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Dogenzaka

Recommended lunch spots in the Dogenzaka area! Introducing 5 restaurants carefully selected by Kago-san, who works in Shibuya

2024-11-21

Kago, who works for a major company in Shibuya, has been eating his way through Shibuya's restaurants every day for over 10 years, and is known as "Shibuya's No. 1 lunch and cafe explorer," having visited more than 2,000 restaurants. Each episode features Kago's recommended restaurants, which are based on a theme. He will secretly tell you about restaurants that are a little different from those found on gourmet review sites.

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Shibuya's best lunch and cafe seeker

He usually works for a major company in Shibuya. In 2012, he started going around eating lunch and posting about it on his blog and social media. Now, he visits restaurants not only in Shibuya, but all over Tokyo and the country.

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This time's theme: "Dogenzaka Area"

The "Dogenzaka area" is located to the west of Shibuya Station. During the Edo period, it was known as the "Oyama Kaido" and was a bustling area with many people travelling along the pilgrimage route to Oyama, a place of worship for the mountain. After the war, a "black market" was set up in this burnt-out wasteland, where food and clothing were traded, and this is where the origins of today's bustling Shibuya were built.

This time, we will be focusing on the area bounded by the Keio INOKASHIRA LINE heading west, Bunkamura Street heading northwest, and Rambling Street, which connects Bunkamura from the top of Dogenzaka. When you think of Dogenzaka, you may think of many long-established restaurants, such as the Taiwanese restaurant Likyou (established in 1955), the Chinese noodle restaurant Kiraku (established in 1952), the curry restaurant Murgi (established in 1951), and the famous music cafe Lion (established in 1926). However, there are also many new restaurants, hidden gems, and popular restaurants that have long lines, making this an area filled with "sure-fire restaurants" of all genres, both old and new.

Dogenzaka area (red area is the area covered this time)

Another feature of this area is that it is lined with various apparel shops and electronics retailers, centered around the symbolic "SHIBUYA109", and is bustling with people enjoying shopping. Workers of various professions, including apparel store clerks and office workers, gather here.

This time, Kago-san will introduce us to five restaurants in the Dogenzaka area that he recommends for lunch.

A popular local Chinese restaurant with classic fried rice / Ramen King Koraku Honpo

1 minute walk from the west exit of Shibuya Station on the Keio INOKASHIRA LINE Line. It is on the road leading from SHIBUYA MARKCITY to Shibuya Prime. Look for the yellow sign.

Store name: Ramen King Koraku Honpo
Address: Shimizu Building 1F, 2-7-4 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku
Since it opened in 1972, it has been loved by many people, especially office workers, as a "local Chinese restaurant." The wide variety of ramen, including "ramen," "tanmen," and "bean sprout ramen," is popular, but many people visit for the nostalgic, old-fashioned fried rice.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

The fried rice is fried in lard, giving it a moist yet light and fluffy finish. It has the classic taste of a local Chinese restaurant, with just the right amount of saltiness, umami, and sauce. The ingredients are simple, with fluffy eggs, roast pork, and green onions. The crunchy texture of the pickled vegetables adds an even richer texture. The accompanying soup is clear and flavored with ginger, refreshing your mouth after a greasy meal.

Enjoy delicious 100% buckwheat soba while standing/100% buckwheat soba Sagatani Shibuya branch

From JR Shibuya Station, walk along Bunkamura-dori street and you will arrive at the intersection of Dogenzaka 2-chome, where the old Tokyu Department Store main store was located. Look for the white sign.

Store name: Juwari Soba Sagatani Shibuya Store
Address: 1F Plaza Dogenzaka, 2-25-7 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku
Opened in 2011. Although it is a "stand-up" restaurant, it is popular for its "100% buckwheat" soba. The wide variety of soba noodles, such as "mori soba," "tororo soba," "tempura soba," and "tanuki soba," are a great point. Set meals that can be enjoyed with curry or oyakodon are also popular.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

The "Special Large Soba (500 grams)" is the menu item that best conveys the gratitude of being able to casually eat 100% buckwheat soba noodles ground in a stone mill in the store in a stand-up meal. It is about twice the volume of a normal serving. Although the taste and texture are different from other stand-up soba noodles, the most distinctive feature is the aroma. You can feel the happiness of being able to eat your fill of soba noodles with just the flavor of the noodles. The free seaweed topping is also a nice touch.

