Shoku no Hanamichi

Restaurant Details

An izakaya like no other within easy access of Shinjuku Station, Shoku no Hanamichi is a time capsule of Edomae street cuisine featuring the era’s four specialties: sushi, tempura, unagi and soba.

Shoku no Hanamichi combines the resplendent interior of an Edo-era castle with the street food carts that once filled the streets of Edo, the former identity of boisterous Tokyo. Consisting of two floors, the first level is mapped out like the streets of Edo: seven food stalls wrap the center dining space, carefully recreating the core staples of Japanese cuisine with domestically produced ingredients and no MSG in keeping with tradition. The floor above is where diners get to enjoy Shoku no Hanamichi’s offerings through the course system within a space designed to resemble a castle.

The sushi made at the stall Sushi Matsugoro replicates the larger, fist-sized nigirizushi that sated the appetites of Edo’s common folk, while Hokusai serves high-quality soba with a miso-based dipping sauce that fed hundreds of hungry workers. At Raiden, sip on sake from the famous Tokyo brewery Sawanoi operating since the Edo era, Chateau Mercian wine and tea made from award-winning tea leaves from Makinohara in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Guests selecting its course menu will be introduced to a more refined approach to Japanese cuisine. The experience begins with Sawanoi sake, setting the stage for a degustation of technique-driven dishes. Highlights include visually striking sea bream head in clay pot rice, miso-grilled wagyu; fried kinmedai (red seabream), where hot oil is poured over the skin repeatedly to crisp the scales and make them stand up; and amadai (tilefish) wrapped in soba and steamed.

For celebrations, splurge on an all-you-can-drink kaiseki course reminiscent of dining at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). The restaurant also hosts complimentary 20-minute cultural performances several times a month, bringing Japan’s traditions to your table.