40 best restaurants, cafés, shops and things to do in Nakameguro

Occupying a renovated, traditional-style home right by Nakameguro Station, the most interesting café in town, run by Jiyugaoka-based roasters and bean importers Onibus, is equipped with a shiny espresso machine and newly acquired roaster. Just don’t expect to linger – this is a very functional spot with minimal frills. Onibus imports top-grade beans from Rwanda and Guatemala among others and roast them in the shop. The menu is as simple as the décor: espresso, americano, latte or hand drip, nothing else.

Located by the Meguro River, this is one of the largest Starbucks roasteries in the world. The building was designed by Japanese starchitect Kengo Kuma, while the interior was created by the Starbucks community design team. The massive four-story structure houses the roasting factory on the top floor, the Arriviamo cocktail bar on the third floor and the Teavana tea room on the second floor, while first floor is occupied by the Milanese bakery Princi, famous for its cronuts and focaccia pizza. You'll want to secure a seat at the fourth floor's outdoor terrace during sakura season for gorgeous views of the pink blossoms.

One of Nakameguro's top coffee spots, Cafe Facon appears to be angling for a more mature crowd. It's pocked with Parisian references, including a small library of Francophone books. Decor aside, Facon clearly means business. The shop roasts its own beans, offering four blends and a selection of single-origin coffees, plus a few milky variations and a variety of teas. If you're feeling peckish, the best bet is to order a cake or sandwich set.

Located in the trendy neighbourhood of Nakameguro, this café and bar is the perfect spot for those looking to indulge in Japanese-style curry and craft gin in a relaxed atmosphere. Despite its hipster vibe, the venue is inviting and welcoming, even to those unfamiliar with the scene.

Upon entering, the aroma of spices such as cumin, coriander, and cardamom in the simmering pots on the stove greets you, and the deep house playlist can lift your spirits from maladies like winter blues and Sunday scaries. While any one of the curry rice plates is suitable for a full meal, you can also drop by for a refreshing gin and tonic and some hot bar snacks, like falafels or keema quesadillas filled with savoury minced meat and melted cheese.

This cosy Nakameguro hangout reckons it’s Japan’s very first dedicated gin and tonic bar. It’s certainly well suited to the role, boasting shelves stocked with over 120 kinds of gin from around the world. 

Look out for local favourites like Roku Gin and Ki No Bi, popular brands such as The Botanist and Hendricks, and rare bottles like Bottega Bacur and Cruxland gin. If you’d rather something lighter, the bar even has a selection of non-alcoholic spirits designed to taste like gin, including Nema and Seedlip. 

This liquor shop nestled in the streets of Nakameguro is stocked with over 300 different spirits including gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, vodka, absinthe, akvavit and fruit brandy from around the world. 

Even better, if you can’t decide what to get, just head up to the first floor to try a selection of spirits at the standing bar. For a fee, you can taste any of the spirits on offer, but after 6pm, you can also get classic cocktails like gimlets, daiquiris, margaritas, old fashioneds, moscow mules, caipirinhas and more.

Having opened a full-scale craft beer empire since, the first Tokyo pub opened by the Numazu-based Baird Brewing Company is very relaxed: all brick walls and wood panelling, with a long central table that's ripe for communal drinking. It's primarily an outlet for Baird's own brews, which tend to be pretty damn fine: we're particular fans of the Teikoku IPA and Angry Boy Brown Ale, available year-round. Check the blackboard above the bar for guest beers from the likes of Rogue and Brewdog, and keep an eye out for Baird's own seasonal specials. Don't miss the New Haven-style pizzas either, and note that this is a non-smoking venue.

Offering a decent selection of craft beer and some not-so traditional gyoza, this quirky, playful eatery is a reliable casual hangout. Its handmade dumpling menu includes unusual options like gyoza topped with cilantro salsa, a strange sounding combo which works brilliantly. Pair your gyoza with a local craft beer or one of the many brews from Gigantic Brewing Company of Portland, and you’re good to go for an extended evening in Nakameguro.

Japanese brand Kinto now boasts a store in Los Angeles, but the flagship shop in Tokyo is located down a sleepy street in Nakameguro and carries a sleek selection of tableware, tumblers, and coffee equipment.  The store even sells its own coffee blend, which is sourced from the Single O coffee roasters in Tokyo’s Ryogoku neighbourhood.

Sitting around the corner from Kinto’s Tokyo flagship shop, this new lifestyle store focuses on offering a selection of Kinto items for outdoor activities and sports. Plus, there’s a selection of items for babies and kids as well as outdoor tableware to give your camping trips a little extra style. 