Chicken grilled authentically in a drum over charcoal / Goodwood Terrace

From Dogenzaka, go through the arch of "Hyakkendana" and walk about 100 meters. Turn the corner at the long-established curry restaurant "Murgi" and you will see greenery planted there.

Store name: Goodwood Terrace
Address: 1F Lions Mansion, Dogenzaka, 2-19-3, Shibuya-ku
This Latin American restaurant opened in 2011. Their juicy and crispy jerk chicken, grilled over charcoal in a drum in the authentic style, is very popular. They set up stalls at outdoor festivals and are popular with people in the reggae world.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

One of the popular dishes is the "Jerk Chicken Set," which is grilled over charcoal in a drum can, authentic style. The chicken is marinated in dozens of different spices and herbs, so you can feel the juiciness that has seeped into the meat. It may sound a bit junky, but it is made using only natural ingredients without any synthetic seasonings. It is delicious, with a rich flavor of spices and herbs rather than spiciness.

Lunch menu including fish set meals available until 5pm / Echigoya Santaro

Continue along "TOHO Cinemas Shibuya" and you will find it just opposite "Shibuya Prime". Look for the tower and red lantern and you will find the shop in the basement.

Store name: Echigoya Santaro
Address: B1F Uni Dogenzaka Building, 2-6-15 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku
Opened in 2012, this popular izakaya has 80 seats. The main menu is charcoal-grilled fish dishes. Lunch is served as a set menu, and can be enjoyed until 5pm. In the evening, they offer a selection of sake that goes well with dried fish.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

One of the popular dishes is the "Saba Bunkaboshi Set Meal." The soft flesh is well-marbled, and the way it is grilled over charcoal keeps it moist gives it an exquisite taste. The saltiness of the grated daikon radish goes well with the rice, making it delicious. The additional komatsuna namul is a nice accent, but the saba Bunkaboshi itself gives it a "Japanese-style power" feel that makes the meal even more enjoyable.

Enjoy charcoal-grilled hamburger steak and rice cooked in a pot / minced meat and rice

Enter "Dogenzaka Koji" behind SHIBUYA109, go up the alley on your left just before the long-established red brick Taiwanese restaurant "Likyo". The entrance is a little difficult to find, but the white sign on top of the building is the landmark.

Store name: Minced Meat and Rice Shibuya
Address: 3F Shizu Building, 2-28-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku
The restaurant opened in 2021 with the concept of "freshly ground, freshly grilled, and freshly cooked." The main dishes are charcoal-grilled hamburgers and freshly cooked rice cooked in a pot. The restaurant uses a live kitchen style where staff grill and serve the hamburgers in front of customers.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

The "Minced Meat and Rice" menu includes a charcoal-grilled hamburger steak (up to three pieces, 90g each), rice cooked in a pot, and miso soup. First, enjoy the juicy flavor straight on by placing it on top of freshly cooked rice cooked in a hagama pot. Next, finish with grated daikon radish and homemade ponzu sauce for a refreshing taste. Garnish with salted green chili lemon, green chili peppers pickled in oil, and janma, a condiment made of Japanese pepper, green onions, ginger, and sesame oil. No matter how you eat it, the changing flavors are fun. With your eyes, ears, nose, chopsticks, and tongue. The entertainment that fully engages the five senses is what makes this restaurant unique.

Summary of Dogenzaka Lunch

The Dogenzaka area is a multicultural melting pot where many different people gather. A diverse range of people come and go, including business people, general company workers, students, shoppers, and tourists visiting Japan. To satisfy their appetites, the area has a wide variety of restaurants, making it a fun place for food lovers to visit again and again. We have introduced five restaurants this time, but there are actually many more restaurants serving delicious food that we cannot introduce here. When you visit Shibuya, we recommend stopping by a restaurant that catches your eye, or visiting the area with the aim of visiting the restaurants. Anyone can enjoy the dining experience in the Dogenzaka area.

Gourmet food carefully selected by Kago-san, who works in Shibuya

Interviews and writing

Oyamada Takioto

Started writing and editing in 2014. Mainly covers and writes about "food" and "city things", and works on local news and free papers in Akasaka, Minato-ku, Roppongi, Toranomon, etc. Recently, he has also expanded his reach to Shibuya and Tamachi. Every day, he searches for stories and news that can only be found by visiting the area in person. His favorite food is katsudon.