When in Tokyo, eat four square meals a day! Here are our picks for 5 brilliant brunch places in the Japanese capital’s hippest neighbourhoods.
Whether you’ve partied too much the day before and overslept (and with a limitless city like Tokyo as your oyster, it's not hard to imagine!), or whether you’ve been up for several productive hours already, exploring away, and just haven’t got around to eating breakfast yet, there are a million and one reasons to stave off your first meal of the day until brunch time. If you do so in Tokyo, here are our top 5 places to go to break your fast.
1. TWO ROOMS Grill & Bar, Aoyama
Expat-run TWO ROOMS checks all the boxes for a decadent Tokyo brunch. Weekend brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday as a set meal only, starting with the 246 Brunch Set of appetizers, main and drink for 3,400 yen (approx. £20) or the special Aoyama Brunch Set with a choice of appetizers, the day's pasta, main, the day's dessert, and drink for 4750 yen (approx. £28).
Alternatively, if it’s a special occasion go all out on mains with the Steak & Eggs Frites options, with a selection of chargrilled premium beef to choose from for an additional 1850-8450 yen (approx. £11-50). Whet your appetite while you await your mains with a la carte oysters, which come accompanied with either jalapeno tartare, ponzu and Hokkaido salmon roe, or with a smooth, piquant Bloody Mary shot.
Opening hours: Lunch 11:30 - 14:30, Brunch (Weekends/Holidays only) 11:00 - 15:00, Cafe 14:30 - 17:30, Dinner 17:30 - 22:00 *Monday, Sunday & Holidays, 17:30-21:00
Address: 5F AO Building 3-11-7 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0061 (東京都港区北青山3-11-7 AOビル5F〒107-0061)
TEL: 03-3498-0002
URL: www.tworooms.jp/en/
2. bills Tokyu Plaza Omotesando, Omotesando/Harajuku
Part of Australian supremo Bill Granger's breakfast empire, Bills Omotesando is the place to head to if you want that fluffy feeling that only their exquisitely rich and silky ricotta hotcakes, drenched in mouth-watering honeycomb butter, can provide.
Bills Omotesando has one of the best ambiances of any breakfast place in Tokyo, especially if you can bag a seat on the veranda area, offering tranquil views from the outdoor terrace of the “Omohara Forest” roof garden and deck on the sixth floor. It also has one of the most diverse and wide-ranging menus of any Tokyo breakfast eatery, offering a range of tried-and-tested Bills staples such as ricotta hotcakes, free-range scrambled eggs, and flat white coffee.
Perched on the top floor of the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku complex and open daily from 8.30am, Bills Omotesando make breakfast in the heart of the Japanese capital as convenient as can be. However, expect a 30-minute wait for your table if you are a group of three or more (relatively common at popular restaurants in central Tokyo). Alternatively, a trip to one of Bills other branches in Odaiba, Ginza and Futakotamagawa may help you beat the queues.
Opening hours: 8:30 - 22:00 (L.O. food 9:00, drinks 21:30)
Address: Tokyu Plaza, Omotesando, Harajuku 7F, 4-30-3 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0001 (東京都渋谷区神宮前4-30-3 東急プラザ表参道原宿7F〒150-0001)
TEL: 03-5772-1133 (enquiries) 050-3188-5033 (bookings)
URL: www.billsjapan.com/en
3. Sarabeth’s, Shinjuku
Sarabeth's mouth-watering 'Fat and Fluffy French Toast' © Sarabeth's Japan
Tokyo's brunch revolution was boosted in 2012 by the opening of the first Japanese branch of Sarabeth’s, the New York stalwart that has been keeping Manhattan's residents well-fed from morning until night since the first branch was opened by Sarabeth Levine on New York’s Upper West Side in 1981. There are also branches in Tokyo station area and Shinagawa in Tokyo.
With a menu of elegant but satisfying daytime dishes, this is the place to go for a slightly upscale pancake, if that's what you're after to scratch your breakfast itch. Open from 9am every day, the 64-seat Tokyo restaurant is conveniently located on the second floor of Lumine Shinjuku’s second building, making it a great pit stop for busy commuters on their way to or from work.
