I still, even now, find this area quite overwhelming. There is lots of wacky colourful food truck, street food (if this is more your thing see my blog post on Harajuku with kids instead) but for a proper meal?
These are my go-to sit-down meal spots.
The Gompachi restaurant called Nori-Temaki is a modern take on counter sushi.
It’s just so sparkling new and modern inside – and if you’ve got a mini-obsession with beautiful copper and wooden interiors, like I do – you’ll also be just looking around and grinning (even at the bathroom basins!)
‘Nori-Temaki’ means, well I’m pretty sure that most people know what Nori is …but the Temaki part refers to hand-rolled sushi.
I actually haven’t had sushi served to me in this way. Sushi served to me at a counter usually means that I’m getting ready to pay a hefty bill at the end and this place is completely reasonably priced but it also doesn’t feel even the slightest bit intimidating.
They are very kid-friendly here and you can also substitute white sushi rice for cauliflower rice. I wrote a more detailed blog post on the Nori Temaki restaurant experience here.
This restaurant is cashless. Card only.
GONPACHI NORI-TEMAKI RESTAURANT
渋谷区神宮前6-35-3, 1F CO-OP OLYMPIAビル
1F CO-OP OLYMPIA, 6-35-3 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYAA
OPEN 11:30AM -11PM
Inside a complex called Cascade (2 mins walk from Harajuku Station) is Mexican Restaurant Las Dos Caras.
The cuisine is “Modern Mexican.” The restaurant seats 132 people but it’s probably good to have a reservation on a weekend.
For lunch I would budget around 2000 yen per adult. And at dinnertime? More like 5000 yen.
Please note that there is a 440 yen service charge per person after 6pm.
The entire restaurant is non-smoking, takes most credit cards and has an English menu. Kids are welcome but teens under 18 must be with parents/guardians after 6pm.
See the full Las Dos Caras menu here.
LAS DOS CARAS, HARAJUKU
渋谷区神宮前1-10-37
1-10-37 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN MON-THURS 11:30AM-3PM & 5PM-10PM
OPEN FRI 11:30AM-3PM & 5PM-11PM
OPEN ON WEEKENDS 11:30AM-10PM
In the same Cascade Complex but on the 2nd floor is Pizzeria Spontini. The restaurant is big (seats 75) so you could make a reservation (gets busy on weekends) or try a walk-in. As I mentioned above, if it is busy and you miss out on a table, you can always try Las Dos Caras instead, one floor down. The pizza slices are big and super cheesy (in the best way.) The entire restaurant is non-smoking and they accept most major credit cards. Children and babies are welcome here and there is space to store strollers while you dine. There is an English menu. Be sure to ask for takeout if you can’t finish your pizza. I would budget for around 2000 yen per adult at lunch and 3000 yen at dinner. You can see the full Pizzeria Spontini menu here (please note that not all options are available year round and not all at lunchtime- the 4 main pizzas are always on the menu though.
PIZZERIA SPONTINI
渋谷区神宮前1-10-37 2F
2ND FLOOR, 1-10-37 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN WEEKDAYS 11AM-4PM & 5PM-10PM (LAST ORDERS AT 9PM)
OPEN WEEKENDS 11AM-10PM (LAST ORDERS AT 9PM)
CLOSED FOR THE NEW YEARS HOLIDAYS
If you’d like to eat at a sushi train restaurant for lunch ( or dinner) I recommend Kura Sushi ‘s Harajuku Branch. It is located just 200 metres from Meiji Jingumae subway station or 5 mins walk from Harajuku Station. The entire restaurant is automated and no Japanese language skills are required. The restaurant is open from 11am-11pm daily. They accept most major credit cards, are smoke-free, offer takeout, welcome families with small children. The restaurant is open from 11am-11pm everyday. It’s located on the 4th floor of the YM Square Harajuku Building. The restaurant has free wifi.
This restaurant is in a super touristy area so I recommend going there around 15 mins before they open in the morning – especially when visiting with kids.
Just an extra tip – the drinks options for kids aren’t that great here. Just orange juice or apple juice or tea. No softdrinks.
Also, they sell fries but they don’t have ketchup.
Sushi train chain Kurasushi have a list of all of their food with common allergens here.
