Rather than trying to represent the entire world, the "World Beer Museum" narrows its focus to brews from five beer-producing countries - Belgium, Germany, the UK, Czech Republic and the US - along with a "world food" menu of representative dishes from those same countries. Choose from 15-20 beers on draft, or another 150 by the bottle. Prices are a tad higher than average, but not outrageously so, given the location.

US draft beers include a few each from Pike Brewing Company in Seattle and High Water Brewing in California - craft beers not otherwise available in Tokyo. (High Water's Hop Riot IPA is especially recommended.) The food is a cut above typical pub fare - the double cheeseburger (Y1700), served with a tangy barbecue sauce, was filling and quite tasty, and the Czech pork cutlet was also good.

The restaurant itself is huge (some 300 seats), with several different counter bars in addition to table seating, so it should be easier to get a seat here than at some other Skytree destinations. (Note though that reservations can be made only on weekdays.) The atmosphere is lively, with loud music and enthusiastic service. Budget around Y3500 for food and drink; you can also shop at the adjacent retail counter for beers to go.

Yakiton (charcoal-grilled pork on skewers) is the main dish here, but instead of a smoky izakaya the atmosphere is closer to a stylish wine bar, with a selection of wines by the glass (Y680-1000) to go with your skewers - a great combination.

Pork cuts include pleasantly fatty pork belly and assorted organ meats, and are Y160 per skewer, while vegetables like zucchini, turnips and shiitake are Y180. There are also starters, salads and pastas to round out your meal. The voluminous coriander salad is especially recommended, as is the very cheesy macaroni au gratin.

Most seating is at the counter, although there's one table and a small tatami area. Budget around Y3000 for food and drink.

An extremely down-to-earth, sometimes smoky standing bar, Whoopee is located just behind a fish monger's stall, a mere thirty seconds from Ebisu station. Wines are Y500 a glass and Y2000 a bottle, with cash on delivery. Bar snacks such as liver mousse and smoked oysters are priced at Y500.

On Sunday nights it turns into Wine Bar Pinot, with somewhat higher prices and different management.

Located in the middle of Takadanobaba's bustling "izakaya alley," Sakaeya is by far the fanciest drinking spot in this budget-conscious, student-filled neighborhood. It delivers excellent value for money, serving top-quality charcoal-grilled meats, creative seasonal dishes and decent sake for a very reasonable budget of around Y4000 per person.

Pretty much everything on the menu that we tried was outstanding, but if we had to pick one "don't miss" dish it would probably be the charcoal-grilled beef topped with toasted garlic - tender, amazingly flavorful, and definitely a bargain at just Y500 a plate. The grilled chicken dishes (made with heirloom-breed birds from Miyazaki) are also quite extraordinary, with the crisp-skinned wings and the richly flavored shiro-reba ("white liver") particularly memorable.

Even a simple dish like our starter salad was inspired - chopped cucumbers, tart ume paste, chunks of cabbage and sesame salt, all perfectly fresh and perfectly balanced. And our grilled asparagus and shiitake mushrooms were a revelation - top-grade specimens that were much finer than anything we've seen in our local supermarket.

The sake selection is reliably good - certainly above average, although this isn't a sake specialty shop. Service is friendly and competent, and the counter seating is comfortable; they also have private rooms upstairs, and can accommodate large parties.

Flatiron occupies the former teppanyaki counter at modern steakhouse Decanter, and it's there that adventurous diners can enjoy an entertaining two-hour, eleven-course-plus tasting menu that's more experimental than what one would find in the main dining room. Flatiron's chef plays with different cooking methods and presentation styles, using contrasting textures and temperatures and ingredients, and adding elements like smoke and ice for a bit of drama on the serving plate.

One memorable course on the winter menu was called "Breakfast in America," which explored the theme of breakfast ingredients, juxtaposing foie gras, pancakes, blackberry compote and bacon. Another inspired combination was the swordfish, Japanese pear, pickled turnips and chili salt (served on a block of ice), while the deconstructed-tiramisu dessert added a new twist to a classic blend of flavors. Flatiron occupies the former teppanyaki counter at modern steakhouse Decanter, and it's there that adventurous diners can enjoy an entertaining two-hour, eleven-course-plus tasting menu that's more experimental than what one would find in the main dining room. Flatiron's chef plays with different cooking methods and presentation styles, using contrasting textures and temperatures and ingredients, and adding elements like smoke and ice for a bit of drama on the serving plate.

One memorable course on the winter menu was called "Breakfast in America," which explored the theme of breakfast ingredients, juxtaposing foie gras, pancakes, blackberry compote and bacon. Another inspired combination was the swordfish, Japanese pear, pickled turnips and chili salt (served on a block of ice), while the deconstructed-tiramisu dessert added a new twist to a classic blend of flavors.

Some dishes incorporate amusing science-lab touches, like the grain-fed striploin and scampi, which comes with a syringe with which to inject black-truffle juice into your scampi. The "Black Snow" palate-cleanser (chardonnay juice with Hawaiian volcanic salt) is made with liquid nitrogen, and other dishes are prepared using ultra-thin fiber-optic glass sheets that can withstand extreme temperature changes.

A big part of our Flatiron experience was the enthusiastic running commentary throughout the meal, as our server explained the ingredients, preparation and inspiration of each dish as it was served. Dinner is by reservation only, and runs Y15,400 per person (with service charge). A wine-pairing course is an additional Y8,250, or you can order by the glass or bottle from Decanter's extraordinary and wide-ranging wine list. [Show more] [Show less]

A casual cafe attached to the popular Mediterranean restaurant Cicada; there's pleasant outdoor seating in the front courtyard when the weather permits.

