The best alleyway restaurants and bars at Harmonica Yokocho in Kichijoji
Located a short walk from the north exit of Kichijoji Station, Harmonica Yokocho gets its name from the way its many small establishments are arranged – scattered vertically and horizontally, much like its namesake musical instrument.
This popular yokocho was originally a flea market in 1940s post-war Japan, but in the late ’90s, a number of modern bars and restaurants began to set up shop here (starting with the stylish Ahiru Beer Hall). This attracted a younger set of clientele, transforming the area into the cool hangout that it is today. A morning market is held here on the second Sunday of every month, from 8am to 11am. Here are our top five picks from Harmonica Yokocho.
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This beer hall that sparked Harmonica’s reinvention is located right in the middle of the yokocho. The ground floor is an open standing area while the second floor features an unusually spacious seating area. Doubling as a liquor store, Ahiru offers a well-stocked variety of beverages such as sake, wine and Belgian draft beer at reasonable prices. Food wise, the melt-in-your-mouth tender diced steak is your best bet.
Despite just a curtain separating it from the street, this modern-looking restaurant is surprisingly cosy. There’s a full selection of sashimi, side dishes and sake, which makes Katakuchi an ideal first port of call on your Harmonica Yokocho bar crawl. If you’re just looking for a light and quick bite, get the threepiece chef’s choice set for some really fresh sushi. We also recommend the three-piece sushi set that features the luxurious chutoro (medium-fatty tuna).
A stalwart gyoza restaurant that’s highly popular with the locals, Minmin’s best offering is its gyoza rice set, which comes with the restaurant’s signature handmade dumpling, rice and soup. The asari fried rice made with clam stock and the lightly flavoured butter ramen are equally as good. Be warned though: Minmin is usually packed so expect to wait for a table to free up.
This izakaya bar offers a menu of fun and inventive dishes. We recommend the immensely addictive smoked egg and potato salad, which is served with corned beef and onion chips. Wash it down with the two drinks that share the same name as the bar, such as the Panda Beer or the Panda One Cup (sake) – they both feature cute drawings of the black-andwhite bear on the labels. If you want to make your yen go further, opt for the otsukare set (the name literally translates to ‘thank you for your hard work’): this combo offers you a choice of any drink plus a three-snack set that changes daily.
This small eatery inside Kichijoji’s Harmonica Yokocho serves up Okinawan taco rice, which fuses western and Japanese flavours. It was a popular staple for the American military forces who were stationed in Okinawa during the 80s. The dish is simple, consisting of typical taco fillings served on a heap of rice instead of inside a taco shell. Thankfully, at Harmonica Quina the toppings are more inventive than the bog-standard beef, lettuce and cheese – you can add avocado, salsa and even an omelette if you please. The menu also features Okinawa soki soba if you’re in the mood for noodles.
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