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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Lost in Naitomachi?
if you walk toward the yoyogi-uehara side you'll find a place called kaze no oto, it's a tiny standing bar with maybe 8 seats. the owner picks his sake based on what's in season and will chat with you if he's not slammed. no food menu really just snacks like pickled radish and smoked fish but the vibe is peak local
also check out the bakery on the corner near naitomachi station, it's called pain au chocolat but they do a curry bread that's unreal for like 200 yen. grab one and walk to the small park behind the shrine, it's dead quiet and you'll hear birds over traffic
yeah Naitomachi is great for that, you're basically already avoiding the tourist stuff just by being there. walk toward the Meiji-dori side and you'll find a little soba place called Sobaya Nishikawa, it's literally just a curtain and a wooden door, no sign in english. the guy runs it solo so be patient but the tempura soba is like 1200 yen and he makes the noodles fresh every morning
for a drink, there's a tiny standing bar called Uoshin on the street behind the FamilyMart, it's like three seats and a barrel. they do grilled fish and sake, the owner's an old fisherman type who'll just nod at you. no music no fuss just fish and booze
honestly if you want that "actually in Japan" feeling just wander the side streets around 6pm when the salarymen start filtering into the tiny places. the best spots have no online presence at all
honestly Naitomachi is a solid choice for that exact vibe. it's kinda tucked away between Yoyogi-Uehara and Shibuya so you get the quiet without being totally stranded
there's this tiny spot called Menya Hirai on the main drag near the station, it's got like 6 counter seats and does a really good shoyu ramen. no english menu, just a ticket machine. the owner used to run a stall in Fukuoka so the broth has that real Kyushu depth but lighter than what you'd expect
for izakaya, walk toward the Yoyogi-Uehara side and look for a place called Torichu. it's literally just a counter with a grumpy old guy grilling skewers. no sign in english, just a red lantern. the negima (chicken and leek) there is prob the best i've had in the area. get there early like 6pm or you'll wait forever
also if you're up for a 15 min walk, Yamashita in Hatagaya does handmade soba that's stupid good and they have a lunch set for 900 yen. totally local crowd, no tourists
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.