Cheap Eats in Tokyo
I needed to make a business trip to Tokyo in the first week of Nov in 2015. Since it was also perfect time for seeing autumn foliage, DH decided to join me over the weekend after my meetings so that we can head to Kawaguchiko, one of the Fuji Five Lakes. Incidentally, it was also as long weekend holiday that week for us. So perfect!
During my trip, I had a fair share of fining dining at dinner time and quick eats during lunch as my meeting schedules were very packed. I discovered many cheap and good places around Tokyo Station where my office was located.
1. Kamatake Udon
There is a Kitchen Street at Tokyo Station which has many cheap eating places catering to the office crowd. Kamatake Udon is one such eating place at the Kitchen Street and its service was fast and efficient. We left our office punctually at 12 noon so that we won’t have to be in the queue. Kamatake Udon is my colleague’s favourite udon place. He missed the udon there since he came to Singapore, so he suggested it for lunch. I had the tempura udon with minced tuna belly rice set which costs a little over JPY1000 (if I remember correctly). It was cheap and good! Udon was smooth and the soup was tasty. The minced tuna belly rice was yummy too. It was really excellent value for money.
Tempura udon & minced tuna belly rice set @ Kamatake Udon
2. Yamato
Yamato is a small counter restaurant along one of the side lanes opposite the traffic light in front of the building housing Daimaru at Tokyo Station. It is just 2 mins walk from the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station. I was told by my Japanese colleagues that Yamato serves expensive Kaiseki dinner at night. However, during lunch time they offer value for money lunch set. I had the Hidagyu-don (wagyu from Hida region on rice). The beef was lightly seared to perfection. So tender and melts in your mouth. Hidagyu or Hida beef has been my favourite Japanese wagyu ever since I first tried it in the Hida region (central Japan), my other favourite is of course, Kobe beef or Kobegyu. The lunch set came with salad, pickles, a braised chicken accompaniment, miso soup and fruits for dessert,. All this for only JPY1500!!
Hidagyu-don @ Yamato
3. Kiyobashi Senbikiya
If you are looking for healthy, good and cheap breakfast around Toyko Station, you must go to Kiyobashi Senbikiya. Kiyobashi Senbikiya is actually a high end fruit store in Tokyo. They sell high quality fruits, cakes and pastries. For breakfast, they serve simple and healthy breakfast sets. I had the set with waffles, fruit yogurt, salad and Japanese yubari melon. This set which comes with coffee or tea is only JPY600! The melon was so sweet! But do note that only the breakfast set is cheap. Its cakes and fruits are quite expensive. So normally there is a queue for breakfast. Everytime I want to eat there and don’t want to queue, I always make sure I get there just as it opens at 8am. I have bought their cakes many times as takeaway to enjoy back in my hotel room. They are all filled with fresh fruits and are light and delicious.
Fruits based healthy breakfast @ Kiyobashi Senbikiya
5. Kajitsuen
This is not really a cheap eat but food quality is good. Kajitsuen is a similar fruit stand in Tokyo Station like Kiyobashi Senbikiya. It sells fresh fruits, cakes with fruits and freshly squeezed fruit juice etc. I had previously bought takeaway cakes from them because I cannot resist the tempting cakes. Typical of Japanese cakes, their cakes are light and the fruits in them are so good. This trip DH and I decided to wait for a table on a Saturday afternoon. It was a short wait. Besides the cake, I ordered the fresh kiwi juice. It was concentrated and I could taste the fresh kiwi fruit. But as I said earlier, like Kiyobashi Senbikiya, its cakes are not cheap at JPY1000 per slice. You do get quality, though. In terms of cafe ambience, however, Kiyobashi Senbikiya is much much nicer. This place is more cramp. Cake quality at both cafes are similar.
Afternoon tea at Kajitsuen
6. Sushi Iwase
In a small lane behind Takashimaya at Shinjuku is a small and sophisticated sushi restaurant. Dinner here can easily set you back by JPY18,000 per person. But during lunch time, if you can snag yourself a bowl of their Chirashi Sushi, you will be treating yourself to good quality fresh raw fish on top of sushi rice of excellent consistency . As the chef is very particular about quality, there are only 10 bowls of Chirashi Sushi available each day during lunch time. These coveted bowls cost only JPY1,700 each and is excellent value for money for the quality that you get. If you have a bigger appetite, you can go for a large bowl at a slightly higher price. I had the small bowl while DH had the large one. The fish they served us were not leftover chopped up pieces, but carefully cut and sliced in our presence. We made our reservation for lunch at 11.30am on our last day in Tokyo before our 1600 plus flight home. They open for lunch from 11.30am – 1.30pm. But I advise going early since they stop selling once their 10 bowls are sold.
Sushi Iwase @ Shinjuku Youth Building. “PAX” 6F,4-1-9 Shinjuku
Update : 13 Nov 2017
I visited Tokyo again recently and Sushi Iwase has moved to 3 Chome 3-4-1 Nishi-Shinjuku. In its old location at Shinjuku Youth Building is now an excellent Yakiniku restaurant, Hanomonya.
Next up : Fine Dining in Tokyo……..