Rainbow Pancake レインボーパンケーキ

Rainbow Pancake is a really local pancake shop hidden in one of the back alleys in Harajuku. Lots of locals would line up for their fresh batter pancakes. They would take your order at the door and once you’re seated, they’ll start whipping a fresh batch of batter and cream for your pancakes.

I loved how the pancakes wasn’t too sweet even with the mountain of whip cream. Although, I would’ve liked it more if the pancakes were fluffier but nonetheless, still one of the best pancakes I’ve had in a while.

If you need to take a break from shopping in the Harajuku fashion district, Rainbow Pancake would be a great place. There’s a lot of pancake places in the busy streets but this is where the hidden gem is.

Address \\ 4-28-4 Jingumae Shibuya Tokyo
Phone Number \\  03-6434-0466 (Takes reservations)
Hours \\   Monday, Wednesday – Sunday: 10am – 6pm
                  (Closed Tuesday, if Tuesday is public holiday, closed Wednesday)
Average Price \\   Lunch: ￥1,000 – ￥1,999
Payment Method \\   Cash Only
Rating \\ 3.58/5
Website \\   Rainbow Pancake (Mainly Japanese)

Ichiran Ramen Shibuya 一蘭 渋谷店

Ichiran is a popular ramen chain in Japan so we had to check it out. If Ichiran is on your must eat list, I highly recommend to go here in the beginning of your trip. Once you’ve had a taste of the local small ramen shops, you won’t enjoy Ichiran.

We’ve been to a few local ramen shops first so when we got to Ichiran, I was disappointed. I think it’s popular because of it’s convenience and customizing your own bowl of ramen. Overall, it was okay. Nothing special. But if you insist on going, go here for your first meal in Japan.

Address \\  1-22-7 Jinnan Shibuya Tokyo
Phone Number \\   03-3463-3667 (Cannot make reservations)
Hours \\   24/7
Average Price \\   ￥999
Payment Method \\   Cash Only
Rating \\ 3.10/5
Website \\  Ichiran Ramen

Uobei 魚べい 渋谷道玄坂店

Uobei is a popular genki sushi train restaurant, it’s packed with foreigners! It attracts a lot of tourists because it’s right in the busy Shibuya area. At Uobei, you punch in your order on a tablet and your sushi will shoot out from the one side and stops in front of you! Remember to press the flashing button after you grabbed your plates and the tray will head back to the kitchen.  Once you’ve hit a certain amount, you can play Rock, Paper, Scissors on the tablet to get free gifts or discounts on your next visit. Pretty cool right?

Uobei is a great place to dine at if you’re on a budget. Most dishes are ￥105 for 2 pieces and the more premium fish like uni and toro, is around ￥200 for 1 piece. They also have some cooked foods like karaage and miso soup.

We took our friends back to Uobei on our second trip and we’ve noticed a drop in quality. Maybe they’re too busy and it’s all foreigners there now? Nonetheless, if you’re on a budget, this is still a cool place to check out.

Address \\ 2-29-11 Dogenzaka Shibuya Tokyo
Phone Number \\   03-3462-0241 (Cannot make reservations)
Hours \\   Monday – Sunday: 11am – 11:30pm (Last order)
Average Price \\   ￥1,000 ～￥1,999
Payment Method \\   Credit Card Accepted
Rating \\   3.00/5
Website \\  Uoebi  (Japanese only)

Harajuku Gyozarou 原宿餃子樓

Harajuku Gyozarou is a popular gyoza shop in the busy Harajuku shopping district. There’s usually a long line up so we went on off hours and it wasn’t so bad. They have boiled and pan fried gyozas. The best is the pan fried ones because they make it super crispy. They have the original pan fried gyoza and our favourite is the pan fried gyoza with garlic and leeks.

An order of 6 gyozas is ￥290, they’re so good you can’t just stop at one order. We ended up ordering a few plates of gyozas! If you’re on a budget, you can fill up on a bowl of rice and soup for ￥290. Great place to stop by for a little break from shopping, grab a beer and eat some greasy gyozas. So good!

Address \\  6-2-4 Jingumae Shibuya, Tokyo
Phone Number \\   03-3406-4743 (Cannot make reservations)
Hours \\   Monday – Saturday: 11:30am – 4:30am
Sunday: 11:30am – 10pm (Last order)
Average Price \\   Lunch: ￥999, Dinner: ￥1,000 ～￥1,999
Payment Method \\   Cash Only
Rating \\   3.53/5
Website \\   N/A