Omotesando Koffee is now closed but Eiichi Kunitomo, the owner, has started a new concept called Koffee Mameya in the completely reconstructed space. It’s a beans shop. You can still get cups for pour over coffee, but the focus is on the beans. They speak excellent English here (if that’s your kind of thing ;)) and you go up to the counter and tell them how you make your coffee at home and what sort of flavor profile you like. There’s a little bit of conversation about which beans are best for you and then they’ll make a custom recipe for how you will prepare your coffee at home. Don’t forget to buy a cup of koffee to taste so you can compare how you do at home to the cup the experts make.

Also, if you’re still fiending for Omotesando Koffee, head over to Toranomon Koffee, where they still do all the coffee drinks.
Other sushi places: If you’re going to Tokyo, you’ve probably heard of Tsukiji, the fish market. If you’re ever up early in the morning due to jet lag, head on over and treat yourself to a sushi breakfast. The most popular places are Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi, but the lines are notoriously long. You could hop on into any sushi joint – the fish is incredibly fresh, or you could easily snack your way through the market. One of my must haves is tamago-yaki, a fluffy savory-sweet omelette.

Soranoiro, and it’s sister shop, Salt and Mushroom, are a new breed of ramen shop that do free-style ramen. Ramen is relatively new to Japanese cuisine (I’m talking like 1900s new, but that’s still newer than soba, which came about in the 1800s) so it’s pretty open to interpretation and creativity. Free-style ramen tends to be fun and different, and while some bowls are just gimmicks, sometimes you come across a joint that just blows you away. Soranoiro is definitely one those places. They do a very, very solid bowl of shoyu (soy sauce based) ramen, but really, what you need to try are the specials and the veggie ramen. The veggie ramen comes with bright orange noodles — created with paprika for both color and flavor, the broth is similarly hued in orange from pureed carrots. There’s also an egg, a mess of vegetables, ham, and a slice of chicken. Because even though this is vegetable ramen, it’s by no means vegetarian. It is, however, a light and tasty bowl. But, if you have the chance to go, get the seasonal bowl. I had one topped with deep fried fish and eggplant and it sounds like it wouldn’t be good, but it was balanced, hearty, and delicious. Also, shout-out to the mushroom ramen at Salt and Mushroom. It wasn’t the prettiest bowl around, but it was so incredibly addictive.

Soranoiro, and it’s sister shop, Salt and Mushroom, are a new breed of ramen shop that do free-style ramen. Ramen is relatively new to Japanese cuisine (I’m talking like 1900s new, but that’s still newer than soba, which came about in the 1800s) so it’s pretty open to interpretation and creativity. Free-style ramen tends to be fun and different, and while some bowls are just gimmicks, sometimes you come across a joint that just blows you away. Soranoiro is definitely one those places. They do a very, very solid bowl of shoyu (soy sauce based) ramen, but really, what you need to try are the specials and the veggie ramen. The veggie ramen comes with bright orange noodles — created with paprika for both color and flavor, the broth is similarly hued in orange from pureed carrots. There’s also an egg, a mess of vegetables, ham, and a slice of chicken. Because even though this is vegetable ramen, it’s by no means vegetarian. It is, however, a light and tasty bowl. But, if you have the chance to go, get the seasonal bowl. I had one topped with deep fried fish and eggplant and it sounds like it wouldn’t be good, but it was balanced, hearty, and delicious. Also, shout-out to the mushroom ramen at Salt and Mushroom. It wasn’t the prettiest bowl around, but it was so incredibly addictive.

Omotesando Koffee is now closed but Eiichi Kunitomo, the owner, has started a new concept called Koffee Mameya in the completely reconstructed space. It’s a beans shop. You can still get cups for pour over coffee, but the focus is on the beans. They speak excellent English here (if that’s your kind of thing ;)) and you go up to the counter and tell them how you make your coffee at home and what sort of flavor profile you like. There’s a little bit of conversation about which beans are best for you and then they’ll make a custom recipe for how you will prepare your coffee at home. Don’t forget to buy a cup of koffee to taste so you can compare how you do at home to the cup the experts make.

Also, if you’re still fiending for Omotesando Koffee, head over to Toranomon Koffee, where they still do all the coffee drinks.
Other sushi places: If you’re going to Tokyo, you’ve probably heard of Tsukiji, the fish market. If you’re ever up early in the morning due to jet lag, head on over and treat yourself to a sushi breakfast. The most popular places are Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi, but the lines are notoriously long. You could hop on into any sushi joint – the fish is incredibly fresh, or you could easily snack your way through the market. One of my must haves is tamago-yaki, a fluffy savory-sweet omelette.