Curry is surprisingly popular in Japan. Although curry originated in India, Japanese people have come up with their own unique version of curry, and today, curry rice is a staple weekly in many households. Even many Indians enjoy eating the Japanese version.
In this feature, we talk about an area that is famous for its curry rice in Tokyo called Jimbocho (神保町). Tabelog, a popular food review website in Japan, has many restaurants from Jimbocho in their Top 100 curry restaurants in Tokyo, as well as many other Michelin-starred restaurants. Let’s find out about some of these unique curry restaurants.
Gravial
A traditional European-style restaurant, Gravial has been in business since 1982. The uniqueness of the curry rice here is that it is soft, fragrant, meaty, and is on the sweeter side.
Interestingly, the set comes with 2 boiled potatoes and butter as a side. The rice also has butter in it, which has a beautiful, special aroma.
The curry gravy is thick, delicious, and the slight sweetness appeals to children and adults. You can choose the level of spiciness according to your tolerance level, from 1–5. Anyone who likes sweet flavors will definitely love the curry here.
The curry has chopped mushrooms and seafood like scallops, prawns, and clams.
The buttered rice adds a lovely creaminess that beautifully complements the curry.
You also get pickles and pickled onions
Gravial Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/3HeCamtpTXCwvZGA6
Curry & Oriental Bar Momo-No-Mi (カリー＆オリエンタル・バル 桃の実)
A curry shop that focuses on the flavor of spices, this restaurant has been included in the Michelin Guide. For the lunch menu, you can choose from chicken, kheema, and mutton curry.
The condiments are already placed on the plate on top of the rice.
We chose the most popular chicken curry. The gravy was not very thick; the chicken was tender, fragrant with blended spices.
The set also comes with a daal, which is creamy and lightly spiced. It offers a good balance with the rice, as you can alternate between the curries and daal.
If you get confused with the menu, feel free to ask the friendly staff.
Momo-No-Mi Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/eefkAcnxbua2mKR88
Official website: http://www.momo-no-mi.jp
Curry Bondy
When it comes to curry restaurants, Bondy is a must-visit. Similar to Gravial, you will also find potatoes here, and it is also included in the Michelin Guide. Gravial was actually opened by a former employee of Bondy.
The funny thing is that the two potatoes are usually enough to fill someone up if you don’t have a large appetite.
The rice is seasoned with butter, and the aroma is intoxicating.
The curry we ordered this time was the No. 1 favorite here, Chicken Curry. The gravy is creamy and mildly sweet as a result of all the vegetables and fruit blended to make the base. You can choose the level of spiciness from 1–5. It is scrumptious and worth the mention in Tokyo’s Top 100 as well as the Michelin Guide.
Curry Bondy Jimbocho, Main Branch: https://goo.gl/maps/yHtvathGTLp7fYsTA
Ogawamachi Branch: https://g.page/bondyogawamachi?share
Official website: http://bondy.co.jp/web/
Curry and Wine Bistro Beppinsha (カリー＆ワインビストロべっぴん舎)
The final curry restaurant in this feature is also one of the 100 famous curry restaurants in Tokyo and in the Michelin Guide. Their signature dish is the medicinal curry that is made using over 20 spices and beef marinated in wine. It is a restaurant that was included in the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2021.
We tried the shrimp curry here. It is topped with coriander, making it extremely popular among coriander lovers.
The soup is not as thick but yet flavorful, especially since it uses large shrimps. You can really taste the seafood in this one.
Curry and Wine Bistro Beppinsha (カリー＆ワインビストロべっぴん舎) Jimbocho: https://goo.gl/maps/jhAatUpG5zXn57ju6
Ochanomizu: https://goo.gl/maps/JGXrBQmX2JbGU5sz5
Official Website: https://www.beppinsya.com
If you love Japanese curry, make sure to visit some of these amazing restaurants to get your appetite going. Reasonably priced, most of these are great for large groups.