The original Breadworks is in Tennoz Isle next to TY Harbor Brewery; this new branch is attached to TY's sister restaurant Cicada, and offers a similarly inspiring selection of pastries and savory breads and rolls.

This sprawling, spacious izakaya focuses on meats - premium-quality charcoal-grilled beef, pork and chicken to be precise - although they also offer a nice selection of creative seasonal and vegetable-centered small dishes. There's a full selection of yakitori and other skewered items, meat-based nabe stews, and tempting beef offerings - teppanyaki steaks, A5-grade roast beef, and various cuts like kalbi grilled on a charcoal-burning hibachi.

Drinks include a big selection of budget wines from around the world (mostly in the Y2000-3000 range), a decent sake list, plus the usual shochu and cocktails. Budget around Y3500-4000 for food and drink.

An experimental venture from the trendy folks who run the Aoyama Farmers Market, this cafe-bar complex has several distinct zones - two separate bars, lots of outdoor seating in the yard, a tiny treehouse-style space up front, and a second-floor library and small exhibition room where cigars and pipes are on display.

The food menu features artfully constructed small izakaya-style dishes and snacks to nibble on, plus curry rice and original onigiri rice balls. In addition to the usual cocktails and beer, six types of Kikusui sake from Niigata are on offer, including the sweet, richly flavored Setsugoro Genrokushu, which is made from a 300-year-old recipe.

First-rate Mediterranean cuisine from Chef David Chiddo and the TY Harbor group (Beacon, Ivy Place). Now located in the heart of Aoyama (after a decade in Hiroo), the spacious quarters are evocative of a luxury tropical resort, with comfortable terrace seating, pools of water and an appealing open-air bar. The complex also houses a branch of TY Harbor's excellent bakery, Breadworks, and a casual cafe space called Crisscross. First-rate Mediterranean cuisine from Chef David Chiddo and the TY Harbor group (Beacon, Ivy Place). Now located in the heart of Aoyama (after a decade in Hiroo), the spacious quarters are evocative of a luxury tropical resort, with comfortable terrace seating, pools of water and an appealing open-air bar. The complex also houses a branch of TY Harbor's excellent bakery, Breadworks, and a casual cafe space called Crisscross.

The organization of the menu is the first sign of Cicada's ambitious agenda - it starts with small tapas-sized dishes to nibble on, followed by salamis, hams, and an impressive selection of cheeses (of the goat, cow and sheep varieties). In addition to the usual salads you'll find a selection of vegetable-centered (but not necessarily vegetarian) dishes, including an expanded mezze selection with tempting dips like roast cauliflower-tahini puree and spinach-almond puree with sour cream.

The rest of the menu runs the gamut from Spanish and Portuguese to Moroccan, Greek and southern Italian. One thing many of the dishes share is a natural spiciness - something that's too often toned down in Tokyo restaurants. The Moroccan spicy crab cakes are some of the best we've ever had, moist and richly flavored with cilantro and other herbs and a very piquant sauce. Morocco is also represented by a spicy tajine-style fish stew, and grilled Moroccan swordfish with fennel salad.

Hearty, robust flavors call for equally assertive wines, and the list here doesn't disappoint. It's big - some 20 wines by the glass, over 100 by the bottle - and there are some great finds in the Y5000-and-under range. The selection is entirely Old World - knowledegable choices from Rioja and Langedoc-Roussillon, Sicily and Tuscany, plus over a dozen sherries (almost all available by the glass). The wine cellar itself is an architectural focal point, and the liberal by-the-glass policy means that you can take your time plumbing its depths. [Show more] [Show less]

It's a Tudor-style English tearoom right in the Baba - one with a casual, neighborhood-oriented atmosphere. Traditional dishes like shepherd's pie, steak and Guinness pie, and bangers and mash are all priced comfortably under Y1000, and in the evenings bottled English beers run around Y700, while Bass Pale Ale is Y500/bottle and a small draft Heartland is Y400. A traditional English tea is served on Saturday afternoons.

Originally just a small counter shop serving udon noodles, Nanakura has since grown into a full-sized, very lively after-work izakaya with a focus on fresh seafood. The excellent, rather unique udon is still a big draw though, and worth a special trip on its own. The noodles here are cut much thinner than average, and are served with a rich, fatty, and amazingly tasty duck-based dipping sauce.

A bowl of noodles will set you back Y980-1380 depending on the size, but if you have the time it's worth checking out the rest of the menu. Charcoal-seared katsuo tataki (Y950) is a stand-out, as is the sake-marinated grilled otoro tuna (Y1260). There's a small but serviceable sake selection, and of course beer and shochu cocktails. Budget around Y3500-4500 in the evening, or less if you just want a bowl of udon.

Despite its tiny size (just seven seats) and hard-to-find location, Los Barbados offers an impressive list of premium rums and a surprisingly diverse food menu, along with an excellent Afropop soundtrack.

The food menu features nicely prepared, down-home dishes from Cameroon and Senegal, Morocco and Lebanon, Portugal and the Caribbean - everything from kofta kebabs and Basque-style omelettes to Senegalese peanut-fish stew with fufu. If you're not in the mood for rum you can choose from inexpensive wines (priced from Y1500/carafe), sherry, port and Basque liqueurs.

This casual cafe-bar, run by a former music-business veteran and radio DJ, plays an eclectic mix of jazz, New Orleans funk, soul, Brazilian pop, and whatever else you might like to request. And unlike your typical hidden-away DJ bar, FM has big street-facing windows offering a panoramic view of the passing fashion scene in this lively north-Harajuku neighborhood.

In the daytime you can enjoy coffee, desserts and light snacks, and in the evenings there's a small but well-chosen wine list, with bottles starting at around Y4800 (for Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon), plus a full cocktail menu. The kitchen serves up simple but reliable tapas dishes, pastas, curries, and sandwiches.