Here I will list some Tokyo restaurants I recommend for larger families of 6-10 people.
*For groups of more than 10, I strongly recommend leaning heavily on a travel agent or a hotel concierge as, in Japan, this now heads into enkai (private room for a private party) territory and that requires reservations at least a few days in advance.
Please note that I am ONLY including restaurants that also welcome children (and I’m also going to stick to Shibuya, for now – I may add more, depending on how this article is received.)
When dining with 6-10 people, I recommend always making a reservation (if you wanted to just walk-in then you may need to split into two groups to allow for more options.)
Trunk Hotel
While exploring Shibuya with kids….if you’re looking for somewhere for breakfast (open from 7am ! Almost unheard of for a proper sit down brekkie in these parts!)….
It is worth the 11 mins walk from Shibuya station if you crave a western breakfast.
The building is designed so beautifully and it has a large outdoor terrace which makes it extremely kiddie friendly. This place is just 11 minutes walk from Shibuya Station (and 14 mins from Harajuku, in case you feel like switching areas afterwards.)
Here is the Full Trunk Menu.
They serve Western-style breakfast.
If you decide to visit in the evening, the hotel interior and bar doesn’t quite feel appropriate for children but the Trunk Kushi (skewered meat & veg) restaurant out the front of the hotel definitely is fine – with outdoor seating and, once again, enough space for a little wriggle.
This hotel / restaurant is also very accommodating when it comes to guests/diners who require gluten-free dishes.
TRUNK HOTEL (KITCHEN)
渋谷区神宮前５-31-7
5-31-7 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN FOR BREAKFAST: 7:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.
OPEN FOR LUNCH: 11:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
OPEN FOR DINNER: 6:00 P.M. – 11:00 P.M.
Sukiyaki & Shabu-Shabu
This hot-pot style of eating is so much fun for families and just interactive with kids. This restaurant Syabu-yo is a chain restaurant.
Syabu-Yo Shibuya Eki Mae Branch is in a building right on Shibuya Crossing.
Diners choose the amount of time they would like to have unlimited meat brought to their table (usually 60 or 90 mins) and that price also includes access to a salad and vegetable buffet and ice-cream. The instructions on how to make your meal at the table are here on the Syabu-Yo website but the staff will also help you. My kids prefer sukiyaki to shabu-shabu as it is so sweet and more-ish.
This style of restaurant is tricky if everyone has different dietary requirements (for example if one family member is vegetarian etc) as all the food is cooked in one pot. I guess you could get around this by getting two tables with two separate pots. Sometimes they have pots like the one pictured below that has two sections. This is mostly so you can cook two different flavours but it could also work for a meat side and a veg side too, I guess
To eat here I would budget for around 3000 yen per adult. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. Syabu-Yo accept most major credit cards.
If you like this restaurant – I’m pretty sure you will! Then you are in luck as you can always google your closest Syabu-Yo branch as they are all over Japan.
They have free wifi. This restaurant is walk~ins only.
There is a change table in the bathroom at this restaurant. They also have the little robots that bring the meat to your table. My kids love this!
To get here, take the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station. It’s on the 9th floor of a building on Shibuya Crossing the same building as the Loccitane Store and Cafe Gust. There is an elevator.
SYABU-YO, SHIBUYA EKIMAE BRANCH
渋谷区道玄坂2-3-1 渋谷駅前ビル9F
9TH FLOOR, SHIBUYA EKI MAE BUILDING, 2-3-1 DOGENZAKA, SHIBUYA
OPEN 11AM-11PM (FROM 10AM ON WEEKENDS)
Vegan and non-Vegan Gyoza
Tiger Gyoza Kaikan is 6 mins walk from the Hachiko Exit of JR Shibuya Station. They accept most major credit cards. The entire hall is non-smoking. This place is big and seats 80 people . For dinner time I would budget around 3500 yen per adult and more like 2000 yen for lunch. If you are vegan, ask for their vegan menu. This restaurant is super dooper casual so bring kids along and have fun. You can also order ramen and fried rice.
渋谷区宇田川町37-35 1F
GROUND FLOOR, 37-35 UDAGAWACHO, SHIBUYA
OPEN FOR LUNCH 11:30AM-3:30PM
OPEN FOR DINNER 6PM-11:30PM (LAST ORDER 10:30PM)
OPEN ON WEEKENDS AND NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 11:30AM-10PM
Not a restaurant but you can order food here… how about reserving a group room at Karaoke and ordering snacks and drinks from the phone the room (like room service) at Rainbow Karaoke, Shibuya?
I’ve written bout Rainbow Karaoke here.