A Mark It by Kinto personalisation station is also available, so you can add your initials or a cute design onto Kinto’s handy water bottles and tumblers with a special laser printer.

This quaint plant store in Nakameguro is located on the shotengai (shopping street), alongside many old-school shops. It sells around 100 different types of indoor plants ranging from little pot plants perfect for propping on your windowsill, to low-maintenance hanging plants, and 1-metre-tall tropical monstera plants. You’ll even find a selection of minimalist ceramic pots and other gardening equipment like glass watering cans designed to match with any interior.

This stationery shop sells everyday goods inspired by the theme of travel. Set in the building of a former paper processing factory, Traveler's Factory offers stationery, books and customisable products, including the best-selling Traveler's Notebook, which encourages the user to plan ahead and start something new. The space upstairs is used to host special events and workshops and also doubles as a café where you can sip on cuppa while filling out your notebook.

This select shop has an air of confidence and maturity about it, and that’s due to a well-curated selection of fashion, homewares and lifestyle goods that are geared towards those who favour classic styles over fads. We love the highly wearable clothes for men and women, which focus on cult brands such as MM6, Studio Nicholson and Kaptain Sunshine.

When a store looks this enchanting, how could you not walk in? Opened in 2020, this is Visvim’s flagship women’s store and is situated along the picturesque Meguro River in a spectacular setting. 

The shop takes over a former home and is so discreet, you may pass by without a second glance. However, past the noren curtains hanging at the entrance, you’ll be welcomed by an awe-inspiring rustic, traditional Japanese interior highlighted with earthen walls, timber beams, and large windows looking out onto the river. 

At this bijou workshop and store located a quick stroll from the Nakameguro riverside, local brand Vivify creates what it calls ‘urban craft jewellery’: predominantly silver accessories with a distinctly handmade feel. The natural wood-lined atelier and shop space has a counter spanning most of one wall, behind which you'll often find a jeweller hard at work. Outside, a terrace complete with seating and cacti offers space to relax and contemplate your purchase.

Vintage store J’antiques sells chic American clothing and furniture from its base in the Nakameguro shotengai (shopping street). It offers a good range of vintage items from throughout the 20th century, the bulk of which is menswear and womenswear. Interior items – including antique accessories, furniture and tableware dating from as late as the 1950s and as early as the 1800s – and vintage fabrics and buttons make up the rest of the stock. The floor is divided into three sections: secondhand and accessories, vintage menswear, and vintage womenswear, with the vintage clothing split across two equally grand rooms. It’s rumoured that the quality of the stock draws big names from the fashion industry in search of inspiration – you can’t go wrong with an endorsement like that.

For high-end fashion that won’t break the bank, Kindal is a great spot to shop for designer bargains. The shop curates its selection well, so you know you’re getting consignment goods that won’t fall apart after one wear. If you’re looking to sell, one bonus of going with Kindal is that the buying policy is quite flexible –  you can send your items to them via post instead of coming to a store in person.

This art museum showcases contemporary Japanese paintings, with an emphasis on artists who were born in the Showa era (1926-1989) and onwards. Located a few minutes’ walk from the Meguro River, this venue offers some consolation to those who visit Nakameguro outside cherry blossom season as exhibitions feature sakura artwork from across Japan.

3110NZ is a collaboration between Shibuya art gallery Nanzuka Underground and renowned omakase sushi restaurant Sushi Saito. The space operates as a free public art gallery by day, but come evening, it turns into an omakase sushi experience with just eight counter seats at the bar. Exhibitions are set to change roughly every four to six weeks and the gallery opened with a showcase of artworks by postwar Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami, best known for his colourful pop art. For the latest exhibition information, check their Instagram.

A designer sento overhauled by Kentaro Imai, Kohmeisen reopened in 2014 in the heart of Nakameguro’s trendy shopping area. Imai came up with a design that fits well with the surrounding cityscape – a soft white colour scheme and a mural of Mt Fuji created by graffiti artist Gravity Free. There are three baths – massage, carbonated and cold water – and a sauna. A rotenburo (outside bath) is available on only one side of the sento, so the men’s and women’s sides are swapped every Friday to allow everyone to experience rooftop bathing – a rare treat in central Tokyo. The radium-rich water is good for relieving pain and fatigue.

Neighbouring Daikanyama has what's basically the world's greatest bookstore, and now Nakameguro gets an offshoot of that same bibliophile nirvana. Located underneath the railway tracks right outside Nakameguro Station, it consists of four interconnected but separate spaces: lifestyle and gifts, ideas and inspiration, events, and a Starbucks café fit for laidback browsing and sipping.

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