(Kurasushi is great when dining with kids and there are lots of cooked non-raw sushi options but if you really love sushi you may be a little disappointed with the raw-fish quality / some have found that the fish meat is a bit frozen in the middle. See here for my tips on what to do in Japan if your kids like to eat westernized versions of sushi or california rolls etc.)
KURASUSHI HARAJUKU
渋谷区神宮前4-31-10ワイ・エム・スクウェア原宿4F
4TH FLOOR YM SQUARE, 4-31-10 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA-KU
OPEN 11AM-11PM
KURASUSHI HARAJUKU
Or how about some okonomiyaki? This restaurant is very popular and quite touristy – but that’s because the food is good and it’s nice a vibey. Sakura-tei is 8 mins walk from the Takeshita exit of Harajuku Station or 8 mins walk from A2 Exit of Omotesando Station. This is really fun way to eat out with kids as they can take part in the cooking process right at their own table. I, personally, wouldn’t try and go here without a reservation unless I was at the door of the restaurant right at opening time. Make reservations on the Sakuratei website here. At lunchtime I recommend budgeting for 2000 yen per adult and more like 3500 yen at dinnertime. This restaurant accepts most major credit cards. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. This restaurant can also cater to vegan and gluten-free customers.
SAKURATEI
渋谷区神宮前3-20-1
3-20-1 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA-KU
OPEN EVERYDAY 11AM-11PM
If you’re looking for somewhere for breakfast (open from 7am ! Almost unheard of for a proper sit down brekkie in these parts!) or brunch I recommend Trunk Hotel Kitchen.
The building is designed so beautifully and it has a large outdoor terrace which makes it extremely kiddie friendly. This place is technically closer to Shibuya Station (11 minutes walk) but is also only 14 mins from Harajuku. I believe it’s worth the walk if you’re craving a western breakfast or lunch.
The building is designed so beautifully and it has a large outdoor terrace which makes it extremely kiddie friendly.
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.
TRUNK KITCHEN WEBSITE
Another brunch, lunch or dinner option is Mr Farmer in Omotesando ( there are a handful of Mr Farmer restaurants around Tokyo.)
If you’re after fresh juice, organic vegetables, vegan meal options and desserts or just want to get in extra greens, you will LOVE this place.
*Smoking is allowed on the outdoor terrace.
*There are no high chairs but there is some sofa/booth style seating which makes it easier with toddlers.
MR FARMER, OMOTESANDO
渋谷区神宮前4-5-12 セピア原宿ビル1Ｆ
GROUND FLOOR, SEPIA BUILDING, 4-5-12 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN 9AM-8PM
WEBSITE
Another option that is just one walk from Omotesando Station – Casual Italian Restaurant “Cafe La Boheme Kita Aoyama.”
This restaurant welcomes families and servces both lunch and dinner. Budget for lunch is around 2000 yen per adult and more like 4000 yen at dinnertime. Please note that there is a 880 yen service charge for each person when dining after 6pm. This restaurant is big (seats 82 people) but it is still wise to make a reservation if you want to eat there on a weekend or during peak season. You can make reservations in English on their website. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. They accept most major credit cards.
Although it’s only a couple of options each – there are vegetarian and vegan items on their menu too ( their vegan quinoa and kale salad is so good and they also have some vegan pasta dishes.) You can see the Cafe La Boheme Kita Aoyama menu here.
CAFE LA BOHEME KITA AOYAMA
港区北青山3-6-5
3-6-5 KITA-AOYAMA, MINATO
OPEN FOR LUNCH ON WEEKDAYS 11:30AM-3PM (OPEN FOR PASTA SET PLATES ONLY 3PM-5PM)
OPEN FOR LUNCH SETS ONLY ON WEEKENDS (NO LUNCH MENU AVAILABLE) 11:30AM-3PM
OPEN FOR DINNER EVERYDAY FROM 5PM
If you’d like to explore the Aoyama area before or after a meal here, please see my suggestions here.
And also only 3 mins walk from Omotesando Station is a casual burger joint called Umami Burger, Aoyama. This place is popular with kids as they also sell giant colourful “freakshake” style milkshakes. For a meal here, I would budget for 2,500 yen per adult. They accept most major credit cards. They also accept reservations (or you can just try for a walk-in as the restaurant seats 70 people so, hopefully, the wait time isn’t too long.) Umami Burger also have a vegetarian menu. They also have space to store strollers while you dine ( you will need to lift the stroller over stairs to enter the restaurant though.) The kids menu is so cute- they are little mini burgers. See the full Umami Burger menu here.
