Where to Eat in Omotesando

Omotesando and neighboring Harajuku are like two very different siblings. While Omotesando is the composed big sister that favors high-end luxury brands, Harajuku bursts with exuberant color and playful fashions. Omotesando is also one of the most expensive areas to live in Tokyo, with high-end boutiques on every street and the magnificent Omotesando Hills shopping complex standing tall with 12 stories of luxury brands, restaurants, and cafes. With so many options, you might feel stuck as to where to eat in Omotesando. This Omotesando food guide provides a few suggestions about the best restaurants, cafes, and even food stalls in this classy Tokyo district.

Here are some recommended places to eat in Omotesando!

1. Commune 2nd
2. Tsukiji Tama Sushi Sasahigure, Omotesando Hills
3. Napule Minami Aoyama
4. Harajuku Okonomiyaki Yaiyai
5. Omotesando Ukai-Tei
6. Madosh! Cafe on Cat Street
7. Brown Rice by Neal's Yard Remedies
8. Lattest Omotesando Espresso Bar

Commune 2nd is an outdoor space where people come together to grab some grub, like Beer Brain's craft beer and Kori Vegan Foodstand's vegan plates and falafel. Other food stalls include Brooklyn Ribbon Fries, Fish Coop Stand, and Shozo Coffee Store. With friendly vibes, fried food, and the occasional movie screening, Commune 2nd brings a sense of community to a city that can sometimes feel impersonal and work-obsessed, while making small steps to reduce waste and contribute to a greener earth.

On the 3rd floor of the Omotesando Hills shopping complex is Tsukiji Tama Sushi Sasahigure, a sushi restaurant which takes pride in authenticity, serving sushi made with premium-quality cuts of fish and rice grown without the use of pesticides. The interior is minimalist and modern, yet traditional, with golden-hued counter seating where you can sit and watch the sushi masters at work, as well as cozy booths. The price range is affordable, with the osusumenigiri (recommended nigiri sushi) lunch set coming in at ¥1,500, while their dinner akane gozen set goes for ¥1,980 and includes nigiri sushi, chirashi-zushi, salad, soup, chawanmushi, and dessert.

To take a break from Japanese food, why not visit the award-winning pizza restaurant, Napule in Minami Aoyama, just a 3-minute walk from Omotesando Station. From the outside, the restaurant looks like it was planted there by mistake (the charmingly out-of-place pastel building could only belong in a little Italian town), and from the large display window you can watch as the bakers stretch and fling pizza dough. But it's not just all for show; with an authentic wood-fired oven made by a craftsman from Naples, you can tell Napule has a commitment to great pizza. Rimmed by lovely leopard-like spots of char and bubbles, and melty dollops of cheese, the pizza at Napule is the real deal.

A short 7-minute stroll from Omotesando Station, you'll come across Okonomiyaki Yaiyai. Their house specialty is Yamaimo-yaki, a type of okonomiyaki made from fresh mountain yam flour rather than processed white flour for a lighter and possibly healthier version of okonomiyaki. While some okonomiyaki restaurants have a DIY aspect, at Okonomiyaki Yaiyai customers don't cook their own okonomiyaki, but rather, the chefs prepare it for them on the ripping hot teppan. 

For an elegant teppanyaki experience, head to the Michelin-starred Omotesando Ukai-Tei, where the French cuisine meets Japanese teppanyaki technique and ingredients. Choose from a few different course menus, many of which offer kuroge wagyu (Japanese black beef) of the highest quality, along with seasonal seafood and vegetable dishes. The elegant plating and food styling marries Japanese and French sensibilities, and the interior is sumptuously designed, with private rooms where small parties can be joined by their personal chef for the evening.

Madosh! Cafe pays tribute to avocados with its interior décor and signature drink, avopuccinos. Avocados are not only incorporated in drinks, but also included in every single dish on the menu, a bold move that Queer Eye's Antoni would appreciate. They serve up taco avocado salad bowls, avocado tempura, baked avocado, tuna and avocado rice bowl, and even a miso-based avocado nabe hot pot! If you are an avocado fanatic looking for your fix, check out Madosh! Cafe.

For those looking for vegan and vegetarian Japanese food, come by Brown Rice by Neal's Yard Remedies, a natural food restaurant which whips up seasonal veggie dishes and gut-friendly fermented foods like miso and pickles. Their vegan condiments are made completely without preservatives, chemicals, or other additives, and they strive to use mainly seasonal and organic produce. Even their dishware are made by local artisans, so you can feel good about supporting this restaurant. For more veggie options, check out our overview of 12 Vegetarian-Friendly and Vegetarian Restaurants in Tokyo.

While there are several stylish little coffeeshops in Omotesando, Lattest Omotesando Espresso Bar, with its stylish, modern space and commitment to training and empowering female baristas, is for sure one of the coolest. The interior is industrial-minimalist, with a long communal table where patrons can sit and crack open paperbacks while they sip their lattes, or take advantage of the quiet space to get work done. The baristas are trained in latte art, and can make foam masterpieces based on the customer's request. Their specialty drink is the "Lattest," which consists of cold milk topped with a shot of espresso and comes in four flavors: vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, and Baileys.

Check out the Japan by Food YouTube channel for more Japanese food and travel inspiration!