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 croissant and Italian cornetti. As for drinks, don’t miss the sakura macchiato topped with strawberry cream and cherry blossom flakes as well as the Sakura Allure Teavana blend tea.

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

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.

From March 18 to April 3, the restaurant has a special spring course (¥12,100 per person) with fine Italian fare complemented by brilliant blossom views. It comes with an amuse bouche, three appetisers, two pasta dishes, one main, a dessert and an after-meal drink. Reservations with a guaranteed window seat can be made online.

This all-day lounge is a great place to relax after a day trekking up and down the Meguro River. There are plenty of power outlets to charge your devices and free wifi while you sip on coffee. Breakfast is served from 8am on weekends (10am on weekdays), and the all-day menu includes burgers, avocado toast, pasta and salad bowls. Grab one of the counter seats facing the window for the best views.

A more upscale option is the Ohanami Lunch Course (from ¥5,000 per person) of seasonal dishes paired with sparkling rosé wine, accompanied with prime views of the sakura. You can make a reservation here.

This afternoon tea venue is definitely designed for Instagram. Haute Couture Cafe changes its interiors according to the season, with walls and ceilings covered in gorgeous pink cherry blossoms in spring. The café also sits right along the Meguro River, giving you a great view of the blossoms from the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

For this season, the café is serving a sakura afternoon tea set (from ¥5,000 per person) until April 24. It comes with cherry blossom petal chocolates, sakura sweets and desserts made with strawberries. As for savoury items, there’s sanuki udon and onion gratin soup. Reservations here are a must.