The outside of Sarabeth's, which is within Lumine Shinjuku department store complex © Sarabeth's Japan
The restaurant serves up many Sarabeth’s staples, including Eggs Benedict with smoked ham and creamy Hollandaise sauce, fluffy French toast with fresh strawberries and maple syrup, and their signature 'four flowers' juice made from banana, orange, pomegranate, and pineapple. While the Eggs Benedict are probably the most famous menu item, we recommend the delectable lemon and ricotta pancakes (1,710 yen / approx. £10)!
Sarabeth's Lemon and Ricotta pancakes, served with raspberries, blueberries, maple syrup and cream © Sarabeth's Japan Opening Hours: 9:00 - 22:00 (L.O. 21:00) *Opening time has been temporarily changed to 10am
Address: Lumine Shinjuku Lumine 2, 2nd floor, 3-38-2 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0022 (東京都新宿区新宿3-38-2ルミネ新宿ルミネ2 2F〒160-0022)
TEL: 03-5357-7535
URL: www.sarabethsrestaurants.jp/
4. Clinton St. Baking Co. & Restaurant, South Aoyama
The original Clinton St. Baking Co. was opened by husband-and-wife team Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman on New York's Lower East Side in 2001; the Tokyo branch followed suite, opening its doors for business in 2013. This is the place to go if you’re in the market for a seriously delicious and hearty American-style breakfast.
Their breakfast menu is overflowing huge variety of dishes that make the perfect opener for your day, from hearty pancakes, the star of their breakfast menu, to Clinton St. Omelettes or Eggs Benedict with maple cured ham and a toasted buttermilk biscuit.
Top picks include Wild Maine blueberry or Banana walnut pancakes with warm maple butter (1,600 yen = approx. £10), Spanish scrambled eggs with chorizo and sourdough toast (1,500 yen = approx. £9), and Smoked Salmon Benedict (1,900 yen = approx. £11.50). Don’t forget to stock up on snacks for later - make sure to grab a bagful of their hand-mixed, small batch-baked baked goodies including muffins, biscuits and scones on your way out.
Opening hours: 9:00 - 18:00 (L.O. 17:00) with varying days off.
Address: YHT Minami Aoyama Building., Minami Aoyama 5-17-1, Minato-ku, ("kotto street") Tokyo (東京都港区南青山５丁目１７−1 ＹＨＴ南青山〒107-0062)
TEL: 03-6450-5944
URL: www.clintonstreetbaking.com
5. IVY PLACE, Daikanyama
Simple and delicious, IVY PLACE's buttermilk pancakes are top notch, but the real draw is the surroundings. IVY PLACE offers a reprieve from the often bustling crowds of the capital, providing a rare moment of peace and calm either in its spacious and elegant indoors, decorated with antique furniture and warm wood and stone, or on its generously-sized outdoor terrace with an up-close view of the encircling Japanese zelkova trees.
IVY PLACE's stylish cafe, one of three dining spaces © TYSONS & COMPANY
Located in the stylish T-Site complex in Daikanyama, IVY PLACE opens daily from 7am on weekends and holidays and 8am on weekdays, so if you head over early you can often avoid the crowds while you get your pancake fix, especially on weekday mornings. After you’ve filled your stomach, you’ll also be perfectly placed for some leisurely browsing in the leafy T-Site’s trendy shops.Opening hours: Breakfast, 8:00 - 10:45 L.O. *Weekends/Holidays 7:00 - 11:30 (L.O. 10:45), Lunch 11:30 - 16:00 (L.O. 15:00) *Weekends/Holidays 11:30 - 17:00 (L.O. 16:00), Pancakes 7:00-17:00, Dinner 18:00 - 23:00 (L.O. 22:00) *Weekends/Holidays 17:30 - 23:00 (L.O. 22:00)
Address: Daikanyama T-Site Garden, 16-15 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0033 (東京都渋谷区猿楽町16-15代官山T-SITE GARDEN〒150-0033)
TEL: 03-6415-3232
URL: www.tysons.jp/ivyplace/en/
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