Everyone's favorite Yoyogi-area all-lamb restaurant. They do kebabs from all over, cous cous and lamb steaks. There's also a big menu of Cajun specialties, including some serious gumbo. [feedback]

Yoyogi 1-59-1. (located midway between Nishi-Shinjuku and Yoyogi) Open 11:30am-2:30, 6-10pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

At lunchtime this kissaten-style shop serves an unusual assortment of British-style curries, with regular sauce or a tangy, clove-infused "demi" sauce. Variations include smoked pork and egg; mushroom, clam and egg; and smoked chorizo sausage and egg. In the evenings it's a bar specializing in single-malt whiskeys. [feedback]

Yoyogi 1-23-7. Open 11:30am-9:30pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

Around 30 Belgian and German beers, with credible German food (sausages, sauerkraut, etc.). The wood-paneled room and the wide wooden bar evoke a vaguely European feel, and the crowd is lively but well-behaved. [See FULL REVIEW.][feedback]

Yoyogi 1-32-15. Open 11:30am-2, 6-11pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

This bistrot branch of the highly regarded L'Artemis restaurant in Jingumae offers a more casual experience and convenient late-night hours. The kitchen covers the standards very well - excellent grilled lamb and pork confit - but they also turn out dishes we don't often see at the typical bistrot - blood sausage served with chunks of baked apple, avocado-shrimp salad, and an eye-opening red pimento creme brulee. The extensive wine list starts at around Y3000; budget Y4500-7500 for dinner. Tables are a bit snug, but there's no smoking, except in the tiny garden area out front. The restaurant is very popular with a young local crowd, so advance reservations are recommended. [See branch review] [feedback]

Sendagaya 4-5-11, Victoria Plaza 1F. Open 5pm-1am (LO). Closed Tuesdays.

They're a bit on the expensive side, and the interior resembles a theme park, but the musicians wandering among the tables add a festive atmosphere. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-33-12-B2. Open 5:30pm-4am (LO) daily.

"Korean organic" is how Nabi bills itself, with a menu covering the usual bases of modern Korean cuisine (including yakiniku). The beautiful basement dining room, which looks like a cross between a cafe/lounge and a furniture showroom, was decorated by the Idee design shop, which also manages the restaurant. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-31-20, Accorder Jingumae Bldg. B1F. (from Takeshita-dori and Meiji-dori walk to the second traffic light, then go down the little alleyway running parallel to Meji-dori on the right side of the street, and go to the end of the alley; it's on the right) Open 11am-2:30, 6-11:30pm (LO) daily.

Inexpensive sashimi and other fish dishes, offering good quality for the price. There's an assortment of premium sake brands as well as shochu to drink. (Formerly called Higashi-no-17) [feedback]

Jingumae 2-19-16. Open 4-10:30pm (LO). Closed Sundays.

This tiny, funky ten-seat bar run by Guam native Jamie Skye attracts a mostly local crowd, both Japanese and foreign. Music ranges from String Cheese Incident to Style Council to Scandinavian jazz. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-20-12. Open 8pm-2am. Closed Sundays.

This comfortable sofa-furnished lounge attracts a Japanese hipster crowd and features jazzy DJs and occasional live performances; there's also a tiny art gallery and chill space upstairs. The hidden entrance is at the back of another bar. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-23-4. Open 8pm-1am daily.

With its double-height ceilings and wrap-around windows letting in the afternoon sun, the smoke-free second floor of Mother Kurkku is a luxurious space to relax. The food is well above average, with mains like grilled swordfish with mentaiko and two kinds of cous cous (with lamb tajine or sausage and root vegetables). The Y1000 lunch is especially good value. There's a selection of reasonable wines and other drinks, and a DJ setup downstairs. Lunch is served until 3pm weekdays, 5pm weekends. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-18-15. Open 11am-midnight daily.

Kurkku's attractive and spacious dining room is tucked into the back of a trendy-looking design shop, and the main focus is on the wood-burning grill at the heart of the open kitchen. The menu is built around premium grilled meats but also includes hefty portions of vegetables and greens. Prix-fixe dinners of ample size start at Y5500, and they include a vegetable-centered chef's menu. A few decent wines can be found for under Y6000, but it's easy to spend more if you want to splurge. The Y2800 three-course lunch is an especially good deal. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-18-21, Koti Bldg 1F. Open 11:30-2, 5-10pm (LO). Closed Mondays.

