UMAMI BURGER

Photo credit: website

Came from the US, opened its first branch in Japan on March 24, 2017. Located in the Omotesando area, which is always filled with people walking down the nice streets on weekends.  

They serve very flavorful hamburgers, full of "Umami", different from typical American hamburgers. The patty is carefully done so it's super juicy inside, is tastful, and soft as a whole (almost too soft). I would understand it if some people say that they prefer traditional-style hamburgers better, though. And, it feels a bit pricy for the portion. 

That being said, I personally like this different style of hamburgers a lot, so rate it highly. 

My rating: 5.0

UMAMI BURGER
Website | Tabelog | Menu | 03-6452-6951
Address: 3-15-5 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: 4 minutes from Omotesando station
Budget: 1,000 JPY〜
Open: 11:00-22:00 

Kirin

A solid, hidden Yakitori restaurant, close from Ebisu station. The quality of chicken is very good and every Yakitori dish is finely done and yet affordably priced. Well-balanced overall. Date-like atmosphere, particularly the counter seats. Two 4-person private rooms available too. 

My rating: 4.5

Kirin
Tabelog | More photos | 050-5589-8883
Address: B1F, 1-8-10 Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Access: 3 minutes from Ebisu station
Budget: 4,000 JPY〜
Open: 17:00-24:00 (Fri -27:00, Sun -23:30)

Photo credit: Tabelog 

THE CITY BAKERY

Came from from NY, now running 4 branches in the Tokyo area. Personally like this bakery a lot, particularly their "French toast" (we call it that way in Japan though I'm pretty sure French people don't eat it or see it as "French", haha) with bacon inside, and corn bread which actually testes like authentic American corn bread. Both are my favorites but most of the breads are very good. The only reason I don't give them a 5.0+ is that their breads feel a bit pricy.  

My rating: 5.0

THE CITY BAKERY
Website | All Locations | 
*Branches in Tokyo
- Ginza (Tokyu Plaza Ginza B2F) 
- Shinagawa (atre Shinagawa 2F) 
- Hiroo
- Nakameguro

All the photos above from the website 

CENTRE THE BAKERY

Photo: ろってぃ

Photo: うどんが主食

Photo: うどんが主食

Photo: マミ姉

Photo: 玉かずら

Photo: *あんこ*

An extraordinary bakery for the bread called "Shokupan" for to-go, which is basically a plain bread you often use for sandwiches or having it toasted. You usually don't eat it as is, right? Well, you'll absolutely be shocked how flavorful/soft/moist their loaf of Shokupan can be and you must try it out. 

There are 3 types available: Japanese style, North America style, and England style. They are all different and which is best depends on your personal preference, but that being said, I'd say you should try the Japanese one for an experience. They bake it all day long and there's almost always a waiting line for it, so expect to wait in the line for half an hour or so to buy either of the above. But I guarantee you it's worth the wait.

Meanwhile, you can also go in there and have a seat to order from the cafe menu. There are a lot of bread dishes and some of the sandwiches are quite impressive.   

My rating: 5.0+ (Awesome!) 

CENTRE THE BAKERY
Tabelog | Photos | 03-3562-1016
Address: 1-2-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 2 minutes from Ginza-Itchome station, 4 minutes from Yurakucho station, 6 minutes from Ginza station
Budget: 1,000 JPY 
Open: 10:00-19:00 (Cafe -20:00)

Photo: syu497

Photo: うどんが主食

Tankiyo

 

 

An awesome restaurant to eat grilled cow's tongue -- I understand that in most cultures people don't usually eat any animal's tongue, but we Japanese people do eat it and in fact like it a lot. It actually is very tasteful and got a nice, distinct texture that's different from meats. 

Affordable pricing, friendly atmosphere, not good for a date dinner but for a group of friends/colleagues, pretty accessible from the station. 

My rating: 4.5

Tankiyo
Website | Tabelog | 03-3258-8321
Address: B1F, 45 Kanda-neribeicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Access: 3 minutes from Akihabara station
Budget: 4,000 JPY〜 
Open: 17:30-23:00 (Sat -22:00) 
Closed: Sunday, Holiday

Photo: website

KitakataShokudo

Very sophisticated fish-sotck, soy-sause based Ramen -- my kind of Ramen for sure. The combo menu comes with a MaguroDon (Tuna Donburi) which is as good as something you'd never expect to get at a Ramen restaurant. I'd strongly recommend as long as you generally like soy-sause based Ramen. Not far from the sation, not so crowded (particularly on Saturday).  

My rating: 5.0

KitakataShokudo
Tabelog | 5-9-8 Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: 4 minutes from Shinbashi station
Budget: 1,000 JPY 
Open: 11:00-15:00 (Sat 7:30-) / 17:30-until out of soup
Closed: Sunday, Monday

BON GOUT HAMBURG

Photos: Tabelog

It's a casual restaurant for quality pork hamburger (meat ball) and "bio wine" made from biodynamic agriculture. I'm not into wine so not sure how bio wine appeals to wine people, but their pork meat balls are very good. They have all-you-can-eat vegetables you can get with a little extra to go with combo menu. Fairly reasonable for its quality and portion. Very close from the station. A good option for both lunch and dinner. 

My rating: 4.5

BON GOUT HAMBURG
Website | Tabelog | 050-5590-7749
Address: B1F, 1-14-11 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Access: 2 minutes from Shibuya station
Budget: 1,000 JPY〜 (Lunch) / 2,000 JPY〜 (Dinner)
Open: 11:00-15:00 / 17:00-22:00 (Sat/Sun/Holiday 15:00-22:00)