LO : "last order"
: Open late  : Open Sundays  : Notable decor  : Wine served in Riedel glasses
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Takadanobaba/ Okubo
Picks:
Spicy: Tetulia (Indian)
Western: Taverna (Italian)
Hang-out: Ben's Cafe
Late-night: Garlic Chips (to 3am. bar/restaurant); Ezogiku (to 5am. ramen); Himonoya (4am. izakaya)
Budget: Ti-nun Taikoku Ramen (Thai noodles)
Takadanobaba (west side)
This cozy izakaya specializes in himono (grilled dried fish), with a big menu of different varieties from around Japan. There's also plenty of good regional sake. Budget around Y2-3000 per person.  Takadanobaba 4-11-8, 2F. Open 5pm-4am daily. | |
The menu offers just a handful of dishes - tasty and inexpensive, although not particularly African. Takadanobaba 4-13-12. (on Waseda-dori, just past the post office) Open 5-10:30pm (LO) daily. You can specify one of seven levels of spiciness when you order the curries here, but be warned that even the mid-levels are seriously hot. Takadanobaba 4-13-12. (on Waseda-dori, just past the post office) Open 11:30am-3, 5-10:30pm (LO) daily.
Takadanobaba (east side)
A friendly, comfortable cafe with great coffee, excellent baked goods from Kyle's in Nakano, and bagels with lox. They host plenty of special events during the week, including live music and go lessons. The art on the walls changes every two weeks. Takadanobaba 1-29-21. Open 11am-11pm daily. | |
Late-night cocktails, jazz, light meals, and garlic chips in a relaxed neighborhood bar. Some outdoor seating. Takadanobaba 1-31-8. (to get there turn right from Takadanobaba station, turn right again and go up the hill past Big Box, keep walking for 5 minutes, then turn right again just before Suwa-dori - it'll be on the left) Open 5pm-3am. Closed Sundays. | |
A neighborhood hangout with jazz on the sound system, dim sum, Chimay beer and cocktails. Takadanobaba 1-23-9. Open 1pm-midnight daily. | |
Nicely prepared food in a modest basement coffee-shop setting. Thai and Vietnamese groceries and magazines; they also hold cooking and vegetable carving classes. Takadanobaba 1-17-9. Part of the Fealteria complex, this casual restaurant offers solid Italian fare, including pizzas, in an unpretentious, smoke-free dining room. Prix-fixe dinners are Y2100-5200. Weekday lunches run Y1000-3000, including several "salad lunches"; weekends are a bit fancier, from Y1500-3500. | |
Late-night cocktails and snacks, with jazz in the background. Terrace seating is available on the first and second-floor cafe areas. | |
If you're in the mood to snuggle up to a sleeping kitty, this seriously chill cat lounge is the place for you. Billowy Southeast Asian fabrics hang from the ceiling, filtering the light, while soothing music plays in the background. It's Y1000 for the first hour (Y300 for another 30 minutes) plus one drink. Takadanobaba 1-17-16, Star Plaza 6F. Open 11am-8pm daily. | |
Get ready for romper-room feline fun - high-speed chases, tails whipping through the air - at this lively spot in Takadanobaba. The cafe's second branch (the original Neko Jalala is in Akihabara) houses twelve friendly kitties, who are allowed to roam free at all hours: cages are nowhere in sight. Get ready for romper-room feline fun - high-speed chases, tails whipping through the air - at this lively spot in Takadanobaba. The cafe's second branch (the original Neko Jalala is in Akihabara) houses twelve friendly kitties, who are allowed to roam free at all hours: cages are nowhere in sight.
The space and the level of activity bring to mind a kindergarten classroom. Bright orange paw prints cover the walls, colorful cushions dot the floor, and tree stumps do double duty as seats for the customers and launching pads for the cats.
Y500 will get you thirty minutes of playtime; after that it's Y150 for every additional ten minutes. Drinks are available from Y300 - four kinds of coffee, six flavored teas, and four herbal teas as well as juices and soft drinks. For Y200, you can buy cat treats and a furry entourage. Reservations are recommended on weekends. [Show more] [Show less] Takadanobaba 1-6-15, Arai Bldg 4F. Open noon-7:30pm (LO) daily. | |
A hole-in-the-wall bar serving Shan-style cuisine, which draws on influences from neighboring Yunnan and Sichuan in China. The adventurous may want to try the Shan-Iei (Y400) - a reddish-brown-colored Shan-style liquor that's about 25% alcohol, with a sweet flavor reminiscent of some kind of herbal remedy. Nong Inlay is truly a hole-in-the-wall patronized mostly by young Burmese men who all seem to know each other. Decor is very minimal, with folding chairs and wall-bench seating. Named after a lake in Burma's northeastern Shan state, Nong Inlay specializes in Shan cooking, which draws on influences from neighboring Yunnan and Sichuan in China.
