3 places keeping Tokyoites well fed year round

Housed in a beautifully renovated 120-year-old rice shop, groovy café Mia Mia’s second location is a friendly coffee joint serving top-notch espresso-based drinks from early morning to 10pm. In the evenings, it transforms into a cosy bar with warm vinyl tunes, where locals and travellers mingle, laugh and swap stories. Stayed a little too long? No worries – there’s a ryokan inn just upstairs.

At the heart of ritzy Ginza is a time warp to a simpler – and considerably less swanky – Tokyo. A convivial izakaya, Sanshuya has been delivering satisfying and affordable dishes since 1968. It stays busy till closing time with local office workers drawn to its reliably excellent food. Meals begin with a small seafood appetiser before moving on to heartier fare with an emphasis on produce from Toyosu fish market.

The more than 100-year-old Mitsuya liquor store in Asagaya stocks a whopping 200 varieties of sake from breweries around the country, plus a great selection of domestic wine and craft beer. Its casual in-store stand bar lets you sample from any bottle on the shelves for as little as ¥500.

The procedure for drinking at the bar can be a little tricky to figure out, so ask the staff if you’re unsure – and keep an eye out for their sushi nights, when you can pair your tipple with excellent seafood served up by a visiting chef.