very much in keeping with its […]
- Other treats
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Yataichi, Kashiwa (やたいち、柏)
Quirky is pretty much always good in Japan, especially when the quirk focuses on food and drinks. I wasn’t sure about Yataichi based on what I could see on the interwebz, but it’s a real winner in person. The quirk starts with the door, which is no more than 4 feet high and will have […]