Only a part of the menu is in Japanese, and descriptions are short and limited, so it is best to ask what's what. The Shan Chicken (Y800) was small chunks of chicken and vegetables stir-fried with hot peppers in a tangy miso-based sauce, and was a lot like Kung Pao chicken. The adventurous may want to try the Shan-Iei (Y400) - a reddish-brown-colored Shan-style liquor that's about 25% alcohol, with a sweet flavor reminiscent of some kind of herbal remedy. [Show more] [Show less] Takadanobaba 2-19-7. Open noon-midnight daily. Spicy chicken wings, yakitori and Nagoya miso specialties. Takadanobaba 2-18-6. Open 5-11pm (LO) daily. Well-prepared Roman-style food at budget-friendly prices. Start off dinner with three selections from the extensive tapas case, then explore the pastas and main entrees, which include several good veal dishes. There's an above-average dessert menu with several tasty homemade sherbets. Seating is mostly at the large wrap-around counter. Takadanobaba 2-15-10. Open 5-10:30pm (LO). Closed Sundays. | |
Ruby (Burmese). 3204-5121 Good Burmese food and ambitiously multi-lingual karaoke in Burmese, Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. Highly recommended is the Tofu-joh (Y550), a Burmese style tofu made from yellow lentils and spice, and deep fried in small squares. The menu also includes Malaysian-style dishes like satay. Ruby is a friendly place that attracts a lively crowd of drinkers and eaters. It's in a long and narrow basement space, clean and brightly lit, with video monitors for karaoke at each end. (The shop card boasts they have karaoke in Burmese, Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean!)
They have a complete Japanese-language menu, listing some Malaysian-style dishes like satay in addition to a full range of Burmese food. Highly recommended is the Tofu-joh (Y550), a Burmese style tofu made from yellow lentils and spice, and deep fried in small squares. Served with a thick, sweet-hot-savory dipping sauce, it has a crunchy exterior and an interior texture like the corn masa in a Mexican tamale, but with a flavor closer to Indian papad.
The A-Soh-Na-Hin (Y780) consists of long-simmered chunks of stringy beef in a richly flavored sauce similar to a Northern Indian curry, garnished with a large sprig of spearmint leaves. Both rice and paratha (a thin bread) are also on the menu. Ruby can get very crowded on weekends, so call in advance. [Show more] [Show less] Takada 3-11-18, TTA Bldg. B1F. Open 11:30am-2:30, 5pm-mid. (5am weekends) daily. | |
Inexpensive Chinese-Singaporean cuisine in a brightly lit noodle-shop setting. Dumplings seem to be the specialty here, with especially good sui-gyoza. Interesting original dishes include a flavorful and crunchy Singapore lemon chicken and fantastic ebi-yuba harumaki (shrimp and tofu-skin spring rolls). And the Coca-cola-stewed chicken has its own special charm. Takadanobaba 2-14-16. Open 11:30am-2, 5-11pm. Closed Sundays. | |
A very casual, home-style restaurant with many Burmese customers. You can assemble a hearty meal or a light snack from the extensive menu of small dishes - some 50 appetizers, salads, meat dishes, noodle items and desserts, most priced in the Y500-900 range. The food is nicely seasoned without being too fiery, with very distinctive flavors - coconut cream sauces, lots of garlic, northern Burmese pickles, and plenty of spices. Lunch is Y750, dinner in the Y1,700-3,000 range. Mingalaba is fairly spacious, with a standard decor of plain tables, bright lighting and video monitor mounted high in a corner. It seems to attract families and those looking for a simple evening meal. The Japanese menu is fairly complete, and the staff is eager to offer advice on what to order. Like Nagani nearby, Mingalaba gets a lot of non-Burmese customers.
Recommended are the many curry-like stewed dishes, particularly the Sei-Tah-Hin (Y900) made with chunks of lamb. The Che-Aie-Kun-Joh (Y600) is strips of chicken skin, lightly breaded and deep fried, very crispy and less greasy than one might imagine. [Show more] [Show less] Takadanobaba 2-14-8, NT Bldg. 3F. Open 11:30am-3, 5-11pm (LO) daily. Intro (Jazz kissaten). 3200-4396 An old-fashioned "jazz kissa" where you can nurse your drink and nod your head to the music for hours on end. Takadanobaba 2-14-8, NT Bldg. B1F. Open noon-midnight daily. Although sometimes good, the food quality varies remarkably from visit to visit. Takadanobaba 2-14-6. Open 11:30am-2, 5-10pm (LO) daily. | |
Perfect for a dignified yet unpretentious lunch or dinner date, this tiny dining room serves the best traditional French cuisine in the neighborhood, a bit of Paris's Latin Quarter in Takadanobaba. Service is prompt and cheerful, and there is an affordable prix fixe lunch (Y1200) and dinner (Y2000) with over a dozen appetizers and main courses to choose from. [See FULL REVIEW.] Takadanobaba 2-9-12. Open noon-1:30, 6-10pm (LO). Closed Mondays, some Tues. | |
Great curries and a big take-out menu. Takadanobaba 2-5-20. Open 11am-11pm daily. State-of-the-art Hokkaido-style miso ramen. Occasionally there are lines, but they move quickly. Slightly less crowded than the main shop, this branch is just around the corner on Waseda-dori, just east of Meiji-dori. | |
Great, cheap noodles and crowds of Waseda students. Noodles are served in several different thicknesses and styles. Nishi-Waseda 2-18-25. Open 11am-1am daily.
Waseda
Mae Yao (Misc. Southeast Asian). 5273-3770 This popular Waseda student hangout serves various Thai and Indian-style curries. The two-curry set includes a yogurt drink and runs about Y1000. Babashitacho 18-9, Akiyama Bldg 2F. Open 11-3:30, 4:30-9 (Sat. to 8). Closed Sundays.
Okubo
Authentic Malaysian curries and satays. Hyakunincho 1-17-10. Open 11:30am-1am daily. Hyakunincho 1-5-6. Open noon-2pm, 5-midnight (LO; -1am Sundays). Open every day. A good place to buy ingredients for Chinese and various Southeast Asian cuisines -- they stock canned goods, fresh noodles, Thai curries, and spices, with a freezer full of dumplings, fish and desserts. Be sure to check the dates on their frozen items. Okubo 1-15-12. Open 10am-1am daily.
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Ezogiku (honten) (Ramen). 3208-1915
