Tokyo
Shimokitazawa's back streets hold more good counters than the guidebook districts ever will.
Shimokitazawa, southwest of Shibuya, still runs on tiny bars and secondhand shops rather than department stores — it's the neighbourhood to walk at night if the counters around Shinjuku and Ginza feel staged. Meguro, a few stops further out, has kept old-school specialists running for decades, tonkatsu counters included.
Logged in Tokyo
MAGI/one.1
Tokyo, JapanA tiny Miyagi-cuisine izakaya in Shimokitazawa, pouring sake from the same region.
Shirube Shimokitazawa
Tokyo, JapanAn oden-and-shabu-shabu neighbourhood izakaya in Shimokitazawa, best in winter.
Tonki
Tokyo, JapanA Shōwa-era tonkatsu counter in Meguro, unchanged since 1939.
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Mentioned in
MAGI/one.1
Tokyo, JapanA tiny Miyagi-cuisine izakaya in Shimokitazawa, pouring sake from the same region.
Shirube Shimokitazawa
Tokyo, JapanAn oden-and-shabu-shabu neighbourhood izakaya in Shimokitazawa, best in winter.
Japan
The famous stops book out months ahead; the counters that actually feed the neighbourhood mostly don't take reservations at all.