2 Best Restaurants in Harajuku, Tokyo

Carnivores flock here for the all-you-can-eat Brazilian grilled chicken and barbecued beef, which the efficient waiters will bring to your table until you tell them to stop, so be sure to pace yourself at the impressive, self-serve salad bar. With drinks (including, perhaps, Brazilian cocktails), dinner can easily run ¥10,000 per person, but the weekday lunch buffet offers largely the same selection at a fraction of the price. Hardwood floors, lithographs of bull motifs, warm lighting, and salmon-colored tablecloths provide the backdrop. Look for the entrance just off Omotesando-dori on the Harajuku 2-chome shopping street (on the north side of Omotesando-dori), about 50 yards down on the left. There are also branches of Barbacoa near Tokyo Station and in Roppongi, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. 

After a short walk down a narrow alley from Omotesando Crossing, diners squeeze into this cozy bistro, perch on tiny antique school chairs, and order from the daily recommendations (mostly in Japanese) chalked onto blackboards—ignoring the ever-changing printed menu. Specials lean toward French-accented comfort food. Dinners can be pricey; lunches are about a third of the price.