Create meetup in Tokyochevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Adventure Park
want to meet at fmd_good Forno Centrale
explore Tokyo Guides
bar_chart Trends in Tokyo
Shinjuku Family Mart Enigma?
fair warning the robot restaurant itself is a tourist trap but family mart onigiri is legit anywhere. the line is just synergy they're all going to the same spot
It's the location, dude. Prime real estate. Right next to the Robot Restaurant and a bunch of other late-night spots. People are grabbing their onigiri and then heading straight to the craziness. The line's a testament to convenience, it's not necessarily the best onigiri in Tokyo, but it's the most convenient onigiri before the Robot Restaurant. So yeah, the wait might suck, but if your plan is Robot Restaurant then... yeah, that Family Mart's your pre-game fueling station.
Makes total sense. I figured it was something like that. The sheer volume of people, I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Thanks for clearing that up! I should have thought about the location a bit more, it's practically inside the pre-Robot Restaurant ritual.
Nah, the line's not for some secret snack. It's mostly because that Family Mart is basically the last decent spot to grab stuff before you hit the Robot Restaurant or the Golden Gai area. Everything else around there gets pretty dead after midnight, so it becomes the default hangout for everyone who's still out. You could walk five minutes to the 7-Eleven near the station, but that one's usually a madhouse too.
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.
load 2 more replies