8 Great Places To Eat In Shinjuku, Tokyo – Ichiran, Nabezo Hotpot, Afuri Ramen, Fuunji & More

Shinjuku is a vibrant district in Tokyo home to bright neon lights, busy streets, and ultramodern buildings. And of course, there are plenty of awesome eateries here as well. Based on my own visit to Tokyo recently, I have compiled a list of eight great places to eat in Shinjuku below.

1. Ichiran (一蘭)

Ichiran Ramen is a famous Japanese ramen chain known for its delicious tonkotsu ramen. This is a creamy pork broth ramen served with chashu (braised pork belly), green onions and Hiden no Tare (spicy red sauce). I visited the Shinjuku outlet, but there are many other Ichiran branches across Tokyo.

I ordered the signature Tonkatsu Ramen (JPY890) and it was super delicious! The broth was rich, creamy and fragrant. The noodles were springy with just the right amount of bite, going together with the luscious broth perfectly. The chashu was really tender and juicy, and the hiden no tare (spicy red sauce) provided a perfect tinge of heat.

Ichiran Ramen (Shinjuku Branch)
What to Order: Tonkotsu Ramen (JPY 890)
Directions: 3-minute walk from Shinjuku Station East Exit
Address: 〒160-0022, B1F, 3-34-11, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 6F
Opening Hours: Daily 24 hours
Phone: +813 3225 5518

2. Fuunji (風雲児)

Fuunji is a popular ramen shop in Shinjuku known for its “tsukemen ramen”. This is a dry ramen dish where you dip cold noodles into a separate bowl of hot savoury broth.

I ordered the signature Special Dipping Noodle (JPY1000), which was really delicious! The savoury broth had a rich chicken essence fragrance, and the dashi powder added a tasty umami flavour. It was very satisfying to eat it with the cold noodles. I also enjoyed eating the chunks of tender pork belly inside the broth.

Fuunji (風雲児)
What to Order: Special Dipping Noodle (JPY 1000)
Directions: 8 minute walk from Shinjuku Station JR South Exit
Address: Hokuto Daiichi bld. 2-14-3 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Opening Hours: | Mon – Sat: 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 9pm | CLOSED on Sun and PH
Phone: +813 6413 8480

3. Nabezo

Nabezo is a popular restaurant in Japan that offers all-you-can-eat Japanese hotpot buffet with a time limit of 100 minutes. The most popular soup bases are Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki.

I ordered the Nabezo Course (JPY2800) and chose both the Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki soup bases. For the meats, I ordered Pork Boston Butt (pork shoulder) and Pork Sparerib.

The highlight for me was the Sukiyaki base. I cooked a slice of meat inside before dipping it quickly into a bowl of raw eggs. It tasted great! The meat had a sweet-savoury flavour from the broth, and the raw eggs coated it with a luscious smooth texture.

Nabezo (Shinjuku)
What to Order: Nabezo Course (JPY2800) with Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki soup bases
Directions: Five-minute walk from Shinjuku station, located on the third floor.
Address: Japan, 〒160-0022 Tōkyō-to, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 3-chōme−28−10
Opening Hours: | Mon to Fri: 11.30am to 3pm, 5pm to 11pm | Sat, Sun & PH: 11.30am to 11pm |
Other branches: http://nabe-zo.com/lan_en/restaurant_search_en
Phone: +813 3356 4129

4. Tsunahachi

Tsunahachi is an old-school Japanese restaurant known for its high quality tempuras. The tempura dishes are prepared in the traditional Edo style, which is why they are very light and crispy.

The wife and I shared a Tempura Zen (JPY 2300) set, which consists of two prawns, one seafood, one vegetable, one sea eel, one kakiage (Japanese fritters with prawns), appetisers, and osoroi (rice, miso soup, and pickles).

All the tempura items were delicious and satisfying. I liked that they had a light taste and didn’t feel overly greasy at all.

My favourite item was the prawn tempura, which was fresh, light, and crispy. I can still remember dipping the prawn tempura in the radish and tempura sauce mixture, before putting it into my mouth to enjoy the rich, refreshing and savoury finish.

Tsunahachi (Shinjuku)
What to Order: Tempura Zen (JPY 2300)
Directions: Five minute walk from Shinjuku Station East Exit
Address: 3-31-8 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Phone: +813 3352 1012
Other branches: www.tunahachi.co.jp/en/shop/index.html

5. The Alley Lujiaoxiang (鹿角巷)

The Alley Lujiaoxiang is a famous Taiwanese bubble milk tea chain with branches across many countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, etc.

