Chops

When in Meguro’s Fudomae, look out for a red sign of a bison balancing a beer glass and you’ll land at one of Tokyo’s best-kept barbecue secrets. Chops is a sleeper hit for smoked meats, offering both serious flavour and great value. The restaurant is the sibling of a Belgian bistro in nearby Musashi Koyama, but here the focus is global barbecue – stretching from Texas brisket to Jamaican jerk chicken.

At lunch the menu looks modest, but don’t be fooled: the burgers are heavy hitters. Sets come with fries, salad and access to a self-service drink bar stocked with single-origin hot or iced coffee. The pulled pork burger, smoked for twelve hours, is stacked high with meat, layered with dry-cured ham and melted cheese, and finished with a tangy house BBQ sauce. All of it gets tucked into a crusty, rich bun that barely contains the juices. The brisket burger doubles down on smokiness, its richness cut clean by a sharp chimichurri. Wash it down with one of their international craft beers – lagers, stouts, IPAs, you name it.

Come dinnertime, it’s like stepping into another restaurant entirely. Small plates like the Jamaican jerk chicken – crispy wings and drumsticks tossed in a sweet-spicy sauce with a squeeze of lime – are made to pair with a rotating line-up of beers, wines, and a variety of cocktails. For mains, the applewood-smoked brisket is essential, whether plated solo, layered into tacos or tucked back into a hamburger. Even the pastas surprise: a carbonara with house-cured bacon, or an arrabbiata with their pulled pork folded into the sauce.

The menu is as expansive as it is experimental, reflecting a kitchen that tweaks and tests constantly without losing its sense of fun. Chops feels like that neighbour who grills obsessively in the backyard and insists you try the latest recipe – except these guys have been nailing it all along. If their mission is to make Tokyo’s best smoked meats, they’re well on their way.

The burgers are also available for takeout or delivery.