Hinoya Ryogoku

A tiny seven-seat joint that's made a huge name for itself on the 'curry battleground' of Kanda, Hinoya has won the neigbourhood's annual Curry Grand Prix several times and was the first entrant in that competition's newly established Curry Hall of Fame. These amusing awards aside, the shop's wonderfully simple, sweet and slightly spicy signature dish, which comes topped with a choice of raw or soft-boiled egg, needs to be experienced once by every Tokyo gourmand out there. Getting a taste of the goodness is now significantly less troublesome than it used to be, as Hinoya has set up branch restaurants all over the city in recent years. Their latest outpost, opened in Ryogoku in June 2016, serves both the standard dish and offerings like curry topped with a pork cutlet (katsu), while larger servings of rice can be had at no extra cost.