I ordered the signature Royal No. 9 Tapioca Milk Tea (JPY500) which had a sweet milky taste and pleasant smooth texture. The pearls were chewy and tasty too. On the whole this was quite a satisfying drink though I felt the texture could have been thicker.

The Alley Lujiaoxiang (Lumine)
What to order: Royal No. 9 Tapioca Milk Tea (JPY500), Brown Sugar Tapioca Latte (JPY600)
Directions: B2 floor of Lumine 1 Shopping Mall, Near South Exit of Shinjuku Station
Address: Nishi-Shinjuku, 1 Chome 1-1-5 Lumine 1 B2F
Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 10pm
Phone: +813 6258 0507
Other locations: www.the-alley.jp

6. Ken’s Cafe Tokyo

Ken’s Cafe Tokyo is a small shop famous for its delicious chocolate cake. It is located in a quiet Shinjuku neighbourhood.

The shop sells just one item: the Gâteau au Chocolat (French for “chocolate cake”). The cake is freshly baked in the shop daily and is for take-away only.

Even though the cake weighs just 280g, it costs a whooping JPY3,000 (SGD37). This is because it is made using top quality ingredients.

After tasting the cake for myself, I can say it was hands down the best chocolate cake I had ever eaten! It was sweet but delicate, rich but not overwhelming, fluffy but full-bodied, luscious but not overly moist. I was hooked from the first bite and finished the entire cake in a few minutes with the wife.

Ken’s Cafe Tokyo
What to order: Gâteau au Chocolat (JPY 3,000)
Directions: 5-minute walk from Shinjuku-Gyoemmae Station
Address: 1-23-3, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Opening Hours: | Mon to Fri: 10am to 7pm | Weekends and PH: CLOSED |
Phone: +813 3354 6206

7. Alfred Tea Room

Alfred Tea Room is a trendy pink-themed cafe that sells a variety of sweet drinks and pastries. It is popular among Japanese youngsters because of its Instagrammable decor.

I ordered the Boba Alfred House Milk Tea (JPY 580) which was sweet but not cloying. It also had a pleasant tea fragrance with a smooth milky texture. The chewy pearls completed the experience.

However, I felt that the portion was rather small, and the cup was not even filled to the brim (see picture above). For JPY580, I was expecting a bigger serving.

Alfred Tea Room (Lumine EST Shinjuku)
What to order: Alfred Pink Drink (JPY 750), Roasted Green Hojicha and Matcha Dream (JPY 750), Boba Alfred House Milk Tea (JPY 580)
Directions: 2 minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station East Exit / Central East Exit
Address: 160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku, 3 Chome – 38 -１1F (street level of Lumine EST Shinjuku)
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 10pm
Phone: +813 6380 6721

8. Afuri Ramen

Afuri Ramen is a famous ramen shop that was founded in Ebisu, Tokyo. It is known for its delicious yuzu ramen which consists of yuzu (a Japanese citrus), chicken broth, dashi (fish broth), and charcoal-grilled pork.

The ramen shop has many branches across Tokyo, and I actually visited the original Ebisu branch instead of the Shinjuku outlet.

My Yuzu Shoyu Ramen (JPY1,080) looked good and tasted really delicious too! The sumptuous bowl of ramen came with yuzu peels, ajitsuke tamago (ramen egg), seaweed, bamboo shoots, charcoal-grilled pork slice, and mizuna leaves.

The highlight for me was the broth, which had a light and refreshing citrusy yuzu flavour. This was complemented nicely by the savoury chicken broth and the sweet-salty shoyu.

The noodles had a very smooth texture along with a firm bite. I also really enjoyed eating the charcoal-grilled pork slice! It was tender and juicy with a pleasant smoky flavour.

Afuri Ramen (Shinjuku Lumine)
What to Order: Yuzu Shoyu Ramen (JPY 1080), Yuzu Shio Ramen (JPY 1080)
Directions: Three minute walk from Ebisu Station
Address: Japan, 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−1−5 ルミネ1 B2F
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Other branches: http://afuri.com/findus
Phone: +813 5990 5182

This article is part of our super awesome Ultimate Tokyo Travel Guide For First Timers. Everything you need to know about Tokyo is just a click away!