Excellent French cooking and a substantial wine list (around 180 varieties), starting in the Y3000 range but covering all the bases. They also have an extensive and unusual selection of eaux-de-vie. Lunch starts at Y1000; three-course dinners from Y4000. [See FULL REVIEW.][feedback]

Jingumae 2-31-7, Villa Gloria 101. Open noon-2:30, 6-9:30pm (LO). Closed Wednesdays.

An entertaining cave-like space with tiny doors, miniature rooms and lots of nooks and crannies. The menu features tasty and reasonably priced Okinawan, Thai and other Asian dishes along with assorted cocktails. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-31-8. Open noon-2, 6pm-midnight (LO). Closed Sundays.

The decor of this cute little cafe is a mix of early-sixties batchelor-pad modern with African and Asian knick-knacks, while the soundtrack covers the range of Afro-pop and world music. There are plenty of cozy seating areas, including a couple of chairs perched in the tiny back garden. The menu features flavored teas, original cocktails, Singaporean chicken rice and Thai curries. [feedback]

Jingumae 2-31-9. Open 11am-8pm daily.

The specialty of the house is dragon ramen, made with large chunks of kakuni (stewed pork), tomatoes and octopus. They also offer garlicky gyoza and simple stir-fry dishes, all of very high quality. [feedback]

Sendagaya 2-1-8. (Meiji-dori, just north of Sendagaya Shogakko) Open 11:30-2am (to 10:30pm Sun.). Open every day.

Good panini and other Italian-style sandwiches, desserts, coffee, tea, and wine by the glass. There's a small counter area, but business is mostly take-out. No smoking. [feedback]

Sendagaya 3-15-12. Open 8:30am-midnight. Closed Sundays.

Great, authentic Tunisian cooking in a cheery and spacious basement dining room. The roast fish is especially recommended. [See FULL REVIEW.][feedback]

Sendagaya 3-53-3, B1F. Open 11:30am-2, 5:30pm-midnight. Closed Sundays.

Sitting atop the tech-heavy and design-savvy KDDI Designing Studio, this popular cafe is an oasis of greenery and art magazines, with nice panoramic views overlooking Harajuku. The menu features light food as well as coffee and other drinks, and it's a nice place to take a break from an afternoon of shopping. [feedback]

Jingumae 4-32-16, KDDI Designing Studio 5F. Open 10am-10pm daily.

Umetsubaki is a pleasant place for novices to get to know plum wine. Serving one hundred kinds of umeshu and shochu, this chilled-out izakaya in Harajuku makes sampling a cinch, particularly for big groups. The drink menu logically organizes the choices according to base alcohol, while the staff will gladly offer recommendations. [See FULL REVIEW.][feedback]

Jingumae 4-32-13, JPR Jingumae 432, 7F. Open 5-11:30pm (4am Fri, Sat) daily.

Original pita sandwiches and an impressive assortment of Belgian beers. [feedback]

Jingumae 1-10-23. Open 5:30pm-2am (Sat-11pm). Closed Sundays.

Spicy grilled chicken wings with pepper, all kinds of yakitori, chicken stews, and chicken sashimi are just a few of the superb dishes from the extensive chicken-oriented menu. Try the tori senbei -- this shop's answer to fried pork rinds -- they're crispy, amazingly flavorful "sembei" crackers made from deep-fried chicken skin. The elegant, modern interior is large enough for big groups of customers, but they won't take reservations for groups of only 2 or 3. Service can be hit or miss. [feedback]

Jingumae 4-28-21. Open 5-11pm (LO) daily.

A very well-stocked sake shop, plus a small stand-up bar where you can try samples in small 50ml tasting sizes. Usually there are around ten sakes open for tasting, priced Y200-400. There's also a small snack menu - prosciutto, cheese, dried mentaiko. The retail side of the shop stocks over 100 premium brands of sake, and unlike many shops that seem to specialize in those humongous isshobin bottles that won't fit in your fridge, most of the sake here is in convenient 720ml bottles or in tiny single-serving mini-bottles. [feedback]

Jingumae 4-12-4, Omotesando Hills 3F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.

In addition to their standard ramen (Y1200), Mist also offers a Y2800 prix-fixe ramen dinner (with salad, grilled pork and other dishes), and a Y5500 ramen "concept menu." [feedback]

Jingumae 4-12-4, Omotesando Hills 3F. Open 11am-11pm (LO) daily.

