Japan Guide
Around Tokyo
Eating
1 Bairan 133-10 Yamashita-chō 
www.bairan.jp Small, unpretentious restaurant tucked in the backstreets and known for its Bairan yakisoba, stir-fried noodles served like a sort of pancake, crispy on the outside and with a juicy pork or beef stuffing (¥900 and ¥1260 respectively); unless you're very hungry, it's plenty big enough for two. They also serve a full range of other soba and rice dishes. Opening time: Mon– Fri 11.30am–3pm & 5–10pm, Sat & Sun 11.30am–10pm
2 Edosei 192 Yamashita-chō Mega-size steamed dumplings are this shop's speciality, stuffed with interesting ingredients including black bean and walnut, onion and seafood, and shrimp and chilli, as well as the usual barbecued pork. Opening time: Daily 9am–8pm
3 Manchinrō 153 Yamashita-chō 
045/681-4004 www.manchinro.com This famous restaurant, with its wonderfully extravagant exterior, has been serving tasty Cantonese cuisine since 1892. Though prices are a touch on the high side, the portions are generous. Noodle and fried-rice dishes start at around ¥1100, lunch sets at ¥2500 and evening-course menus at ¥5000. The branch behind serves a full range of dim sum. Opening time: Daily 11am–10pm
4 Ryokuen 220 Yamashita-chō. Simple, stylish Chinese teashop with some thirty types of tea on the menu from ¥800 for a pot serving up to six small cups. Opening time: Daily except Thurs noon–8pm
5 Shōfukumon 81-3 Yamashita-chō 045/664-4141 www.shofukumon.com Multistorey restaurant offering eat-all-you-can dim sum deals for ¥2625, including a choice of 32 types of dim sum plus fried rice and soup – worth considering if you've worked up a healthy appetite. Opening time: Mon– Fri 11.30am–10pm, Sat & Sun 11am–10pm
6 Suro Saikan Honkan 190 Yamashita-chō Decorated with gorgeous mosaics, this place is popular for its reliable Shanghai cuisine. Weekday lunch sets start at under ¥700, course menus from around ¥3500, lunch or dinner. Opening time: Mon– Fri 11.30am–11.30pm, Sat & Sun 11am–11.30pm
7 Café de la Presse 2F, Media Centre Building, 11 Nihon-dōri 045/650-8228 Pretty authentic-looking Viennese-style café in the corner of one of Yokohama's grand old buildings. The house speciality is macaroons, though they also serve cakes, sandwiches and light meals (set lunch ¥1100). There's also a smarter restaurant attached. Opening time: Tues– Sun 10am–9pm
8 Chano-ma 3F Akarenga 2, 1-1-2 Shinkō Sit back with a cocktail and nibble interesting modern Japanese dishes at this large, relaxed restaurant-cum-tea room with a very contemporary vibe. Price: Lunch sets from ¥1000 Opening time: Mon– Thurs & Sun 11am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11am–5am
9 Enokitei 89-6 Yamate-chō. A cute English-style café set in a venerable Yamate home and serving dainty sandwiches and home-made cakes. You can sit in the front garden and watch the world pass by. Opening time: Tues– Fri 11am–7pm, Sat & Sun 11am–8pm
10 Shiokumizaka Garden 3-145 Motomachi This café-restaurant has a slightly bohemian air – very Motomachi – and serves nicely presented dishes with an Italian twist, plus a big range of scrumptious home-made cakes. Choose between tables in the plant-filled courtyard or in the homely wooden chalet behind. Price: Set lunches from ¥1260; in the evening count on around ¥2500 Opening time: Mon 11am–6pm, Tues– Thurs & Sun 11am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11am– midnight
11 Yamate Jūbankan 247 Yamate-chō. Pleasant French restaurant in a pretty clapboard house opposite the Foreigners' Cemetery. There's a formal restaurant upstairs (set lunches from ¥3500) and more casual dining on the ground floor, where you can snack on a sandwich or croque (¥800) or a more filling lunch platter (¥2000). In July and August they run a popular beer garden. Opening time: Daily 11am–9pm