Tokyo’s Best Breakfast Spots

Jun 27, 2023

Tokyo’s Best Breakfast Spots

It has been ten years since Japanese cuisine was added to UNESCO’s intangible heritage list in 2013. This designation means that Japanese cuisine is something unique in the world, not found anywhere else. And it is pretty great. I could and often do eat my fill of Japanese food, but sometimes I still have that American hankering for breakfast. In my case, that usually means waffles, sausage or bacon, and hashbrowns, but I am sure that some of my readers may want scrambled eggs and bacon with toast and hash browns. Or pancakes. As great as the culinary offerings here in Japan are, I still wake up and ask,”  Where can I get a decent down-home breakfast around here?” I’ve compiled a few more-than-decent options for the next time you need some brunch.

World Breakfast All Day

This appropriately named establishment does precisely what it says on the label; it serves breakfast foods from around the world all day. Thai, Mexico, Poland, Germany, France, the UK, and America are all represented with decent portions and prices. Perhaps best of all, they have three locations around town, so one is probably close to you.

Multiple locations and hours; check https://www.world-breakfast-allday.com/ for more info.

Sarabeth’s

“The Breakfast Queen of New York” is at Lumine II above Shinjuku Station. When it first opened, I couldn’t get in the place to have a meal because it was always crowded, but thankfully since then, they’ve opened more locations around Tokyo. My favorite NYC export on the breakfast scene and probably the only place where I can get Eggs Benedict with lox here in the metropolis.

Check Sarabeth’s Japan locations web page for more info on their multiple locations and hours.

Jade5 Breakfast & Brunch

Have you ever been out in some part of town doing something and afterward intent on getting home but then stumbled upon a diamond of a find and wound up spending more time and money than you should have? That describes my experience with Jade 5 perfectly. After a night out in the area, I fell into this cafe and was blessed with a menu featuring breakfast burritos and blueberry pancakes. Since they have a menu you won’t find elsewhere in Tokyo; I suggest you find your way to Hiroo for some comfort breakfast stat! (Lunch is also good with a BLT with for-real bacon and actual apple pie like granny makes.)

5-17-6 Hiroo, Shibuya, Tōkyō
Open Tuesday-Sunday; hours vary.
Access: Hiroo Station [H]
Jade 5 on Facebook

Soul Food House

I will never not recommend Soul Food House for breakfast. I already mentioned my fixation with waffles, just one of their many delectable offerings. They also have authentic Southern fried chicken and an extensive menu. They’re probably the only place in the metropolis offering Grits for breakfast. Bring your appetite and go to Azabu-Juban for some of Tokyo’s best breakfasts. (Editors note, I second this opinion)

6F, 2-8-10 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open Wednesday-Sunday; hours vary.
Access: Azabu-Juban Station

Soul Food House on Instagram

J o, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons