10 Nabe Restaurants in Tokyo's Major Shopping Areas - Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro Discover Oishii Japan -SAVOR JAPAN -Japanese Restaurant Reservation Guide-

Update-date: Jun 05 2020

Author: SAVOR JAPAN

Categories: Nabe Tokyo

10 Nabe Restaurants in Tokyo's Major Shopping Areas - Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro

The word "nabe" refers to hot pot, which makes the perfect comfort food in the cold winter. The piping-hot ingredients completely soaked in flavorful soup can easily warm up your freezing body. This article introduces 10 recommended nabe spots in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro, since they're the most easily accessible areas during your sightseeing.

See full listings of Nabe restaurants found in and around Tokyo.

1. Hormone-Yaki Hormone-Nabe Morioka Goro (Shinjuku-sanchome)

Hormone-Yaki Hormone-Nabe Morioka Goro is where you want to go if you're craving horumon nabe (offal hot pot), renowned for their incredible effects on the skin. It's only 2 minutes away on foot from Shinjuku-sanchome Station. Head to the 2nd floor of the building, and you'll stumble upon a "fridge door." Open it, and you'll find yourself in a wide space decorated with posters and signboards dating back in the 60's. Try their [Horumon Shio Nabe] (980 JPY for 1 serving). The simplicity of the hot pot - containing just offal, cabbage, and tofu - is the key to letting you enjoy the umami (Japanese savory taste) of the offal! Apart from shio (salt), you can also have it flavored with miso, curry, or tomato! They also have a varied drink menu, including beer, sake (Japanese alcohol), and makgeolli (Korean alcohol).

Hormone-Yaki Hormone-Nabe Morioka Goro

Open: [Sunday, Holidays] Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm(last order 10:00 pm)
[Monday, Wednesday - Saturday] Dinner 6:00 pm - 12:00 am (last order 11:00 pm)
Closed: Tuesday
Average price: [Dinner] 4,500 JPY
Access: Leave Shinjuku-sanchome Station from Exit B2. Walk for one minute and you will come across Suehirotei. Proceed another 20 meters to the Jujiya Building. The restaurant is located on the second floor, behind the refrigerator door.
Address: 2F Jujiya Building, 3-7-7 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo (Map)
More Details Reservation

2. Kaitei-ro-HI-Nabe Shinjuku Branch (Shinjuku)

Kaitei-ro-HI-Nabe Shinjuku Branch serves authentic hi-nabe, which is the Sichuan version of nabe. The atmosphere inside this large restaurant is classy and sophisticated, and there are private rooms where groups of friends or families can stretch their legs and relax. One of their most popular delicacies is the [4-Color Nabe] that allows you to pick and taste four kinds of soup, including mala nabe, mushroom nabe, and tomato nabe. The best one is the mala nabe - its authentic soup is made with 2 different kinds of Sichuan peppers. There's also an array of spices and condiments that you can freely choose from to adjust the flavor of your soup to your liking!

Kaitei-ro-HI-Nabe Shinjuku branch

Open: 11:00 am - 6:00 am (next day) (L.O. 5:00 am)
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 4,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,000 JPY
Access: 5 minutes walk from JR [Shinjuku Station]. Go towards the direction of Kabuki-cho along [Godzilla Road], then on the 6th floor of the building on the left side across the Shinjuku Toho Bldg.
Address: 6F, 2nd Asia Kaikan, 1-21-1 Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

3. Akiji-suishin Shinjuku Branch (Shinjuku-sanchome)

You can access this restaurant in just 3 minutes on foot from Shinjuku-sanchome Station! Akiji-suishin Shinjuku Branch offers food from Hiroshima and the Seto Inland Sea. It's right next to the popular department store Isetan Shinjuku, so it's perfect after a tiring day of shopping. Their seafood is directly delivered from Hiroshima, and you just can't miss their fantastic oysters from the Seto Inland Sea! You can have plenty of their oysters if you order the [Oyster Nabe] (2,160 JPY for 1 serving) or the [Oyster Doteyaki] (2,160 JPY for 1 serving), wherein the oysters are stewed in miso. However, remember that you have to place a minimum order of 2 servings for nabe! If you still have some space left in your stomach, why not also try their [Kamameshi] (1,100 JPY)? Along with nabe, it's been their signature dish since the beginning!

Akiji-suishin Shinjuku Branch

Open: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm)
[Weekdays] Lunch 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
[Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays] Lunch 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,500 JPY
Access: 3 minutes walk from Shinjuku-sanchome station B5 exit. Located next to Isetan Shinjuku department store.
Address: B1F, ISETAN KAIKAN, 3-15-17, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

4. Kushikoma Main Store (Otsuka)

Kushikoma Main Store is an izakaya (Japanese pub) established over 30 years ago where you can find lots of select alcoholic beverages. Walk 5 minutes from Otsuka Station, go through its stylish entrance decorated with a small lantern, and you'll be welcomed by the nostalgic atmosphere of a restaurant full of history. Their array of alcoholic drinks contains rare bottles the owner himself collected from breweries across the country. You can accompany your sake with their [Ishiri Mizore Nabe] (2,300 JPY). The base is a fish sauce soup enriched with squid guts, and the heaviness of the fish sauce is completely erased by the aroma of vegetables and the sweetness of grated daikon, resulting in an incredibly popular must-eat dish that you need to reserve in order to eat!

Kushikoma Main Store

Open: [Tuesday - Saturday] Normal hours: 6:00 pm - 12:00 am, last order for food at 11:00 pm / last order for drinks at 11:30 pm
[Sunday] Normal hours: 5:00 pm - 12:00 pm, last order for food at 11:00 pm / last order for drinks at 11:30 pm
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY
Access: A 5-minute walk after alighting from Otsuka station on the JR Yamanote line/A 5-minute walk after alighting from Otsuka-ekimae station on the Toden Arakawa line
Address: 1-33-25 Kitaotsuka , Toshima-ku, Tokyo (Map)
More Details Reservation

5. MYSH Sake Bar (Shibuya)

In the trendsetting Shibuya area sits a tranquil hideaway called MYSH Sake Bar. On the 2nd floor of a building, you will find stepping stones and a sliding door that look like they belong in a traditional Japanese garden. On the other side of the door, you'll find a Japanese-style space with tatami counter seats and private rooms. Here, the proprietress serves delicious sake and dishes from her hometown, changing it up daily. If you make a reservation, you can ask for a course meal or their special [Joya Nabe] (1,500 JPY), which is a richly-flavored hot pot filled with pork, fried tofu, and lots of vegetables!

MYSH sake bar

Open: Lunch 11:00 am - 3:00 pm / Dinner 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Access: 5 minutes walk from the exit No.13 of Shibuya Station
Address: 2F, New Art Bldg., 5-30-3, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

6. Kaki Kueba (Shinjuku)

If you're in the mood for fresh pasteurized oysters and delicious sake, pick Kaki Kueba. Despite being located in Kabukicho, Shinjuku's top commercial district, this restaurant offers a classy space that will make you completely forget about the sounds of the city. Their specialty is "the milk of the sea", which is the nickname given to pasteurized oysters produced in Oku, in Okayama Prefecture. Especially during the cold season, enjoy these oysters by ordering the [Oyster Nabe] or the luxurious [Tsufu Nabe] (3,480 JPY), a hearty hot pot filled with monkfish liver, milt, and oysters! They also have around 20 to 30 different brands of sake that go well with their oyster dishes. Rare sake is another specialty of this restaurant, so don't miss out!