The tiny cafe area attached to this spice shop serves spice-oriented dishes like lamb tajine and yogurt blanc mange with cardamom and lemongrass; at lunchtime there are curries and a bread and deli platter. The take-out counter handles standard and special-blend spices, cheeses, small deli items, Indian biryanis, olive oil, pasta and other assorted goods. [feedback]

Jingumae 4-12-4, Omotesando Hills 3F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.

Healthy vegetable-oriented cuisine is the concept at this attractively appointed dining bar - everything from bagna cauda and vegetable terrines to robatayaki-style skewered morsels. Drinks include wines, shochu and sake - budget around Y5-6000 for food and drink at dinnertime. Lunches like their Japanese vegetable curry start at Y1300. [feedback]

Jingumae 4-12-4, Omotesando Hills 3F. Open 11am-11pm (LO) daily.

Reasonably priced pizzas and pastas from the XEX group (Salvatore Cuomo, The Kitchen) in a lively and stylish trattoria. You can sit at the spacious counter if you just want a glass of wine and a snack. [feedback]

Jingumae 4-12-4, Omotesando Hills 3F. Open 11am-11pm (LO) daily.

This unusual wine bar and retail shop offers more than 80 wines by the glass - mostly French, but with a good selection from elsewhere around the world. Wines come in three different tasting sizes (20ml, 50ml, 90ml), with prices averaging Y300-700 for the 50ml size. A new-fangled nitrogen dispenser system keeps the wines fresh, and automatically dispenses your selected wine when you insert a prepaid card. (Cards are sold in various denominations.) The chef here trained in France and New York, and his food menu ranges from simple small-plate dishes (in the Y500-1000 range) to full meals; at lunchtime you'll find mostly sandwiches. [feedback]

Jingumae 4-12-4, Omotesando Hills B3F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.

High-grade conveyor-belt sushi, Y120-300 per plate. [feedback]

Jingumae 1-14-27. (across from Harajuku station) Open 11am-10:30pm (LO) daily.

Adventurous, fun-loving fusion cooking with a nice mix of European and Asian ingredients (like their chicken, asparagus and lemongrass risotto, Y900). The atmosphere is comfortable and very casual, and the upstairs tatami rooms are delightful. The drinks menu includes Red Hook, Chimay and Bintan beers, assorted tropical-style cocktails, and well selected California and Washington wines. [feedback]

Jingumae 6-3-2. Open 11am-10pm(LO) daily.

The first Japanese branch of Marc and Philippe Delacourcelle's popular Parisian wine bistro, Le Pre Verre offers French organic wines and modern, casual French food (the same menu as in Paris). Mix-and-match three-course dinners are Y4500, and in the daytime you can stop by the bar for cheese, charcuterie and wines by the glass. There's some terrace seating during warm weather. [feedback]

Jingumae 5-10-1, Gyre 4F. Open 11am-10:30pm (LO) daily.

The food and drink of sunny Madeira Island in Portugal is showcased here. There are 4-glass tasting sets of Madeira and Port wines, priced at Y1800 each, and a six-course prix-fixe Funchal menu featuring culinary specialties of the island is Y6300. The dining room is attractively laid out, and there's a separate bar are (LO 11pm) and some terrace seating. [feedback]

Jingumae 5-10-1, Gyre 4F. Open 11am-2, 6-10pm (LO) daily.

This gourmet grocery store offers a big selection of both imported and hard-to-find regional Japanese foods. Everything from goat butter and Hokkaido artisinal cheeses to fresh ramen noodles from Kyushu. They also carry dozens and dozens of unusual jams, preserves, dips and relishes. And if you can't find it here you might find it nearby - four more gourmet shops, including a well-stocked tea shop and an excellent bakery, share the basement of the Gyre Building. [feedback]

Jingumae 5-10-1, Gyre B1F. Open 11am-8pm daily.

A large conveyor-belt sushi restaurant on Omotesando; very popular with tourists. [feedback]

Jingumae 5-8-5. Open 11am-9pm daily.

The inside may look like a Harajuku cafe, but the menu is straight out of an American diner - fantastic burgers, big sandwiches, Mexican favorites and simple starters like fried calimari. Lunch specials are served until 3pm weekdays, and brunch runs till 5pm weekends. [feedback]

Jingumae 6-9-11. (from the Gap intersection walk towards Shibuya on Meiji-dori, take the first left, then right; it's on the left) Open 11:30am-10pm daily.