UMAMI BURGER, AOYAMA
港区北青山3丁目15－5
3-15-5 KITA-AOYAMA, MINATO-KU
OPEN 11AM-9PM
Just at the bottom part of Takeshita Dori (if you’re coming from Harajuku station, that is) is Bills Omotesando.
Bills Omotesando is an Australian restaurant and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They keep some tables for walk-ins but reservations are the best way to avoid disappointment. Reservations can be made in English on their website. They have two vegan meals here and one vegan dessert.
It’s a higher end price point here so I would budget for 4000 yen per adult for dinner and 3000 yen for breakfast and lunch.
They are on the 7th floor of the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Building- which is 4 mins walk from Harajuku Station. See here for the full Bills Omotesando menu. They also have space to store strollers while you dine. They also have a kids menu here.
BILLS OMOTESANDO
渋谷区神宮前東急プラザ表参道原宿7F
7TH FLOOR, TOKYU PLAZA OMOTESANDO HARAJUKU SHOPPING MALL, 4-30-3 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA
OPEN 8:30AM-10PM (LAST ORDERS AT 9PM)
*There is a Starbucks one floor above this restaurant. It has an open rooftop area which is great for when kids need some space to wriggle.
If you’d like to sit down to a Yakiniku, Steak or Teppanyaki Restaurant in Harajuku that serves Kobe Beef and Wagyu, I recommend Harajuku Yakiniku Kintan. This restaurant welcomes children at lunch times and also at dinner -but only at dinner time if you have a reservation. This restaurant is 1 min walk from Exit 3 of Meiji Jingumae Station.
If kids just aren’t in the frame of mind for restaurant dining, Kintan also do amazing takeout bentos made with marinated Kobe Beef or Wagyu served on rice. Budget for lunch here is 2000 yen and more like 8,000 yen at dinner time. This restaurant accepts most major credit cards. There is also an English menu here. There is also space to store a stroller while you dine. This restaurant also is open to making changes for those who require gluten free options (best to bring a food allergy card to make everything easier though.)
HARAJUKU YAKINIKU KINTAN
渋谷区神宮前1-10-37 CASCADE 原宿
CASCADE HARAJUKU COMPLEX, 1-10-37 JINGUMAE, SHIBUYA-KU
OPEN WEEKDAYS 11:30AM-3PM & 6PM-11:15PM (LAST ORDERS 10:45PM)
OPEN SATURDAYS 11AM-3:30PM (LAST ORDERS 2:30PM) & 5PM-11:15PM (LAST ORDERS 10:45PM)
OPEN SUNDAYS & NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 11AM-3:30PM (LAST ORDERS 2:30PM) & 5PM-10PM (LAST ORDERS 9:30PM)
Another sit-down in this area option is breakfast, lunch or dinner on the terrace at Racines Aoyama.
Racines Aoyama is a lovely family-friendly spot that feels a bit fancy – it’s a great place to catch up with another family. I recommend sitting out the front on the terrace for more wriggle space for kids (best to bring some toys or colouring to keep them busy and quiet-ish at the table though.) If you’re sitting on the terrace you can also wheel a stroller right up to the table. This restaurant is open for breakfast (weekends only) , lunch and dinner. Breakfast options are french toast and waffles or eggs etc. Lunch options include salads, steak frites, soup, rice dishes, pasta etc. Dinner is a selection of antipasto options, meat and fish dishes and pasta.
This restaurant is also attached to a microbrewery.
For lunch here I would budget for 3000 yen per adult and more like 7000 yen at dinner time.
Racines Aoyama accept most major credit cards. The entire restaurant is non-smoking.
This restaurant is 5 mins walk from Omotesando Station (take exit A3) or 7 mins walk from Gaienmae Station (take exit 3)
RACINES AOYAMA
OPEN FOR BREAKFAST ON WEEKENDS & NATIONAL HOLIDAYS 9AM-11AM
OPEN EVERYDAY FOR LUNCH 11AM-2PM
OPEN EVERYDAY AS A CAFE 2PM-4:30PM
OPEN EVERYDAY FOR DINNER 6PM-10PM
