5 Nakameguro restaurants and cafés with the best cherry blossom views

You can’t visit Nakameguro without stopping by the massive Starbucks Reserve Roastery. The Kengo Kuma-designed café has spacious terraces on its third and fourth floors that are perfect spots to catch the pink blossoms from up high. 

This spring, the roastery is offering a lineup of sakura-themed baked goods and drinks including a cherry blossom cornetti and maritozzo. As for drinks, don’t miss the Sakura Cream Latte or the Sakura Barrel-Aged Cold Brew.

More interested in the merch? The Reserve Roastery also has its own exclusive drinkware collection that you can purchase online.

At this yakitori restaurant, you can cook meat right at the table over a mini charcoal grill. But you might get distracted by the stunning cherry blossoms right outside the windows. The second-floor seats are particularly impressive as you’ll be at eye level with the top of the trees. 

If you can tear your eyes away from the view outside, order the charcoal-grilled chicken thighs which pair well with a glass of sake or shochu. As you would expect, this scenic spot gets crowded come cherry blossom season, so make sure you book your table in advance.

Dine on Italian food with a twist at this restaurant run by chef Kensuke Okano, who trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Turin, Italy. Born in Venezuela and raised in Japan, Okano gives his Italian fare a unique touch by including South American and Japanese elements.

This spring, the restaurant has a special hanami lunch (from ¥10,000 per person) and dinner course (from ¥15,000 per person) with fine Italian fare complemented by brilliant blossom views. It comes with an three appetisers, two starters, one pasta dish (two for the dinner course), one main, a dessert and an after-meal drink. Reservations with a guaranteed window seat can be made online.

Nakameguro’s Haute Couture Cafe was made for Instagram. The interior décor of the café changes according to the seasons, so you’ll find the walls and ceilings completely covered in cherry blossoms during the spring and then blanketed by colourful leaves in the autumn. The themed decoration here is truly OTT – you may need to watch your head when you walk inside.

Haute Couture Cafe also sits along the Meguro River, giving you prime views of the popular cherry blossom spot from the large floor-to-ceiling windows. It doesn’t matter where you sit, as each table was made to be the ideal photo spot.

Specialising in afternoon tea sets, the menu here also changes with the seasons. Drop by this spring for a special sakura afternoon tea (from ¥6,350). Reservations are essential as the café can get quite packed, especially on weekends and during popular seasons.

This all-day café and bistro is a great spot to unwind after a day strolling along the Meguro River. There are plenty of power outlets and free Wi-Fi, making it easy to recharge while you sip on coffee.

The music café side opens from 11am, serving an all-day menu of pasta, curry, avocado toast and desserts like strawberry tiramisu, Mont Blanc Paris-Brest and their signature custard pudding. For something more upscale, head to the bistro side for a dinner course (¥6,800), paired with cocktails, craft gin and wine.