Kaki Kueba

Open: [Monday - Thursday] 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (L.O. 11:30 pm)
[Friday, Saturday] 5:00 pm - 4:30 am (L.O. 4:00 am)
Closed: None
Average price: 3,500 JPY
Address: 6F, Hashimoto Bldg., 1-6-6, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

7. Negima (Kita Ikebukuro)

Negima is a restaurant that specializes in [Negima Nabe], a working-class dish created over 150 years ago. It is an old delicacy where fatty tuna and sweet scallions are stewed together in a stock obtained from skipjack tuna and sake. In a tiny space with just 8 counter seats, the proprietress thoroughly cooks and serves the nabe to the customers, keeping pace with each of them. To add more flavor, she uses 2 parts of the tuna, haramo (belly) and kamatoro (back cheek). Another must-eat is the [Shiru-kake Meshi], which is rice, cooked in an earthenware pot, with umami-rich broth from the nabe on top.

Negima

Open: 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)
Closed: Monday, Sunday, National Holidays
Average price: 6,000 JPY
Address: 4-3-17, Ikebukuro Hon-cho, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details

8. Sankaiya Ikebukuro Branch (Ikebukuro)

Enjoy Kyushu delicacies at Sankaiya Ikebukuro Branch! They have a wide variety of them, including their specialty, the [Hakata Kushiyaki and Vegetable Makikushi]. Their most praised menu items are the [Motsu Nabe] (offal hot pot), served as part of a course, wherein super tender offal is stewed in their rich yet smooth secret soup, and the [Seafood Nabe], made with an irresistible fish broth and fresh seafood procured that morning. That said, it is highly recommended to get their 2,980 JPY course, which is filling, of great value, and includes a 3-hour all-you-can-drink plan!

Sankaiya Ikebukuro Branch

Open: 4:00 pm - 12:00 am (L.O. 11:30 pm)
Closed: None
Average price: 3,000 JPY
Address: 5F, No. 5 Ikebukuro Bldg., 1-20-11, Minami Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details

9. Koganeya Shibuya Branch (Shibuya)

Koganeya Shibuya Branch is a place where you can eat high-quality domestic beef offal. A very popular dish is the [Cream & Cheese Motsu Nabe] (1,580 JPY (plus tax)), which beautifully combines creamy soup with offal. Add some rice to finish it off as a delightfully delicious cheese risotto! Another dish that has been an all-time favorite ever since the restaurant's opening is the [Special Motsu Nabe Soy Sauce Flavor] (1,580 JPY (plus tax)), made with 2 types of bonito flakes stocked all the way from Kyushu, high-quality kombu (kelp), and a special soy sauce. Stretch your legs in one of their private rooms equipped with a horigotatsu (sunken kotatsu table) and enjoy your hot nabe!

Koganeya Shibuya Branch

Open: [Weekdays, Day before National Holidays] 5:00 pm - 4:00 am
[Sunday, National Holidays] 5:00 pm - 12:00 am
Closed: None
Average price: 3,800 JPY
Address: B1, Ichiban Bldg., 1-3-11, Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details

10. Katsura Shibuya (Shibuya)

Reachable within just a minute's walk from Shibuya Station, Katsura Shibuya is a great option if you want to try authentic Hakata cuisine. It's equipped with both Japanese-style private rooms, just like those of a traditional restaurant, and chic red-themed rooms, so take your pick depending on who you're with. The lineup of nabe dishes is huge, including [Chicken Hakata Mizutaki] (1,180 JPY), made with meaty chicken, the hot and spicy [Kimchi Nabe] (1,180 JPY), and the [Chicken Chanko Nabe] (1,280 JPY). To finish your nabe off, choose from udon (thick noodles), zosui (rice gruel), and champon (thick ramen noodles).

Katsura Shibuya

Open: [Monday - Thursday] 5:00 pm - 12:30 am
[Friday, Day before National Holidays] 5:00 pm - 5:00 am
[Saturday] 2:00 pm - 5:00 am
[Sunday, National Holidays] 2:00 pm - 12:30 am
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 2,480 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Address: B1F, No. 2 Kobayashi Bldg., 1-14-13, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

All of the restaurants listed in this article make delicious nabe that fully enhance the flavor of the ingredients used. When your body gets cold after a day of sightseeing outside, warm it up with nabe, Japan's no. 1 winter food!

Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.