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.

This year's theme: "NEW OPENING IN 2024"

Among the many restaurants, the Shibuya area is packed with so-called "famous restaurants" such as long-established restaurants and restaurants with top chefs. This year, Kago-san visited 89 new restaurants that opened in 2024 at lunchtime (counted up to November). The breakdown is as follows: 10 ramen restaurants, 9 cafes/hamburger restaurants, and European restaurants such as Italian, French, and Spanish restaurants. 8 yakiniku, steak, and hamburger restaurants. The diversity of genres is noticeable, with 7 new Japanese restaurants opening, including noodle restaurants such as soba, tantanmen, and tsukemen, and Japanese cuisine such as Japanese cuisine, sushi, and eel.

Regarding the trend of new stores in Shibuya, Kago says, "In 2024, large commercial facilities such as Shibuya Sakura Stage and SHIBUYA AXSH opened, and many new restaurants opened. It seems that there are more independent stores and small chains like those before the COVID-19 pandemic than major chains. In addition, major groups are also trying new things as new brand stores, and it is notable that "unique restaurants" that can only be found in Shibuya are being born one after another." It seems that one of Shibuya's strengths is that new stores further increase the vitality of the city and keep visitors from getting bored.

This time, we will introduce five lunch restaurants that Kago particularly recommends out of the 89 new restaurants that opened in 2024.

5 new stores opening in 2024 selected by Kagosan

Traveling through Spain with the local dish "Flamenquin" / PiNCHO! Teppan Spanish Skewers

Directly connected to the JR Shibuya Station New South Exit, this shop is located on the first floor of the large complex "Shibuya Sakura Stage." Look for the large windows and black signboard.

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Store name: PiNCHO! Teppan Spanish Skewers (Pincho!)
Address: Shibuya Sakura Stage SHIBUYA Side 1F, 1-4 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku
A Spanish bar that specializes in "pinchos," a skewered dish from Spain. In addition to spiced lamb, you can enjoy a variety of other dishes, including steak, hamburger, and curry.

Domestic hamburger steaks are plentiful/Carbo Shibuya branch

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Store name: Carbo Shibuya store
Address: 1F Dogenzaka NK Building, 1-16-15 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku
The main dish is the Spanish-style teppanyaki "Plancha." Operating as a "Western-style izakaya," they offer a selection of beer, whiskey, and sours, along with dishes that go perfectly with them. Another feature is the U-shaped counter that surrounds the kitchen.

"Tori Nanban set meal" served with large pieces of chicken / Dashirin

Inside Shibuya Grand Shokudo on the 6th floor of Tokyu Plaza Shibuya. It features a large Noren curtain at the entrance and a large, rounded counter seating in the center of the store that can be seen from outside.

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Store name: Dashirin
Address: Shibuya-ku, Dogenzaka 1-2-3 Tokyu Plaza Shibuya 6F
This Japanese izakaya restaurant focuses on dashi and seafood. During lunchtime, it operates as a set meal restaurant, offering all-you-can-eat honkarebushi (dried dried fish) and eggs from Kagoshima Prefecture. The interior is stylish, with a spacious and comfortable layout.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

The "Chicken Nanban Set Meal" comes with four large pieces of chicken with Nanban sauce on a plate, and is served with plenty of tartar sauce. It's a consistently delicious dish that will make you want to eat more rice. The rice is served in a clay pot. The rice is from Kyoto's long-established restaurant, Hachidaime Gibei, and is cooked with high-pressure gas to give it a sticky sweetness. The egg is topped with flavorful honkarebushi and sweet dashi soy sauce, and enjoyed as a TKG dish. This is a must-try for bonito flakes lovers.

Characterized by its rich pork bone and soy sauce soup / Yokohama Iekei Ramen Kawashimaya

It is a 3-minute walk from JR Shibuya Station, along Miyamasuzaka. It is located on the first floor of a building, and the bright red sign is the landmark.

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Name of restaurant: Yokohama Iekei Ramen Kawashimaya
Address: 1F Miyamasuzaka Murase Building, 2-19-20 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
This is a Yokohama-style ramen directly descended from Nonaka-ya. It features a strong, rich pork bone soy sauce soup. There are only 15 counter seats inside the restaurant.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

The "Special Ramen" allows you to choose the strength of the flavor and the amount of oil. Although I ordered both "regular," I was left with the impression that the flavor was rich and robust. The soup was quite strong and unadulterated, and while it had the wild flavor of pork, it was also carefully made so that it didn't have any unpleasant smell. The short, chewy, thick noodles were well-mixed with the ramen. I was also pleased to see that it was topped with a generous amount of soft, smoky pork. The rich flavor made me want to order rice as well.

Enjoy your own combination /Spice Theater

It is a 5-minute walk from JR Shibuya Station and located on the first floor of Shibuya AXSH (opening in July), a large complex adjacent to Shibuya Hikarie. It features a fully glass-walled front entrance.

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Store name: Spice Theater
Address: Shibuya AXSH 1F, 2-17-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Serving spicy curry and craft beer. The yellow interior evokes images of curry and spices. The floor, which has a mix of counter and table seats, is always bustling with activity.

Image from Kagosan's Instagram

Kago's recommended points!

The "3-item platter" lets you choose your favorite combination from about seven different curries. We chose the "Black Sesame Tan Tan Pork Keema," which uses chili bean paste and chili oil to create a curry-like taste, the most popular "Pork Vindaloo," which is quite spicy with a hint of sourness, and the "Dal + Aosa Nori," which is a strange match of the gentle taste of beans and the flavor of the sea. All of them are spicy and have a strong kick. Each one is delicious in its own way, and it was fun to see the change in flavor that occurs when you combine them. The dry long, thin rice goes perfectly with the curry, and the way it soaks into the food was also very good.

Unfortunately, they didn't make it into our top 5, but there are still many other noteworthy stores!

Shibuya Tonkatsu Akira

Shibuya Tonkatsu Akira (1F Monte Dogenzaka, 2-20-3 Dogenzaka), a tonkatsu restaurant created by a Michelin chef, opened in Hyakkendana in August. The restaurant is known for its light and crispy batter and the fine and tender meat of Abel Farm's black pork. You can also do your own TKG with an all-you-can-eat raw egg.

MAISON KAPPA

A new cafe called "MAISON KAPPA" (Jingumae 6-23-6) opened along Meiji-dori in October. Their ethnic oil udon noodles are Vietnamese-style udon noodles with hints of fish sauce, coriander, and lime. Their Benihikari black tea is also recommended.

Summary of the 2024 NEW Opening

In addition to the five stores introduced this time, we also recommend "Shibuya Tonkatsu Akira," which opened in August, and the cafe "MAISON KAPPA," which opened in October. "Tonkatsu Akira" is proud of its pork cutlets made with the branded pork "Kagoshima Kurobuta," while "MAISON KAPPA" offers unique menu items such as "Cucumber and Salted Konbu Open Sandwich" and "Homemade Kappa Soda."

Just looking at the store information, the Shibuya area is full of places you'll want to visit. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, the momentum before before is finally back, with a rush of new stores opening. Among them, the number of independent stores seems to be on the rise, and there are many stores that you can only experience here. The trend of new stores opening in Shibuya in 2025 is likely to attract attention. If you find a store that catches your eye, be sure to visit it.

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• 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.